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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 20 June 1989
HOME DEPARTMENT Bail Hostels
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many bail hostels for women will be established in the next three years ; and where they will be located.
Mr. John Patten : To date we have agreed proposals to provide a total of 32 additional places in approved hostels for women on bail by April 1990. These will be at hostels in Basildon, Birmingham, Brighton, Cardiff and inner London. Plans for the following two years have not yet been agreed.
Prisoners
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many inmates at present serving a life sentence in England and Wales are over the age of 60 years.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : According to records held centrally on 31 May 1989, 81 males and three females aged over 60 years were serving life sentences in prison service establishments in England and Wales.
Deportation
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the number of people deported from the United Kingdom during each of the last five years.
Mr. Renton : Information on the number of persons removed from the United Kingdom under the deportation process in the years 1984 to 1988 is published in table 24 of "Control of Immigration : Statistics United Kingdom 1987" (Cm. 415) and in table 14 of Home Office Statistical Bulletin Issue 10/89 "Control of Immigration : Statistics--Fourth Quarter and Year 1988", copies of both of which are in the Library.
Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of persons (a) detained by the Metropolitan police on suspicion of being an illegal entrant and (b) subsequently not charged for 1988 and in each month in 1989 to the nearest available date.
Mr. Renton : Information is not available in the form requested.
Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list the numbers of illegal entrants to the United Kingdom detected in each quarter in 1988 and in each month in 1989 to the nearest available date ;
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(2) pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central, of 6 June, Official Report, column 51, if he will list the total number of notices of intention to deport issued between 1986 and 1988 and in each month in 1989 to the nearest available date.Mr. Renton : Information for 1986 to 1988 on the number of notices of intention to deport issued and the number of persons against whom action was commenced as illegal entrants are published in tables 13 and 14, respectively, of Home Office statistical bulletin issue 10/89 "Control of Immigration : Statistics--Fourth Quarter and Year 1988", a copy of which is in the Library. The next issue of the bulletin giving information for the first quarter of 1989 will be published around the end of the month.
Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria are applied in determining whether a notice of intention to deport should be considered and signed by a member of the immigration and nationality department or by a member of the immigration service.
Mr. Renton : The issue of a notice of intention to deport may be authorised by designated members of the immigration service not below the rank of inspector in cases where an officer of the service, in the course of carrying out his duties, discovers a person who is liable to deportation under section 3(5)(a) of the Immigration Act 1971 as an overstayer or for working in breach of conditions. The issue of a notice in all other circumstances is authorised by members of the deportation section of the immigration and nationality department.
Prison Visitors
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to increase the allowance that can be paid to members of the prison board of visitors ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Allowances for travelling expenses for board members were increased on 1 January 1989, and they will shortly be notified that allowances for loss of earnings have been increased with effect from 15 May 1989. These rates are tied to those paid to justices of the peace.
Members of boards of visitors who serve on local review committees receive travelling expenses in line with Civil Service mileage allowances, which were increased with effect from 1 July 1987.
Overseas Students
Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received with regard to allowing female overseas students to be joined by their husbands for the duration of their studies in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Renton : Two representations have been received recently on this subject : replies have been sent to both.
Although the rules make no formal provision for husbands to accompany or join their wives who are studying in the United Kingdom, entry clearance may be granted for this purpose where there are compassionate circumstances. We have considered whether the rules ought to go further, but have concluded that they should
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not. One of the basic purposes of immigration control is to restrict the numbers coming to live or take employment in this country. Changing the rules so that they allowed female students to be accompanied by their husbands would represent a considerable relaxation in the control, which could result in substantial additional numbers coming to work in the United Kingdom.Column 66
Criminal Convictions
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of alleged miscarriage of criminal justice were considered by the C3 department of the Home Office for each year from 1980 ; how many of these were referred to the courts ; how many of these were rejected ; how many were dealt with in other ways ; and how many convictions were quashed.
Mr. John Patten : Information in the form requested is available only from 1 October 1984, as follows :
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Representations of wrongful conviction and consequent references to the Court of Appeal
under section 17(1)(a) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968
Period |Number of representations|Number of cases referred |Appeals allowed by the |Appeals dismissed by the
|considered |to the Court of Appeal |Court of Appeal |Court of Appeal
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 October 1984 to 30 September 1985 |770 |2 |1 |1
1 October 1985 to 30 September 1986 |773 |4 |1 |3
1 October 1986 to 30 September 1987 |784 |6 |3 |3
1 October 1987 to 31 March 1988 |274 |<2>3 |- |2
1 April 1988<1> to 31 March 1989 |536 |<3>2 |1 |-
<1>The method of collecting statistics was revised in April 1988.
<2>One case awaiting determination at 31 March 1989.
<3>One case awaiting determination at 31 March 1989.
In other cases free pardons were granted and relevant figures are given in a reply today to another question from the hon. Member. In the other cases considered it was decided that there were no grounds in the information available for intervention in the conviction.
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminal convictions, disregarding motoring offences, were quashed by him without reference to the Court of Appeal for each year since 1980.
Mr. John Patten : My right hon. Friend has no power to quash a conviction. In addition to his powers under section 17 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968 to refer a case to the Court of Appeal, he may, in exceptional circumstances, recommend to Her Majesty the Queen that a free pardon should be granted. This course is normally followed in respect of summary convictions where there is no power to refer the case back to the courts for their consideration. The following free pardons have been granted in the years 1980-88 (excluding motoring offences) :
|Number
---------------------
1980 |15
1981 |14
1982 |10
1983 |11
1984 |16
1985 |6
1986 |7
1987 |13
1988 |9
Mr. Wai Man Chung
Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why 19 days after notifying the constituent of the right hon. Member for Swansea, West,
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Mr. Wai Man Chung, that entry clearance to United Kingdom from China had been granted to his wife, Mrs. Shi Jian Chung, his Department had not notified the visa section at the Foreign Office of its decision, so that it could notify the embassy in Peking.Mr. Renton : A letter authorising the issue of a visa to Mrs. Chung was sent to the migration and visa department of the Foreign Office on 26 May--the same day that Mr. Chung was notified of the decision. The migration and visa department has confirmed that instructions to issue Mrs. Chung with a visa were sent to Peking on 16 June.
ENVIRONMENT
Local Authority Contracts (Tenders)
111. Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to ensure that private sector companies tendering for local authority contracts maintain the existing employment conditions of local authority employees.
Mr. Gummer : None. Companies which are successful in winning local authority contracts under the compulsory competition regime will no doubt consider whether it is advantageous to employ all or some of the authority's relevant work force, but they are under no obligation to do so.
New Towns (Developments)
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will ensure that a copy of the section 7(1) submission submitted to him concerning possible housing development at High Warren, Appleton is made available to the Member for Warrington, South.
Mr. Trippier : I have not received a submission under section 7(1) of the New Towns Act 1981 for housing
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development at High Warren, Appleton. I have however asked new town development corporations to ensure that they have satisfactory arrangements in place for informing hon. Members with a constituency interest of section 7(1) applications in which they have expressed an interest.Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements he intends to make to ensure that hon. Members whose constituencies were affected by new town section 7(1) submissions receive copies of such submissions as a matter of course from new town development corporations.
Mr. Trippier : I have asked new towns development corporations to ensure that they have satisfactory arrangements in place for informing hon. Members with a constituency interest of section 7(1) applications under the New Towns Act 1981 in which they have expressed an interest.
Illuminated Advertisements
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from environmental organisations about his proposed relaxation of controls over illuminated advertisements ; and what has been his response.
Mr. Chope : Joint representations opposing the introduction of "deemed consent" provisions for illuminated advertisements were made on 29 March by the Association of Conservation Officers, on behalf of 11 local authority, professional and conservation organisations. The Georgian group subsequently supported these representations. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of my reply.
Council Housing (Tenant Initiatives)
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements his Department has made to consult local authorities over grant funding of secondary housing co-operatives to promote tenant management co-operatives in council housing under section 16 of the Housing and Planning Act 1986 ; what consultation there has been over which organisations receive such funding and at what level and what steps his Department has taken to consult local authorities to co-ordinate funding on tenants' intiatives in council housing.
Mr. Trippier : There are no existing formal arrangements for consulting local authorities over section 16 grant funding of secondary agencies. Where necessary, the Department will discuss applications with the relevant authority.
Local authorities were invited to submit evidence on matters, including section 16, to the recent housing co-operatives review. The Government are now considering the review committee's report.
Disabled People (Housing)
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how much money the Housing Corporation allocated in 1989-90 for the construction of wheelchair housing (a) in total cash terms, and (b) as a percentage of the total budget each year for the last six years ;
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(2) how much money was allocated by the Housing Corporation, to housing associations to adapt properties occupied by disabled tenants for each of the last six financial years, and how many housing associations in each of those years received money for this purpose.Mr. Trippier : This information is not held by the Department. The distribution of public funds to individual housing associatons and projects is largely a matter for the Housing Corporation to determine within the broad policy framework established annually in discussion with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment. I have therefore asked the Housing Corporation to respond to my hon. Friend direct.
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of local authority housing built in 1989-90 and in each of the last six previous financial years is wheelchair housing.
Mr. Trippier : New wheelchair dwellings completed by English local authorities as a percentage of their total new housebuilding completions are as follows :
|Percentage
---------------------------------
1983-84 |1.0
1984-85 |1.4
1985-86 |1.0
1986-87 |1.3
1987-88 |1.3
1988-89 |1.5
Information for 1989-90 is not available.
Council House Sales
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to introduce a scheme to convert council house rents into mortgages along the lines of that announced by the Scottish Office ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Trippier : No. The Scottish scheme will entail voluntary sales to tenants of Scottish Homes. There is no organisation in England equivalent to Scottish Homes for these purposes.
Planning Appeals
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many planning appeals were lodged with his Department in 1974, 1979, 1984 and the last full year for which figures are available ; and, for each year, how many were allowed.
Mr. Chope : The information requested is as follows :
Year |Appeals Received|Appeals Allowed -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1974 |13,324 |2,715 1979 |12,990 |2,602 1984 |16,192 |3,773 1988-89 |28,659 |7,734
Water Privatisation
Mr. Wood : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is in a position to give further details of the share offer arrangements for employees of the privatised water authorities.
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Mr. Howard : The Government welcome the opportunity which privatisation of the water authorities provides for employees to become shareholders in the new plcs. I can now announce the following special arrangements for eligible employees of the new water plcs and their wholly owned subsidiaries :
(i) employees will be offered free shares worth around £70 at the offer price plus about £2 of shares for every year of continuous service with their new company and the predecessor water authority up to a date close to flotation. In addition, people who were employed by the predecessor water authority on 1 April 1974, when the authority took over from bodies previously responsible for water supply and sewerage services, will be treated as having an additional five years' entitlement ;
(ii) employees will also be offered two free shares for each one bought at the full offer price on a matching basis up to a maximum of £400 worth of free shares ; under this element of the package, if an employee bought shares worth £200 at the offer price he would receive shares worth in total £600 ;
(iii) employees will be able to buy up to a maximum of £2,350 worth of additional shares at a discount of 10 per cent. from the full offer price ;
(iv) employees applying for shares will be treated on a priority basis over the general public, up to an individual limit of shares worth £12,000 at the offer price ; this is in addition to the free, matching and discount shares.
The free and matching shares will be available to employees who satisfy certain minimum qualification periods on length of employment and hours worked per week. The discount and priority shares will be available to all employees at a date close to the flotation date. We have also decided that pensioners of a new water plc, its wholly owned subsidiaries or its predecessor water authority should be able to apply on a priority basis, over the general public, for shares up to an individual limit of £12,000 at the offer price.
Property Services Agency (Vacant Buildings)
Mr. Ingram : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those buildings which are rented, leased or owned by the Property Services Agency which have lain vacant for more than the last 12 months.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 13 June 1989] : Yes. The list is as follows.
Schedule of buildings rented, leased or owned by the PSA which have been vacant for more than 12 months as at 9 June 1989 Property |Local authority area ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UBO Palmers Green, N13 |Enfield Dale House, Cardinal Road, Feltham |Hounslow 87 Burlington Road, New Malden, Surrey |Kingston upon Thames Alpine Avenue Standard Office Buildings, |Kingston upon Thames Tolworth 29 Abbotsbury Road, Morden |Merton 17 Victoria Road, Strechford |Birmingham 58-72 John Bright Street, Birmingham |Birmingham Britannia House, Station Street, Burton on Trent |East Staffordshire County Court Offices, Bank Place, Nottingham |Nottingham CG Lookout, Spurn Point, Humberside |Holderness Storage Depot, Tyne Mills, Hexham |Tynedale 22 and 29 The Springs, Wakefield |Wakefield Longworth Road, Horwich |Bolton Storage Depot, Hob Lane, Dunham Hill |Chester Storage Depot, Meadowview, Mickle Trafford |Chester Magowan House, 11A West Street, Portadown |County Armagh 116A Bradshawgate, Leigh |Wigan 224-226 Queens Road, Aberdeen |City of Aberdeen Sheriff Court House, Castle Street, Aberdeen |City of Aberdeen 276 Old Rutherglen Road, Glasgow |City of Glasgow 65-87 Cowlairs Road, Glasgow |City of Glasgow Norfolk House, 15 Princes Square, East Kilbride |East Kilbride C and E Offices, Grange Dock North, Grangemouth |Falkirk 163-165 Bank Street, Coatbridge |Monklands 146-156 Main Street, Coatbridge |Monklands Virginia Buildings, High Street, Buckie |Moray Land at Yardie, Buckie |Moray Windsor Street, Shotts |Motherwell 69-73 Crossgate, Cupar |North East Fife Gremista, Lerwick |Shetland Islands Storage Depot, 270 Kirkintilloch Road, Bishopbriggs |Strathkelvin CG Lookout, Helmsdale |Sutherland Hut Number 3, Chaucer Barracks, Canterbury |Canterbury 41 Medina Villas, Hove |Hove Park House, Barrier Road, Chatham |Medway CG Hut, Rye Harbour, Rye |Rother Drakewalls, Gunnislake |Caradon CG Building, South Esplanade, Burnham- on-Sea |Sedgemoor Shire Hall, Shuttern, Taunton |Taunton Deane Telford House, Park Gardens, Yeovil |Yeovil Cold Store Depot, New Pond Road, Guildford |Guildford Part Building No. 71, Bletchley Park, Bletchley |Milton Keynes Stores, Shirburn Road, Watlington |South Oxfordshire 35, 36, 38 and 39 Castle Street, Swansea |Swansea
These 44 buildings represent less than 1 per cent. of the total stock held by PSA. Thirty-four of the properties have been declared surplus and are in the process of disposal and the remainder are undergoing, or being considered, for refurbishment or redevelopment to allow reoccupation by a Government Department.
Community Charge
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many copies of his Department's leaflet "The Community Charge (The So-called Poll Tax') : How It Will Work For You" have been mailed to addresses in Scotland ; what was the cost of distributing this material outside England ; and if he will now write to those households in Scotland which received the leaflet to explain the error.
Mr. Gummer [holding answer 19 June 1989] : I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood) yesterday. I naturally regret the fact that a comparatively few leaflets were wrongly delivered to Scottish households, but I do not think it necessary to write to each household concerned. The mailing house concerned has apologised for the mistake.
Set-aside Land
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many planning applications have been made to date in respect of land on which set-aside payments are being made by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food ; and, of these applications, how many have been successful.
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Mr. Chope [holding answer 19 June 1989] : Only a small proportion of set-aside proposals will need planning permission. The Department does not collect information from local planning authorities in the form requested, and I understand it is not included in the records of applications for set-aside payments kept by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
Water Quality
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the letter written by officials in his Department and sent to water authorities on 14 February giving advice on how to deal with the EC directive on water quality.
Mr. Howard [holding answer 19 June 1989] : No. The letter referred to was a working document on the assumptions to be made in compiling expenditure projections for the purpose of k setting (k is the initial limit on price increases to be contained in companies instruments of appointment under the Water Bill). The letter made it clear that these assumptions would be subject to review until the end of the k setting process. We will state the assumptions underlying ks once they are determined.
We have made it clear to water authorities and companies that expenditure arising from any obligations left out of initial k, for example because the costs are too uncertain for inclusion, and expenditure arising from new obligations imposed after ks are set, will be eligible for consideration in reviews of charges by the Director General of Water Services.
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what his current estimate is for complying with EC directive 80/778/EEC in each of the water authority areas.
Mr. Howard [holding answer 19 June 1989] : The Government are fully committed to compliance with the EC drinking water directive as quickly as possible, taking account of practicalities. Water undertakers in England and Wales have drawn up improvement programmes for supplies which regularly or intermittently fail to comply with the directive in certain respects. Only when these programmes have been thoroughly assessed will it be possible to estimate the time scale for compliance with the directive.
Environmental Assessments
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if, further to his replies of 4 May, Official Report, columns 247-50, with regard to environmental assessment, he will (a) list those matters taken into account when determining whether environmental assessment is required, (b) give details of the methodology used, (c) specify what criteria and thresholds are used, (d) indicate why some extensions of mineral workings required environmental assessments and others did not, (e) indicate why environment assessment was required in the case of one shopping complex and not in the case of other shopping complexes and retail parks, (f) give details of what information was given to the relevant local authorities following these directions and (g) indicate what information has been given to other local authorities
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subsequent to these directions in order to help them apply the Town and Country Planning (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1988 consistently.Mr. Chope [holding answer 19 June 1989] : In accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1988, environmental assessment is required of all projects of the types listed in schedule 1 to the regulations and of any project of a type listed in schedule 2 which is likely to have significant effects on the environment by virtue of factors such as its nature, size or location. Guidance on which projects are likely to have significant environmental effects so as to require environmental assessment is given in DoE circular 15/88, which also sets out indicative thresholds and criteria to which the Secretary of State has regard when considering whether to direct that assessment is required. Decisions on the need for environmental assessment turn on the facts of individual cases, and locational considerations may lead to different conclusions in respect of similar types of development. The regulations require the Secretary of State to give reasons when he directs that environmental assessment is required. Copies of decision letters are sent to the applicant and to the local planning authority, which is required to make a copy available for public inspection in the place where the planning register is kept. We are considering how best this information can be made more widely available to assist both developers and local planning authorities in the application of these regulations.
SCOTLAND
Scottish Enterprise
112. Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the Scottish Enterprise proposals.
Mr. Lang : We are currently reassessing the proposals in the Scottish Enterprise White Paper in the light of all the responses received and will announce our detailed decisions in due course.
Population Statistics
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are his Department's estimates for the numbers of people aged 65 to 74 years, 75 to 79 years and over 80 years in the years 2000 and 2020 in Scotland ; and what percentage increase this represents in each category over the actual figures for the last year in which they are available.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information is set out in the table.
Year 2000 Year 2020
Age group |Projected population |Percentage change from|Projected population |Percentage change from
|1988 mid-year estimate |1988 mid-year estimate
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
65-74 |427,703 |-1.6 |500,785 |15.2
75-79 |160,311 |1.4 |161,124 |1.9
80 and over |188,592 |16.4 |213,814 |32.0
Surgeries (Rural Areas)
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what additional funds he is making available to health boards to enable practice surgeries in rural areas to meet the requirements of the new contract.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 16 June 1989] : Funding for general medical services following the introduction of the new contract for GPs will be determined in the course of the Government's public expenditure survey 1989. The funds will take full account of the new contract, including those aspects which relate to rural practices.
At present public expenditure on family practitioner services generally is planned to increase from £496 million in 1988-89 to £610 million in 1991-92, an increase of 23 per cent.
DEFENCE
Fylingdales (Equipment)
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the primary purpose of the new radar equipment at Fylingdales.
Mr. Neubert : The modernised radar system at RAF Fylingdales will perform the same functions as the present system, which is to provide early warning of strategic ballistic missile attack.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the cost of installing the new early warning radar equipment at Fylingdales comes from United Kingdom sources.
Mr. Neubert : The modernised radar system itself will be constructed by an American company, at United States Government expense. British companies will carry out all the work to be undertaken in the United Kingdom on the infrastructure for the facility, at British Government expense. This infrastructure work, for which contracts are shortly to be awarded, will amount to some 27 per cent. of the total.
Military Communications
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what programmes are under way to develop protection for United Kingdom military communications satellites from anti-satellite systems.
Mr. Sainsbury : The potential threat to United Kingdom military communications satellites from such systems is kept under constant review.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what programmes are under way to develop the use of satellite-laser systems for communications with submarines (a) in co-operation with the United States of America and (b) by the United Kingdom alone.
Mr. Sainsbury : It is not our practice to comment on operational matters of this kind.
Anti-Satellite Weapons
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research is currently under way concerning the development of an anti- satellite weapon programme.
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Mr. Sainsbury : No such research is carried out by the United Kingdom.
Low Flying
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints about low flying were received by his Department in 1988 from addresses in the Cunninghame, North constituency.
Mr. Neubert : In 1988 the Ministry of Defence received a total of four complaints or inquiries about military low flying from addresses in the Cunninghame, North constituency.
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he has any information on military helicopters authorised to operate at low level in Scotland on 5 May 1988, additional to that given in his reply to the hon. Member for Cunninghame, North on 27 May 1988, Official Report, column 391 ;
(2) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Cunninghame, North of 22 December 1988, Official Report, column 368, whether the times of movements given for Army Air Corps Gazelle helicopter serial number XZ328 near Dalmally and at HMS Gannet on 5 May 1988 were expressed in Greenwich mean time or British summer time ; (3) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Cunninghame, North of 22 December 1988, Official Report, column 368 , what was the point of origin of the flight to HMS Gannet by Army Air Corps Gazelle helicopter, serial number XZ328, on 5 May 1988 ; what route was flown by this aircraft through Argyll ; and what was the purpose of the flight.
Mr. Neubert : Timings given for the movements of the Army Air Corps helicopter were expressed in British summer time. This helicopter, which began its sortie from RAF Leuchars, was carrying out a navigation exercise. I have nothing further to add to my reply to the hon. Member on 22 December 1988, at column 368, or to my letter of 24 February 1989 to the hon. Member.
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