§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide for the most recent date for which lie has information (a) the strength of forces stationed at Diego Garcia, (b) the acreage of the base, and (c) the annual budget.
§ Mr. StanleyThe United Kingdom maintains a naval party of 39 Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel on Diego Garcia at a total cost of around £1 million a year. United States service men and women on the island totalled 1,733 at the end of December 1986. The total area of the Diego Garcia atoll, which has been set aside for the defence purposes of the United Kindom and United States Governments, is some 11,000 acres. Construction of the island's defence facilities has however been confined within a specified area on the western side.