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reduced by about one-fifth.
As the Report had recommended,
the
future use of the new Army hospital at Woolwich was immediately
reviewed. This review confirmed the need for the hospital and
construction is continuing. The Ministry of Defence has accepted
that there is no longer any Service need for the hospital at
Cosford and negotiations are in train for the Royal Air Force to
continue running the hospital for the National Health Service.
It has been agreed that the hospital at Colchester can be closed, once alternative arrangements have been completed to provide cover for
the Servicemen and their families in this area. The Ministry of
Defence accepts the recommendation that the Army hospital at Tidworth
and the Royal Air Force hospital, Wroughton, are no longer
both necessary.
The hospital at Tidworth will be
closed by April 1977 and units in the Tidworth area
will then be served by Wroughton, which will be manned jointly by
the Army and the Royal Air Force.
Married Accommodation, Education and Medical Services
36. In Government Observations on the Ninth Report from the
Expenditure Committee (Cmnd. 5245), the Ministry of Defence under-
took to set out estimated expenditure on medical services, education (largely of Services' children) and married accommodation.
For 1975-76, these costs are estimated to be about 5 per cent of
total defence expenditure, or about one-quarter per cent of GNP, as follows:
Medical Services
Education
Married Accommodation
Total
£ million
85
63
112
260
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