§ Dr. SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel are currently in Belize: and what plans there are to change this level in the next three years.
§ Mr. HanleyPlans to evolve the British garrison in Belize into a training presence were announced to Parliament on 13 May 1993 by my right hon. Friend the Member for Watford at column561. The draw-down of the garrison accordingly began on 1 January 1994 and there are currently around 1,300 service and civilian personnel in Belize. The draw-down will be completed by the end of September 1994. Thereafter, we plan to begin a programme of jungle training deployments from the United Kingdom, hosted by a resident training team in Belize.