Germany (Hansard, 8 February 1994)

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the savings to the defence budget of(a) a total withdrawal of the Royal Air Force and (b) a withdrawal of Tornado squadrons from Germany.

§ Mr. Hanley
There are no current plans for a total withdrawal of the Royal Air Force from Germany or for the withdrawal of the Germany-based Tornado squadrons. It would not, in any case, be the practice to publish assessments of the costs or savings which might arise from speculative changes in the Defence forward programme.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his assessment of the military purpose currently being served by the deployment of the Royal Air Force in Germany.

§ Mr. Hanley
The RAF in Germany makes an important contribution to the collective defence of the North Atlantic Alliance. By contributing highly capable air forces to each category of NATO's new multinational force structure, the United Kingdom collaborates with other allies to assure the security of Allied Command Europe, providing forces for the full range of the alliance's missions.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Secretary of Stale for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the German Defence Minister on a total or partial withdrawal of the Royal Air Force from Germany.

§ Mr. Hanley
None.

§ Mr. Menzies Campbell
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list by station(a) the units and (b) the 237W aircraft currently deployed in Germany, together with the number of members of the Royal Air Force and their dependants.

§ Mr. Hanley
There are four Tornado GR1 squadrons, one RAF Regiment squadron and a signals unit at RAF Bruggen; two Harrier squadrons, two RAF Regiment squadrons, and one mixed Chinook/Puma squadron at RAF Laarbruck. HQ 2 Group and its supporting units and a signals unit are located at RAF Rheindahlen. An Air weapons range is based at RAF Nordhorn and there is an RAF hospital at RAF Wegberg. Currently there are some 6,000 RAF personnel in Germany. Figures for the number of their dependants are not held centrally.