§ 51. Mr. Masonasked the Secretary of State for Air if all the Thor missile sites have now been cleared and the Thor missile squadrons satisfactorily merged into the Royal Air Force; and what the total cost of the Thor operation has been, taking into account acquisition and building of sites, purchase of missiles and spares, training of Royal Air Force personnel and the annual maintenance of all sites.
§ Mr. H. FraserThe rundown of the Thor missile sites is now complete and, except for a few items, all the equipment has been removed. Service personnel have been given suitable employment elsewhere in the Royal Air Force. The total cost to the United Kingdom of construction and maintenance of the system was of the order of £30–£35 million. I have no information about 247W the cost to the United States Government which bore the cost of the missiles, spares and installation work.