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97. Mr. Ron Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the defence implications arising from the NATO summit at Turnberry, Scotland on 7 and 8 June.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : NATO Foreign Ministers attended a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at Turnberry on 7 and 8 June. They discussed a range of politico-military issues including German unification and progress in arms control negotiations. A copy of the communique has been placed in the Library of the House.
Warships
43. Mr. Gill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the average operational availability of frigates and destroyers.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : In 1989-90 an average of 42 out of 48 destroyers and frigates were available for operational deployment either immediately or within a short period.
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Bullying
45. Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent steps have been taken to counter bullying in the armed forces.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The armed forces have banned all initiation ceremonies and the subject of bullying is covered on various officers' and NCOs' courses. The Army has made significant progress towards implementing the range of measures announced to the House on 7 June 1988 by my right hon. Friend the Member for Kettering (Mr. Freeman). It has been made clear throughout the services that bullyng and ill-treatment will not be tolerated, and that every allegation is viewed most seriously and will be thoroughly investigated.
Military Exercises
47. Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he intends to change the arrangements for military exercises in urban areas.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Such arrangements are revised when necessary.
Soviet Navy (Modernisation)
49. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's assessment of the Soviet Navy's modernisation programme.
61. Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's assessment of the Soviet Navy's modernisation programme.
121. Mr. Brazier : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's assessment of the Soviet Navy's modernisation programme.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer my hon. Friends to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) on 3 April 1990 at column 600.
Army Equipment Exhibition
51. Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements he has made for accountability of arms sales abroad arising from the British Army equipment exhibition at Aldershot on 3 to 8 June.
93. Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements he has made for accountability of arms sales abroad arising from the British Army equipment exhibition at Aldershot on 3 to 8 June.
Mr. Alan Clark : No special arrangements are needed in respect of defence equipment sales arising from the British Army equipment exhibition at Aldershot on 3 to 8 June 1990. No defence exports are permitted unless they are consistent with the national interest and our international obligations.
Radiation
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent consideration he has given to the level of radiation exposure of submariners and dockyard workers.
53. Mr. Clay : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent consideration he has given to the level of radiation exposure of submariners and dockyard workers.
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79. Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent consideration he has given to the level of radiation exposure of submariners and dockyard workers.Mr. Neubert : Radiation exposures are authorised only on the basis that they are justified, comply with MOD and statutory limits and are as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP). They are kept under continuous review.
Trident
54. Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the current position of the Trident programme.
Mr. Alan Clark : The Trident programme is on time and within budget and continues to make satisfactory progress towards its in-service date of the mid-1990s.
67. Mr. Flannery : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to reduce the number of Trident submarines on order in view of the new international climate.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : While the Government welcome recent positive developments in the international climate, there nevertheless remain considerable uncertainties, and we therefore fully support the view of the NATO alliance that for the foreseeable future the deterrence of war will continue to require the maintenance of strategic nuclear forces. In the circumstances we remain entirely convinced of the need for Trident. We continue to plan on the basis of a four-boat force, which will provide us with the means to ensure that one boat can be kept on patrol at all times.
Air-to-surface Missiles
55. Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has about the proposed sitings of tactical air-to-surface missiles.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bristol, South (Ms. Primarolo) on 15 June at column 379.
Fisheries Protection
62. Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the vessels assigned to fisheries protection duties by (a) type, (b) overall length, (c) gross-registered tonnage, (d) age and (e) the estimated dates of contracts for the construction of replacement vessels.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The information requested is given in the table. It is envisaged that, for the foreseeable future, the fishery protection task will be carried out using existing vessels.
Name and type |Length |Displacement |Age
|overall |(tons) |(years)
|(meters)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alderney
Offshore patrol vessel |59.5 |925 |10
Anglesey
Offshore patrol vessel |59.5 |925 |11
Blackwater
Minesweeper |47.5 |<1>890 |4
Brereton
Minehunter |46.6 |360 |35
Dumbarton Castle
Offshore patrol vessel |81 |1,427 |8
Guernsey
Offshore patrol vessel |59.5 |925 |12
Jersey
Offshore patrol vessel |59.5 |925 |13
Kellington
Minehunter |46.6 |360 |34
Lindisfarne
Offshore patrol vessel |59.5 |925 |12
Orkney
Offshore patrol vessel |59.5 |925 |13
Shetland
Offshore patrol vessel |59.5 |925 |12
Soberton
Minesweeper |46.6 |360 |32
Upton
Minesweeper |46.6 |360 |33
<1>Full load tonnage.
Volunteer Reserve Forces
64. Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what success the volunteer reserve forces campaign has had since its launch in September 1988.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Response to the volunteer reserve forces campaign has been most encouraging with pledges of support for the volunteer reserves received from over 1,100 major employers representing well over half of the United Kingdom work force. We are confident that the campaign has widened public understanding of the importance of the volunteer reserves.
NATO Comprehensive Concept
69. Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department is still working to NATO's comprehensive concept.
118. Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department is still working to NATO's comprehensive concept.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The principles of alliance security set out in the comprehensive concept of arms control and disarmament, reaffirmed by the defence planning committee in May, will remain the basis for our further work in taking forward the review of NATO strategy.
Mr. Colin Wallace (Allegations)
70. Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will widen the inquiry arising from the allegations made by Mr. Colin Wallace to include new allegations concerning authorisation of dirty tricks by Ministry of Defence staff.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : I am aware of no new allegations for which there is substantive evidence which would justify a wider inquiry.United States Defence Minister
72. Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next expects to meet his United States counterpart to discuss European defence and disarmament.
87. Mr. Lewis : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next expects to meet his United States counterpart to discuss European defence and disarmament.
105. Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next expects to meet his United States counterpart to discuss European defence and disarmament.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My right hon. Friend had discussions with Secretary Cheney on a range of current defence issues at the NATO nuclear planning group and defence planning committee meetings in May. He expects to meet him again later this year at NATO ministerial meetings.
Tanks
73. Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration has been given to the method of eliminating tanks following a CFE agreement.
88. Mr. Frank Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration has been given to the method of eliminating tanks following a CFE agreement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Considerable work has been done on establishing an efficient method of destroying tanks following a CFE agreement. The United Kingdom has made a significant and well-received contribution to this, involving disablement by explosives.
Aldermaston A-90 Building
74. Mr. Turner : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the construction of the Aldermaston A-90 building.
99. Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the construction of the Aldermaston A-90 building.
114. Mr. Eastham : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the construction of the Aldermaston A-90 building.
Mr. Neubert : I refer the hon. Members to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Newbury (Sir M. McNair-Wilson) on 18 May 1990 at column 578 .
Peacekeeping
77. Mr. Hanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the number of countries in which the United Kingdom carries out a peacekeeping role.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer my hon. Friend to page 23 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1990", Vol. 1
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(Cm. 1022-1) which gives an account of the United Kingdom armed forces' involvement in international peacekeeping and monitoring operations during 1989-90. The British contingent to UNTAG in Namibia has since been withdrawn on the successful completion of its task.Emergency Assistance
78. Mr. David Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance his Department has given in the past 12 months to the civil community.
89. Mr. Dunn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what emergency assistance his Department has given in the past 12 months to the civil community.
Mr. Hamilton : In general, responsibility for providing emergency assistance to the civil community in the United Kingdom lies with the civil authorities. If required the Ministry of Defence is able to provide further assistance through a variety of means. Search and rescue teams are regularly in action and there is frequent small-scale co-operation between civil and military authorities. In the United Kingdom during the last year, larger-scale service assistance was provided during the periods of severe weather in January and February. The services also provided temporary accident and emergency cover during the civilian ambulance services dispute.
Soviet Conventional Weapons
80. Mr. Carrington : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made concerning Soviet production of conventional weapons over the past 12 months.
104. Mr. Moss : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made concerning Soviet production of conventional weapons over the past 12 months.
115. Mr. William Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made concerning Soviet production of conventional weapons over the past 12 months.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer my hon. Friends to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the member for Taunton (Mr. Nicholson) on 3 April 1990 at column 559, which remains our most recent assessment.
Namibia
83. Mr. Andy Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contribution his Department made to the United Nations transition assistance group deployed to Namibia.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Hughes).
BAOR (Nuclear Weapons)
84. Mr. David Young : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the safety of nuclear weapons assigned to the British Army of the Rhine.
90. Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the safety of nuclear weapons assigned to the British Army of the Rhine.
Column 545
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Members to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Ms. Ruddock).Astra
85. Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department first met Astra representatives to discuss the proposed alleged Iraqi supergun.
Mr. Alan Clark : In the light of charges laid against individuals and in the light of the continuing investigation by Customs and Excise, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further on these matters.
Dutch Defence Minister
91. Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next expects to meet his Dutch counterpart to discuss European defence and disarmament.
Mr. Tom King : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Mr. Michie).
Personnel Retention
98. Mr. Cyril D. Townsend : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures his Department is taking to retain trained service personnel.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We have taken a wide range of measures to encourage retention of trained service personnel. These include changes in pay and allowances, including the introduction of bonuses in areas where retention is a particular difficulty, and improvements in the quality of service life. We are also examining a range of options for offering service personnel further assistance with housing.
Western European Union
101. Mr. Burt : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contribution his Department makes to the Western European Union.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The United Kingdom is fully committed to the Western European Union and its aims. The British Government took a leading role in reviving the Western European Union in 1984. The Ministry of Defence contributes extensively to the work of the Western European Union in discussing defence matters of a specific European interest.
Surface Fleet
102. Mr. McKelvey : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's policy on the size of the surface fleet.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Our policy at present is to maintain a surface fleet of about 50 destroyers and frigates, and three carriers. It is not possible to say at this stage how this policy might be affected by our current examination of options for change.
Environmental Protection
103. Dr. Twinn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures his Department is taking to protect the environment.
Column 546
Mr. Neubert : I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Mr. King).
Tain Bombing Range
106. Mr. Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will report on progress with regard to the noise evaluation survey in the vicinity of Tain bombing range ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The noise survey undertaken last month coincided with a prolonged period of adverse weather conditions. As this prevented collection of sufficient noise data to assess the noise environment a further survey is planned to take place at the beginning of July.
As my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Procurement said on 3 April at column 1016, a high priority is being given to this work. This remains the position and we shall endeavour to keep any delay in the publication of the noise report to the minimum consistent with the need to complete a thorough analysis and evaluation of the noise data.
European Fighter Aircraft
112. Mr. Hind : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the orders for the European fighter aircraft.
Mr. Alan Clark : I have nothing to add to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Rhondda (Mr. Rogers) on 26 March at column 24.
NATO Secretary-General
113. 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 discuss.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My right hon. Friend has regular meetings with the Secretary-General of NATO. The last occasion was at the NATO defence planning committee ministerial meeting last month. Their next scheduled meeting is in the autumn. A range of defence issues will be discussed.
RAF Biggin Hill
116. Sir John Hunt : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further consideration has been given to the proposed closure of the officer and aircrew selection centre at RAF Biggin Hill ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The case for the transfer of the selection centre to RAF Cranwell remains compelling on both operational and financial grounds. Preparations for the move are well in hand.
Mid-air Collision, Hexham
117. Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the report on the mid-air collision near Hexham on 9 January to be published ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Neubert : A military aircraft accident summary will be published once the report of the board of inquiry has been completed. This is expected to be within the next few months.
Column 547
Overseas Disaster Relief
119. Mr. Fishburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance during the past year his Department has made to overseas disaster relief.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The major contribution made by the services in overseas disaster relief during 1989 was in the aftermath of hurrican Hugo in September. A full account is given at page 30 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1990", Vol. 1 (Cm. 1022-1). In March 1990, a contingent of some 20 Royal Engineers from the garrison in Belize was deployed for four weeks to Western Samoa to help restore services and repair damage in the aftermath of cyclone Ofa.
Thurleigh Airfield
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what criteria he has laid down for permitted development of the airfield at Thurleigh ;
(2) what proposals there are for providing road and rail access to Thurleigh airport to facilitate its development ;
(3) what proposals there are, in the event of his Department not requiring the airfield at Thurleigh, for the sale of the freehold ; (4) whether development projects other than aircraft-related ones are envisaged for the use of the airfield at Thurleigh ;
(5) whether research and development will continue to be undertaken at Thurleigh ; and for what period.
Mr. Neubert : The future of the RAE Bedford (Thurleigh) airfield is under consideration as part of a study into the future of the three Procurement Executive airfields. It is too early to say what the outcome of the study might be.
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how much land, other than the actual airfield, at Thurleigh is owned by his Department ;
(2) what acreage of land is involved in the area designated at the airfield at Thurleigh.
Mr. Neubert : The land in the ownership of the MOD at Bedford comprises 1,420 acres, of which the airfield occupies 1,206 acres.
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has as to how many people live within (a) 1 mile, (b) 3 miles, (c) 5 miles and (d) 10 miles of Thurleigh airfield.
Mr. Neubert : This information is not held by the Ministry of Defence.
Sir Trevor Skeet : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when he proposes to make a statement on the future of the airfields at Thurleigh, Boscombe Down and Farnborough ;
(2) what consultation has taken place with local residents about the use of the airfield at Thurleigh.
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