§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when the information that the decision of headquarters, British Army of the Rhine, that the repairs of the FV432 will not be possible in Germany and first conveyed to the Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, the deputy under secretary (civilian management) and the assistant secretary QMG by a representative of the Civil Service trade unions on 26 April, was officially given to them;
(2) whether, following the decision of headquarters, British Army of the Rhine, that repairs of the FV432 will not now be possible in Germany, he will re-examine the programme for the repair of the FV432 with a view to using the facility of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers workshop at Chilwell or Bicester.
§ Mr. Lee[pursuant to my reply, 15 May 1985, c. 152]: Although we are not yet in a position to undertake the BAOR base repair task for AFV432 mark I vehicles in-theatre as the review of static workshops originally proposed, retaining this work in the United Kingdom represents an increase of only some 2.5 per cent. above the planned level for all REME base repair in this country. This change of plan is thus within the margins of REME's planned capacity and we envisage no difficulty in carrying out the work in our reorganised workshop facilities at Bicester, especially as the forecast United Kingdom load of Saracen and Ferret AFV repair work has now reduced below the level forecast in 1982. A programme change of this routine and marginal nature would not normally be notified to the trade unions as a separate matter.