have made a major contribution towards the success against terrorists. During 1989, 233 people in Northern Ireland were charged with serious terrorist-type offences, including 31 for murder and 48 for attempted murder. In the same period 327 weapons and some 37,700 rounds of ammunition 196 bombs were made safe and over seven and a half tonnes of explosives were found or neutralised. 184 Service personnel received awards for gallantry or meritorious conduct, including 29 awards for UDR soldiers.
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205. But the security forces have continued to pay a price in the fight against terrorism. During 1989 terrorists murdered eleven Regular and two UDR soldiers in Northern Ireland, and they also sought out Servicemen and their families elsewhere. Eleven Royal Marines Bandsmen were killed when an IRA bomb exploded at their barracks in Deal, and an Army staff sergeant was seriously injured by an IRA bomb in Colchester. Indiscriminate attacks were mounted in the Federal Republic of Germany on British Service personnel and their dependants: a soldier was killed in Hanover; a soldier's German-born wife was murdered in Dortmund; and an RAF corporal and his six-month-old baby were murdered in Arsbeck.
206. The problems of terrorism that affect so many countries in the world underline the difficulties of providing total security, but every effort is made to frustrate terrorist attacks and to provide the best level of security possible and practicable in a free society such as ours. We are spending an additional £126 million in a programme to enhance the security of our establishments and people in mainland Britain and overseas against terrorist attack. Great efforts have been made to ensure that Service personnel and their dependents are aware of the threat of terrorist activity, and the vital need for each individual to play his or her part.
COMMITMENTS OUTSIDE THE NATO
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Overseas Garrisons
207. In the Falkland Islands we maintain a garrison of infantry, engineers and RAF units (including a flight of Phantoms and a Rapier squadron of the RAF Regiment), and ships and submarines of the Royal Navy. Relations with Argentina have improved greatly following talks in Madrid in October and February, culminating in the restoration of diplomatic relations. These improvements have enabled us to lift the Falkland Islands Protection Zone, introduced in 1982. In its place we have reached agreement with Argentina on a range of confidence-building measures, including provision for the control of military movements by air and sea in the
vicinity of the islands. We welcome this new agreement which enables more normal relations to be established with Argentina while maintaining our unchanging commitment to the security of the Islands.
208. The Hong Kong garrison consists of four infantry battalions, three of which are Gurkha, and Gurkha signals, engineer and transport regiments, supported by a squadron of the Army Air Corps, an RAF Wessex squadron and Royal Navy Patrol Vessels. The events of last June in China have focused attention on the future of the colony. The Government fully recognises its responsibility for the security of Hong Kong until 1997 and will proceed with the phased withdrawal of the garrison with that in mind, and in full consultation with the Hong Kong Government. We announced last May that, although it is not possible to be definitive, we should plan on a future for the Gurkhas after 1997, based on a viable Brigade structure.
209. In Cyprus, apart from the United Kingdom's contribution to UNFICYP (see page 23), we maintain a garrison of infantry, armoured reconnaissance and engineer units, an Army Air Corps squadron, an RAF Wessex squadron and Phantom and Tornado aircraft on rotational training. Troops currently in the Sovereign Base Areas on temporary postings from BAOR will be replaced in 1991 by a second infantry battalion. This will be a more efficient way of meeting our commitments.
210. The Belize garrison includes infantry, engineer, artillery and armoured reconnaissance units and RAF Harriers and Pumas, and in Brunei we station one Gurkha infantry battalion and an Army Air Corps flight.
The ARMILLA Patrol
211. The Royal Navy's ARMILLA Patrol continues to operate in the Gulf and Indian Ocean area. With the improved security situation in the Gulf we have been able to increase the flexibility in the operating patterns of one of the three frigates or destroyers normally assigned to ARMILLA duties, improving the availability of ships for other tasks.
Phantom refuelling over East Falkland (photographed by Tom King)