§ 25. Sir John Biggs-Davisonasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the public relations of the armed forces of the Crown, and in particular about the arrangements made in respect of the South Atlantic task force.
§ Mr. BlakerThe public relations of the Armed Forces of the Crown are primarily the responsibility, under my right hon. Friend, of the chief of public relations, supported by defence public relations staff, who include senior serving officers and civil servants. When we sent out the task force we were aware of the need to provide facilities for the press, both in London and in the South Atlantic, so that the facts of the operation as it proceeded could be made known to the general public. To this end, statements are made as necessary by a spokesman in a press centre specially set up for the purpose at the Ministry of Defence. Twenty-eight representatives of the United Kingdom media have sailed with the task force as fully accredited defence correspondents.