§ 26. Mr. Foulkesasked the Secretary of State for Defence what policy changes he proposes in relation to the defence of the Falklands in the light of recent reports of Argentine rearmament.
§ Mr. StanleyI have nothing to add to the reply which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave to the hon. Member on 16 January at column 123.
§ 49. Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether any changes have been made during the past two months regarding deployment relating to the Falkland Islands; and what is the latest estimate of the annual cost of defending the Falklands.
§ Mr. StanleyIt would not be in the public interest to provide details of changes in deployments in the South Atlantic. For the latest estimate of the running costs of the Falklands garrison, I refer the hon. Member to the reply that that I gave to the hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on 11 December 1984 at column431.
§ Mr. Yeoasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total defence expenditure on the Falklands Islands since the end of the war in 1982.
156W
§ Mr. StanleyThe cost of the Falklands campaign and subsequent expenditure in 1982–83 was £780 million; it is not possible to disaggregate the campaign and post-campaign costs for that year. Provision of £624 million in 1983–84 and £684 million in 1984–85 was included in the defence budget to meet the extra costs of the Falklands garrison, the cost of replacing capital equipment lost and residual campaign costs.