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Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the maximum length of time for which air force training units are permitted to use a particular fixed low-level flying route.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Air crew are required to avoid the use of standard routes whenever possible. Where the use of such routes is unavoidable they are replaced at regular intervals.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what specific advice or instructions is given to pilots flying at less than 250 ft over the United Kingdom, regarding flight at speeds greater than 450 knots in the run-up to simulated targets.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The normal cruising speed for all low flying aircraft is 450 knots. While aircraft may fly at faster speeds in the run- up to simulated targets pilots are instructed to observe speed limits ranging from 420 knots to 550 knots, depending on height and aircraft type. These controls were imposed to ensure that noise levels on the ground in excess of 125dB(A) are not created by low-flying aircraft.
Low Flying
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the numbers of low-flying sorties flown by Royal Air Force aircraft in each low-flying area in Germany in each month since January 1990, as collated in accordance with the requirements of the allied forces central Europe low-flying handbook.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Prior to September 1990, a general lower limit of 500 feet applied to low flying in Germany but flying down to 250 feet was permitted in seven discrete low-flying areas. Since 16 September 1990, there has been a general lower limit of 1,000 feet on low flying in Germany and consequently records of entries into the German low-flying areas by RAF aircraft only extend to that date. While the information is not available broken down by sorties, the numbers of entries recorded between January and September 1990 are as follows :
Area |Entries
-------------------------------
January 1990
1 |659
2 |542
3 |248
5 |309
6 |100
7 |79
8 |72
February 1990
1 |604
2 |572
3 |226
5 |241
6 |43
7 |50
8 |54
March 1990
1 |450
2 |378
3 |96
5 |163
6 |26
7 |55
8 |56
April 1990
1 |862
2 |758
3
5 |276
6 |62
7 |18
8 |34
May 1990
1 |656
2 |522
3 |413
5 |204
6 |29
7 |128
8 |149
June 1990
1 |302
2 |226
3 |165
5 |81
6 |25
7 |54
8 |42
July 1990
1 |713
2 |590
3 |482
5 |262
6 |57
7 |81
8 |109
August 1990
1 |848
2 |646
3 |343
5 |269
6 |49
7 |54
8 |78
September 1990
1 |226
2 |167
3 |105
5 |76
6 |9
7 |11
8 |26
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Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the maximum number of times an aircrew is permitted to re-attack the same simulated target at low level ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I refer the hon. Member to my Department's evidence to the inquiry into low flying by the Select Committee on Defence (HC 120/90, page 177).
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all requests made to his Department for low flying avoidance status around bird sanctuaries, wildlife breeding sites and nature reserves in the last three years ; and what was the outcome of each request.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I regret that such applications are not recorded separately and it would require disproportionate effort to identify them. However, some 54 bird sanctuaries, wildlife breeding sites and nature reserves are the subject of seasonal or permanent avoidance arrangements.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the flying at less than 250 ft during Exercises Highland Cardinal and OSEX 91 in mid- Wales in June-July 1991, as specified in the Civil Aviation Authority notification of these exercises, was approved by Ministers ; and how many sorties at less than 250 ft were flown during the two exercises.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : No flying below 250 ft took place during Exercises Highland Cardinal and OSEX 91.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to retain records of requests from foreign air forces for permission to fly at less than250 ft over the United Kingdom, and of his Department's responses to those requests.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : No. My Department's general policy on such training remains as set out in evidence to the Select Committee on Defence published last year. (HC 120/90, pp. 12-13).
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints about low flying in each of the years 1986 to 1990 came from addresses located within each of low-flying areas 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 14.
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 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 14 were as follows :
Low flying area |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 ------------------------------------------------- 1 |114 |115 |135 |134 |90 2 |739 |890 |922 |1,058 |992 3 |11 |18 |14 |14 |12 4 |401 |400 |434 |646 |526 5 |451 |414 |364 |620 |624 6 |364 |529 |380 |519 |446 7 |733 |913 |856 |1,110 |1,086 8 |302 |286 |283 |399 |413 9 |34 |42 |59 |56 |41 11 |726 |594 |482 |579 |537 14 |242 |425 |534 |899 |564
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the Chepstow transit area was abolished ;
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what was the specific reason for its abolition ; and if he will list the parliamentary constituencies over which low flying is newly permitted, or within which the area available for low flying is extended, as a result of this measure.Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : It is not our practice to publish detailed information on the United Kingdom low-flying system. As part of the continuous monitoring of the United Kingdom low-flying system, however, a programme of reviews of avoidance areas is carried out and changes made when necessary, reflecting changes on the ground, and aimed at spreading low flying more evenly and enhancing flight safety, while at the same time reducing, where possible, the disturbance to those on the ground.
Iraq
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral statement on 22 November, Official Report, column 541, if he will set out the sources for his statement that the People's Republic of China and North Korea sold missile technology to Iraq that contributed to the latter's nuclear capabilities.
Mr. Alan Clark : My right hon. Friend sought to make two separate points--that the People's Republic of China and North Korea had exported missile technology ; and that Iraq had received external support in its nuclear weapons programme. We do not disclose the sources for such information.
Diesel-powered Staff Cars
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff cars are diesel powered.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : A total of 1,487.
RAF Aerobatic Team
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current cost of the RAF aerobatic team.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Operating costs are £14.8 million per annum at 1990-91 prices.
US Air Force Training
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what special considerations are taken into account when selecting data link areas in the United Kingdom for United States air force training with the GBU-15 glide bomb system.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Areas are selected in order to minimise interference with other frequency users.
Army (Hunting)
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of transporting Army horses and riders to fox and any other hunting events in 1989, 1990 and the current year.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Mansfield (Mr. Meale) on 11 June 1991 at column 521.
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Army personnel have been involved in hunting and associated duties in the last three years ; and what was the number of duty hours involved.
Column 269
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Equestrian skills are essential for all service personnel from units that have a mounted ceremonial role and hunting is a useful form of training and exercise for both horses and riders. Hunting, however, is not recorded as a separate activity and therefore cannot be readily identified.Technical Data Packages
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department takes to ensure the integrity of technical data packages passing between suppliers of equipment ordered by the procurement executive.
Mr. Alan Clark : Responsibility for ensuring that technical data packages are complete, accurate, and fit for the purpose for which they are required, rests with the company producing them. The Department does not seek to derogate from the company's contractual obligations.
Mr. Cyril Thomas
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will initiate an inquiry into the cause of death in 1988 of Mr. Cyril Thomas, formerly of Narbeth, Dyfed, following his employment at the Royal Ordnance factory at Woolwich and the atomic weapons establishment at Aldermaston ; and what recent communication his Department had with Mrs. Margaret Thomas, his widow.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : In the light of the evidence presented at the recent inquest on Mr. Cyril Thomas, I do not consider that there are grounds for any form of special inquiry into the cause of death. His widow, Mrs. Margaret Thomas, has been provided with full copies of his radiation dose record.
Skyguard Radar
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the dates and locations of deployments of Skyguard radars outside Ministry of Defence land for use as mobile simulated threats for training of air crew over the past two years.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Skyguard radars have been deployed outside Ministry of Defence land for use as mobile simulated threats for training of air crew on three occasions in the last two years. They were :
15 to 19 May 1990 East Lothian
18 to 22 November 1991 Dumfries and Galloway
2 to 6 December 1991 Devon
United Scientific Holdings/Avimo
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary aof State for Defence (1) whether his Department is taking any action to secure compensation from any other company in respect of ex-gratia payments made to United Scientific Holdings/Avimo ;
(2) what was the amount of ex-gratia payment made by his Department to United Scientific Holdings/Avimo in respect of that company's performance on the most recent contract for the delivery of thermal observation and gunnery sighting equipment.
Mr. Alan Clark : The details of extra-contractual payments made by my Department to particular firms, and of any actions taken with other companies to secure compensation, are commercially confidential.
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Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department is satisfied that the technical data package received by Avimo Ltd. in respect of its recent thermal observation and gunnery sighting equipment contract was sufficient to permit it properly to discharge its contractual obligations.
Mr. Alan Clark : It is not our normal practice to comment on the quality of particular products passing between our suppliers.
Gulf War
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the occasions on which statements made by his Department in respect of the deaths of British service men killed during action in the Gulf conflict have been subsequently corrected.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I have been able to identify only one change to an official statement on British personnel killed in action in the Gulf. This was the reduction to 24 of the total "killed in action", which I gave in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Davyhulme (Mr. Churchill) on 28 June at column 579. I am, however, aware that some of the early accounts about the weather and 3 RRF's activities given to the next of kin of personnel involved in the Warrior/A-10 friendly fire incident, through the regimental support system, later proved to be mistaken. I can assure the hon. Member that these accounts were given in good faith at the time. The answer that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Amber Valley (Mr. Oppenheim) on 24 July at columns 706-9 gave the official statement on the incident.
Exercises
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what RAF participation is scheduled in exercises (a) Red Flag 92-2, (b) Green Flag 92-3, (c) Maple Flag 25, (d) Red Flag 92-4 and (e) Green Flag 92-5.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Eight RAF Tornado and two RAF Hercules aircraft, together with three RAF regiment Rapier squadrons, are scheduled to participate in exercise Red Flag 92-2. Nine RAF Jaguar aircraft are scheduled to participate in exercise Maple Flag 25. No RAF participation is currently scheduled in exercises Green Flag 92-3, Red Flag 92-4 or Green Flag 92-5.
Disability
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many disabled people are currently employed in his Department ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : There are 1,164 registered disabled staff in the MOD. In addition, there are a number of staff with disabilities working in the MOD who have chosen not to register formally as disabled.
The MOD takes very seriously indeed its responsibilities as an equal opportunities employer and early in 1992 we will be launching a major programme for action for people with disabilities.
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Military Equipment
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the value of United Kingdom sales of military equipment (a) within the United Kingdom, (b) to EEC countries and (c) internationally, excluding EC countries, for each year since 1979 in (i) cash and (ii) 1991-92 prices.
Column 272
Mr. Alan Clark : The full information requested could be assembled in the precise form specified only at disproportionate cost.
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