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Mr. Peter Bottomley : My right hon. Friend takes account of the effect of tolls at the Severn bridge on the economy south Wales before he proposes increases. The decision to construct any trunk road takes into account the benefits to users and therefore the importance to the local economy.
Aircraft Noise
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those aircraft which meet chapter 3 aircraft noise requirements ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The proportion of chapter 3 jet aircraft in the world fleet is increasing and has grown from 11 per cent. on 1 January 1982 to 33 per cent. on 1 January 1988. Chapter 3 jet aircraft known to the Department are :
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Aircraft |Engines
|Aerospatiale SN601
Airbus A300 B2-202 |CF6-50C1
B2-203 |CF6-50C2
B2-320 |JT9D-59A
B4-103 |CF6-50C2
B4-203 |CF6-50C2
605R |CF6-80C2A5
Airbus A310-221 |JT9D-7R4D1 or E1
|CF6-80A3
A310-300 |CF6-80C2A
Airbus A320-111 and 211 |CFM-56-5-A1
Boeing 737-300 |CFM56-3-B-1
|CFM56-3B-2
737-400 |CFM56-3C
|CFM56-3B, 3B2
|CFM56-2
Boeing 747-200 |CF6-50E
|CF6-50 E2
|JT9D-70A
|JT9D-7Q
|RB211-524B2
|RB211-524C2
|RB211-524D4
Boeing 747-300 |CF6-50E2
|JT9D-7R4G2
|CF6-80C2-B1
|RB211-524D4
|JT9D-7R402
Boeing 747SP |JT9D-7A
|JT9D-7F
|JT9D-7FW
|JT9D-7J
|RB211-524B2
|RB211-524D4
Boeing 747 SR |CF6-45A2
|JT9D-7A
|PW-2037
Boeing 757-200 |RB211-535-E4
|RB211-535C
|PW2040
|CF6-80A
Boeing 767-200 |CF6-80A2
|JT9D-7R4D(A)
|JT9D-7R4D(B) and B2
|JT9D-7R4E and 4E4
|CF6-80C2-B2 and B4
Boeing 767-300 |CF6-80A
|CF6-80A2
|JT9D-7R4D(B)
|JT9D-7R4E
|CF6-80C2-B4
|CF6-80C2-B6
BAe 125-1A |TFE731-3
|TFE731-3R
3A-RA |TFE731-3
400A |TFE731-3
400F |TFE731-3
600A |TFE731-3
600F |TFE731-3
700A |TFE731-3
800 and 800A |TFE731-5R-1H
700B |TFE731-3
BAe 146-100 |ALF-502-R4
100 |ALF-502H
100A |ALF-502R-3
200 |ALF-502H
200A |ALF-502R-5
BAe 146-300 |ALF-502R-5
Canadair CL 600 |ALF-502
Canadair CL 601 Challenger |CF34-1A and 3A
Cessna 500 Citation I |JT15D-1
500/501 |JT15D-1/-1A
550 Citation II |JT15D-4
551 |JT15D-4
650 Citation III |TFE-731-3B-100S
Dassault Breguet Falcon 10 |TFE-731-2
Mystere 200 |ATF3-6-4C
Falcon 50 |TFE-731-3-1C
|TFE-731-2
Falcon 900 |TFE-731-5AR-1C
Gates Learjet |TFE-731-2-2B
|TFE-731-3A-2B
Israel Aircraft
1124 Westwind |TFE-731-3-16
1125 |TFE-731-3A-200G
Lockheed L1011 |RB211-22B
-1 |RB211-22B
-100 |RB211-22B
-200 |RB211-524B
-500 |RB211-524B
|RB211-524B3
|RB211-524B4
McD DC8-71 |CFM56-2-C1
72 |CFM56-2-C1
73 |CFM56-2-C1
DC10-10 |CF6-6D
|CF6-6D1
|CF6-6D1A
|CF6-6K
|CF6-6K2
DC10-15 |CF6-50C2-F
DC10-30 |CF6-50C1
|CF6-50C/H
|CF6-50C2
|CF6-50C2-R
|CF6-50C2B
DC10-40 |JT9D-20D
|JT9D-59A
MD-80 |JT8D-209
|JT8D-217
|JT8D-219
|JT8D-217A
|JT8D-217C
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to what extent those aircraft meeting chapter 3 noise requirements and operating out of British airports have had their noise footprint measured ; whether such extend beyond the areas of the airports from which they operate ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Measurement of noise footprints is expensive so footprints are calculated by computer. The Department uses noise footprints mainly for assessing the night-time noise disturbance caused by particular aircraft types, and for this purpose it has standardised on the 95PNdb footprint. The areas of the 95NdB footprint are known for nearly all chapter 3 aircraft using British airports. Usually most of the footprint falls within an airport's boundaries. In any one case this depends upon the aircraft type and the relationship of the boundary to the runway. By contrast, footprints of the earlier non noise-certificated types spread very far beyond airport boundaries.
Vehicle Inspectorate
Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the vehicle inspectorate annual report and accounts for 1987-88 are to be published ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : The annual report and accounts are published today. They provide a useful overall picture
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of the general condition of Britain's road vehicles. They record the vehicle inspectorate's continuing progress towards a business-like basis for carrying out their essential duties of annual testing, and spot-checks of the vehicle fleet. The inspectorate has now become an executive agency.Well-maintained road vehicles are essential to road safety. We welcome the slight improvement in the annual MOT test performance of cars and light goods vehicles. It cannot be regarded as acceptable that a third of the vehicles presented for test fail to meet basic safety requirements.
We continue to be concerned at the poor condition of many heavy goods vehicles and public service vehicles. The number of spot checks of lorries and buses was increased by a third and a tenth of the goods vehicles fleet examined. In the April special survey of public service vehicles carried out after the period covered by this report, there was a slight improvement compared with six months earlier. The vehicle inspectorate are targeting their efforts on operators with poor records and seeking to help promote good maintenance practice. The Freight Transport Association, the Road Haulage Association and the Bus and Coach Council have been asked for their proposals to secure higher standards throughout their industries.
We shall also be exploring with operators and manufacturers the reasons for the unsatisfactory trend in trailer test failure rates and to identify any general issues this raises.
It will continue to be the Government's policy to take stringent enforcement action against operators who fail to maintain vehicles adequately.
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DEFENCE
Publicly Owned Land
14. Mr. John Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will reconsider the way his Department places a valuation on publicly owned land to be disposed of.
30. Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will reconsider the way his Department places a valuation on publicly owned land to be disposed of.
38. Mr. Paul Boateng : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will reconsider the way his Department places a valuation on publicly owned land to be disposed of.
Mr. Sainsbury : Before disposing of surplus property we obtain professional advice from within MOD, from the district valuer or from commercial consultants. They prepare valuations of surplus property on the basis of full open market value taking account of existing or established uses and, when appropriate, development potential.
US Dual-Capable Aircraft
17. Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has received any representations from the United States Government seeking the basing in this country of further dual-capable aircraft.
84. Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has received any representations from the United States Government seeking the basing in the United Kingdom of futher dual-capable aircraft.
114. Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has received any representations from the United States Government seeking the basing in the United Kingdom of further dual-capable aircraft.
120. Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has received any representations from the United States Government seeking the basing in the United Kingdom of further dual-capable aircraft.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The deployment to Europe of additional longer- range dual-capable aircraft currently based in the United States is one of the options being considered by NATO as part of the current review of its theatre nuclear forces. Work on the various options is continuing.
Northern Ireland (Troop Deployment)
18. Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the number of troops deployed in Northern Ireland from 1979 to the present time.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Hertfordshire, North (Mr. Stewart) on 16 June at columns 227-28. In addition, the figures for the number of troops deployed in Northern Ireland as at 30 June 1988 are as follows :
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|Number
-----------------------------
Regular forces |11,164
UDR |6,310
Low-Flying Aircraft
19. Mr. Moss : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what new measures the Government are taking to improve the safety margins for low- flying aircraft.
Mr. Freeman : Every aspect of the safety of low-flying is under continuous review and changes are made whenever necessary. As I announced in the House on 20 October, the most recent change concerned the introduction of the new procedures in the night low-flying system, aimed at separating rotary and fixed-wing flying as much as practicable, and improving deconfliction throughout the system.
56. Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on low-flying sorties over the Hexham area.
Mr. Freeman : The Hexham area, like most non-urban parts of the United Kingdom, is used by military aircraft undertaking essential low- flying training. The Government will continue to do all within their power to minimise the disturbance caused by low-flying training and to spread this activity as widely and fairly as possible throughout the country.
Brigade of Gurkhas
20. Mr. Michael J. Martin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors he is taking into consideration in deciding upon the future of the Brigade of Gurkhas.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We intend that there shall be a continuing role for the Gurkhas after 1997 within the British Army. The future of the Gurkhas is being addressed against the background of operational and resource factors likely to affect the British Army as a whole.
Other factors to be taken into account when considering the viability of a future Gurkhas force include provision of an appropriate career structure, a broad enough base to support the skills and trades required by an effective operational unit, the need to obtain a cost-effective return on investment in infrastructure in Nepal and the requirement for the force to be operationally viable in relation to its roles and deployments. No decisions have yet been taken on the long term future size, shape or role of the Gurkhas.
Portsmouth
21. Mr. David Martin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to visit Portsmouth in the near future.
Mr. Sainsbury : My right hon. Friend has no plans to visit Portsmouth in the near future.
Frigates
22. Mr. Nicholas Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will announce the tender for the next order of frigates.
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89. Mr. Ted Garrett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will announce the tender for the next order of frigates.
Mr. Sainsbury : As I said in my statement to the House on 11 July at column 32, I expect tenders for the next batch of Type-23 frigates to be sought next year.
French Defence Minister
24. Mr. Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last met the French Defence Minister ; and what matters were discussed.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My right hon. Friend last met M. Chevenement at the meeting of WEU Defence and Foreign Ministers on 14 November, but their most recent bilateral meeting was on 7 July when a range of subjects of mutual interest were discussed.
Merchant Ships
25. Mr. Ernie Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his latest estimate of the numbers of merchant ships available to him in an emergency.
78. Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the latest estimate of the number of merchant ships available to him in an emergency.
108. Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his latest estimate of the number of merchant ships available to him in an emergency.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Members to the answer that I gave today to the hon. Member for Dumbarton (Mr. McFall).
Territorial and Reserve Forces
23. Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the consultation scheme designed to encourage companies to release employees for service in the territorial and reserve forces.
42. Mr. Lofthouse : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the consultation scheme designed to encourage companies to release employees for service in the territorial and reserve forces.
87. Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the consultation scheme designed to encourage companies to release employees for service in the territorial and reserve forces.
124. Mr. Patchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the consultation scheme designed to encourage companies to release employees for service in the territorial and reserve forces.
Mr. Freeman : I am pleased to report that there has been a most encouraging response to the campaign and, to date, over 350 major employers have pledged their support to employees joining the volunteer forces.
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Gibraltar Shootings
26. Mr. Flannery : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he was aware before the shooting of the three Irish Republican Army members in Gibraltar that there was no bomb in the suspected car.
128. Mr. Alan W. Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he was aware before the shooting of the three Irish Republican Army members in Gibraltar that there was no bomb in the suspected car.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : No. I refer the hon. Members to the answer that I gave to the hon Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin) on 3 November at column 740.
NATO-Warsaw Pact (Force Levels)
27. Mr. Caborn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has discussed with his North Atlantic Treaty Organisation colleagues the possibility of parity in conventional forces between the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the Warsaw pact ; and if he will make a statement.
46. Mr. Terry Lewis : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has discussed with his NATO colleagues the possibility of parity in conventional forces between NATO and the Warsaw pact ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Alliance nations are co-operating closely at all levels in preparations for the proposed new arms control negotiations on conventional forces in Europe. A major aim is to remove capabilities for surprise attack and large-scale offensive action. This will require, amongst other measures, the elimination of the superiorities currently enjoyed by the Warsaw pact in key weapon systems such as tanks and artillery.
Fishing Vessels (Submarines)
28. Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement concerning the danger to fishing vessels from the entanglement of submarines in their nets.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Submarine commanding officers are aware of the need to give adequate sea room to surface craft, particularly fishing vessels deploying their gear, and are well trained in avoidance techniques. I am satisfied that everything possible is being done to minimise the risk of submarines becoming entangled with fishing nets.
Aircraft Losses
29. Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the replacement costs of all aircraft which have crashed in the United Kingdom in low-flying exercises over the last 10 years and the budget allocation to cover aircraft losses in future years.
Mr. Freeman : It is not now our practice to publish the unit production--and hence replacement--cost of individual aircraft. Neither is it our practice to disclose details of future budgetary allocations for them.
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Nuclear Force Modernisation
31. Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement on plans for nuclear force modernisation.
64. Mr. Wall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement on plans for nuclear modernisation.
105. Mr. Heffer : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement on plans for nuclear force modernisation.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Members to the reply which my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence, gave today to the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Ms. Ruddock).
Procurement Policy
32. Mr. Wood : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what new measures his Department is taking to achieve value for money in weapons and equipment procurement.
79. Mr. Beaumont-Dark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what new measures his Department is taking to achieve value for money in weapons and equipment procurement.
Mr. Sainsbury : The Ministry of Defence is continually searching for ways to improve value for money in its purchase of defence equipment. We take every opportunity to introduce competition, and our fortnightly "Contracts Bulletin", and other publications, such as "Selling to the MOD", seek to encourage the widest possible range of companies to compete for our business. We continue to press for taut contracting, insisting wherever possible on firm or fixed prices, or on incentive contracts with a ceiling price. We are developing a fully professional approach to project management by instituting better training for project managers, and by integrating the contracts, finance and quality assurance staff into teams under the project manager.
Chemical Weapons
33. Mr. Brazier : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has on measures the Soviet Union is undertaking to maintain and increase its stock of chemical weapons.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : In April 1987 the Soviet Union admitted to the possession of chemical weapons and announced that the production of these weapons had ceased. The Soviet Union has subsequently indicated that it will destroy its chemical weapons according to the provisions of a chemical weapons convention which is currently being negotiated at Geneva. However, the Soviets have not provided evidence that would allow us to substantiate their claim to have ceased chemical weapons production.
Defence Expenditure
34. Mr. Alexander : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what total financial resources the Government have allocated to conventional defence since 1979.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : The information requested is as follows :
£ million
Year |Total expenditure (a)|of which nuclear
|strategic force (b)
|(1) |(2)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |9,177 |126
1980-81 |11,181 |165
1981-82 |12,607 |269
1982-83 |14,412 |327
1983-84 |15,486 |382
1984-85 |17,122 |384
1985-86 |17,936 |509
1986-87 |18,163 |658
1987-88 |18,849 |882
|---- |----
Total |134,933 |3,702
Total column (1) minus column (2): £131,231 million.
(a) Reflects the actual expenditure as recorded in the Appropriation Account without
adjustment for definitional changes over the period.
(b) Reflects estimated costs.
British Aerospace (Explosives and Propellants)
35. Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with British Aerospace on collaborative production agreements with non-North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries in relation to explosives and propellants.
51. Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with British Aerospace on collaborative production agreements with non-NATO countries in relation to explosives and propellants.
94. Dr. Moonie : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with British Aerospace on collaborative production agreements with non-North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries in relation to explosives and propellants.
Mr. Sainsbury : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Eccles (Miss Lestor).
NATO (Short-Range Nuclear Weapons)
36. Mr. Doran : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement on discussions within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation on short-range nuclear systems.
50. Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement on discussions within NATO on short-range nuclear systems.
54. Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement on discussions within NATO on short-range nuclear systems.
97. Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement on discussions within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation on short-range nuclear systems.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Members to the answer that I gave today to the hon. and learned Member for Fife, North-East (Mr. Campbell).
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NATO (Defensive Strategy)
37. Mr. Mans : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals there are to alter the role of nuclear weapons in Britain's contribution to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's defensive strategy.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There are no plans to change the roles of British nuclear forces.
NATO (Nuclear Planning Group)
39. Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Scheveningen meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation nuclear planning group.
58. Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Scheveningen meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation nuclear planning group.
60. Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Scheveningen meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation nuclear planning group.
Mr. Younger : I refer the hon. Members to the reply that I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Ms. Ruddock).
Search and Rescue
40. Mr. Cyril D. Townsend : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many representations he has received on the deployment of search and rescue helicopter services.
Mr. Freeman : During 1988 the Ministry of Defence has received some 2,200 representations on the deployment of search and rescue helicopters.
48. Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the search and rescue flight at RAF Leuchars.
Mr. Freeman : I have nothing to add to my answer of 14 November to the hon. Member for Tayside, North (Mr. Walker) at column 416.
Cruise Missiles
41. Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations he has had with the United States Administration about the removal of cruise missiles based on British soil ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Her Majesty's Government have been fully consulted on the timing of the removal of the cruise missiles from RAF Molesworth and RAF Greenham Common. The missiles have already been withdrawn from Molesworth and a declaration to this effect has been made by the United States to the Soviet Union. Current plans are for half the missiles based at Greenham Common to be withdrawn approximately midway through the three years drawdown period, which began on 1 June 1988, and for the remainder to be withdrawn towards the end of this period.
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CND
43. Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament since the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation summit in March.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Secretary of State for Defence has received five letters from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament since the NATO summit in March this year.
Soviet Union (Military Capability)
44. Mr. Neil Hamilton : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there has been any significant changes in the military capacity of the Soviet Union over the past two years.
127. Mr. Tredinnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there has been any significant changes in the military capacity of the Soviet Union over the past two years.
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