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Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 17 July 1989] : The laboratory services and records department of Greater Glasgow health board have not been put out to tender.
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DEFENCE
Low Flying
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many night low-level flights took place in the United Kingdom low-flying system in 1988.
Mr. Neubert : Central records are not available in a form which would allow the information requested to be provided.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy of 24 January, Official Report, column 555, whether centre is quantified as a radius in kilometres in the instructions to pilots concerning overflight of the centres of major conurbations and built-up areas in the United Kingdom low flying system.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the replies to the hon. Member for Meirionydd Nant Conwy of 9 November 1987, Official Report, columns 36-7, 20 January 1988, Official Report, column 765, and 10 May 1989, Official Report, columns 474-5, on what assumed average number of movements per sortie the figures for low-flying sorties in the years 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988, as recalculated by the pre- 1985 method of estimating sorties from numbers of movements, were based ; and if he will make a statement.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy of 25 May, Official Report, column 732, what are the differences between the bases of recording low flying movements in the Borders tactical training area before and after July 1988.
Mr. Neubert : Depending on the route adopted, flights using the borders tactical training area after July 1988 may generate more than one movement in central records.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice is given to military aircrews on the use of the common North Atlantic Treaty Organisation radio frequency for low level flying when operating in the United Kingdom low flying system.
Mr. Neubert : There is no common North Atlantic Treaty Organisation radio frequency for low flying. However, a specially designated frequency is available for the transmission of flight safety information within the United Kingdom low flying system.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information on the location of planned entry into and exit from low flying areas is provided to RAF West Drayton by military aircrews planning low flying sorties.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the specific purpose of the Milford Haven low flying avoidance area ; and if there are any plans to alter its extent and scope.
Mr. Neubert : It is not our practice to release specific details of the United Kingdom low flying system.
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Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans exist to lower the minimum permitted altitude for terrain-following radar flying in the Highlands restricted area.
Mr. Neubert : Low flying military aircraft using the Highlands restricted area operate within the relevant height constraints of the United Kingdom low flying system and there are no plans to change this.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans exist to permit terrain-following radar flying in areas of the United Kingdom other than the Highlands restricted area.
Mr. Neubert : In appropriate meteorological conditions, terrain following radar may already be used to assist flying by suitably equipped aircraft anywhere in the United Kingdom low flying system.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has further to reduce the number and size of low flying avoidance areas covering special rules airspace around civil airports ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Neubert : Special rules airspace and civil aerodrome traffic zones constitute in themselves avoidance areas for military aircraft, except where entry has been authorised by the controlling authority. There are no plans to change these arrangements.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what use is made of high frequency radio for air traffic control in the United Kingdom low flying system ;
(2) what use is made of satellite communications for air traffic control in the United Kingdom low flying system.
Mr. Neubert : None. The assistance of air traffic control is not required in the management of the airspace constituting the United Kingdom low flying system.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the percentage change in the number of low-level flights authorised at less than 250 ft between 1979 and 1988.
Mr. Neubert : This information is not available in the form requested. The information that is available has already been given in replies to the hon. Member by my predecessor on 2 November 1987, Official Report, column 487, and on 20 January 1988, Official Report, columns 764- 65, and in the reply that I gave to the hon. Member on 25 May 1989, Official Report, columns 732-33.
Chemical Weapons
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all those North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries which have chemical weapons stored or available for use on British soil.
White Papers
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if, for each of the last three White Papers issued by his Department, for which legislation has been started, he will state the time elapsed between their publication and the First Readings of any Bills connected with them ; and if he will do the same for the last three White Papers issued by his Department prior to May 1979.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : My Department has not since 1979 issued White Papers which have formed the basis of subsequent legislation. It is not for me to answer for the record of the previous Government in this matter, but the information requested should be available in the Library of the House and the official record.
Upper Heyford (Aircraft Noise)
Mr. Baldry : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide a table giving the number of dwellings which the Ministry of Defence has (a) offered to purchase because they fall within the 83 LAeq, 12H noise contour and (b) offered to provide noise insulation because they fall within the 70 LAeq, 12H noise contour, for RAF Upper Heyford and for each of the military air bases in the United Kingdom at which the above schemes apply.
Mr. Neubert : The information requested is show in the table :
Number of properties
situated within
Airfield |83 dBLAeq |70 dBLAeq
12H contour |12H contour
--------------------------------------------------------------
RNAS Yeovilton |11 |483
RAF Alconbury |- |138
RAF Kinloss |- |49
RAF Lossiemouth |- |293
RAF Leuchars |- |1,070
RAF Cottesmore |- |1,506
RAF Honington |- |260
RAF Leeming |19 |926
RAF Marham |1 |265
RAF Stornoway |12 |180
RAF Coningsby |- |800
RAF Wattisham |- |540
RAF Lakenheath/Mildenhall |2 |5,600
RAF Upper Heyford |60 |770
RAF Chivenor |- |18
F111 Aircraft
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many United States Air Force F111 aircraft are currently based at RAF Lakenheath ; and what changes have occurred in this number since 1979.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I understand that 72 F111F aircraft are assigned to RAF Lakenheath.
Chemical Agent Monitors
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which financial year the final batch of chemical agent monitors was ordered.
Mr. Sainsbury : Financial year 1987-88.
General Service Respirators
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which financial year the final batch of general service respirators, S10, was ordered.
Mr. Sainsbury : The order for the final tranche of the main production of S10 respirator face pieces was made in financial year 1987-88 and that for the respirator canister was made in financial year 1988-89.
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Contracted-out Services
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has on the proportion of those Ministry of Defence civilian employees made redundant as a result of contracting-out and privatisation since 1979 who have been subsequently re-employed by contractors providing services to his Department.
Mr. Sainsbury : No such information is held. The Ministry of Defence requires contractors to consider employing civilian staff being made redundant as a result of contracting-out, but the decision is entirely for the contractor. In the case of privatisation of Royal Ordnance and transfer to commercial management of the royal dockyards, staff were not made redundant but were all transferred to the new companies under the Transfer of Undertaking (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981.
Arms Control
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures are taken by his Department to ensure that the Government's arms control policies maintain or enhance Britain's military position.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Arms control is an integral part of the Government's security policy. Our arms control objectives are designed to enhance the security of this country and of our allies, and the Ministry of Defence is fully involved in the formulation and implementation of our arms control policies.
Nuclear Submarines (Disposal)
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what studies he has commissioned into the disposal of nuclear-powered submarines once their operational lives have been completed.
Mr. Sainsbury : I would refer the hon. Member to the House of Commons Defence Committee's report on the decommissioning of nuclear submarines (HC, 1988-89, No. 316).
Pilotless Planes
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many incidents have taken place since 1987 when a plane flew over Britain without a pilot ; and if he will make a statement outlining the precautions which were taken to avoid any repetition of the problem.
Mr. Neubert : Other than in brief instances when aircrew have had to eject, the only such occasion of which I am aware is the incident involving a Harrier GR5 aircraft on 22 October 1987 during a production test flight, when the pilot was killed after being ejected accidentally. The aircraft crashed into the sea some 500 miles west of the Republic of Ireland. A summary of the findings of the board of inquiry, including remedial actions taken, was placed in the Library in the usual way.
Tropical Hardwood
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much tropical hardwood in cubic metres was used by the Ministry of Defence in 1988.
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Mr. Sainsbury : Purchases by the Ministry of Defence during 1988 amounted to around 600 cu m. Usage figures for tropical hardwood are not readily available.
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of tropical hardwood used by the Ministry of Defence last year came from (a) Brazil, (b) the Ivory Coast, (c) Ghana, (d) India and (e) elsewhere ; and in each case what steps were taken to ensure the wood used originated from plantations managed in a sustainable manner.
Mr. Sainsbury : Of the tropical hardwood which was bought by the Ministry of Defence in 1988 :
16 per cent. came from Brazil.
16 per cent. came from the Ivory Coast.
27 per cent. came from Ghana.
0 per cent. came from India.
41 per cent. came from elsewhere.
All tropical hardwood was procured competitively through importers and stockists in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to eliminate the use of tropical hardwoods from non-sustainable sources.
Mr. Sainsbury : No specific measures have been taken, but the Ministry of Defence has, in recent years, adopted a general policy to minimise, wherever possible, the usage of all types of timber.
Official Hospitality
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by his Department on official hospitality in the financial year 1988-89.
Mr. Sainsbury : The amount spent on official hospitality by the Ministry of Defence in 1988-89 totalled some £3.520 million. This figure included expenditure incurred by the Ministry of Defence itself, by formations and establishments of the armed forces at home and abroad, and by individual officers occupying command and international appointments for which entertainment allowances are payable.
Emergency Parking, London
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the cost of troop involvement in emergency parking arrangements during the current industrial action on British Rail and London Regional Transport ; and who is responsible for meeting the cost.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The costs of service assistance in providing emergency parking facilities will not be known until the facilities are no longer needed and have been withdrawn. The Department of Transport will meet the extra cost incurred by the Ministry of Defence.
Prime Minister (Transport Costs)
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the cost to his Department of providing transport for the Prime Minister on overseas visits in each year since 1985-86.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Ministry of Defence charges the Office of the Minister for the Civil Service for
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providing transport for the Prime Minister on official visits overseas at rates which are calculated in accordance with rules laid down by the Treasury. These rates are designed to ensure that no residual costs are carried on Defence Votes.Property Disposals
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total value of property disposed of by his Department in the financial year 1988-89 ; and what is the current estimate of likely disposals in 1989 -90.
Mr. Neubert : Receipts from property sold in 1988-89 were £150.6 million. At this early stage of the 1989-90 financial year, we anticipate receipts of around £130 million.
HMS Fearless
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Rhondda of 17 July, Official Report, columns 24, how the schedule for the refit of HMS Fearless has been revised ; and what additional expenditure will be involved.
Mr. Sainsbury : The completion date of HMS Fearless has been revised from the end of 1989 to spring 1990. The additional expenditure is still subject to negotiation.
Computer Scientists
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current requirement for specialist computer science staff in the procurement executive.
Mr. Sainsbury : Computer scientists are in short supply nationally. There is currently a requirement for 272 such staff, mainly in the research establishments.
Procurement Executive
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total number of military staff employed in the procurement executive in 1980 and 1989.
Mr. Sainsbury : No central record of the number of service men employed in the procurement executive before 1 June 1981 exists ; the number on that date was 1,655. It is too early in the year to give a definitive figure for 1989. However, it is expected to be around 1, 200.
Centre for Defence Studies
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply of 17 July, Official Report, column 254, whether he will state the planned location of the proposed centre for defence studies.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The intention is to establish the centre for defence studies at an existing university, polytechnic or institute. Its location will depend, therefore, on the outcome of the evaluation of proposals to which I referred in my reply of 17 July.
Female Employment (RAF)
Mr. Mans : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has plans to widen the opportunities for the employment of women in the Royal Air Force ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Neubert : We intend to widen the opportunities for women in the Royal Air Force by recruiting and training them as pilots and navigators for the following aircraft :
Operational aircraft |Training aircraft --------------------------------------------------------------- Tristar |Chipmunk VC10/VC10K |Bulldog Hercules |Jet Provost Victor |Tucano Sentry (AWACS) |Hawk (AFT only) HS 125 |Dominie BAe 146 |Jetstream Andover |Gazelle Canberra |Wessex Sea King Wessex (SAR)
It remains Government policy that women should not undertake direct combatant duties, and this has determined the aircraft in which women will act as aircrew.
We intend to begin recruiting immediately, and in the first instance shall be looking for up to 10 per cent. women recruits, (25 pilots and 10 navigators) in the first year, but this will be kept under review.
Single European Market
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information has been prepared by his Department for defence contractors on the implications of 1992 and the single European market.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 19 July 1989] : Although European Community competence in defence procurement is circumscribed by article 223 of the treaty of Rome, the completion of the single European market will have an important impact on our suppliers, most of which operate in both the civil and defence sectors of the economy. The Department has therefore taken a number of steps to ensure that defence contractors are informed of the implications of 1992 for defence procurement. In April 1989, the Department held a forum for industry on the future of defence procurement in Europe ; Ministers and senior officials have addressed the implications of 1992 in speeches and articles ; and there are working-level contacts between the defence contractors and Ministry officials concerned with the impact of the single European market.
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel from his Department are currently employed in giving advice on the implications of 1992 and the single European market.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 19 July 1989] : A number of officials in the Ministry of Defence, particularly those concerned with legal affairs and with procurement and contractual matters, give advice on the implications of 1992. However, there is no post in the Department wholly or mainly devoted to advising on EEC matters.
Nuclear Submarines
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to reply to the Seventh Report from the Select Committee on Defence, on decommissioning of nuclear submarines, (HC, 1988-89, No. 316), before the House rises for the summer recess ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 13 July 1989] : The Ministry of Defence is studying the Committee's report
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published on 21 June and will provide a formal response in due course. It will not, however, be possible to reply before the House goes into recess.EMPLOYMENT
Construction Industry Training Board
Mr. Key : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the future of the construction industry training board.
Mr. Nicholls : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 14 February to my hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Mr. Latham) at column 153. Consultations with the board and organisations representing employers are almost complete. I expect to be in a position to make a decision shortly.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report the number, and percentage of (i) men and (ii) women aged (a) 50 to 54, (b) 55 to 59 and (c) 60 to 64 for men only who are in (1) employment, (2) part-time employment and (3) full-time employment.
Mr. Lee : The information requested, based on preliminary results from the spring 1988 labour force survey, is given in the following table.
Persons in employment by whether working full or part time by sex
and selected age groups
Spring 1988 Great Britain, Thousands and per cent.
Full or part time
status<1>
Sex |All in employment<2>|Part time |Full time
Age
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Men
Numbers
50 to 54 |1,220 |26 |1,194
55 to 59 |1,033 |38 |994
60 to 64 |671 |65 |605
Percentages of all in age group
50 to 54 |83.1 |1.8 |81.2
55 to 59 |72.7 |2.7 |70.0
60 to 64 |49.3 |4.8 |44.4
Women
Numbers
50 to 54 |924 |482 |441
55 to 59 |729 |370 |359
Percentages of all in age group
50 to 54 |62.4 |32.6 |29.8
55 to 59 |49.5 |25.1 |24.3
Source: 1988 Labour Force Survey Preliminary results.
<1> Full or part time employment is based on self-assessment by the respondent.
<2> Includes those who did not state whether they worked full or part time.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what are the latest figures for the unemployment rate for each of the social classes I to V ; and what the corresponding rates were in 1979 ;
(2) what is the percentage of each social class I to V who are unemployed ; and by how much each of these percentages has changed since 1979.
Mr. Lee : Preliminary estimates from the 1988 labour force survey (LFS), as requested, are shown in the following table :
Unemployment by social class-Great Britain
Spring 1988, per cent.
Social class<1> |Unemployment rate<2> |Percentage of each social
|class unemployed<3>
|per cent. |per cent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I |1.7 |1.6
II |2.7 |2.5
III |5.3 |4.8
IV |7.9 |7.0
V |10.5 |9.1
<1> Based on previous occupation of those unemployed or inactive and current occupation of those in
employment.
<2> Unemployed (ILO/OECD definition) as a percentage of economically active (i.e. unemployed plus
employed).
<3> Unemployed (ILO/OECD definition) as a percentage of all persons 16 or over.
Note: Persons not in employment were not asked about their previous occupation if they left their last
job three or more years prior to interview. These persons plus those who have never had a job are
excluded from the above table.
Data on unemployment by social class was not collected in the 1979 LFS on a basis comparable with the given estimates.
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