12
MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE EXPENDITURE COMMITTEE
9 December 1975]
Mr R J ANDREW, Mr J M PARKIN, Mr W G MANN, Captain T H BRADBURY, RN, and Group Captain F D G CLARK
ticularly susceptible to corrosion in hot, humid and salty atmospheres and, there- fore, in Hong Kong. There is no easy remedy to this, although I believe that the process of corrosion can be reduced by careful maintenance, including in particular washing the machines. The new helicopters which are now coming into service make use of the heavier aluminium alloy, which is less prone to corrosion than magnesium alloy. But while we have the Wessex in service, which will be for some time yet, there is likely to be a continuing problem of corrosion.
Mr Finsberg
a
52. I wonder if you could tell us why the administration of the services in Hong Kong is not done by a unified Civil Secretariat. It seems that by not doing this it is going against the spirit of our earlier recommendations, which certainly were accepted in Germany and which have been proved to make finan- cial savings? There is indeed difference in practice in this respect between Hong Kong and Germany. I will ask Mr Mann from the Inspectorate of Establishments, who is concerned with this particular issue, to give you an answer on that point. (Mr Mann.) Cer- tainly thoughts have been given to the unification of the administration in Hong Kong. In the case of Germany, which was quoted, we have the RAF and the Army; in the case of Hong Kong we have the three services. We have given a lot of consideration to whether the Army Command Secretary can undertake wider functions, and as long ago as 1970 guidance was issued on this, extending his functions as far as possible into the RAF field. However, in the Navy Department Command Secretaries have never been employed, the Navy preferring to manage the type of busi- ness that you have seen handled by the Command Secretariat in Hong Kong
[Continued
through the medium of their functional organisations; by that I mean the Direc- tor General of Supplies and Trans- port, the accounts staff and the Dockyard management. However, one thing which is common to all of this, one item one can say which is susceptible to local integration, is the management of civilian staff. Current thinking has, therefore, been given to issuing some further guidance to the Command Secretariat, but at the moment I can assure you that the local engage- ment of civilans and all civilian adminis- tration is done by the Command Secre- tary for the three services. We regard him as operating fully for the Army and the RAF, in a number of committees, and he is general consultant and financial adviser. He has the general financial oversight of accommodation and hiring
and problems
works services; he gives approval to certain types of con- tracts; he gives assistance in the prepera- tion and screening of estimates, and he is required under various authorities to give concurrence in write-off cases. We feel that any further integration, although perhaps attractive on the surface, would hardly produce any significant economies.
Chairman
53. Thank you very much for coming, and your team. I would also like, on behalf of the Committee, to say how very well arranged our tour was in Hong Kong. Nothing was held back from us and we were very grateful for the willing co-operation of all ranks to tell us all they could. I have written and thanked them but I wanted the Ministry to know we have been given the greatest co- We are operation?(Mr. Andrew.)
glad to hear you were so well looked after, and although you have already written I will convey this message to Hong Kong.
Chairman.] Thank you very much.
Examination of Witnesses
Mr C A WHITMORE, Assistant Under Secretary of State (Defence Staff), Air Vice Marshal J GINGELL, Assistant Chief of Defence Staff Policy, and Rear Admiral FW HEARN, Assistant Chief of Personnel and Logistics, called in and examined.
Chairman
54. Gentlemen, as you know we went to Cyprus on our way back from Hong Kong. We were well told by Sir John
Aiken about what was happening to the run-down there. When the run- down is complete there will be no armed aircraft on the Island. That is not to