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Mr. Douglas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the numbers of naval and civilian personnel which he anticipates will be employed at each of the Royal Navy bases in the light of decisions made to rationalise the Royal Navy's support

infrastructure.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : The numbers of naval and civilian personnel currently at the naval bases are shown in

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the table. Proposals for the reduction in tasks at Rosyth naval base would entail 1,100 naval personnel transferring to Portsmouth and 100 to Faslane. Nine hundred civilian jobs would also be affected although it is too soon to say how many of these might be transferred to other naval bases. Some redeployment of civilian staff is envisaged in the light of the other restructuring proposals announced on 16 July by my right hon. Friend, but specific numbers have yet to be finalised. As my right hon. Friend made clear in his statement, the MOD will now proceed to rationalise support activities in each of the naval base areas.

Naval base         |Civilians         |Naval Personnel<1>                   

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Portsmouth         |5,800             |8,500                                

Devonport          |3,850             |9,300                                

Faslane            |2,000             |3,500                                

Rosyth             |2,100             |4,200                                

Portland           |700               |500                                  

<1>Includes those in shore jobs, on board ships base ported at the          

Base or crews of ships being refitted there.                                

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