§ 57. Mr. Roseasked the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals he now has to speed up the run-down of British forces and families in Singapore.
§ 58. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the results of his visit to South-East Asia, with particular reference to the run-down of United Kingdom military commitments there.
§ Mr. HealeyI would refer my hon. Friends to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Salford, East (Mr. Frank Allaun) on Monday last.—[Vol. 746, c. 90–4.]
§ 59. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Defence, whether, in order to minimise the adverse effects on the economy of Singapore, he will concentrate the proposed reductions in United Kingdom military commitment there up to April, 1968, to Royal Air Force and naval establishments.
§ Mr. HealeyNo. I have given figures of the reductions we propose to make. In effecting these in the forces in Singapore and Malaysia we will bear in mind that we must not destroy the balance of the forces for the commitments we have to undertake. We will of course also take into account the effects on the economies and local employment of the two countries.