asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many redundancies he expects within the RAF arising out of manpower reductions in uniformed personnel; and how much of these cuts will be contained by reduction in recruitment.

Until consultations with allies have been completed, it will not be possible to give precise information on manning implications. I expect, however, that the major part of the cuts in uniformed strengths will be effected through reductions in RAF recruitment. Some redundancies will, however, be unavoidable.