§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the reasons for maintaining British forces in Cyprus; and if, in view of recent experience, he will wind up the British bases on the island, with a view to saving manpower, money and materials.
§ Mr. MasonThe RAF airfield at Akrotiri is a base for air reconnaissance of the Mediterranean and other defence activities. The logistics and communications base at Dhekalia provides support for our own personnel in Cyprus and for the United Nations force.
The deployment of British forces in Cyprus is being examined in the course of the worldwide review of defence commitments and resources which I announced in March.