Eastern Europe (Hansard, 28 November 1989)

§ 17. Mr. Wareing
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any reassessment has been made of the need to develop a new strategy to replace flexible response in the light of the recent political changes in eastern Europe.

§ Mr. Tony Banks
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any reassessment has been made of the230W need to develop a new strategy to replace flexible response, in the light of the recent political changes in eastern Europe.

§ 108. Ms. Ruddock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any reassessment has been made of the need to develop a new strategy to replace flexible response, in the light of the recent political changes in eastern Europe.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
We continue to believe that NATO's strategy on flexible response and forward defence provides the best means of maintaining deterrence and thereby preserving peace in Europe.

§ 28. Mr. Terry Fields
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his assessment of the implications of recent developments in eastern Europe on United Kingdom arms expenditure.

§ 99. Mr. Wigley
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in the light of the changes in the politics of eastern Europe in the current year, whether he intends to reduce levels of defence expenditure.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
Welcome though the positive developments in eastern Europe are, proper funding for defence must be maintained. It would be quite wrong to pre-empt the outcome of the current arms control talks by decreasing our defence expenditure when there is still such a large imbalance of forces in Europe.

§ 59. Mr. Grocott
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he is undertaking any reviews of Britain's defence strategy in the light of the breaching of the Berlin Wall.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
We remain committed to NATO, whose policies of seeking dialogue with the East while maintaining adequate defensive strength have contributed to the political changes taking place in the GDR and elsewhere in eastern Europe.

§ 104. Mr. Gill
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his assessment of the military threat from the Warsaw pact countries in the light of recent developments in central Europe.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 15 November 1989 at column269.

§ 116. Mr. Jessel
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the number of submarines, tanks, military aircraft and army divisions at the disposal of the Warsaw pact countries taken together; and what are the corresponding figures for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries.

§ Mr. Archie Hamilton
I refer my hon. Friend to figures 8 and 10 of chapter 6 of volume I of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1989" (Cm 675), and to the NATO publication "Conventional Forces in Europe: The Facts", published in November 1988, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.