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Mr. Archie Hamilton : We remain satisfied with the continuing credibility and effectiveness of our strategic nuclear deterrent. The possibility of future developments in anti-ballistic missile defence, however, confirms that wisdom of replacing Polaris with Trident.
RAF Training
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many persons have been killed during RAF training over rural mid-Wales each year since 1983 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The information requested is as follows :
Year |Aircraft type |Number of |Location
|fatalities
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 1987 |Jaguar |1 |Near Builth Wells,
| Powys
August 1987 |Phantom |2 |8 nm south of
| Aberystwyth
June 1989 |Hawk/Hawk |1 |Near Aberystwyth
|Mid-Air
August 1991 |Jaguar/Civilian |2<1> |Carno, Powys
|Cessna
<1>Including civilian pilot of Cessna.
The RAF attaches the highest priority to flight safety in all its training activities.
Biological Weapons
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's assessment of the number of countries currently involved in the development of biological weapons.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : It is assessed that about ten countries possess or seek to acquire a biological warfare capability. It is difficult to gauge exactly the number of countries that are involved because biological weapons can be developed and produced at civilian facilities.
Advertising
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give separate figures for the spending by his Department on (a) television advertising, (b) radio advertising, (c) newspaper advertising and (d) other promotional material in 1979-80 and in each following year up to and including 1991-92 ; and what is his latest estimate for 1992-93.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The information requested, in respect of centrally controlled expenditure, is as follows :
Column 539
|(a) |(b) |(c) |(d)
|Television |Radio |Newspaper |Other |Total
|advertising|advertising|advertising|promotional
|material
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |2.28 |0.04 |5.75 |0.14 |8.21
1980-81 |0.54 |0.17 |6.10 |0.85 |7.66
1981-82 |0.01 |0.04 |4.20 |1.04 |5.29
1982-83 |0.01 |0.07 |3.90 |1.03 |5.01
1983-84 |Nil |0.07 |5.30 |1.90 |7.27
1984-85 |0.49 |0.02 |6.86 |1.50 |8.87
1985-86 |1.82 |0.02 |6.82 |1.03 |9.69
1986-87 |0.73 |0.22 |8.07 |1.17 |10.19
1987-88 |0.55 |0.03 |7.68 |2.52 |10.78
1988-89 |2.86 |0.18 |9.56 |4.44 |17.04
1989-90 |4.18 |0.26 |13.36 |6.21 |24.01
1990-91 |2.88 |0.22 |9.21 |8.62 |20.93
1991-92 |3.28 |0.26 |7.93 |7.37 |18.84
1992-93 |2.15 |0.01 |7.20 |1.88 |11.24
Note: All figures are expressed in £ million.
Nuclear Testing
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will support a comprehensive test ban treaty to end underground nuclear testing.
Mr. Aitken : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 12 May 1992 at col. 90.
Newtown Firing Range
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to upgrade the Newtown firing range to electronic target range standards.
Channel Islands
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the defence installation facilities paid for by the Channel Islands states Governments as their contribution to the cost of their defence by the United Kingdom.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I will write to the hon. Member.
Iraq
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any request for the use of British forces for mine clearance in liberated areas of Iraq has been made.
Column 540
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There have been no requests from the Iraqi authorities for the assistance of British forces in clearing mines inside Iraq.
NATO Rapid Reaction Corps
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to seek alternative Army training grounds in eastern Europe for military manouevres for the NATO rapid reaction corps under British command.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There are currently no plans for either ARRC units or British Forces to use training areas in eastern Europe.
HMS Turbulent
Mr. Jamieson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when the report into the fire on-board HMS Turbulent on 30 April is complete, if he will make that report available to the public ; (2) when he expects the investigation into the fire on board HMS Turbulent on 30 April to be completed.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The report on the causes of the fire on-board HMS Turbulent has been completed. It is not our practice to release internal reports of this nature but I can confirm that the fire was due to a material defect in a switchboard which has now been rectified.
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