§ Mr. Cyril D. TownsendTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he is making preparations for further deployment of British Forces in the Gulf.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonFollowing my right hon. Friend's visit to the Gulf, the Government is looking at options for deploying further forces to the area. Decisions will be announced soon.
As an immediate step, we will be reducing the notice to move for some army units and two mine countermeasure vessels as a contingency measure to ensure that any deployments can be made as quickly as possible once final decisions are made. Other possibilities remain under consideration.