§ Mr. Newensasked the Secretary of State for Defence upon what criteria Her Majesty's Government is prepared to second members of the Armed Forces to serve with the forces of another State.
§ Mr. MasonIt has been the policy of successive Governments to strengthen the ties between Her Majesty's Forces and those of a number of friendly countries, especially members of NATO, through exchanges of personnel.
It has also been a long established practice to make available in appropriate cases, at the request of friendly Governments, volunteers to assist them in the development, staffing and training of their Armed Forces. Such secondments involve no additional costs to the defence budget.