(DEFENCE AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS SUB-COMMITTEE)
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rates as their counterparts in the Indian Army. Because of the need to gain agreement with the Government of India for improvements in pay and pensions, these have tended to be slow to take place. Nonetheless we recognise there is no lack of interest and effort to ensure that Gurkha soldiers can benefit from all possible increases in pay and pensions, and that payment of terminal gratuities has further improved the position of Gurkhas on retirement. Gurkha soldiers' entitlement to married quarters and therefore accompanied service, is extremely limited, in particular for private soldiers. As they rise in the ranks, their entitlement increases but promotions take place only after a substantial number of years' service. Those Gurkha wives accompanying their husbands in Hong Kong whom the Sub-Committee met were most satisfied with their conditions there. In a Memorandum2, the Ministry of Defence have stated that it would be extremely costly to increase the entitlement to accompanied service. In view of the relative cheapness of Gurkha battalions as compared with British units, this seems a rather parsimonious attitude.
10. Another matter in which we have also taken a close interest, is the education of the children of Gurkha soldiers, particularly the provision for children still in schools when their fathers are due to retire (Q 21-2). The problems are different as between those children following the Nepalese system or those in schools of the British educational system. Children in Nepalese- oriented schools should be able to fit into Nepalese schools on their return to their homeland. This is not always a straightforward matter, however, since not all villages in the hills have their own schools and thus a child may not conveniently continue his or her education on returning to Nepal. As far as those children in British schools are concerned, a child may stay on for up to a year to complete his education after his father has returned to Nepal on a pension. If a child needs more than a year to finish his studies, exceptional arrangements may be made for his enlistment to cover the balance of time. In the case of both systems of education, we trust that the Ministry of Defence will adopt a flexible attitude so that no child is deprived of the opportunity to complete his education because of an unduly rigid application of the present rules.
11. The Royal Navy in Hong Kong has comparable tasks to those of the Army in supporting the local police in immigration control at sea and showing visible evidence of British concern for the future stability and prosperity of the Colony. The Navy are also responsible for communications and observa- tion, for the protection of British shipping along the China coast, for weather advice, for naval control of shipping and for search and rescue. To fulfil these tasks the Captain in Charge, Hong Kong at HMS Tamar had at his disposal before the Review a force of five patrol craft and one frigate, HMS Chichester, and a naval-manned Joint Services Transmitting Station on Stone- cutters Island. Following the implementation of the Defence Costs Agree- ment, the Naval presence will be reduced to the five patrol craft, a small staff at the base in Tamar and a much reduced communications capacity.
12. Although any loss in capability is unfortunate, we regret in particular that it has been necessary to remove the frigate guardship from Hong Kong. We recognise that the choice of what ships would be available within the agreed
1 See Appendix 14 p 41.