§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give the amount allocated by his Department for Operation Grapple for 1992–93 and 1993–94 and the amount involved in setting up the initial deployment; whether the overall budget for his Department has been increased for 1992–93 for this operation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonIt is estimated that the additional cost of Operation Grapple for the first 12 months amounts to some £110 million, VAT exclusive, of which 17.5 million relates to the initial deployment. It is too early to provide an accurate breakdown of costs between financial years. Although costs initially fall to the defence budget they are subsequently refunded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which, under the normal rules, has vote responsibility for such operations.