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Mr. Archie Hamilton : The military doctrine seminar which concluded in Vienna on 5 February, and which involved representatives of all the 35 states of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) process, was an important and useful opportunity to exchange views, put forward our own thinking, and explore that of other nations.
Light Attack Helicopter
40. Mr. Duffy : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has completed his inquiry into evaluation of light attack helicopter alternatives.
Land Holdings (Wales)
42. Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many acres of land are owned at the present time by his Department in Wales.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : At 1 April 1989, the latest date for which figures are available, MOD land holdings in Wales, including freehold and leasehold land and foreshore, stood at 52,038 acres.
Nuclear Weapons (Anglo-French Co-operation)
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on current Anglo-French co-operation on nuclear weapon development.
Dr. Reid : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on current Anglo-French co-operation on nuclear weapon development.
44. Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on current Anglo-French co-operation on nuclear weapon development.
Mr. Alan Clark : I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Bristol, South (Ms. Primarolo).
Type 23 Frigates
46. Mr. Barry Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next expects to place an order for a type 23 frigate for the Royal Navy.
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60. Mr. Franks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to place a further order for a type 23 frigate for the Royal Navy.
Mr. Neubert : The Government remain committed to maintaining a force of about 50 destroyers and frigates, and we will place sufficient orders to meet that commitment. We announced an order for three type 23 frigates on 19 December 1989, col. 197. We hope to invite tenders for a further batch of type 23s later this year. A decision on the size and timing of an order will be made once tenders are submitted by shipyards.
Toxic Chemicals
47. Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy on the disposal of toxic chemicals after use by the armed forces.
Mr. Alan Clark : Toxic chemicals are disposed of through contracts laid by the Ministry of Defence with licensed disposal companies.
Ethnic Minorities
48. Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action has been taken in response to the report by Peat Marwick McLintock on recruitment of ethnic minorities into the armed services.
61. Mr. John Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action has been taken in response to the report by Peat Marwick McLintock on recuitment of ethnic minorities into the armed services.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Members to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stamford and Spalding (Mr. Davies) on 23 January 1990 at col. 588-89.
91. Mr. Ashton : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many recruits to the armed forces in 1989 year were of Afro-Caribbean or Asian origin ; and how many service personnel of similar background left.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The provisional results of the survey of ethnic origins of applicants to the armed forces during the financial year 1988-89, the latest period for which figures are available, indicate that 121 recruits classified themselves as Caribbean, 26 as African and 64 as Asian. Figures for those who left the armed forces are not available.
Eastern Europe
49. Mr Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to reduce defence expenditure in the light of the new situation in Europe.
98. Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to review the planned level of defence spending in the light of the changing situation in the USSR and eastern Europe.
83. Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact on future defence policy of recent events in eastern Europe.
Mr. Tredinnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes in defence policy have taken place since the recent changes in Governments in eastern Europe.
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Mr. Tom King : I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Gainsborough and Horncastle (Mr. Leigh).
96. Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reassessment of the threat to the United Kingdom he is making following the recent changes in eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We keep all potential threats to the United Kingdom under constant review.
NATO Defence Ministers
51. Mr. Douglas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next expects to attend a meeting of NATO Defence Ministers ; what topics he expects to raise ; and if he will make a statement.
55. Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will next meet his NATO counterparts to discuss the military implications of the reforms currently taking place in eastern Europe.
Mr. Tom King : I will attend a meeting of the independent European programme group later this month. A range of issues of mutual interest will be discussed.
86. Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next intends to meet the Secretary-General of NATO ; and what subjects he proposes to raise.
114. Mr. Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next intends to meet the Secretary-General of NATO to discuss future NATO strategy in the light of the Vienna talks on conventional forces in Europe.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My right hon. Friend regularly meets the Secretary-General of NATO. The next scheduled meeting is at the NATO nuclear planning group in early May, when a wide range of issues of mutual interest will be discussed.
Disaster Relief
53. Mr. Boswell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role his Department plays in disaster relief.
111. Mr. Brandon-Bravo : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role his Department plays in disaster relief.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Ministry of Defence is always willing to respond positively to requests for military assistance in disaster relief at home and abroad. For an account of the part played by the armed forces in disaster relief operations during 1989, I refer my hon. Friends to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Nuneaton (Mr. Stevens) on 24 October 1989 at column 430. With the recent spate of bad weather, all three services have been engaged in a range of military assistance to the civil community tasks. Much effort has been directed at helping electricity boards to clear roads blocked by trees toppled during the gales, mobile generators have been supplied for a variety of purposes and service accommodation has been made available to house the
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homeless. Should it be needed, military units are standing ready to provide assistance to communities at risk from flooding.Defence Exports
Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the overall value of defence exports for the past six months.
59. Mr. Kirkhope : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the overall value of defence exports for the last six months.
Mr. Alan Clark : Figures for the overall value of defence exports are calculated on an annual basis. New contracts signed in 1988 are expected to be worth some £3,500 million. The figure for 1989 is not yet available.
Defence Act 1854 (Repeal)
63. Ms. Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will bring forward proposals to repeal the Defence Act 1854.
69. Mr. Benn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will bring forward proposals to repeal the Defence Act 1854.
82. Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will bring forward proposals to repeal the Defence Act 1854.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will bring forward proposals to repeal the Defence Act 1854.
Service Personnel (Benefits)
66. Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice is given to armed service personnel and their families about their eligibility for social security and housing benefits and poll tax rebate.
94. Mr. Frank Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice is given to armed service personnel and their families about their eligibility for social security and housing benefits and poll tax rebate.
Mr. Neubert : I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Ogmore (Mr. Powell).
Strategic Nuclear Weapons
68. Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement concerning the implications for British defence policy of progress in the talks for the reduction of strategic nuclear weapons.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We support the efforts of the United States and Soviet Governments to achieve deep cuts in strategic offensive nuclear weapons. The Government's policy remains as set out in paragraph 215 of the Statement on the Defence Estimates 1989 Cm. 675-1.
Tank Movements, Wiltshire
72. Mr. Key : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any plans to visit Durrington and Amesbury in Wiltshire to discuss tank movements.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : My right hon. Friend has no current plans to do so.Defence Review
73. Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to institute a defence review.
106. Mr. Illsley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to institute a defence review.
Mr. Tom King : I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Gainsborough and Horncastle (Mr. Leigh).
Low Flying
74. Mr. Harry Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many mid-air collisions have happened between low-flying aircraft that were not part of the same formation for each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Neubert : The table gives the numbers of mid-air collisions between low-flying British military aircraft which were not part of the same formation for each of the last 10 years :
|Numbers
------------------------
1980 |0
1981 |0
1982 |1
1983 |0
1984 |1
1985 |2
1986 |0
1987 |1
1988 |1
1989 |1
1990 |1
109. Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will introduce an annual moratorium on low flying during the lambing season.
117. Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many aircraft have been written off as a result of accidents in low flying training since 1979 ; and what has been the total cost of these aircraft at 1989 prices.
Mr. Neubert : Since 1 January 1979 104 British military aircraft have been written off as a result of accidents while undertaking low flying training. As my hon. Friend the Member for Hove (Mr. Sainsbury) announced on 14 December 1987 (col. 411 ), it is no longer our practice to publish unit production costs. This precludes us from giving the total cost of military aircraft destroyed in accidents over any specified period since, by varying the period, commercial in confidence information could be deduced.
Research
77. Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's research contracts are currently placed with United Kingdom universities and other institutions of higher education.
Mr. Neubert : The Ministry of Defence has currently 745 research agreements and 106 research contracts placed with a wide range of United Kingdom universities and other institutions of higher education.
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US Construction Budget
80. Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has regarding the United States fiscal year 1991 military construction budget for bases and facilities in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I understand from information provided by the United States authorities that funding approval is being sought from their fiscal year 1991 budget for the following military construction projects in the United Kingdom :
High Wycombe Air Station
Dormitory
RAF Alconbury
Add to and alter dormitories
Add to and alter physical fitness centre
RAF Bentwaters
Post Office
Conventional munitions shop
Field training facility
RAF Chicksands
Satellite communications facility
RAF Lakenheath
Add to and alter dormitory
Alter munitions storage
RAF Mildenhall
Add to physical fitness centre
RAF Molesworth
Joint Analysis Centre
Systems Controllerates
88. Mr. Ian Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the possible centralisation of the sea systems controllerate and other procurement executive staff within the travel-to- work area of Keynsham and Bath.
Mr. Neubert : Studies have been carried out into the relocation of the procurement executive's land and air systems controllerates and associated staff away from central London, and into the collocation of the sea systems controllerate. We are now consulting the MOD trade union side on the results of these studies, as is usual in such matters. A final decision will be taken only in the light of the outcome of these consultations and a full statement will be made at the appropriate time.
F-15E Aircraft
90. Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has received any proposals to station F-15E aircraft of the United States Air Force in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : NATO is considering a number of options for adjusting its remaining nuclear forces following the signature of the INF treaty. These options include the possible deployment to Europe, including the United Kingdom, of longer-range dual capable aircraft from the United States. However, no decisions have yet been taken.
West German Defence Minister
100. Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next intends to meet the West German Secretary of State for Defence ; and what matters he intends to raise.
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next expects to meet his West German counterpart ; and what matters he will discuss.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : My right hon. Friend will be meeting Dr. Stoltenberg in Scotland later this month. I expect that a wide range of issues of mutual interest will be discussed.Royal Army Veterinary Corps
103. Mr. Latham : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress is being made with his review of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, Melton Mowbray.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Further work is continuing in the light of the Ministry of Defence's consideration of the study by Peat Marwick McLintock into future arrangements for canine and equine-related training in the services.
Tactical Nuclear Weapons
Sir Anthony Meyer : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had in the current year with his NATO colleagues about the modernisation of tactical nuclear weapons.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My right hon. Friend has met a number of his principal NATO colleagues over recent weeks. NATO's agreed position of maintaining an appropriate mix of adequate, effective and up-to-date nuclear forces was among a number of items discussed.
Colombia
107. Mr. Jacques Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on British military assistance to the Government of Colombia in their fight against the drug trade.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : At the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and as part of Her Majesty's Government's package of assistance to the Colombian Government, training is being provided to the Colombian law enforcement authorities in a number of areas including bomb disposal, close protection of VIPs and riverine patrolling. Royal Navy vessels in the area are also periodically deployed to provide maritime surveillance assistance to Colombia.
Infantry Battalions
120. Mr. Ted Garrett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is (a) the full complement and (b) the average strength of infantry battalions.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The complement of an infantry battalion varies between about 590 and 680 officers and men according to its specific task at the time. As at 30 November 1989, the average strength across all infantry battalions was just over 580. These figures do not include Gurkha battalions, which have four rifle companies rather than the usual three, or infantry personnel employed in areas outside line battalions.
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