§ Mr. Litterickasked the Secretary of State for Defence what compensation has been paid to the next of kin of those members of the British Armed Forces killed or wounded while on loan to the Sultan Qabus Bin Said, Sultan of Oman, by Her Majesty's Government, and how this compares with rates of compensation paid to the next of kin of British soldiers killed while on active service in Ulster.
§ Mr. William RodgersThe secondment of members of the British forces to those of the Sultan of Oman is governed by financial arrangements which include the provision by the Ministry of Defence of the full benefits of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme. Those wounded and the widows of those killed on active service while on such a loan are therefore awarded pensions in exactly the same way as those on active service in Northern Ireland or any other part of the world.
§ Mr. Litterickasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces are now on service in Oman and how many are on loan to the Sultan Qabus Bin Said, Sultan of Oman; and how these numbers compare with the numbers in each of these categories serving in Oman 12 months earlier.
§ Mr. William Rodgers188 members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces are currently serving on loan with the Sultan of Oman's armed forces compared with 205 a year ago. It is not our practice to give the numbers providing direct assistance to 575W the Sultan's forces in the campaign against the rebels in Dhofar. As for the rest of Oman, there are currently 530 members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces serving on the island of Masirah compared with 525 a year ago; there are also five serving on the permanent staff of Her Majesty's Embassy Muscat, the same number as a year ago.
§ Mr. Litterickasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he has yet determined a date by which all British military personnel will be withdrawn from the Sultanate of Oman.
§ Mr. William RodgersI have nothing to add to what was said in the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1975 (Cmnd. 5976) and in my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Thanet, East (Mr. Aitken) on 13th May 1975.—[Vol. 892, c. 225.]