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ALFENS
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are his current estimated dates for the (a) initial and (b) full operating capability of the automated low-flying flight planning inquiry and notification system; what period of delay these dates represent over the original completion date agreed in the production contract; and what are the causes of the delays.
Mr. Hanley : The programme for completion of the ALFENS project is under review. It is likely that there will be some delay beyond the date specified in the production contract. We are not yet in a position to provide a revised completion date.
RAF East Camp, Hendon
Mr. Gorst : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the value of the 36 acre site at RAF East Camp in Hendon; what was its estimated value six years ago; and what effect his Department expects further delays in its disposal to have on the return on the sale of the site.
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Mr. Hanley : This information is commercial in confidence and it would be prejudicial to current and future negotiations for the sale of the site to release it. The effect of further delays in the disposal of the site on the financial return from sale is dependent on the movement of property values in general.
Mr. Gorst : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent listed buildings of a national heritage calibre are being vandalised and are falling into disrepair at the 36 acre site at RAF East Camp in Hendon; and when he estimates that work to develop this section set aside for the RAF museum will be started.
Mr. Hanley : The listed buildings at the former East Camp of RAF Hendon are being protected against vandalism and the weather as far as possible, but as the buildings are not in use, they can be expected to deteriorate. Negotiations over the area set aside for the RAF museum continue and we aim to conclude them as quickly as possible.
Mr. Gorst : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how long the 36 acre site at RAF East Camp in Hendon has been vacant; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for the delay in disposal of the site.
Mr. Hanley : The former East Camp of RAF Hendon has been vacant for 5.5 years. A downturn in the property market, inadequate infrastructure for alternative uses, listed building constraints and an inability to reconcile local planning aspirations with developer demand have contributed to the delay in disposal of the site.
Mr. Gorst : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to develop the 36 acre site at RAF East Camp in Hendon ; when he estimates that they will be implemented ; and if he will give an estimate of the effect on the revenues to his Department of the length of time during which this property has been left vacant.
Mr. Hanley : It remains our aim to bring about the development of the former East Camp of RAF Hendon as soon as practicable. Two acres have been sold to the Metropolitan police and an offer for a further five acres of the site including the former officers mess is under consideration. My Department is unable to secure the viable reuse of the majority of East Camp and optimise the potential financial return while wider planning issues remain unresolved.
Mr. Gorst : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set up a public inquiry to establish the circumstances that have led to a delay in the development of the RAF East Camp in Hendon and to the state of listed buildings on the site ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : No such inquiry is planned.
Mr. Gorst : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what problems his Department has encountered relating to planning permission from the borough of Barnet in disposing of the 36 acre site at RAF East Camp in Hendon ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : Negotiations with the London borough of Barnet have been protracted and there remains a fundamental difference of opinion between the borough council, the Ministry of Defence and our professional
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consultants regarding the ways in which the site might be redeveloped. In particular, the borough council's planning brief has not generated any viable commercial interest when tested in the marketplace, given the constraints upon the site and the generally depressed state of the property market. We are, however, maintaining a constructive dialogue to try to resolve the difficulties as quickly as possible.Piers
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the location and number of piers previously owned by his Ministry which have been sold in Scotland in the past 10 years ; and if he will give details of the purchaser and the selling price in each case.
Mr. Hanley : Details of the piers in Scotland formerly owned by my Department which have been sold in the past 10 years and the purchaser in each case are set out below. The sale prices are commercial in confidence.
Location |Purchaser |Date sold -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arrochar |Clydebank Developments|21 January 1993 Invergordon |The Bannerman Company |31 May 1993 Inveraray |I. Turner |2 June 1993 Holy Loch (Ardnadam) |G. R. Thompson |11 June 1993
In addition, offers for the purchase of two further piers at Holy Loch (Sandbank) and Gourock are at an advanced stage of consideration by my Department.
Aldermaston
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett) of 22 July, Official Report, column 353 , if he will set out the reason for the confidentiality of the Aldermaston Radioactive Waste and Decommissioning Document to which he refers; and whether he applies the harm test to the refusal to disclose information, as set out at paragraph 3.7 of the White Paper on open government (Cm 2290).
Mr. Aitken : The decommissioning plan is a classified document and the waste management plan contains commercially sensitive information. The information contained in these two documents is such that the harm test, as set out in paragraph 3.7 of the White Paper on open government (Cm 2290), is applicable.
Anthony Evans
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action has been taken to discipline those soldiers identified as being involved in the racial abuse and harrassment of Anthony George Evans, a former private in the first battalion of the Royal Regiment of Wales.
Mr. Hanley : The soldiers were dealt with summarily by their commanding officer. It is not our practice to comment on the disciplinary action taken by commanding officers in such cases.
1*XK
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Depleted UraniumMr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 19 July 1993, Official Report, column 80 , whether the testing of depleted uranium-tipped shells is covered by his policy of not revealing the costs of nuclear testing.
Mr. Aitken : No. Depleted uranium (DU) is not a fissile material and is used for armour-piercing projectiles because of its high density and mechanical properties. Ammunition natures which incorporate DU cannot be regarded as nuclear weapons, do not form part of the defence nuclear programme, and it is not sensible to link their testing with the testing of nuclear weapons.
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received since 28 July from (a) serving members of the armed forces, (b) retired service people and (c) members of the public who fear they are suffering (i) from the alleged Desert Storm syndrome or (ii) from the effects of testing missiles tipped with depleted uranium at sites in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Hanley : Since 28 July my Department have received one representation from an ex-soldier who alleges he is suffering from Desert Storm syndrome. He has been advised to consult his general practitioner in the first instance with a view to referring the case to the defence medical services.
Fylingdales
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the electromagnetic radiation levels around the Fylingdales monitoring station in Yorkshire.
Mr. Hanley : I am writing to the hon. Member and will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.
Ammunition
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidelines are issued on the use of (a) dum-dum bullets and (b) Frag 12 exploding ammunition in the United Kingdom by the armed forces.
Mr. Hanley : No such ammunition is held by our armed forces.
MOD Police
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent Home Office police regulations are applied to members of the Ministry of Defence police.
Mr. Hanley : The Ministry of Defence police force (MDP) is constituted in accordance with the Ministry of Defence Police Act 1987. This Act, from which the independent MDP force derives its authority, sets out where and how far the MDP powers and privileges of constable operate in the United Kingdom.
In addition to the 1987 Act, Home Office guidelines have been drawn up to assist in defining the respective responsibilities of the MDP and local police forces. These have been agreed by the Association of Chief Police Officers for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland and by the chief constable MDP.
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As with the Home Department Police Forces, the MDP operates in accordance with all appropriate legislation and in particular the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.As well as holding the office of constable, the MDP are non-industrial civil servants and their terms and conditions of employment being covered by both departmental and police regulations reflect this unique position. Those areas of employment specifically drawn from police regulations encompass :
Appointment Qualifications
Probation
Discipline
Conditional Allowances
Pay
Overtime
"Police" Allowances, e.g. :
Housing
Plain Clothes
Detective Duty
Detective Expenses
Leave
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if a Minister from his Department will meet representatives of the Ministry of Defence Police Federation to discuss the ramifications of (a) the Sheehy report, (b) the White Paper on police and (c) matters of general concern to federation members which are not operational matters reserved for the chief constable.
Mr. Hanley : The Government have yet to complete their deliberations on the way forward in implementing the recommendations of the Sheehy report and the White Paper on police and it is too early to say how far these initiatives will apply to the Ministry of Defence police. A review team is to be appointed under the chairmanship of Sir John Blelloch, to examine how these and other matters may affect the future structure, organisation and conditions of service of the Ministry of Defence police. The review team will consult widely and seek among others the views of the MOD police staff associations including the Defence Police Federation. These matters will also be considered in accordance with the normal consultative procedures and a special meeting of the Ministry of Defence police joint consultative committee (JCC) is to be convened for this purpose.
Under the terms of the consultative agreement the MOD police staff associations are allowed access to Ministers, but matters raised should normally have been first considered within the joint consultative committee forum. At this stage therefore it would be premature for Ministers to meet representatives of the Defence Police Federation, but should their representatives have continuing concerns following the special JCC meeting, it would be open for them to seek discussions at ministerial level.
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who serves on the police committee of the Ministry of Defence police ; and how often it has met over the past five years.
Mr. Hanley : The current membership of the Ministry of Defence police committee is as follows :
Second Permanent Under Secretary of State--Chairman
Vice Chief of the Defence Staff--Vice Chairman
Deputy Under Secretary of State (Civilian Management)
Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff --(Operations/Security) Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff
Assistant Chief of the General Staff
Assistant Chief of the Air Staff
Assistant Under Secretary of State (Security and Counter
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Terrorism)--ClerkSuch other persons as the Secretary of State may from time to time appoint.
In addition, the following who are not members attend the meetings on a regular basis :
Chief Constable Ministry of Defence Police--accompanied by the Deputy Chief Constable MDP and Head of MDP Secretariat as required) Police Adviser
Scottish Police Adviser
The number of times the police committee has met over the last five years is as follows :
Year |Number
------------------------
1989 |4
1990 |3
1991 |4
1992 |4
1993 |3
|-------
Total |18
<1>ACDS (Ops/Sy) and
ACAS replace Assistant
Under Secretary for
Research and
Development
Establishments and
Research Administration,
AUS(ER), a defunct
post and Commodore
General and Director
General of Security for
the Royal Air Force (CG
and DG SY(RAF)). The
latter posts are at
present included in
statutory instrument
1988 No. 1098 which
promulgates the police
committee membership,
but a new statutory
instrument in the
course of preparation
will reflect the
updated changes in
composition.
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what joint consultation procedure exists between the police committee of the Ministry of Defence police, and that force's Police Federation, and the representative bodies of other ranks at which matters relating to police pay and conditions of service are discussed ; what is the membership of the joint body ; and on how many occasions it has met in the past five years.
Mr. Hanley : Ministry of Defence police pay and conditions of service are discussed in accordance with the memorandum of agreement on the consultative machinery between the Ministry of Defence, the Defence Police Federation (DPF) and the Chief Police Officers Association (CPOA). The means of implementing this agreement is the Ministry of Defence police joint consultative committee (JCC). The membership of this joint consultative committee is as follows : Official Side Representation
2nd Permanent Under Secretary of State--Chairman
Deputy Under Secretary of State (Civilian Management)--Deputy Chairman
Vice Chief of The Defence Staff
Chief Constable Ministry of Defence Police
Head of Ministry of Defence Police Secretariat
Staff Side Representation
Chairman of the Chief Police Officers' Association
Chairman of the Defence Police Federation
Vice-Chairman of the Defence Police Federation
General Secretary of the Defence Police Federation
Secretariat
Civilian Management (Ministry of Defence Police)
The JCC normally meets twice a year and there have been nine meetings in the past five years.
Search and Rescue
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many missions have been flown by search and rescue helicopters at each RAF and naval search and rescue base in the United Kingdom in each year since 1986 ; and how many of these missions were military and how many civilian.
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Mr. Hanley : The information requested is given below :
1986
|Civilian|Military|Total
--------------------------------------------------
RAF
Boulmer |90 |14 |104
Brawdy |87 |11 |98
Chivenor |98 |12 |110
Coltishall |65 |10 |75
Leconfield |74 |18 |92
Leuchars |109 |11 |120
Lossiemouth |151 |16 |167
Manston |98 |2 |100
Valley |123 |5 |128
Aldergrove |6 |0 |6
|--- |--- |---
RAF Total |901 |99 |1,000
RN
Culdrose |75 |3 |78
Lee-on-Solent |115 |4 |119
Portland |5 |0 |5
Prestwick |53 |5 |58
|--- |--- |---
RN Total |248 |12 |260
1987
|Civilian|Military|Total
--------------------------------------------------
RAF
Boulmer |104 |16 |120
Brawdy |117 |17 |134
Chivenor |107 |21 |128
Coltishall |89 |18 |107
Leconfield |81 |12 |93
Leuchars |103 |10 |113
Lossiemouth |134 |19 |153
Manston |117 |4 |121
Valley |137 |15 |152
Aldergrove |18 |0 |18
|--- |--- |---
RAF Total |1,007 |132 |1,139
RN
Culdrose |116 |38 |154
Lee-on-Solent |131 |5 |136
Portland |1 |0 |1
Prestwick |49 |6 |55
|--- |--- |---
RN Total |297 |49 |346
1988
|Civilian|Military|Total
--------------------------------------------------
RAF
Boulmer |116 |9 |125
Brawdy |141 |13 |154
Chivenor |169 |19 |188
Coltishall |79 |14 |93
Leconfield |103 |10 |113
Leuchars |134 |18 |152
Lossiemouth |128 |18 |146
Manston |144 |3 |147
Valley |158 |9 |167
Aldergrove |16 |1 |17
|--- |--- |---
RAF Total |1,188 |114 |1,302
RN
Culdrose |143 |27 |170
Lee-on-Solent |67 |3 |70
Portland |104 |9 |113
Prestwick |70 |12 |82
|--- |--- |---
RN Total |384 |51 |435
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1989
--------------------------------------
RAF
Boulmer |112 |13 |125
Brawdy |143 |5 |148
Chivenor |176 |13 |189
Coltishall |74 |23 |97
Leconfield |128 |14 |142
Leuchars |114 |19 |133
Lossiemouth |126 |10 |136
Manston |157 |8 |165
Valley |179 |13 |192
Aldergrove |19 |0 |19
|--- |--- |---
RAF Total |1,228|118 |1,346
RN
Culdrose |204 |11 |215
Lee-on-Solent |0 |0 |0
Portland |105 |16 |121
Prestwick |80 |6 |86
|--- |--- |---
RN Total |389 |33 |422
1990
|Civilian|Military|Total
--------------------------------------------------
RAF
Boulmer |127 |10 |137
Brawdy |163 |9 |172
Chivenor |145 |12 |157
Coltishall |74 |24 |98
Leconfield |125 |16 |141
Leuchars |119 |6 |125
Lossiemouth |154 |15 |169
Manston |175 |5 |180
Valley |160 |16 |176
Aldergrove |9 |0 |9
|--- |--- |---
RAF Total |1,251 |113 |1,364
RN
Culdrose |213 |24 |237
Lee-on-Solent |0 |0 |0
Portland |97 |12 |109
Prestwick |126 |7 |133
|--- |--- |---
RN Total |436 |43 |479
1991
|Civilian|Military|Total
--------------------------------------------------
RAF
Boulmer |108 |10 |118
Brawdy |155 |7 |162
Chivenor |139 |10 |149
Coltishall |60 |10 |70
Leconfield |99 |12 |111
Leuchars |154 |7 |161
Lossiemouth |208 |16 |224
Manston |141 |7 |148
Valley |155 |11 |166
Aldergrove |19 |2 |21
|--- |--- |---
RAF Total |1,238 |92 |1,330
RN
Culdrose |172 |34 |206
Lee-on-Solent |0 |0 |0
Portland |97 |9 |106
Prestwick |143 |8 |151
|--- |--- |---
RN Total |412 |51 |463
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1992
|Civilian|Military|Total
--------------------------------------------------
RAF
Boulmer |125 |9 |134
Brawdy |151 |7 |158
Chivenor |163 |11 |174
Coltishall |103 |3 |106
Leconfield |146 |14 |160
Leuchars |118 |13 |131
Lossiemouth |227 |14 |241
Manston |157 |5 |162
Valley |179 |8 |187
Aldergrove |20 |2 |22
|--- |--- |---
RAF Total |1,389 |86 |1,475
RN
Culdrose |204 |29 |233
Lee-on-Solent |0 |0 |0
Portland |126 |12 |138
Prestwick |153 |15 |168
|--- |--- |---
RN Total |483 |56 |539
Jetstream Aircraft
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what discussions he has had with British Aerospace about possible orders to be placed by his Department for new Jetstream aircraft ; what the outcome has been ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what representations or request he has received concerning the relaunch of the ATP aircraft as Jetstream 61 ; what action he has taken as a result ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) what representations he has received concerning the replacement of the Jetstream aircraft currently operated by the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force with new aircraft ; what discussions or action have followed ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Aitken : A number of representations concerning the replacement of Royal Navy and Royal Air Force Jetstream aircraft have been received. My officials maintain a regular dialogue with British Aerospace to discuss future requirements. However, there is currently no requirement for turbo- prop aircraft to replace those in-service with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. Should a future requirement emerge, British Aerospace would have every opportunity to compete.
NATO
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what projects in the United Kingdom have been in receipt of infrastructural funding from NATO in the last 10 years for which information is available ; and how much such funding there has been in each case.
Mr. Hanley : The number of projects in the United Kingdom funded in the past 10 years and the amount funded is as follows :
Year |Amount (£) |Total Projects ------------------------------------------------------------ 1982 |57,842,282 |22 1983 |26,284,008 |18 1984 |72,720,315 |27 1985 |84,590,421 |42 1986 |107,233,047 |47 1987 |78,669,515 |48 1988 |92,685,963 |69 1989 |75,262,451 |64 1990 |85,506,958 |64 1991 |33,049,156 |73 1992 |34,219,482 |59
EMPLOYMENT -- Offshore Oil Workers
Mr. Bates : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the policy of his Department when dealing with claims for unemployment benefit by those formerly employed in offshore oil and gas fields.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Michael Bates, dated 18 October 1993 :
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question to him about the policy of his Department when dealing with claims for unemployment benefit by those formerly employed in offshore oil and gas fields. This is something which falls within the responsibilities he has delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
All claims for unemployment benefit, including those from people formerly employed in offshore oil and gas fields, are dealt with in accordance with the provisions of Social Security legislation. Unemployed people who have paid sufficient National Insurance contributions, are available for and actively seeking employed earners employment in GB, and are not disqualified from receiving benefit for any reason, may receive unemployment benefit. I hope this is helpful.
As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.
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