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Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : A final decision is to be taken as soon as possible.Gurkhas
Mr. John Browne : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date his highness the Sultan of Brunei signified his agreement to meet the costs of two Gurkha battalions ; and for how long the agreement will apply.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : A Gurkha battalion has been stationed in Brunei since independence in 1983 under an agreement whereby the full cost of the battalion is met by the Government of Brunei. This agreement is subject to periodic review and renewal.
Foot Guards
Mr. John Browne : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the annual cost of maintaining a Foot Guards battalion in London.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Clackmannan (Mr. O'Neill) on 11 July, Official Report, column 487 .
Infantry Manpower
Mr. John Browne : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list, by individual battalion tasks, the present infantry deployments of the British Infantry, including Gurkhas, and the changes in tasks he envisages following his proposed cuts in infantry manpower.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 11 July, Official Report column 492 ) and to that given to the hon. and learned Member for Fife, North-East (Mr. Campbell) also on 11 July, Official Report, column 487-89.
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
Mr. Sayeed : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of the present arrangements for running the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Like all aspects of MOD business, the cost effectiveness of the RFA is kept under review. The RFA continues to provide afloat support to the Royal Navy effectively and efficiently.
Mr. Sayeed : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role was played by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in the build up of forces during Operation Granby, during hostilities in the Gulf region, and in related operations such as the Kurdish relief efforts ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer my hon. Friend to chapters 1 and 2 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1991", volume 1, Cm. 1559-1. Eleven Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships were tasked on Operation Granby in a variety of roles, including supply, medical support and heavy engineering. The ships involved were :
Orangeleaf--which was already supporting the Armilla patrol and was subsequently relieved by Bayleaf
Onla
Argus
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DiligenceResource
Fort Grange
Sir Galahad
Sir Percivale
Sir Tristram
Sir Bedivere
The outstanding support provided by the RFA was instrumental in the success of Operation Granby.
RFA Resource subsequently made a significant contribution to the Kurdish relief effort and Fort Grange has provided support in the Bangladesh relief operation.
Mr. Sayeed : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to change the management or manning of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ; whether it is his intention to retain the Royal Fleet Auxiliary as an essentially civilian part of the British merchant navy ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There are no plans to change the current manning of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary by Merchant Navy personnel. Future management arrangements are under review as part of the MOD's continuing efforts to maximise efficiency. No decisions have been taken, and any proposals affecting staff will be the subject of consultation with the trade unions in the usual way.
Rail Vehicles and Connections
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many (a) electric locomotives and (b) diesel locomotives were owned by his Department in (i) 1979, (ii) 1985 and (iii) the latest year for which figures are available ;
(2) how many rail freight vehicles were owned by his Department in (a) 1979, (b) 1985 and (c) the latest year for which figures are available ;
(3) how many of his Department's depots were provided with rail connections in (a) 1979, (b) 1985 and (c) the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The figures are as follows :
|1979|1985|1991
-----------------------------------------------------
Electric locomotives |3 |3 |3
Diesel locomotives |176 |139 |106
Rail freight vehicles |142 |130 |130
MOD depots with rail connections |38 |38 |21
Departmental Freight
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of his Department's freight within Great Britain is consigned by (a) road and (b) rail.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The vast majority of the Department's freight is consigned by road. A detailed breakdown of the proportions of freight moved by road and rail could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Recruitment
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the recruitment figures for each of the regiments within the Prince of Wales division for each of the last five years ; and whether any regiments have not done any recruitment in this period because they were already at full complement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The information requested is set out in the table. None of the regiments in the Prince of
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Wales Division were fully manned during this period. However, the allocation of recruits to regiments is influenced by the overall manning priorities of both the whole Army and the infantry.Column 99
Prince of Wales's Division officer and soldier<1> intakes to trained strength 1987 to 1991
1987 1988 1989 1990<3> 1991<3><4>
|Officers |Soldiers<2>|Officers |Soldiers |Officers |Soldiers |Officers |Soldiers |Officers |Soldiers
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Devonshire and
Dorset Regiment |6 |- |4 |84 |1 |61 |5 |70 |5 |24
The 22nd (Cheshire)
Regiment |6 |- |2 |58 |3 |85 |5 |103 |1 |48
The Royal Welch
Fusiliers |4 |- |7 |65 |5 |66 |5 |56 |3 |37
Royal Regiment of Wales
|8 |- |4 |43 |10 |72 |8 |100 |4 |43
The Gloucestershire
Regiment |3 |- |3 |64 |4 |51 |5 |39 |7 |34
The Worcestershire &
Sherwood Foresters |7 |- |3 |85 |2 |74 |4 |80 |3 |32
The Royal Hampshires |1 |- |1 |64 |6 |45 |5 |42 |4 |23
The Staffordshire
Regiment |3 |- |7 |90 |8 |62 |- |83 |2 |41
Duke of Edinburgh's
Royal Regiment |7 |- |8 |63 |5 |41 |6 |36 |- |15
<1> Soldier figures include apprentices and young soldiers and juniors.
<2> Soldier figures unavailable for 1987.
<3> Recruiting capped for officers and soldiers.
<4> Latest figures to 30 June 1991.
Royal Navy Rugby Union
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the full cost to his Department of the Royal Navy rugby union and how many full or part-time posts there are within the Royal Navy rugby union.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The cost to the Department of the Royal Navy rugby union is in the region of £30,000 per annum. A retired officer acts as part-time secretary. He is assisted part-time by a service chief petty officer.
Rehousing
Sir Alan Glyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidelines his Department has issued to local authorities on the priority to be given to rehouse service men after leaving the services, particularly for those who are on the waiting lists of garrison towns.
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Sir George Young [holding answer 9 July 1991] : I have been asked to reply since my Department is responsible for issuing guidance to local housing authorities about the treatment of personnel leaving the services. It is for the local authority to decide what priority to give to rehousing service personnel, having considered the circumstances of each individual case. We advise local housing and service authorities to offer appropriate advice and assistance to service personnel well in advance of discharge. Local authorities are asked to act upon a certificate of impending homelessness issued by a senior officer up to six months before discharge.
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