asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement about the policy of Her Majesty's Government in regard to the future strength of the British Army of the Rhine.

The policy of Her Majesty's Government in regard to the future strength of the British Army of the Rhine is contained in Chapter 1 of the Statement on Defence Estimates 1975, namely, that we shall continue to maintain an Army force level of 55,000 and a tactical air force on the mainland of Europe in accordance with our Brussels Treaty commitments, making no reductions below this level in advance of mutual and balanced force reductions.