§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Minister of State for Defence what evidence he has, in relation to its effect on his responsibilities, of the military expansion of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; and what criteria he uses to make such estimates.
§ Lord BalnielIt is not the practice to divulge sources of military intelligence or the criteria used in its evaluation.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Minister of State for Defence what is his estimate of the threat to Great Britain posed by Soviet naval expansion in the Mediterranean.
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§ Lord BalnielA threat to any part of the N.A.T.O. area is a threat to all the members of the Alliance. That is the essence of the North Atlantic Treaty.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Minister of State for Defence what is his estimate of the threat posed by Soviet ships to the shipping lanes of the world in the Indian Ocean.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourI would refer the hon. Member to Chapter I, paragraph 8, of the Statement on the Defence Estimates, 1971.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will make a study of the history in the 1960s of relations between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and countries in the developing world, where there has been a Soviet military presence in an advisory capacity, and give an estimate of the political consequences in relation to British defence requirements of the present day in countries other than Egypt.
§ Lord BalnielAs regards the first part of the Question, these matters are kept under constant review. As regards the second part, experience has shown that the presence of Soviet military personnel in overseas countries is generally detrimental to Western political and defence interests.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will seek to make an estimate of the consequences for British defence policy of the presence of Russian naval units in Cuban waters, and the presence of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation units in Turkey.
§ Mr. Ian GilmourAll factors relevant to British defence policy are kept under review.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Minister of State for Defence if he will make a detailed statement on the nature of Russian tactics in the surveillance of Western naval activities; and in what respects such tactics differ from Western surveillance of Soviet ships.
§ Mr. KirkThe Soviet Fleet shadows Royal Navy ships engaged on training and exercises at very close quarters, especially where aircraft carriers are present. 359W This is a dangerous practice as the collision of the "Ark Royal" and a Soviet destroyer last November illustrated. I am not prepared to give details of United Kingdom surveillance of Soviet ships but proper regard is had by H.M. Ships for the International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Minister of State for Defence what estimate he had made of the consequences for British operational requirements of recent Russian attempts to interfere with access to Berlin.
§ Lord BalnielAll factors relevant to British operational requirements are kept under review.