14. The Government shares the Committee's concern for the adequa briefing of Servicemen and their families who are posted to Hong Kong. The briefing arrangements will be kept under continuous review as the Committee recommended (paragraph 16).
15. The Committee expressed regret that it had not been possible to create a single unified civil secretariat in Hong Kong (paragraph 17).
16. The Ministry of Defence is reviewing the administrative arrange- ments for the Civil Secretariat in Hong Kong, in order to achieve the most effective measure of integration. It has already been decided that the Command Secretary should represent all three Services in discussion with the Hong Kong Government on matters arising from the operation of the Defence Costs Agreement.
CYPRUS
17. The Government notes the Committee's concern about the adequacy of measures for the protection of Service property. The size of the force required to protect the Sovereign Base Areas and Retained Sites is kept under review. The task falls primarily to the teeth arm elements of the Army garrison and, in the Akrotiri area, to the RAF Regiment Field Squadron. In addition, there are police forces, whose composition is described in detail in the Ministry of Defence's Memorandum SCOE 67/9 published as Appendix 17 with the Committee's Report. The Government is satisfied that the garrison and the police forces are adequate to meet current needs. Reinforcements could be sent rapidly from the United Kingdom if the security situation were to deteriorate.
18. The Government notes that the Committee views seriously the reduction in the RAF's role in Cyprus (paragraph 21). The decision to withdraw RAF fixed-wing aircraft from Cyprus was taken as a result of the conclusions of the Defence Review on the broad priorities for defence expenditure. The Government decided that NATO should have the first and over-riding call on the resources devoted to defence and that British effort should be concentrated in those areas where Britain can make the most significant contribution to the security of the Alliance. Consequently, commitments elsewhere have had to be reduced wherever possible, and one of the savings which it was decided to make was a substantial reduction in our forces stationed in Cyprus, including the withdrawal of the Vulcan, Lightning and Hercules aircraft based there. The airfield at Akrotiri and other RAF facilities in Cyprus remain in a fully operational state, and reinforcement, should the need arise, would therefore be possible at short notice.
Observations Presented by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
19. The Committee considered that a more robust attitude might be adopted about obtaining release of remaining British aircraft at Nicosia airfield (paragraph 24). The Government will readily adopt a robust attitude
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