§ 20 and 21. Mr. Malcolm MacMillanasked the Secretary of State for Air (1) what has been the total expenditure to date upon the Western Isles guided missile scheme; and what is the most up-to-date estimate of the total cost of the scheme, when completed and operational;
(2) what was the highest number of people employed on the Western Isles guided missiles scheme; what is the present number employed; and how many it is intended to employ through the winter months.
Mr. WardAbout £435,000 has been spent on the scheme so far. The124W total cost is expected to be about £1.8 million. The highest number of people employed was 667, of which 183 were civilians. The figure has now fallen to 266 which includes six civilians. A contract is about to be let for work on South Uist, and during the coming winter the labour force will probably be upwards of 300, all of whom will be civilians.