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traditional activities. Final details have still to be settled, including the selection of areas in which the programme will operate initially.Crofting Estates
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has made any decision on the future of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland's crofting estates ; and what representations he has received on the issue.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The future of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland's crofting estates is currently under review. My noble Friend the Minister of State has had some discussions with the Crofters Commission and with the Scottish Crofters Union but as yet no proposals for change have been put forward and none will be undertaken before full consultation has taken place with all interested bodies.
Highlands and Islands Development Board
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing (a) the Government's contribution to the Highlands and Islands Development Board, (b) the Highlands and Islands Development Board's income from other sources and (c) the Highlands and Islands Development Board's total expenditure for every year from 1979-80 to 1988- 89 in cash terms and at constant 1988-89 prices.
Mr. Rifkind : The information is as follows :
Highlands and Islands Development Board
Expenditure 1979-80 to 1988-89
(£ million at cash and 1988-89 prices)
Grant-in-Aid Receipts Total expenditure
Year |Cash |1988-89|Cash |1988-89|Cash
|prices |prices |prices
----------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |17.4 |32.7 |4.0 |7.5 |21.4 |40.2
1980-81 |20.0 |31.7 |3.7 |5.9 |23.7 |37.6
1981-82 |22.9 |33.1 |4.4 |6.3 |27.3 |39.4
1982-83 |27.5 |37.1 |5.2 |7.0 |32.7 |44.1
1983-84 |31.3 |40.4 |6.8 |8.8 |38.1 |49.2
1984-85 |34.6 |42.5 |7.5 |9.2 |42.1 |51.7
1985-86 |30.4 |35.4 |9.3 |10.7 |39.7 |46.1
1986-87 |26.3 |29.8 |9.2 |10.3 |35.4 |40.1
1987-88 |26.2 |28.1 |11.7 |12.5 |37.9 |40.6
1988-89 |31.5 |31.5 |10.5 |10.5 |42.0 |42.0
Regional Aid
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing expenditure on regional preferential assistance to industry in Scotland for each year from 1976-77 to 1988-89 at constant 1988 -89 prices.
Mr. Rifkind : The information requested is given in the table :
Gross expenditure on regional preferential assistance at constant
1988-89 prices
|£ million
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1976-77 |592.5
1977-78 |365.2
1978-79 |349.4
1979-80 |269.9
1980-81 |314.9
1981-82 |339.9
1982-83 |499.2
1983-84 |295.3
1984-85 |230.3
1985-86 |229.9
1986-87 |273.9
1987-88 |164.4
1988-89 |151.2
Training
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people were on (a) employment training schemes and (b) YTS schemes in Scotland at the latest date for which figures are available.
Mr. Rifkind : On 12 January 1990 there were 25,623 participants in employment training and at the end of December there were 46,074 young people on YTS in Scotland.
Rural Legal Partnerships
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what research has been undertaken to assess the impact of the changes proposed in the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill on the viability of legal partnerships in rural areas.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 15 January 1990] : No such research has been commissioned, but two research projects funded by my Department have some relevance. One, which is nearing completion, has examined factors influencing the market for conveyancing services in Scotland with particular emphasis on advertising and fee charging practices. The sample used in the survey was drawn up using the Department of Employment's travel-to-work areas to represent three types of market, namely cities, medium-sized towns, and rural areas plus small towns. The second project, due to start soon, will compare fees charged for conveyancing before and after the abolition of scale fees in 1985. A similar sampling method will be used.
DEFENCE
Death and Injury Compensation
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will state (a) the total deaths and (b) the total injuries in the armed services in (i) 1988 and (ii) 1989 ; how many of the service men or their next of kin will receive no Ministry of Defence compensation ; what is the average compensation his Department will pay per person in relation to (1) death and (2) injury ; whether he will make it his policy to arrange for a comprehensive personal insurance cover scheme for all service men and women ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The figures for deaths and medical discharge as the result of injury for United Kingdom regular forces in 1988 and 1989 are as follows :
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(b) Medical
discharge as the
result of injury
|Number
---------------------
1988 |244
1989 |<1>
<1> Not yet
available.
(b) Medical
discharge as the
result of injury
|Number
---------------------
1988 |244
1989 |<1>
<1> Not yet
available.
Financial provision in respect of those who die in service, or who are medically discharged as the result of injury, is made under the terms of the armed forces pension scheme. Benefits payable can comprise pensions and/or lump sums, including those payable to eligible dependants in the event of death. The amounts depend upon the circumstances of each case. Relevant factors can include rank, length of service, whether death or injury is attributable to service and, where appropriate, degree of disability. It is not therefore possible to provide an average figure for the total amount which may be paid per person. A benefit will be payable in all cases except where medical discharge is due to causes that are not attributable to service and less than two years' reckonable service has been given. Where death or medical discharge is attributable to service provision is also made under the terms of the war pensions scheme administered by the Department of Social Security.
I believe these arrangements to be satisfactory.
RAF Finningley
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hardened aircraft shelters have been, or are due to be, constructed at RAF Finningley ; and what is their purpose.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There are no hardened aircraft shelters at RAF Finningley, nor do we plan to construct any.
Gibraltar
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to complete his review of the arrangements in Gibraltar for logistics for the garrison ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : A review of the logistic support arrangements for all the armed forces in Gibraltar was completed in November 1989 and it is expected that many of the principal recommendations arising from the review will be implemented by October 1990, when the new joint forces headquarters comes into being.
Works Organisation
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what purpose his Department is setting up a works organisation ; and what will be the total salary bill.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : On 25 May 1988 my right hon. Friend the Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley) announced the Government's decision that as
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from the 1 April this year the Ministry of Defence would be "untied" from the PSA. This means that the MOD will have new responsibilities both for managing funds and for deciding how to undertake our substantial works programme.The MOD is setting up Defence Works Services at Sutton Coldfield to help in the discharge of these new tasks. It will not, however, directly manage works services. DWS will supply professional, technical and contractual expertise to Ministry of Defence departments and service commands which are the customers for works services so that the best procurement options for the supply of services are identified.
Under present plans, the total salary bill for DWS staff for the first full year of operation will be around £3 million at current prices rising to about £4.5 million during 1992-93 and thereafter.
Cavalry Officers
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement as to the benefits to service efficiency of cavalry officers in regiments which do not have a ceremonial role being encouraged to ride ; what benefits accrue from riding that do not accrue from other adventure training activities ; and what is the cost to public funds per hour of (a) riding and (b) other forms of training.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : All Army personnel are encouraged to participate in a range of both sporting and adventurous training activities. Such activities are complementary to other forms of military training in enhancing and developing the personal qualities and soldierly skills required of Army personnel.
Some £1.25 million per annum is spent on the provision of adventurous training for the Army. Information regarding the cost of riding cannot be provided without disproportionate effort. It would not be practicable to calculate the cost per hour of adventurous training.
Trident
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent to date on production and development for the Trident programme by the United Kingdom Government, and what percentage of this has been spent (a) in the United Kingdom, (b) in the United States of America and (c) elsewhere.
Mr. Alan Clark : Actual expenditure figures for the Trident programme as a whole are not available beyond September 1989. The total expenditure for the project up to this point is £2,730 million, of which some £370 million is for development and £2,360 million for production. Seventy-four per cent. of the expenditure has been incurred in the United Kingdom and 26 per cent. in the United States of America. There has been no readily identifiable expenditure elsewhere.
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of costs already incurred to the United Kingdom Government, as a result of the decision to purchase the Trident D5 missile system, it has been agreed would be reimbursed by the United States Government, in the eventuality that development and production of the D5 missile system is cancelled by the United States Government.
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Mr. Alan Clark : There is no agreement specifying the reimbursement to the United Kingdom of a particular percentage figure.Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current Trident deployment schedule.
Mr. Alan Clark : As previously announced, it remains our intention to deploy Trident into operational service in the mid-1990s.
Dockyards
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those commercial dockyards that have benefited from repair and refit work following the changes in Her Majesty's dockyards.
Mr. Neubert : Following is a list of those firms which have won contracts valued at £10,000 or more for ship refit or ship repair work since the introduction of commercial management at Devonport and Rosyth Royal dockyards in April 1987. All the firms listed have won work from the unallocated programme, which is put out to competition on the open market, with tenders being invited from all suitable shiprepair contractors, including the Royal dockyards.
A & P Appledore (Aberdeen) Ltd.
A & P Appledore (Falmouth) Ltd.
A & P Appledore (Tyne) Ltd.
Ailsa Perth Shipbuilders Ltd.
Appledore Shipbuilders
Babcock Thorn Ltd.
Berthon Boats Ltd.
J. Bolson & Son Ltd.
Bristol Channel Ship Repairers.
British Dredging Ship Repairers Ltd.
Cairds Industrial Services plc.
Camper & Nicholsons
Clyde Dock Engineering Ltd.
Clyde Shipbuilding & Repairing (1987) Ltd.
Cockenzie Ship & Boatyard Ltd.
E. Cole & Sons (Cowes) Ltd.
Cosens & Co. Ltd.
Crissan Marine Ltd.
Devonport Management Ltd.
Emsworth Shipyard
Eyemouth Boat Building Co. Ltd.
Falmouth Shiprepair Ltd.
Forth Estuary Engineering Ltd.
Garvel Dry Dock Co. Ltd.
Globe Engineering (Hull) Ltd.
Hall Russell Ltd.
Halmatic Ltd.
Harland and Wolff plc.
Herd & MacKenzie Ltd.
N. Holman & Sons Ltd.
Holyhead Boatyard Ltd.
Humber Shiprepairers Ltd.
James Adam & Sons (Shiprepairers) Ltd.
James Miller and Sons
Mannings Marine Ltd
Marine & Port Services Ltd.
Mashford Brothers Ltd.
McGruers and Co. Ltd.
Midland Ship Repairers Ltd.
A. H. Moody and Son Ltd.
Odessa Shipyard Ltd.
Ramsgate Marine Ltd.
Richards Shipbuilders Ltd.
RTR Marine Ltd.
Smith Shiprepairers Ltd.
Seaforth Welding Co. Ltd.
Sharpness Shipyard Ltd.
Souter Shipyard Ltd.
Swan Hunter Shipbuilders Ltd.
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Tees Dockyard Ltd.Thew Engineering (Southampton) Ltd.
Timbacraft Ltd.
Tyne Dock Engineering
Tyne Shiprepairers Ltd.
Vosper Thornycroft (UK) Ltd., Portsmouth
Wear Dockyard Ltd.
Wright and Beyer Ltd.
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish and tabulate the refit times for auxiliary vessels refitted in (a) Her Majesty's dockyards and (b) commercial shipyards for the last five years.
Mr. Neubert : It is our policy generally to place refit work for RFA and RMAS vessels by competitive tender and most is now undertaken by privately owned commercial shipyards. It is not our practice to publish raw data on timekeeping because refits are rarely comparable in terms of the condition of the vessels and the work undertaken.
Tritium
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action he is taking to assess the security of long-term supply of radioactive tritium for his nuclear warhead production programme.
Mr. Alan Clark : Arrangements for the supply of tritium are kept under regular review to ensure that the requirements of defence nuclear programmes are fully met.
Disablement Pension
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration has been given to increasing the pre-1973 war disabled pension.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : War disablement pensions are paid under the war pensions scheme administered by the Department of Social Security. The rates payable do not differentiate between disabilities originating before, or after, 1973. Pensions may also be payable, under the provisions of the occupational scheme for members of the armed forces, to those who are eligible. The rules of eligibility and the basis for calculating the latter awards were changed with effect from 31 March 1973, but it has not been considered possible to extend those changes retrospectively to include those whose service ended before that date.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current annual cost of the provision of pensions for pre-1973 war disabled.
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