§ Mr. Liptonasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the cost to the Exchequer of maintaining British troops in Northern Ireland; and how many British troops are currently there.
§ Mr. Robert C. BrownThe latest estimate of the extra costs of military operations in Northern Ireland in 1976–77 is £65 million. The number of troops currently in the Province is about 17,000, including the reinforcements recently deployed; if these are excluded the number is about 14,000, or 14 major units of the combat arms. The strength figures do not include the UDR.