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44. Mr. Lamond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on the Royal Air Force of the proposals tabled in Vienna for ceilings on numbers of combat aircraft.
72. Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on the Royal Air Force of the proposals tabled in Vienna for ceilings on numbers of combat aircraft.
93. Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on the Royal Air Force of the proposals tabled in Vienna for ceilings on numbers of combat aircraft.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : It is too early to say what the effect of any agreement on conventional forces in Europe would be on the forces of particular states.
Tornado
36. Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what comparative figures he has for the accident rates for Tornado aircraft for each of the European countries which operate these aircraft.
57. Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what comparative figures he has for the accident rates for Tornado aircraft for each of the European countries which operate these aircraft.
75. Mr. Harry Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what comparative figures he has of the accident rates for Tornado aircraft for each of the European countries which operate these aircraft.
Mr. Neubert : I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mr. Griffiths).
Disaster Relief
39. Mr. Stevens : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role the services have taken this year in disaster relief operations.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : So far in 1989, the principal contribution to disaster relief overseas by the armed forces has been in the eastern Caribbean in September, dealing with the effects of Hurricane Hugo. HMS Alacrity and RFA Brambleleaf were delployed to the striken region where they carried out and co-ordinated relief operations in Montserrat and on neighbouring islands. An RAF Hercules was used to fly in a disaster relief team of Royal Engineers together with stores from the garrison in Belize. Hercules aircraft also undertook a regular shuttle of stores from Antigua to Montserrat and transported elements of the Bermuda Defence Regiment to assist with relief work in the British Virgin Islands.
The armed forces have also provided support to the civil emergency authorities in the United Kingdom. After the tragic air disasters at Lockerbie and Kegworth all three
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services rendered assistance. At Lockerbie, up to 500 personnel per day were involved in the operation to recover bodies and search for wreckage during the period December 1988--January 1989. Similar assistance was given at Kegworth in January 1989 but on a smaller scale.Nuclear Missiles
40. Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement on the Government's modernisation programme for short-range nuclear missiles.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I have nothing to add to the reply I gave the right hon. Member for Llanelli (Mr. Davies) on 14 June at column 478.
Nuclear Weapons (Carriage by Sea)
41. Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his assessment of the efficiency of current technology to ascertain whether nuclear weapons are being carried at sea.
85. Mr. Galloway : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his assessment of the efficiency of current technology to ascertain whether nuclear weapons are being carried at sea.
Mr. Alan Clark : I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Garston (Mr. Loyden).
Stand-off Missiles
42. Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his United States counterpart about stand-off missiles.
69. Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his United States counterpart about stand-off missiles.
74. Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his United States counterpart about stand- off missiles.
Mr. Alan Clark : I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Redcar (Ms. Mowlam).
Service Accommodation
43. Mr. Haynes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the need to upgrade service accommodation.
56. Mr. Stott : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the need to upgrade service accommodation.
59. Mr. Jack Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the need to upgrade service accommodation.
67. Mr. Frank Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the need to upgrade service accommodation.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The need to upgrade service accommodation, brought about by the continuing aging
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process and the ongoing and comparatively recent changes to enhance accommodation standards, is assessed by the three services and the Property Services Agency. Each service operates a rolling programme of modernisation for single living accommodation and married quarters and provision is made within the Defence Estimates for this purpose. In order to enhance the present rate of modernisation a further £260 million has been provided over the next 10 years.NATO Defence Ministers
45. Mr. Gerald Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when was the last meeting of NATO Defence Ministers ; and what matters were discussed.
Mr. Tom King : NATO Defence Ministers are meeting at the nuclear planning group in Portugal today to discuss a range of nuclear issues.
NATO (Out-of-Area Capability)
47. Mr. Ward : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what part the United Kingdom armed forces play in NATO's out-of-area capability.
100. Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's armed forces role in NATO's out-of-area capability.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : NATO has no out-of-area role. The United Kingdom's armed forces do, however, maintain an out-of-area capability, as described in successive "Statements on the Defence Estimates."
Soviet Navy
48. Mr. Franks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has any evidence that the Soviet Union is reducing its naval capability.
90. Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has any evidence that the Soviet Union is reducing its naval capability.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There is no evidence to suggest that the Soviet Union is reducing its naval capability. Despite the announced intention to cut Soviet military spending, the pace of modernisation in the Soviet Navy continues unabated in all the key areas of capability.
Environmental Protection
49. Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to ensuring that the activities pursued by his Department have minimal adverse effect upon the natural environment.
52. Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to ensuring that the activities pursued by his Department have minimal adverse effect upon the natural environment.
63. Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to ensuring that the activities pursued by his Department have minimal adverse effect upon the natural environment.
68. Mr. Eastham : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to ensuring that the activities pursued by his Department have minimal adverse effect upon the natural environment.
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Mr. Alan Clark : The Ministry of Defence has long recognised the importance of policies which respect the environment whilst meeting operational needs. I would in particular refer the hon. Members to the reply my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces gave on 9 May at column 418 to my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Patnick).
Chemical Weapons
50. Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has any evidence that the Soviet Union is reducing its chemical warfare capability.
83. Mr. Carttiss : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has any evidence that the Soviet Union is reducing its chemical warfare capacity.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We have no evidence that the Soviet Union is reducing its chemical warfare capability.
Warsaw Pact
51. Mr. Leigh : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has any evidence that the Warsaw pact has reduced its capability to undertake surprise large-scale offensive operations.
99. Mr. Jacques Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has any evidence that the Warsaw pact has reduced its capability to undertake surprise, large-scale offensive operations.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Some of the unilateral force withdrawals announced by Gorbachev and other Warsaw pact leaders have now been completed. However, we have no evidence that the Warsaw pact has reduced its ability to undertake large-scale offensive operations, even though the element of surprise which they could achieve may have been reduced.
91. Mr. Robert G. Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the conventional forces limitation negotiations will reduce the Warsaw pact's capability to undertake surprise, large-scale offensive operations.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : A successful outcome to the negotiations on conventional armed forces in Europe will achieve a stable and secure balance at lower levels of forces, as well as the elimination of disparities and the capacity for launching surprise attack and large-scale offensive action.
Nuclear Test Veterans
53. Dr. Moonie : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further considerations he has given to compensation arrangements for nuclear test veterans and their dependants.
77. Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further consideration he has given to compensation arrangements for nuclear test veterans and their dependants.
79. Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further consideration he has given to compensation arrangements for nuclear test veterans and their dependants.
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82. Mr. Michael J. Martin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further consideration he has given to compensation arrangements for nuclear test veterans and their dependants.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We will pay compensation where there is firm evidence to show that participants in the United Kingdom nuclear test programme suffered ill-health as a result of exposure to radiation during the course of their duties. There are no plans to give further consideration to these compensation arrangements.
Nuclear Depth Charges
55. Mr. Patchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what decision he has reached about the possible replacement of the Royal Navy's nuclear depth charges.
Mr. Lofthouse : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what decision he has reached about the possible replacement of the Royal Navy's nuclear depth charges.
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what decision he has reached about the possible replacement of the Royal Navy's nuclear depth charges.
Mr. Alan Clark : No decisions have yet been taken. The studies related to modernising the United Kingdom's theatre nuclear weapons capability are still continuing. Within these studies consideration is being given to the replacement of the full spectrum of United Kingdom tactical nuclear weapons, including sea-based systems.
European Fighter Aircraft
58. Mr. Ray Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what decision has been reached on the development contract for the European fighter aircraft radar.
103. Mr. McKelvey : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what decision has been reached on the development contract for the European fighter aircraft radar.
Mr. Alan Clark : I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Romsey and Waterside (Mr. Colvin).
Nuclear Submarines
60. Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement about his Department's plans for the decommissioning of nuclear submarines.
89. Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a further statement about his Department's plans for the decommissioning of nuclear submarines.
Mr. Alan Clark : I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Motherwell, North (Dr. Reid).
109. Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from Strathclyde regional council in the past month about the continued positioning of nuclear armed submarines on the Clyde.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : I am not aware of any.
Territorial Army
62. Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any intention of increasing the size of the Territorial Army.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We continue to keep this matter under review as part of the continuing overview of our overall defence effort. It remains our intention to expand the Territorial Army to the strengths already announced in "Defence Open Government Document 84/02", a copy of which is held in the Library. All of the new units planned--which include six infantry battalions--have formed and are recruiting.
81. Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the result to date of the current recruitment drive for the Territorial Army.
37. Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the result to date of the current recruitment drive for the Territorial Army.
102. Mr. Lewis : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the result to date of the current recruitment drive for the Territorial Army.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : It must be stressed that the current volunteer reserve forces campaign has as its prime aim improving retention in the reserve forces, although we would expect to see some measure of spin-off on recruitment. Given the nature of the campaign, we do not yet have a sufficient spread of data to provide a statistical measure of any improvements. Nevertheless, the response from companies, trade organisations and individuals has been most encouraging.
Falkland Islands
64. Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he intends reviewing Her Majesty's Government's military commitment to the Falkland Islands.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Government remain committed to defend the Falkland Islanders' right to live in peace and security under a government of their own choosing. We keep the level of our military commitment to the Falkland Islands under constant review. We are satisfied that the garrison remains adequate for the present.
Deptartmental Assets
70. Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any new proposals to sell assets currently owned by his Department.
84. Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any new proposals to sell assets currently owned by his Department.
54. Mr. Barron : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any new proposals to sell assets currently owned by his Department.
66. Mr. O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any new proposals to sell assets currently owned by his Department.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : We continue to pursue opportunities to dispose of land, property and material which have become surplus to our requirements and to rationalise our assets in order to provide better value for money for the taxpayer.
Soviet Nuclear Forces
71. Mr. Hague : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has made an assessment of the Soviet short-range nuclear forces capability.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : An assessment of Soviet short-range nuclear capability is contained in chapter 6 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1989" (Cm. 675 I). This capability has been marginally affected by force restructuring and unilateral withdrawals in Eastern Europe. The Soviets, however, continue to possess a formidable inventory of short-range nuclear-capable systems.
Gurkha Regiments
73. Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to deploy Gurkha regiments to combat terrorism in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There are no current plans to deploy Gurkha infantry regiments to Northern Ireland.
US Defence Department
78. Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what subjects he expects to discuss when he next meets representatives of the United States Defence Department.
Mr. Tom King : I expect to discuss a wide range of matters of mutual interest.
Reserve Forces
80. Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures his Department is taking to keep people in the reserve forces.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There are a number of initiatives in train aimed at promoting retention within the reserve forces. Internal measures concentrate principally on improving the quality and interest of training, streamlining the dissemination of information to volunteers, review of a whole range of terms and conditions of service and rationalisation of the equipment programme. In the latter context, units will be re-equipped in strict accordance with role, whether they be regular or volunteer. In addition, recognising the need to harness the support of employers and family, we launched last year the volunteer reserve forces campaign, aimed at easing external pressures on volunteers by setting out in the clearest possible terms the vital role the reserve forces would be expected to play and, perhaps most importantly, highlighting the relevance of TA training to civilian life and thus drawing the attention of employers to how they can benefit from their employees in reserve forces activities.
Nuclear Weapons
86. Dr. Twinn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further studies he has conducted of the consequences for NATO's strategy of flexible response to the removal of all nuclear weapons.
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106. Mr. Moss : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further studies his Department has conducted of the consequences for British defence policy of the abandonment of all nuclear weapons.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : At the Brussels summit in May all NATO Heads of Government agreed that for the foreseeable future there was no alternative to the Alliance strategy of deterrence, and that this strategy required a mix of nuclear forces, including Europe-based ground-launched missiles. Given this, there is no reason to conduct any studies related to the removal of all nuclear weapons.
F111 Aircraft
88. Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions the NATO nuclear planning group has had concerning the possible deployment of additional F111 aircraft.
92. Mr. Flannery : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions the NATO nuclear planning group has had concerning the possible deployment of additional F111 aircraft.
Mr. Tom King : I refer the hon. Members to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Central (Mr. Caborn).
United Nations Peacekeeping Forces
94. Mr. Hanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British service personnel are currently serving with United Nations peacekeeping forces ; and in what locations.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Currently 714 British service personnel are serving with the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Cyprus and 113 with the United Nations transition advisory group in Namibia, although this is not, strictly speaking, a peacekeeping force. There are also 37 British service personnel serving with the multinational force and observers group in Sinai, which is a multinational peacekeeping force not under United Nations control.
In addition to the provision of personnel, considerable logistic support is given to multinational peacekeeping operations. The sovereign base areas in Cyprus are used to provide logistic support for the multinational force and observers group in Sinai, the United Nations interim force in Lebanon and the United Nations disengagement observer force in the Golan Heights.
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