§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will give for the longest and most convenient period of time, either on an annual or cumulative basis, the costs of the British forces in Germany; to what extent Germany has contributed towards these costs; and how far these payments have fallen short of their agreed payments towards these costs.
§ Mr. HayhoeThe foreign exchange costs of British forces in Germany since 1958 are shown below, together with the approximate sterling value of successive offset agreements:
Foreign exchange costs (£ million) Approximate sterling value of each offset agreement (£ million) 1958–59 55 12 1959–60 52 24 1960–61 58 12 1961–62 61 — 1962–63 68 107 1963–64 72 1964–65 82 175 1965–66 84 1966–67 84 1967–68 89 50 1968–69 94 77 1969–70 110 172 1970–71 132 1971–72 172 220 1972–73 206 1973–74 283 1974–75 340 1975–76 403 1976–77 521 — 1977–78 569 125 1978–79 596 1979–80* 661 * Estimate. The foreign exchange costs quoted above represent only the initial incidence on the balance of payments and do not take into acount offsetting factors arising from the presence of troops in Germany instead of the United Kingdom. In the time available it has not been possible to compare the terms of each offset agreement with the sums received; much of this information is in any case not readily available. The current agreement provides for payment of DM 475 million by the Federal Republic of Germany; most of this money has already been disbursed, and I have no reason to doubt that the balance will be paid also.