§ Sir Nicholas BonsorTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 17 February,Official Report, column 255, what estimate he has made of the costs of deploying personnel from the United Kingdom to undertake naval control of shipping tasks at Gibraltar in periods of tension or war, hitherto undertaken by Royal Naval Reserve personnel; what plans he has to close the maritime headquarters; what use it is intended to make of the accommodation at HMS Calpe; from whose budget the annual costs have hitherto been met; on whose budget the costs of the Territorial Army element of the Gibraltar Regiment are borne; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonNaval control of shipping staff would only deploy to Gibraltar in the event of a major conflict. The extra costs of deploying an RNR officer would be approximately £160 per person travel costs, should a trooping flight be unavailable, and £1.55 per officer per day for mess accommodation at current prices. There are no plans to close the maritime headquarters. The accommodation at HMS Calpe will be used as a community centre by the staff of Commander British Forces Gibraltar and their families. The costs of pay, bounty and allowances for volunteer reservists at HMS Calpe fall to the top level budget of the Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command; all other costs fall to the higher level budget of the Commander British Forces Gibraltar within the top level budget of the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff as do the costs of the TA element of the Gibraltar Regiment.