Dr. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Defence why he has not informed Parliament of a Fleet Review which is taking place at Spithead this week; why his Department gave details of this review to British Railways; and to which other bodies this information was given.
§ Mr. HealeyThis is a NATO Naval Review—not a national one—and a press release was issued on 17th February last by the Secretary General of NATO stating that it would take place at Portsmouth on 16th May as part of the international commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty. As part of the practical arangements necessary for such an occasion, British Railways was naturally supplied with details by the NATO information278W Services, which have been responsible for publicising the event.