asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details of the estimates and costings from which he has concluded that the amalgamation of the Tidworth Army Hospital and the Wroughton RAF Hospital will lead to a saving of about £750,000 a year to Defence Votes.

The estimated annual saving relates in the main to manpower costs. The combined hospital will need substantially fewer staff than two separate hospitals. There will be further savings in works maintenance and other running costs, offset to some extent by increased transport costs. Final details of the castings cannot be worked out until the studies on the residual medical facilities to be retained at Tidworth have been completed, but the savings should not be less than £750,000 a year.