MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
D/S of S 174/79
WHITEHALL LONDON SWIA 2HB
TELEPHONE 01-218 9000
DIRECT DIALLING 01-218.2111/3
Dear Roter,
12th July 1979
The Prime Minister has asked me to reply to your letter of 20th June 1979 concerning the suggestion made by your constituent, Mr Michael Reynolds of 34 Church Street, Wadenhoe, Peterborough that HMS ARK ROYAL might be used
as a floating home for Vietnamese refugees.
As you probably know, HMS ARK ROYAL was originally
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laid down over 35 years ago; her age was beginning to show, and many of the ship's services were becoming obsolete. The decision to dispose of the ship was, therefore, announced last year and she paid off at Plymouth last December. A good deal of her equipment and stores, such as, for example, the electrical generating plant, has already been removed, and there are, therefore, a number of hazards in the ship including significant quantities of blue asbestos which is a serious risk to health. Mr Reynolds' idea of using HMS ARK ROYAL as a home for Vietnamese, though an imaginative one, is, therefore, just not possible in the circumstances.
The Government is, however, fully conscious of the need for prompt action to alleviate the plight of the large number of refugees who have recently fled from Vietnam, and you will have seen that we have already accepted over 2,000 people into the UK. The scale of the problem is, however, such that now only concerted international action can ensure a lasting solution.
Peter Fry Esq MP
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