patrol craft, having recently completed extensive re-fits, have a life until the 1980s at an annual local expenditure of approximately £77,000 each, The remaining three craft will cost an average of £100,000 each for the next year of their lives. These costs would increase annually until the craft are given an extended re-fit. These figures exclude all the costs of the UK provided items mentioned in footnote (4)
32.
HMS TAMAR. The base at TAMAR provides a valuable service for the Royal Navy by supporting units of the Hong Kong Squadron and their dependants and in recruiting and training locally enlisted sailors. The Royal Navy also operates communications for the benefit of all three Services and runs a Fleet maintenance unit. However, except so far as maintenance of the Squadron is concerned, this last item should clearly be considered to be the financial responsibility of the UK Government.
ROYAL AIR FORCE
33.
The Royal Air Force does not have a single Service role in Hong Kong and the reason for it being here is to provide short range airlift support for the joint Police/Military operations within the Colony. The requirements for RAF forces is thus a logical outcome of the Army, and to a lesser extent the Naval presence.
34. RAF Helicopter Squadron. The withdrawal of this squadron would, by reducing mobility, not only seriously degrade the operational capability of the Army and the Police, but deprive the Hong Kong Government of an emergency and rescue service in times of natural disasters, which could only be made good at considerable cost. A reduction in the number of RAF helicopters below the present figure of eight would merely significantly downgrade the operational capability of the squadron without offering any worthwhile savings in manpower and support costs. The RAF helicopters, and also those manned by the Army, should therefore remain at their present strength. ir order to make the Serviccs fully effective. Indeed, the more the military forces are reduced, the greater the need to retain the helicopters.
35.
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117 Signals Unit.
This unit (early warning radar at Tai Mo Shan) has little effect on the forces within the Colony, although it does provide a service to the Air Traffic Control Organisation in Hong Kong, which could not be made good in under two years. 117 Signals Unit's main function is however to provide intelligence information for the UK, USA and Australia, and a decision whether it should stay or not should, therefore, be made in London after consultation with the agencies concerned. Although the Hong Kong Air Traffic Control Organisation might be expected to make some financial contribution, the main financial responsibility for maintaining this, installation should lie outside Hong Kong.
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