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Mr. Wakeham : My Department is currently carrying out its annual relocation review as required by the public expenditure survey committee. The results will be available next year.
Poole Bay (Oil Reserves)
25. Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is the value of the oil reserves known to be under Poole bay.
Mr. Moynihan : The operator estimates that recoverable reserves within the Poole bay licence are some 100 million barrels of oil. At current prices this would be worth around £1.2 billion.
Coal Imports
26. Mr. Barron : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what discussions he has had with National Power and PowerGen concerning coal imports ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Wakeham : I have discussions from time to time with National Power and with PowerGen on all issues of mutual interest. Decisions on coal purchases, whether from United Kingdom or imported sources, are a matter for the parties involved.
Offshore Oil and Gas
28. Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many jobs in Scotland are supported, both directly and indirectly, by the offshore oil and gas industries.
Mr. Moynihan : Direct and indirect employment in 1990 by the offshore oil and gas industry in Scotland was 97,400.
Energy Consumption
29. Dame Peggy Fenner : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what has been the annual average consumption of energy in the United Kingdom (a) between 1974 and 1979 and (b) since 1979.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The annual average total final consumption of energy in the United Kingdom on a heat supplied basis was :
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(a) 58.5 billion therms between 1974 and 1979(b) 56.8 billion therms between 1980 and 1990
At the same time the United Kingdom's gross domestic product rose from an annual average level for the years 1974 to 1979 of £267 billion to an annual average level of £311 billion for the years 1980 to 1990. This combination reflects a substantial and welcome improvement in energy efficiency between the two periods.
Kuwait (Oil Well Fires)
30. Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on action taken to extinguish oil well fires in Kuwait as a result of his visit.
Mr. Wakeham : My visit to Kuwait reflected the Government's deep concern regarding the situation and demonstrated out willingness to support the continuing efforts of United Kingdom industry to become involved in the fire fighting process.
Those efforts continue.
Fuel Efficiency
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what further proposals he has to encourage efficient fuel use in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The home energy efficiency scheme was started earlier this year. A domestic publicity campaign will be launched with the Department of the Environment in the autumn ; energy efficiency advisory services are being introduced by the gas and electricity companies ; some 80 Government seminars have been organised to promote energy efficiency throughout the public and private sectors.
Oil and Ethylene Pipelines
Mr. Hind : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many applications he has received to lay oil and ethylene pipelines in England and Wales in the last 12 months ; how many have been granted ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Moynihan : Only one application for an oil pipeline has been received by my Department in the last 12 months. One application for an ethylene pipeline was granted in the same period.
Electricity Privatisation
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what consultations he had with the Securities and Association concerning his delayed settlement of commission owing to Diameter Stockbrokers for services rendered in the course of the flotation of the electricity supply industry ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : My Department's independent auditors, Touche Ross, had written to Diameter seeking information to support Diameter's claim for selling commission in respect of the regional electricity companies' flotation. An official of the Securities and Futures Association then subsequently contacted my Department drawing attention to Diameter's financial position : following further urgent discussions with Diameter, a payment was made available to them the same day.
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Electricity Use
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what figures he has for the consumption of electricity in (a) March 1991 and (b) the most recent month for which information is available.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Data on the consumption of electricity are collected on a quarterly basis only. The latest figure available for total electricity consumption from the public supply system in the United Kingdom is 78.78 TWh for the first quarter of 1991. Figures for the amounts of electricity available for consumption through the public supply system, that is, before excluding transmission, distribution and other losses, are collected monthly. Figures for March 1991 and May 1991, the most recent month for which information is available, are as follows :
|TWh
--------------------------
March 1991<1> |31.13
May 1991<1> |21.91
<1> It should be noted
that the figure for March
covers a five-week
period, whereas the
figure for May covers a
four-week period.
These data are routinely published in the monthly statistical bulletin Energy Trends, copies of which are available in the Library. The July edition, containing the above data, will be published on Thursday 25 July.
Coal Privatisation
Mr. Eadie : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many meetings he has had with the advisers he appointed to advise him on the privatisation of the coal industry ; and what was the involvement of the chairman of British Coal at such meetings.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I and my right hon. Friend are having regular meetings with my advisers on coal privatisation, and also with the chairman of British Coal.
DEFENCE
RAF Stornoway
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further new military facilities are planned at RAF Stornoway ; and what is the timescale for their construction.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Future military construction at RAF Stornoway is under consideration in the light of discussions with NATO authorities.
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what alterations have been made in the past two years to the plans for future use of RAF Stornoway for military exercises.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Exercise plans for RAF Stornoway are formulated each year, but the only change to the general pattern over the last two years has been a decision not to activate the airfield for military flying earlier this year in the light of our commitments in the Gulf.
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what military exercises are planned for RAF Stornaway during the remainder of 1991.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : Routine air defence exercises are planned to take place at RAF Stornoway from 9 to 20 September and from 10 to 23 November 1991.
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his assessment of the effect of cancellation of the hardened aircraft shelters project on the capability of RAF Stornoway to support (a) realistic peacetime training and (b) war operations.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 20 June 1991, at column 318 . No decision has been taken to cancel this project.
Artillery Range, Hebrides
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the reasons for the recent period of inactivity at the Royal Artillery range, Hebrides.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The recent short-term reduction in live fire activities at the Royal Artillery range, Hebrides was due to the rescheduling of training periods as a result of the Gulf conflict. The range used this time to complete maintenance projects.
Civilian Guard Force
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the planned establishment of the proposed Ministry of Defence guard force ;
(2) what is the estimated annual equipment budget for the proposed Ministry of Defence civilian guard force ; and from which subheads of which votes these funds will be taken ;
(3) what is the estimated total annual running cost of the proposed Ministry of Defence civilian guard force ; and from which subheads of which votes these funds will be taken ;
(4) what is the estimated annual personnel cost of the proposed Ministry of Defence civilian guard force ; and from which subheads of which votes these funds will be taken.
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department's new guard force is planned to come into operation ; how many staff will be employed ; on what terms and conditions ; and at what estimated annual cost.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : As I announced on 26 April 1991, at columns 572-73 , in an answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Hampshire, East (Mr. Mates), the new Ministry of Defence guard service will come into being on 1 April 1992.
Its initial strength will be drawn from some 3,000 civilian personnel in existing patrolling, watching and similar grades including the present Ministry of Defence headquarters guard force. The ultimate size of the service is uncertain at present because account will need to be taken of the consequences of "Options for Change" on the number of locations to be guarded in the longer term. The terms and conditions on which the guard service personnel will serve are currently being negotiated. It is estimated that the annual running costs of the new service, predominantly personnel, but including clothing and some equipment, will be about £37.5 million but there are compensating savings notably in personnel costs of existing staff who will be assimilated into it.
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Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated cost of setting up the proposed Ministry of Defence civilian guard force ; and from which subheads of which votes these funds will be taken.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The estimated cost of setting up the MOD guard service is £2.5 million in the current financial year. This falls within vote sub heads 1A1, 1B1, 1C1, 1D1, 1D2, 1E1, 1G1, 1L2 and 1L9 and relates to the formation of an implementation team to plan the adminstration and training of the service, and to the provision of clothing and equipment in readiness for its introduction on 1 April 1992.
Salisbury Plain
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been paid in each of the last 10 years in compensation for damage caused by his Department's activities to property on, or in the vicinity of, Salisbury plain.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The following amounts of compensation have been paid in each of the last 10 years by the MOD in respect of claims arising from training and manoeuvre activities in the vicinity of Salisbury Plain. Information relating to any other type of claim could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
Years |£ ---------------------- 1981-82 |4,847 1982-83 |2,121 1983-84 |7,645 1984-85 |8,837 1985-86 |32,887 1986-87 |6,504 1987-88 |4,278 1988-89 |8,215 1989-90 |5,642 1990-91 |2,223
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what compensation has been paid to members of the public for damage caused to property by the firing of AS90 guns on Salisbury plain.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Only one incident giving rise to claims can be specifically traced to the firing of the AS90 gun on Salisbury plain. That incident gave rise to two claims. One has been settled for £150.65 ; the other is still being negotiated.
RAF Waddington
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what planning applications have been placed with the relevant local authority for new construction at RAF Waddington in the last five years.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : In the past five years 23 planning applications have been submitted to the local authority, North Kesteven district council, in respect of new construction at RAF Waddington. These are listed in the table.
Main Battle Tank
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the total cost to date of the studies carried out by his Department to evaluate the tanks in competition for the replacement of the Chieftain tank ; and from which subheads of which votes these funds will be taken.
Mr. Alan Clark : This information could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.
Accommodation
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 rehousing service men after leaving the services, particularly for those who are on the waiting lists of garrison towns.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment will answer shortly.
London Custody Service
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why he has decided to replace guards provided by the London custody service with his Department's own guard force at London buildings.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The MOD has reduced its use of the London custody service because recruitment in its own guard force has improved and we prefer those guarding our buildings to be members of MOD and trained and equipped to our standards. There are also savings to the defence budget.
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the cost to his Department of security guards provided by the London custody service during each of the past five years.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The cost to the Ministry of Defence of security guards provided by the London custody service during each of the past five years has been as follows :
|£
---------------------------------------
1986-87 |3,607,597.66
1987-88 |4,529,811.46
1988-89 |4,841,283.26
1989-90 |5,205,886.35
1990-91 |5,873,158.60
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those Ministry of Defence buildings at which it is planned to replace the London custody service by his Department's new guard force indicating the starting date for each change, and the numbers to be employed at each building.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : London custody service guards were replaced by MOD guards at 3-5 Great Scotland Yard in 1990. Those at Northumberland house and the Old Admiralty buildings will be replaced on 1 October. For security reasons, it would not be appropriate to reveal the numbers of guards at each location.
Low Flying
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the number of low-flying sorties over the United Kingdom in each month from January to date.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : For the number of low-flying sorties carried out in January 1991 I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 8 March 1991 at column 332. The number of low-flying sorties carried out in the United Kingdom in each month from February to May, the most recent date for which figures are available, is as follows :
|Number
-----------------------
February |7,471
March |10,814
April |12,300
May |12,556
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all past, current and planned RAF participation in low-flying training exercises overseas during 1991, specifying the number and types of aircraft in each case.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : To date in 1991, the RAF has participated in the following overseas exercises involving an element of low-flying training :
Exercise |Country |Dates |Number and type
|of aircraft
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Snow Falcon 91-1 |Norway |2-16 March | 6 Harrier GR5
Agder |Norway |11-15 March | 4 Tornado GR1
Red Flag 91-X |USA |27 March-8 June|10 Harrier GR5
Blue Moon |Denmark |2-3 April | 4 Jaguar
|4 Tornado GR1
Ardent Ground |Portugal |29 April-10 May| 6 Jaguar GR1a
Snow Goose 91-2 |Norway |1-14 June | 6 Jaguar GR1a
Brown Falcon |Denmark |12 June | 8 Jaguar
|8 Harrier GR5
Exercises in the central region involving RAF participation are not included.
As in previous years, further overseas exercises are planned, but it would be premature to give detailed information at this stage.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications for low-flying avoidance area status have been received by his Department since 1 January.
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Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I regret that such applications are not recorded separately and it would require disproportionate effort to identify them. Since 1 January, however, some 250 temporary or permanent avoidance arrangements have been made.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints about low-flying in each of the last five years came from addresses located within (a) low flying area 16, (b) low flying area 13, (c) low flying area 17 and (d) low flying area 12.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The numbers of inquiries or complaints about low-flying training which my Department received in each of the last five years from addresses located within low flying areas 12, 13, and 16 and 17 were as follows :
Low flying area
Year |12 |13 |16 |17
------------------------------
1986 |132 |23 |213 |445
1987 |117 |11 |304 |400
1988 |136 |21 |341 |449
1989 |238 |32 |592 |836
1990 |270 |42 |498 |754
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints about low flying were received in each month since March 1990 from addresses in (a) Scotland, (b) England and (c) Wales.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The numbers of inquiries or complaints relating to military low flying training which my Department received over the period 1 March 1990 to 30 June 1991 from addresses in England, Scotland and Wales were as follows :
Month |England |Scotland|Wales
----------------------------------------------
1990
March |366 |96 |84
April |303 |67 |39
May |546 |80 |119
June |477 |118 |147
July |930 |107 |226
August |775 |143 |192
September |344 |71 |35
October |414 |70 |107
November |206 |106 |19
December |98 |40 |38
1991
January |74 |17 |15
February |28 |8 |11
March |96 |30 |25
April |228 |38 |49
May |463 |72 |84
June |274 |52 |95
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the number of low-flying movements authorised at less than 250 ft in each of the tactical training areas in each month from January 1991 to date.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The numbers of movements authorised for flying below 250 ft within the three United Kingdom tactical training areas between January and May 1991, the most recent date for which figures are available, were as follows :
Column 95
|Northern|Central |Borders
|Scotland|Wales
---------------------------------------------
January |111 |39 |180
February |107 |12 |127
March |12 |2 |324
April |7 |0 |0
May |45 |0 |8
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date notification of the disestablishment of the Humberside low-flying transit area was sent by his Department to (a) hon. Members and (b) local authorities in the area ; and if he will list the parliamentary constituencies and local authorities concerned.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : As the hon. Member will be aware, when significant changes are made to the United Kingdom low flying system, hon. Members whose constituencies are affected are given appropriate notification.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to measure the noise levels generated by aircraft using afterburners at low level.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The report on the "External Noise of MoD Military Aircraft", a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House in November 1987, contains some such data but there are no plans for further work. As set out in my predecessor's answer of 12 June 1990, at column 140 , to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood), aircraft are instructed to use reheat as little as possible overland at low level and use would be unusual unless required for flight safety reasons.
Tornado Crews
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the minimum altitude authorised for peacetime training flying by RAF Tornado GR1 crews from Muharraq, Bahrain, in the period following the Gulf war.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The normal minimum authorised altitude for flying training by RAF Tornado GR1 crews based at Muharraq following the Gulf conflict was 250 ft. A small number of sorties were, however, authorised down to 100 ft to enable designated aircrews to maintain currency in operational low-flying techniques.
Aircraft Noise
67. Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to make changes to his policy of purchasing any dwelling in the vicinity of a military airfield found to be subjected to noise levels greater than 125 dB(A) from military aircraft.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : It is planned to review the MOD's aircraft noise compensation policy in relation to military airfields once the current programme of noise surveys has been completed. The review should take place next year and will take into account the practical effects of applying existing policy since the programme began in 1985.
Tornado Exercise
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the title of the exercise in which RAF Tornado GR1 participated in Alaska in June 1990 ; how many
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aircraft took part ; and if he will provide details of any subsequent or planned RAF participation in exercises in Alaska.Mr. Archie Hamilton : Four Tornado GR1 aircraft deployed to Alaska in June 1990 for a training exercise, titled Distant Frontier. The possibility of a further such exercise is under discussion with the United States authorities.
Tornados (Goose Bay)
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF Tornado GR1s are currently deployed to Goose bay, Canada ; on what date they deployed there ; and what is their expected date of departure from Goose bay.
Army Manpower
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a table showing (a) the nominal manpower establishment, (b) the actual manpower strength, (c) the percentage of nominal establishment achieved, (d) the number of recruits becoming available each year and (e) the rate of retention of recruits and trained soldiers, for each infantry regiment in the British Army for which such information is not classified.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I will write to the hon. Member.
Options for Change"
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans which are currently being made by his Department to assist in meeting demand for housing for personnel and their families who cease to be entitled to his Department's housing as a result of redundancy under "Options for Change".
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The extent to which redundancies may be necessary as a result of the force reductions announced in the "Statement on the Defence Estimates" on 9 July, is still being examined. The housing implications of any redundancy programme will be taken into account as part of this work.
HMS Endurance
Mr. David Young : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 8 July, Official Report, columns 283-84, to the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton) if he will announce the result of the structural survey on HMS Endurance before Parliament adjourns for the summer ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The survey results should be available in the near future. When the work is complete we will have to assess its conclusions before reaching any decisions. We will make an announcement on the future of Endurance as soon as we are in a position to do so.
HMS Illustrious
Mr. Robert Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the contract between Devonport Management Ltd. and his Department for the refit of HMS Illustrious is to be signed ; and when work will begin.
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