TNAG-0937-FCO40-1156-Visits-of-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--to-th-1980 — Page 141

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11. HKG felt that it was impossible to say at this stage what the fuel and support costs of the replacement patrol craft would be. MOD agreed that the detailed implications would depend upon the outcome of the tendering exercise. As to HMS SCIMITAR and the two hovercraft, HKG acknowledged that any request for their retention beyond the end of 1980 would need to be made as early as possible

12. 5th Battalion

HKMSC Expan- sion

Gurkha

Establishment Increase

Gurkha

Leave Centre

Gurkha Married Accompanied Ser-

vice

New Ranges

MOD said that the 5th Battalion would initiall be Gurkha, but that it was intended to sub- stitute a British battalion as early as possible once the necessary accommodation had been built. MOD might wish to set a limit on the proportion of the Brigade of Gurkhas permanently stationed in Hong Kong. HKG were assured that the associated support and civilian staff requirements were calculated from the normal scales used by the British Army.

MOD confirmed that the expansion of the HKMSC was covered in both the DPS paper and the. preceding joint study, although it was nôt directly connected with the 5th Battalion.

MOD confirmed that these increases resulted from the application of normal scales as appropriate to new tasks.

This was to provide Gurkhas deployed in the New Territories with facilities for local leave.

HKG questioned the justification for Hong Kong bearing the whole burden of married accompanied service in view of the fact that Gurkhas deployed to the UK were unaccompaned. They were concerned in particular about the compensating "slice" for Gurkhas serving out- side Hong Kong. If, for example, two batta- lions from the Brigade of Gurkhas were to be serving in the UK in future, there would be less justification for the HKG to cater for their entitlement to accompanied service. MOD took note of this point, and agreed to clarify the proposals.

MOD undertook to provide further information on the basis of the new range requirements (MOD subsequently confirmed that these requirements were being staffed and would be dealt with in confirmity with world-wide scales).

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CONFIDENTIAL