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SECOND REPORT FROM
PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE
Mr. Robert Adley Sir Edward Brown
Thursday 6th March, 1975
Members present :
Mr. James Boyden, in the Chair
Mrs. Maureen Colquhoun
Mr. A. E. P. Duffy
Sir John Eden
Mr. Michael English
Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg
Miss Janet Fookes
Mr. Ted Garrett
Colonel Sir Harwood Harrison
Mr. Frank Hooley
Mr. Anthony Kershaw Mr. Michael Latham
Mr. John Loveridge
Mr. Ken Marks
Dr. Edmund Marshall
Mr. Robin Maxwell-Hyslop Sir Anthony Meyer Mr. John Roper Mrs Renée Short
Mr. Roger Sims
Mr. Keith Stainton
Mr. Arthur Jones
Mr. Nicholas Winterton
Report from the Defence and External Affairs Sub-Committee (Defence Review Proposals) brought up and read.
Ordered, That the Report be read a second time, paragraph by paragraph.
Paragraphs 1-12 read and agreed to.
Paragraph 13 read as follows: ---
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In the case of Hong Kong, the Ministry intend to negotiate a larger finan- cial contribution from the Hong Kong Government to the cost of maintain- ing our forces there. The present contribution, under an agreement which runs out in 1976, amounts to about 25 per cent. of the cost which, in December 1974, was stated by the Ministry to be about £40 m. a year; this contribution represents less than 1 per cent. of the Hong Kong GNP. Since an important function of the garrison is to assist the civil authorities in maintaining security, we consider that a very substantial additional contribution should be sought from the Hong Kong Government. The size of the contribution negotiated might reasonably determine the scale of forces retained in future.”
Amendment proposed, in line 6, to leave out from "GNP" to end of para- graph and add "The proposed withdrawal from Gan and Mauritius (see para. 15) makes nonsense of the intention to maintain a totally isolated garrison in Hong Kong. Such a garrison could not possibly defend the terri- tory against external attack.
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If its purpose is to maintain law and order among the civil population, we would point out that this is not the proper function of the Defence Forces. If the Hong Kong police forces are inadequate, they should be supplemented by a local militia entirely recruited, trained and financed by the Hong Kong Government. We see no justification for the drain on money and man- power which a permanent military garrison in Hong Kong requires.”—(Mr. Hooley.)