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Column 526
Soviet Union and Eastern EuropeEast Europe's Rejection of Communism
Environmental Pollution in the USSR and Eastern Europe
Environmental Pollution in the USSR
Environmental Pollution in Eastern Europe
Soviet Aid
Soviet and East European Aid to Special Friends
Soviet Foreign Trade
Soviet Policy in the Middle East
Who's Who in the USSR
Disarmament
Arms Control and Disarmament Quarterly Review No. 16
Arms Control and Disarmament Quarterly Review No. 17
Arms Control and Disarmament Quarterly Review No. 18
Arms Control Agreements
Arms Control and Defence : The Vital Issues
British Non-Proliferation Policy
Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions in Europe (MBFR) : History of the Negotiations
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
UK Role in Arms Control
Verification of Arms Control Agreements
Economic
Aid to the Developing World
World Food Supplies
International
AIDS : The Situation Worldwide
Annual Review of Consular Work 1989
Disposing of and Reducing Radioactive Waste
New Era for the Non-Aligned Movement
World Peace Council : A New Role?
World Population Issues
DEFENCE
Low Flying
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the average time spent at low level in (a) sorties which contain low-flying elements and (b) all sorties.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The information requested is not readily available but it is estimated that the average time spent at low level during sorties using the United Kingdom low-flying system is some 40 minutes.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give a breakdown, for each type of Royal Air Force aircraft, of the number of (a) hours and (b) sorties flown at low level in each year since 1979.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 26 July 1990 at column 527, and to my Department's evidence to the Defence Committee inquiry into low flying (HC 120, page 140), which give information on the number of low- level sorties carried out annually by Royal Air Force aircraft since 1979. I regret that central records do not provide information on the number of hours flown at low level by individual Royal Air Force aircraft types.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many low- flying sorties were carried out over the United Kingdom in the month of September.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The number of low-flying sorties flown in the United Kingdom during September were 11,361.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any decision has been made on the locations for Harrier GR7 night-time low- flying training.
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Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : No.Nuclear Non-proliferation
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last discussed non-proliferation issues with his NATO counterparts.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett) on 30 October 1990 at column 503.
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Ministry of Defence Police
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (i) complaint cases and (ii) complaint matters against the conduct of Ministry of Defence police personnel received during (1) the period 1 October 1985 to 30 September 1986, (2) the period 1 October 1986 to 31 December 1987, (3) 1988 and (4) 1989 were (a) withdrawn, (b) informally resolved, (c) ill- founded, (d) waived, (e) unsubstantiated and (f) substantiated ; and how many are currently pending.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Details of the complaint cases and complaint matters completed during the periods listed (which are the periods covered by successive reports by the chief constable) are as follows :
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1 October 1985 to 1 October 1986 to 1 January 1988 to 1 January 1989 to
30 September 1986 31 December 1987 31 December 1988 31 December 1989
Complaint Complaint Complaint Complaint
Method of disposal |cases |matters |cases |matters |cases |matters |cases |matters
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Withdrawn |15 |<1> |14 |3 |11 |10 |20 |18
Informally resolved |Nil |Nil |13 |Nil |7 |5 |14 |13
Ill-founded |Nil |Nil |3 |1 |4 |4 |1 |3
Waived |1 |<1> |3 |Nil |4 |4 |3 |2
Unsubstantiated |19 |<1> |18 |3 |34 |22 |49 |14
Substantiated |17 |<1> |9 |1 |13 |1 |2 |2
Currently pending |Nil |Nil |Nil |Nil |1 |3 |7 |14
<1> Figures not available.
However, these cases were not necessarily recorded and completed within the same reporting periods. The result of cases recorded during the corresponding periods could not be provided without disproportionate effort.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current backlog of refresher training for constables and sergeants in the Ministry of Defence police ; and what are the equivalent figures for each of the last five years.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : It is force policy that all constables and sergeants should attend a three-week refresher course at the police training school every five years, unless in their last three years of service. The backlog of officers awaiting such training has been :
|Constable|Sergeant
----------------------------------------
1986 |843 |181
1987 |1,129 |240
1988 |813 |96
1989 |610 |127
1990 |821 |126
However, during 1985 and 1986 all officers serving in England and Wales underwent a minimum of three days' training, consequent on the introduction of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. Since all recruitment training is also carried out at PTS where student accommodation is limited to 160 beds, during high levels of recruitment, such as the current year, the capacity available for refresher and other in-service training is cut.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current annual budget for each geographical division of the Ministry of Defence police ; and what are equivalent figures for each year since reorganisation.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The geographical divisions of the MOD police do not have separate budgets.
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Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current annual budget for sending Ministry of Defence police personnel on external courses ; what are the equivalent figures for each of the last five years ; and from which subheads of which votes these funds are taken.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The annual budgets for external training fees for the MOD police for the present and previous five years have been :
FY |£ ------------------------ 1985-86 |84,715 1986-87 |99,712 1987-88 |89,000 1988-89 |91,000 1989-90 |113,050 1990-91 |123,650
These sums fall on vote subhead 1L5, and cover all training outside MOD, mainly with Home Department police forces, for which charges are made.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are being taken to ensure that members of the public can easily differentiate between (i) uniforms and(ii) vehicles of the Ministry of Defence police and Home Department forces, in particular the Metropolitan police.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : It is the Department's policy, strongly supported by Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary, that the Ministry of Defence police, as a force of civilian police officers operating under the 1987 Act, should be brought into line wherever possible with Home Department police forces. In furtherance of this policy, the uniforms and vehicles of the Ministry of Defence police are similar to but not identical with other constabularies, differing only in the different designs of cap badges, buttons, logos, and so on.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make a statement on the use of AAC
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Netheravon for public order training by the Ministry of Defence police ; whether there is any transfer of funds from the Ministry of Defence police to the Army Air Corps for use of this facility ; and what other bases and facilities are used by the Ministry of Defence police for public order training ;(2) how many personnel from the Ministry of Defence police have undergone public order training in each of the last five years ; (3) if he will make a statement on the nature of public order training given to the Ministry of Defence police ;
(4) what has been the cost of providing public order training for the Ministry of Defence police for each of the last five years ; and from which subheads of which votes this money was taken.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Member for Hove (Mr. Sainsbury) on 5 July 1988 at column 537.
In common with all other police forces in the country MOD police officers undergo public order training in accordance with standards laid down by ACPO.
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All MDP officers receive three days' public order training during their recruit course ; two days were included until 1989 in the three-week long five-yearly refresher course for constables ; and five-day courses on public order for ranks up to inspector are held from time to time. All these courses take place at the MOD police training school at Medmenham.Officers of ranks from sergeant to chief superintendent attend specialist courses connected with public order at Home Department police schools, notably that of the West Yorkshire constabulary ; and chief officers attend public order seminars held at the police staff college, Bramshill.
In addition, during an MDP officer's service, continuation training is given locally on an opportunity basis, or when required in anticipation of a particular event. Examples of the latter are the use of RAF Quedgeley in conjunction with the Gloucestershire constabulary in 1986 and 1987 ; and of AAC Netheravon in 1988 and 1989 by officers standing by for the summer solstice activities at Stonehenge.
The numbers of MDP officers given public order training over the past five years are :
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At MOD PTS Medmenham At Home
Department
Police Schools
Constable Constable to Sergeant to
Inspector Chief
Superintendent
|Recruit course |Refresher course|Public Order |Public Order |Total numbers
|course |course |trained
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1986 |726 |0 |26 |65 |817
1987 |548 |142 |94 |31 |815
1988 |150 |752 |514 |5 |1,421
1989 |113 |0 |359 |14 |486
1990 |453 |0 |46 |14 |513
The variation in numbers undergoing such training at PTS will be noted. When the number of recruits passing through the school is small, its resources are more readily available for continuation and specialist training. However, the numbers which can be made available to attend such courses also depend on the levels of operational activity of the force, which since 1988 has been very heavily committed to meet the terrorist threat.
The numbers of officers given public order training locally varies from year to year.
The annual costs of all public order training undertaken at PTS (including that which is part of recruitment or refresher courses) based on student/days, and of external courses at Home Department schools is :
|PTS |HD police
|schools
|£ |£
----------------------------------------
1986 |136,000 |n/a
1987 |137,000 |n/a
1988 |219,000 |1,203
1989 |156,000 |3,238
1990 |130,000 |1,485
The costs of internal courses and training fall to the manpower and PTS elements of CCMDP's budget, and those for external courses to vote subhead 1L5. No specific costs were associated with the training undertaken at Netheravon and no funds were transferred to MOD (Army) in that connection.
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Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many copies of the Ministry of Defence police annual report are printed each year.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Three hundred and forty-five copies of the chief constable of the Ministry of Defence police's annual report for 1989 were printed. Similar numbers are printed each year.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library the latest edition of the Ministry of Defence police discipline regulations, together with any subsequent amendments.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Yes, I will make the necessary arrangements.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the total annual budget of the Ministry of Defence police ; what are the equivalent figures for each of the last five years ; and from which subheads of which votes these funds are taken ;
(2) what is the annual budget for (a) personnel costs, (b) vehicles and (c) equipment excluding vehicles, for Ministry of Defence police ; what are the equivalent figures for each of the last five years ; and from which subheads of which votes these funds are taken.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : A separate budget covering the manpower, clothing and some support costs of the MOD police was introduced on 1 April 1988. The vehicles used
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by the force continue to be provided by the units or establishments at which MDP is stationed or by MOD(Army) if specialist vehicles are required. Prior to that date costs of the MOD police fell largely on the users of its services, and were not separately identified. Figures for the annual budget since 1 April 1988 are as follows :---------------------------------------- 1988-89 |95.603 |0.652 |96.255 1989-90 |103.181|0.976 |104.157 1990-91 |113.301|0.757 |114.058
These funds fall within vote subheads 1D2, 1E1, 1G1, 1G2 and 1L9.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the annual operating cost of running a separate radio system for the Ministry of Defence criminal investigation department ; and from which budget these costs are taken.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The annual cost of maintaining the specialist radio equipments used by the CID, which are similar to those of Home Department police forces, is £1,300.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the operational support unit of the Ministry of Defence police.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The future composition and deployment of the operational support unit is under review. Like other police forces, there is a continuing case for CCMDP to have readily available a body of well- trained officers who can be deployed to back up stations whose resources are insufficient to meet current or temporary situations.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what has been the number of complaint cases made against members of the Ministry of Defence police at RAF Greenham Common since the byelaws were declared invalid ;
(2) how many complaint matters have been received against members of the Ministry of Defence police at RAF Greenham Common since the byelaws were declared invalid ; and if he will list them in the 13 categories used by the Police Complaints Authority.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Between 12 July 1990, the date of the House of Lords judgment on the validity of byelaw 2(b), and 27 November 1990, 34 complaint cases against MOD police officers at RAF Greenham Common were recorded in accordance with section 85(1) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
These involved a total of 53 complaint matters. Details in the form requested are as follows :
(i) Incivility 5
(ii) Assault 16
(iii) Irregularity in procedure --
(iv) Traffic irregularity 1
(v) Neglect of duty --
(vi) Corrupt practice --
(vii) Mishandling of property --
(viii) Irregularity in relation to evidence/perjury --
(ix) Oppressive conduct or harassment 7
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(x) Irregular arrest 5(xi) Irregular stop/search 2
(xii) Irregular search of premises 7
(xiii) Other 10
All these complaints were made by a small number of women associated with protest activity at RAF Greenham Common.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the annual cost of production of the Ministry of Defence police newspaper, "Talk Through"; and from which subheads of which votes these funds are taken.
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