TNAG-0252-FCO40-288-Strength-of-Hong-Kong-garrison-1970 — Page 181

which are required for internal security purposes, as being in principle for the Hong Kong Government

bear

to operate.

The annual cost involved is estimated to amount to £139,000 budgetary and £43,000 overseas expenditure It is further estimated that these costs could be appreciably offêst by annual savings now (from elsewhere in the total Garrison costs) of £16,900 budgetary and £28,800 overseas expenditure; these savings could be increased in 1972 by a further £5,400 budgetary and £20,200 overseas expenditure by which

annual

time the total net extra budgetary cost of the

&

additional helicopters would be £122,700 with a net saving in overseas expenditure £6,000 per annum (in this context budgetary cost means the extra cost of maintaining the unit in Hong Kong over the cost of maintaining it in the United Kingdom: overseas expenditure means the net effect the balance of payments of defence expenditure overseas after allowing for any return to this country in the form of purchases of United Kingdom goods and services)

Visits of RAF combat aircraft - post 1971.

We have now received confirmation from the Ministry

of Defence of the information that Richard Sykes gave us orally at our discussions with you here on 24 November in response to the queries raised in your letter to me TSX 1/57 of 15 September. The Ministry

confirm:

(a)

that the work now required on the Kai Tak runway and hard standings is the result of routine transport movements and is in no way connected with the proposals for visits of training detachments.

It is

therefore not a matter of financial concern

to the Hong Kong Government.

(b) that on the assumption that gisits by

DP 4/240/1 Flagre

14/290/1/1968/9) Flag 14 (24

Phantom aircraft post-1971 would be no more

100014/39/3/1 (1968/4)

frequent than indicated in my letter to you DP.4/393/1 of 27 August, 1969, there will be no need to further concrete at the ends of the runway. The question of cost therefore does not arise.

/ (c).

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