§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimate of the costs of the present programme of redundancies in the Army.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe cost to the Army in 1992–93 of the first tranche of redundancies is in the order of £210 million. As I said in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Beckenham (Mr. Merchant) on 8 July 1992,Official Report, column 185, details of the criteria of phase 2 of the redundancy programme will be announced shortly but it is likely that it will affect some 6,500 personnel. Final decisions on the size and make-up of this tranche, and of any further measures, have not yet been made.