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Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The information is as follows :
|Sorties
----------------------------
C-130 |9
Jaguar |321
Tornado GR1 |1,415
Tornado F3 |4
|------
|1,749
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the nature and cause of the damage sustained by the Buccaneer aircraft, tail number XT276, of No. 16 squadron Royal Air Force, during exercise "Red Flag" in October-November 1981.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The nature of the damage sustained by Buccaneer XT276 in October 1981 was a bent lug in the locking mechanism of one of the wings. The cause of the damage is unknown, but it is likely to have occurred when the outer wing section was folded while the aircraft was on the ground.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many days in each year since 1985 instrument low-flying training operations were authorised in the Highlands restricted area on the same day as operational low-flying training was authorised in the northern Scotland tactical training area.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I regret that the information requested is not readily available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost and effort. When, however, low flying using terrain following radar in instrument meteorological conditions is taking place in the Highlands restricted area, other aircraft are excluded.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the changes to procedures in the United Kingdom low-flying system introduced as a result of the air staff review of low-flying procedures in early 1989.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The United Kingdom low-flying system is under continuous review but periodically, a wider and comprehensive study of low- flying procedures is carried out by the air staff. The most recent such study, which was completed in early 1989 confirmed the broad validity of procedures currently in force but introduced minor adjustments to the United Kingdom night low-flying system.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if toss or dive attacks are permitted during low-level simulated air attacks on active civilian airfields ;
(2) what is the stipulated minimum period of advance notice required by his Department for requests to carry out low-level mock attacks on civil airfields in the United Kingdom ; and what records are kept of such requests and his Department's responses thereto ; (3) what are the operational training advantages of low-level simulated air attacks by combat aircraft being carried out against active civilian airfields, as opposed to disused airfields or active military airfields ;
(4) what is the stipulated minimum period of advance notice required by his Department for requests to carry out low-level mock attacks on military airfields in the United Kingdom ; and what records are kept of such requests and his Department's responses thereto.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the reason for the omission from his
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Department's evidence to the House Defence Committee inquiry on low flying of the accident involving a Dutch air force F-16 in the North sea off England on 13 June 1986.Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I will write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the lateral radius by which military jet pilots flying below 250 ft are instructed to avoid the village of Dalmellington, Ayrshire.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : It is not our practice to release detailed information on flying restrictions in individual areas.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many inert 1,000 lb bombs were dropped by Royal Air Force aircraft during low- level training operations from Canadian forces base Goose Bay in 1989.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The answer is 293.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the dates and locations of the RAF navigation and bombing competition, the Salmond trophy, since 1987 ; how many low-level sorties were flown in each competition, and by which aircraft types ; and what advance notification was given to the press and hon. Members of these events.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I will write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force aircraft, and of which types, have been deployed to Canadian forces base Goose Bay for low-level training in 1990 ; and what were the dates of each deployment.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The information requested is as follows :
Aircraft Type |Number |Deployment dates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tornado |9 |19 April-31 August
|6 |31 May-28 June
Harrier |2 |4 September-14 September
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total number of booked low-flying hours in the United Kingdom in 1989.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The total number of flying hours booked at low level in the United Kingdom in 1989 was 111,037.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the reasons why the United Kingdom military low flying handbook is a classified document.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The United Kingdom military low flying handbook provides information the unauthorised disclosure of which would be undesirable in the interests of the nation.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many detachments of aircraft from RAF Germany have been made to RAF Machrihanish, for the purpose of low-level training, in 1990 ; and how many low-level sorties were flown during these detachments.
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Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the radius of the avoidance area for low flying established around Lockerbie immediately following the Pan Am 103 disaster in December 1988 ; what is the radius of the avoidance area currently in force ; and what was the date of any changes to the size of the area.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I have nothing to add to the reply that my hon. Friend the Member for Romford (Mr. Neubert) gave the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood) on 15 May 1989 at column 63.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many low -flying movements were authorised at less than 250 ft in each of the three tactical training areas in 1989 ; and on how many days during 1989 such flying was authorised in each of the tactical training areas.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that he received from my hon. Friend the Member for Romford (Mr. Neubert) on 13 June 1990 at column 240.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the maximum speed permitted in Royal Air Force regulations for Tornado aircraft on low-flying training sorties from Canadian forces base Goose Bay.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : RAF low-flying training sorties from Canadian forces base Goose Bay are subject to Canadian regulations which require aircraft to remain at subsonic speeds in the low-level training areas.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the stipulated minimum period of advance notice required by his Department for requests to conduct low flying over the United Kingdom at weekends or on public holidays ; and what records are kept of such requests and his Department's responses thereto.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : No particular period of notice is laid down for requests to conduct low-flying training over the United Kingdom at weekends or public holidays but any such flying is kept to a minimum, and is generally in support of the territorial forces or units that are not available at other times. Detailed statistics are not maintained of such requests which are dealt with on a case- by-case basis.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the locations within the United Kingdom of (a) the Jaguar wire strike incident on 15 June 1979 and (b) the Harrier tree-strike incident on 8 July 1988.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The Jaguar wire-strike occurred one nautical mile north of Shipton-on-Stour. The tree strike to the Harrier was not discovered until after the aircraft had landed, and therefore it is not known where the incident occurred.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the proportion of total low-flying movements in the United Kingdom which occurred in each low-flying area in (a) 1988 and (b) 1989, in the manner provided for earlier years in his Department's evidence to the Defence Committee (HC 120, p. 159).
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : As the Defence Committee indicated in its report (HC 120, paragraph 34), raw
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movement statistics are of limited utility in assessing the relative impact of low-flying in different areas and it is not the general practice to publish information relating to individual low- flying areas. The distribution of low flying movements in the United Kingdom is, however, dependent on deployment and training patterns which do not vary greatly from year to year and the information requested for 1989 and 1988 would be broadly similar to that for 1987.Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many low -flying sorties were carried out over the United Kingdom in each month from January to the latest available date.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The number of low-flying sorties flown in the United Kingdom in each month over the period 1 January 1990 to 31 August 1990 is as follows :
Month |Sorties ------------------------- 1990 January |11,263 February |10,152 March |16,362 April |10,871 May |13,329 June |11,709 July |13,704 August |11,309
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force aircraft, and of which types, are currently deployed for low-level training at Goose Bay, Canada ; and how many low-level sorties the Royal Air Force is expected to carry out there during 1990.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : None. The number of low-level sorties carried out by the RAF in 1990 is expected to be about 900.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the change, in percentage terms, in the number of Royal Air Force fast jet pilots qualified to fly at 100 ft between 1979 and 1989.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I regret that the information requested is not available.
Lanyard Exercises
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the nature and purpose of the Red Lanyard exercise series ; what types of aircraft are involved ; and what plans exist for further exercises in this series.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The Lanyard exercises are parachute exercises designed to keep 5 Airborne Brigade properly trained for its role. There are approximately six exercises per year at various training areas in the United Kingdom. The next exercise is planned to take place in March 1991 at Salisbury plain. A maximum of 15 Hercules aircraft are employed. The colour of the exercise denotes the battalion of the Parachute Regiment taking part ; in this case, the first battalion.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the nature and purpose of the Green Lanyard exercise series ; what type of aircraft are involved ; and what plans exist for further exercises in this series.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The Lanyard exercises are parachute exercises designed to keep 5 Airborne Brigade
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properly trained for their role. There are approximately six exercises per year at various training areas in United Kingdom. The next exercise is planned to take place in March 1991 at Salisbury Plain. A maximum of 15 Hercules aircraft are employed. The colour of the exercise denotes the battalion of the Parachute Regiment taking part ; in this case, the third battalion.Cannock Chase
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the nature and purpose of the activity around Cannock Chase for which a new temporary danger area, D299, has been created.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I understand that a temporary danger area D299 was established around Cannock Chase between 24 September and 12 October, following a request from the Staffordshire police in connection with terrorist investigations in their force area.
Morocco
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many visits or deployments have been made by Royal Air Force aircraft to Morocco in each of the last five years.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Detailed records of all visits or deployments by RAF aircraft to Morocco in each of the last five years are not available. In the last two years however, there have been four visits by RAF fast jet aircraft to Morocco in addition to which RAF transport aircraft have occasionally staged through Moroccan airfields on routine flights.
Arms Sales
Mr. Jopling : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received for offsetting agreements involving the British Army purchasing Abrams M1A2 battle tanks and the United States army purchasing VSEL's AS90 self-propelled howitzers.
Iraq
Mr. Anderson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the present status of the British service men removed from Kuwait to Iraq ; and what representations have been made on their behalf.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The members of the British liaison team who have been moved to Iraq are being illegally detained. We continue to press for the immediate release of all hostages being held by Iraq, in accordance with international law and United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Air Misses
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list details of the dates, locations, aircraft involved and circumstances of each of the category A air misses between civil and military aircraft over the United Kingdom in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1989, including the height at which each incident occurred.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I will write to the hon. Member.
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Foreign Military Aircraft
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has on inadvertent releases of weapons outside weapons range danger areas in the United Kingdom by foreign military aircraft since 1979 ; what is his Department's policy on the collection and monitoring of such information ; and if his Department holds copies of the reports of inquiries into such incidents.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : We have received only one report from a foreign air force about the inadvertent release of a practice bomb in the United Kingdom since 1979 ; full details of the circumstances were passed to the Ministry of Defence. The Department requires to be informed of any such incidents.
Departmental Reorganisation
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what organisations and sections within his Department presently being housed in London are being considered for dispersal to provincial areas.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : We are currently examining a number of relocation possibilities, including the transfer of further work from London to Harrogate. Details of which organisations and sections of the Department are involved will be announced once final decisions have been taken. Of course, all proposals must be justified on both economic and operational grounds.
Shackleton Aircraft
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what are the circumstances in which an aircrew would be entitled to fly at will for a period in a Shackleton or Shackleton-type aircraft during military exercises ;
(2) which officers of which Air Force rank have the authority to instruct the crew of a Shackleton or Shackleton-type aircraft to fly at will on a course and height which had not been previously planned in the course of a military exercise ;
(3) what is the recognised procedure for Shackleton or Shackleton-type aircraft in circumstances during military exercises where the aircraft are not needed for the purposes of the exercise for a short period in the middle of the timetable for the exercise ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Appropriate RAF officers may authorise the aircrew of RAF aircraft such as the Shackleton to fly on a flight path and at a height of their own choosing during a military exercise, provided always that the aircrew can do so safely, and observe the rules of the air, including low-flying regulations where appropriate. RAF aircrew would be entitled to fly their aircraft in this way provided they had the appropriate authorisation, reported their intentions to any appropriate ground authorities, such as air traffic controllers, and flew safely and within the rules.
Because of their slow speed, when RAF Shackleton aircraft are on exercise at some distance from their home base, RAF Lossiemouth, it is normal practice for the aircraft to remain airborne during any short break in the exercise, rather than return to RAF Lossiemouth, land and take off again soon after. It is more cost-effective for
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the aircrew to remain in the air to conduct continuation training, including practising some of their secondary roles, such as search and rescue.Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what are the circumstances in which a Shackleton or Shackleton-type aircraft can be authorised to engage in low flying below 1,000 ft during military exercises ;
(2) whether there are any RAF plans to introduce low-flying training involving Shackleton or Shackleton-type aircraft ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Appropriately trained and authorised RAF aircrew are already permitted to fly low (that is, below a height of 2,000 ft) in RAF Shackleton aircraft, provided always that they can do so safely, and observe the regulations governing low flying. If these conditions are met, there is no reason in principle why RAF Shackleton aircraft should not fly below 1,000 ft during military exercises.
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to publish the board of inquiry report into the cause of the RAF Shackleton aircraft crash which occurred on the Isle of Harris in the Western Isles earlier this year ; if he will list in the Official Report any changes in flying procedures for Shackletons or Shackleton-type aircraft which have been issued since the crash ; what is the normal operational role of Shackleton or Shackleton-type aircraft in military exercises ; and if it has changed in any way since the crash on the Isle of Harris.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We expect to publish the military aircraft accident summary concerning this tragic accident in the new year. The primary operational role of RAF Shackleton aircraft in military exercises is to provide airborne early warning, but the aircraft may also be used in a secondary role of search and rescue, to drop smoke flares. There have been no changes in these roles since the accident. The RAF has not promulgated any specific changes in flying procedures for RAF Shackleton aircraft since the accident.
Saudi Arabia
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what rents are being paid to landlords in Saudi Arabia for land and buildings occupied by units of the Army, Air Force and Navy.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Many of the facilities used by British forces in Saudi Arabia are being made available by the Saudi Government. Where commercial arrangements are necessary, accommodation and land is being rented at current market rates.
Submarines (Decommissioning)
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for East Lothian on 29 October, Official Report, column 314, if he will list the submarines that are to be decommissioned ; and if he will make a statement on the expenditure already incurred on the current refitting of any of the submarines on that list.
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Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The nuclear-powered submarines which my right hon. Friend has so far decided should be decommissioned following his 25 July announcement are : HMS Churchill, HMS Conqueror and HMS Warspite.
Of these, HMS Churchill and HMS Warspite were in refit. The cost of their refits--including cancellation charges--is still being discussed with the contractors ; such costs are in any case commercially confidential.
RAF Bentwaters
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has on the reason for the construction of 293 new homes at RAF Bentwaters by the United States Government ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I understand that in 1985 the United States air force contracted for the provision of new married quarters at RAF Bentwaters to correct a critical shortage of accommodation in the local area. Work on these houses started in April 1990 and is due to be completed in late 1991.
Correspondence
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the average time his Department takes in replying to an hon. Member's letter ; and what is (a) the shortest time and (b) the longest time it has taken to reply in full to an hon. Member's letter in the last Session of Parliament.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I will write to the hon. Member.
Chieftain Tank
Mr. Robert B. Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it remains his intention to make a decision on the tank to replace the Chieftain tank by the end of this year.
Mr. Tom King : I had hoped to announce a decision on equipment for our future main battle tank fleet by the end of this year. It is now clear that, owing to the uncertainties created by recent events, I will be unable to do so. I expect to be able to announce a decision in the early spring of 1991.
Surplus Toxic Materials
Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement concerning his Department's policy in auctioning to the highest bidder surplus toxic materials in respect of ensuring that such materials are disposed of in a safe and acceptable manner in agreement with waste disposal authorities.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I will write to the hon. Member.
Conservative Conference
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what costs were incurred by his Department in connection with the Conservative party conference in Bournemouth.
Mr. Archie Hamilton [holding reply 26 October 1990] : In response to a routine request from the Dorset police, small numbers of specialist military personnel were
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deployed to assist the police in searching the conference area for explosive devices and on standby for potential bomb disposal tasks. No readily identifiable additional costs to Defence votes arose from this operation.In addition, two members of my right hon. Friend's private office staff accompanied him to Bournemouth in order to deal with departmental work. Travel, subsistence and communications costs were incurred on Defence votes.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Company Records
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will give a breakdown of how the latest charge for microfiche records of individual registered companies supplied by the postal sales service was arrived at and what that charge is now.
Mr. Redwood : The charge for the postal sales service was arrived at after taking into account costs for : staff ; equipment ; accommodation and overheads. The present charge for a microfiche record by post is £5.
Companies House
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much it cost to set up each of the Companies House offices in Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.
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