§ Mr. Kilfedderasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide civil servants in his Department, who are employed in Northern Ireland, with furnished 498W accommodation at public expense and with free services in line with the provisions made for civil servants in the Northern Ireland Office who are employed in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. William RodgersSteps are being taken which will allow those few Ministry of Defence staff at present placed at a financial disadvantage to meet the cost of services provided free for Northern Ireland Office staff.
§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the number of units of Rhine Army currently serving in Northern Ireland and the frequency and duration of the terms of unaccompanied duty in Northern Ireland now being regularly undertaken by units based in Great Britain and Germany.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownThe current BAOR contribution to the force level in Northern Ireland comprises five major units serving in the infantry rôle, two armoured reconnaissance squadrons, one field engineer squadron and two aviation squadrons.
In the past the interval between unaccompanied tours has varied between 10 and 16 months, but with the progressive reduction in force levels over the past year we plan to increase the interval to a minimum of 18 months. The normal unaccompanied tour is of four months' duration.