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Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what communications there have been between his Department and (a) British Aerospace, (b) GEC, (c) Lucas Aerospace and (d) other defence contractors regarding the industrial and economic consequences of "Options for Change".
Mr. Aitken : Ministers and officials in my Department are frequently in communication with a wide range of defence contractors, including all those mentioned by the hon. Gentleman, on the implications of changes to the defence programme.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make it his policy to publish a statement detailing the anticipated effect of the "Options for Change" process on (a) the procurement budget and (b) the personnel budget.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : On current plans the defence budget is set to fall by around 5.5 per cent. in real terms between 1990-91 and 1994-95 (excluding direct Gulf costs and redundancy provision) as the new force structure is introduced. Current forecasts suggest that the move to the new force structure will also lead to a small increase in the proportion of the budget spent on equipment and a slight decrease in the proportion devoted to personnel costs.
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Recruitment
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will change his policy on the release of information on the recruiting levels of individual regiments.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Information on the recruiting levels of individual regiments is not available centrally and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
Training
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many qualifications were acquired each year since records began by service personnel as a result of pre-release training.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Detailed records of the qualifications obtained are not kept by the MOD. Each year many thousands of service personnel undertake a wide variety of pre-release resettlement training courses. Much of this training is within civilian organisations or at civilian educational establishments and in many cases leads directly or contributes to recognised civilian qualifications. During their careers many service men and women also make use of service facilities and support to acquire a broad range of qualifications through attendance at further education courses and distance learning including the Open university.
Budget
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy regarding the release of information on the long-term costings of the defence budget.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The 10-year costing of the defence programme (known as the long-term costing) is designed for internal planning purposes. Approval to commit expenditure is subject to separate procedures and endorsement by Ministers as appropriate. To avoid giving a misleading impression as to the firmness of our plans, we would not therefore normally provide details of the contents of the long-term costing.
Naval Craft Orders
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many orders for (a) type 23 frigates, (b) auxiliary oiler replenishment vessels and (c) other naval craft will be placed in the next 10 years ; and in which years they will be ordered.
Mr. Aitken : Our plans to provide the Navy with modern, capable equipment include further orders of type 23 frigates and support ships. However, it is not our practice to disclose details of the internal planning assumptions made in our forward equipment programme.
Equipment Exports
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the approximate number of times in the last 12 years that contracts have been agreed for the supply of non-lethal military equipment to (a) Libya, (b) Iraq and (c) South Africa.
Mr. Aitken : It has been the consistent policy of successive Governments not to discuss particulars of
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defence sales with other countries as these are matters of commercial confidentiality. However, the Government adhere to the EC embargo on the sale of military equipment and services to Libya and the United Nations embargos on South Africa and Iraq. The United Kingdom has, in fact, refused since 1984 to supply defence equipment or services to Iraq which could prolong the Iran-Iraq conflict.Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many Rolls-Royce Olympus and Proteus engines have been sold to (a) the Iranian navy and (b) the Iraqi navy in the last 13 years ; (2) what spare parts for Chieftain tanks have been supplied to (a) the Iranian Government, (b) the Iraqi Government and (c) the Jordanian Government in the last 13 years ;
(3) how many air defence radars Plessey has sold to (a) the Iranian Government and (b) the Iraqi Government in the last 13 years ;
(4) which British companies have sold mortar-locating radar to the Iraqi Government in the last 13 years.
Mr. Aitken : It has been the consistent policy of successive Governments not to discuss particulars of defence sales with other countries as these are matters of commercial confidentiality. I would add, however, that since 1984 the United Kingdom has refused to supply any equipment which could prolong or exacerbate the Iran-Iraq conflict, and since August 1990 has complied with the terms of the United Nations embargo on arms sales to Iraq.
SCOTLAND
Rents-to-mortgages Scheme
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many sales have been completed under the Government's rents-to-mortgages scheme in Scotland ; and what this figure is as a proportion of the total number of tenants elegible to participate in the scheme.
Mr. Lang : Three hundred and six tenants had bought their homes under the rent-to-mortgage scheme at 31 March 1992. This represents just under 0.1 per cent. of the 370,000 tenants estimated to be eligible for the scheme.
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent by his Department on administration and publicity for the Government's rents-to-mortgages scheme since its inception.
Mr. Lang : My Department has spent £380,000 on publicity for the rent-to-mortgage scheme, including the cost of printing leaflets. No calculation has been made of the cost of the time spent by staff in my Department, since the work was part of their normal duties.
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many applications have been received under the Government's
rents-to-mortgages scheme from tenants of flats.
Mr. Lang : This information is not available.
M80
Mr. Norman Hogg : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his preferred line of route for the M80 between Staffs and Haggs.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 11 May 1992] : Consultation with Strathclyde regional council is being arranged for early next month, when a formal presentation to elected members and officials will outline the recommendations and conclusions of the feasibility study. A presentation to the district councils will follow soon afterwards. The comments and impact received will then be considered and amendments made where possible, prior to official publication of the line. This procedure should allow any conflict of interest to be addressed and discussed fully, and lead to early agreement on the recommended route and access arrangements. The present aim is to publish the preferred line later this year.Forestry Commission Land
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what changes he intends to make towards his policy of disposing of Forestry Commission land and woodlands ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 12 May 1992] : The Government have no plans to change the policy on the disposal of Forestry Commission land and woodlands which was set out by my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Edinburgh, Pentlands (Mr. Rifkind) on 16 June 1989, Official Report, columns 544-45.
Contempt of Court
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many instances there have been of committal to prison for contempt of court in the last 10 years for which information is available.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 12 May 1992] : The available information is set out in the table.
Persons sentenced to
custody for contempt
of court in Scotland
1981-90
Year |Number
---------------------
1981 |34
1982 |35
1983 |40
1984 |38
1985 |46
1986 |45
1987 |33
1988 |33
1989 |38
1990 |31
Note:
Only the charge
which receives the
severest penalty on
any occasion is
recorded in the
statistics, so when
any custodial
sentence for
contempt of court is
not the main
sentence, the
contempt of court
charge is not
included in the
table.
Self-inflicted Injury
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list by penal institution the number of instances of self-inflicted injury in the last 10 years for which information is available.
Lord James Douglas Hamilton [holding answer 12 May 1992] : The numbers of self-inflicted injuries by institution over the last 10 years are as follows :
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Suicides
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list by penal institution the number of cases of (a) attempted suicide and (b) suicide in the last 10 years for which information is available.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 12 May 1992] : The numbers of attempted suicides and suicides by institution over the last 10 years are as follows :
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Civil Jury Trials
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many civil jury trials have been heard in the Court of Session in each of the last 10 years for which information is available.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 12 May 1992] : The numbers of civil jury trials in the Court of Session for the years 1982 to 1991 inclusive are as follows :
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Sheriffs
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many persons currenty hold commissions as (a) full-time sheriffs and (b) temporary sheriffs.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 12 May 1992] : Ninety-six persons currently hold commissions as full-time sheriffs and 110 persons as temporary sheriffs.
Courts Administration
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current establishment of the Scottish Courts administration ; how many vacancies there are ; and in what grades.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 12 May 1991] : On 5 May 1992, the establishment of the Scottish court service was 758 full- time staff. There were 10 vacancies at that date, five in the AA grade and five typists.
Forestry Commission
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has any plans to privatise the Forestry Commission in full or in part ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 12 May 1992] : The Government have no such plans.
Population Statistics
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the mid-1991 estimates by the Register General of Populations of those aged 17 years and over, plus 63 per cent. of those aged 16 years for each district council area and parliamentary constituency in Scotland, together in each case with the 1992 electoral registration figures.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 12 May 1992] : The Registrar General's mid-1991 population estimates are not yet available. Provisional figures, based on the results of the 1991 census, will be prepared by September 1992. Electoral registration figures for 1992 have been published in OPCS Monitors EL 92/1 and EL 92/2 which cover, respectively, parliamentary constituencies and local government areas. Copies of both these publications are held in the Library.
Absent Voting
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland in what forms he holds information on the numbers of postal, proxy and expatriate votes issued and used during the 1987 and 1992 general elections.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Returning officers in Scotland are at present sending information to my right hon. Friend about the numbers of postal votes issued and used during the 1992 general election for eventual publication as part of a House of Commons paper. The information for the 1987 general election is contained in tables 3 and 5 of House of Commons Paper No. 426 of 20 April 1988 "Election Expenses".
In this context, it is not possible to distinguish between postal votes and postal proxy votes which may have been used by overseas voters.
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