§ Mr. Newensasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the annual cost of the maintenance of the depôt at Nepal; how many staff are maintained there; and what is the estimated cost of the recruitment of each Gurkha soldier.
§ Mr. MulleyThe annual cost of maintaining the depot is £710,000 and 182 military personnel and about 1,050 civilians, some of them part-time, are employed there. Taking into account the fact that the staff at the depôt provide transit, medical, resettlement, and welfare services for the Gurkhas and are engaged on other tasks in connection with their employment, the estimated cost of the recruitment of each Gurkha soldier is £56.