§ Mr. Thorpeasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he is yet in a position to announce the outcome of the report commissioned by him on pay and conditions of Service men and women in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. Mulley:As I told the House on 27th May in response to a similar Question from my hon. Friend the Member for Loughborough (Mr. Cronin)—[Vol. 932, c. 624–25]—the operational situation in Northern Ireland justified the introduction of field conditions for members of the permanent garrison there. The financial effects which flowed automatically from this decision have benefitted those who had been shown to be most at a financial disadvantage by reason of their service in Northern Ireland.