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WainfleetGuns, Rockets, Practice bombs and Inert bombs
West Freugh
High Explosive bombs, Practice bombs, Cluster bombs, Dispensers, Guns and Rockets
Wiley Sike
Practice bombs
Aircrew Pay Enhancements
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what pay enhancements are granted to aircrew operating in areas of actual or potential combat operations.
Mr. Hanley : United Kingdom service personnel are not paid danger money. However, the Xfactor which they receive throughout their careers irrespective of where they are stationed, which is currently 11.5 per cent. of basic salary, contains an element which recognises the need for them to serve on occasions under difficult and dangerous circumstances.
Military Air Traffic Zones
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration is being given to altering the size and shape of military air traffic zones around military airfields ; and what criteria are being used in any such assessment.
Mr. Hanley : The national air traffic service--NATS--has in hand a review to assess whether changes to the existing shape of military air traffic zones--MATZs--would enable more efficient use to be made of the available airspace. The criterion being applied is that the current volume of MATZ airspace should not increase, and where possible should decrease.
Any changes resulting from the review would be promulgated in the United Kingdom "Aeronautical Information Publication" and published in an aeronautical information circular.
RAF Depots
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects a final decision will be announced following the end of the consultation period on the recommendations of the equipment support depot report into RAF depots.
Mr. Hanley : A final decision on the recommendations of the equipment support depot study will be made as soon as possible after the end of the consultation period on 18 March 1994, having given proper consideration to all representations received.
Redundancies
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many redundancies are planned in the armed services in (a) 1994, (b) 1995 and (c) 1996.
Mr. Hanley : We anticipate that in the financial year 1993-94, 8, 482 service personnel and in the financial year 1994-95, 4,639 naval and Air Force personnel will leave on redundancy terms. The number of Army personnel to leave on redundancy terms in the financial year 1994-95 has not yet been determined. There are currently no plans for redundancies in the financial year 1995-96.
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Departmental Properties, Huntingdon
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Ministry's properties there are in the Huntingdon constituency area ; and how many are empty.
Mr. Hanley : As at 31 December 1993, there were 1,508 service married quarters in the Huntingdon constituency area, of which 51 were vacant. Of these, 30 were awaiting major maintenance work and three were allocated to service families who were due to move in shortly. In addition, there were 26 properties which were formerly married quarters but are now used as single accommodation, storage and welfare facilities. Of these, five were vacant as they were uninhabitable.
Helicopter Noise Insulation Scheme
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will give details of the results of the review of the helicopter noise insulation scheme in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Hanley : The Ministry of Defence noise insulation grant scheme has now been extended at the helicopter landing sites as Bessbrook, Forkhill and Crossmaglen. Details of the scheme have been passed to the Newry and Mourne district council. A meeting is being arranged with the council when a detailed explanation of the scheme will be given. All householders concerned will be notified about the scheme and how to apply for a grant.
Loch Long
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will estimate when local fishermen, including members of the Clyde fishermen's association, will be allowed to fish Loch Long, using demersal gear ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what discussions have taken place concerning the removal of debris from the floor of Loch Long ; in what proportions the costs will be shared between Her Majesty's Government and the USA ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : Annual licences issued by the Queen's harbour master-- QHM--Clyde currently permit fishing within Loch Long, including the use of demersal gear.
The hon. Member may have in mind Holy Loch. With effect from July 1993, fishing is now aslo permitted within Holy Loch. We have, however, recently become aware that there is some debris, essentially scrap metal, on the bed of Holy Loch which could pose a hazard to fishing gear. As a precaution, the QHM has issued a local warning notice identifying the area we suspect to be fouled.
We are pursuing this issue as a matter of urgency. If it appears that the debris is related to the erstwhile presence of the United States Navy we shall of course discuss the issue with the appropriate US authorities.
Bullying
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent guidelines concerning the elimination of bullying and intimidation of young recruits and others have been issued to commanding officers in all three services ; if he will place a copy of the guidelines in the Library ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : It has been made clear throughout the three services that bullying and other ill-treatment will not
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be tolerated. In October 1993, the Adjutant General issued the Army's discipline and standards paper which set out the standards of behaviour expected from members of the Army. A copy of the paper will be placed in the Library of the House ; paragraphs 24 to 26 address the issue of bullying and initiation ceremonies.No similar guidelines have recently been issued to commanding officers in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. However, current standing orders of the Royal Air Force expressly forbid any form of bullying or participation in initiation ceremonies.
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of (a) the Royal Navy, (b) the Army and (c) the Royal Air Force have been tried and convicted at courts martial for the offence of bullying in each of the past five years ; how many were (i) officers, (ii) non- commissioned officers and (iii) other ranks ; what was the range of penalties imposed ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence will write to the hon. Member.
Disposal of Land
Mr. Viggers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details of the terms upon which his Department disposes of land it no longer requires.
Mr. Hanley : It is our normal practice to dispose of the freehold of surplus land in which there is no former owner or pre-emptive interest on the open market by competitive tender with the most favourable planning permission achievable, so as to maximise the return to the taxpayer. A range of other methods may be used if professional advice indicates that such alternatives would produce better value.
Training
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what current arrangements exist to train service personel in the history and politics of the former Yugoslavia ; what plans he has to increase the amount of training in these matters ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : Units warned for duty in the former Yugoslavia receive comprehensive briefing, which includes the history, geography, ethnic make- up and political and socio-economic development of the region. In addition, units undergo a special UN training programme, which includes information on the region and its peoples. Individuals nominated as UN military observers undergo extra training to prepare them for their specialist role. I am satisfied that these arrangements meet current needs.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many liaison officers with training in Serbo-Croat are currently attached to 1 Battalion, Coldstream Guards.
Mr. Hanley : There are 16 civilian and seven military liaison officers trained in Serbo-Croat currently attached to 1 Battalion, Coldstream Guards.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what current arrangements exist to train service personnel in Serbo-Croat ; what plans he has to increase the amount of training in Serbo-Croat ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Hanley : The present arrangements include six-month courses for military interpreters at the Defence School of Languages, basic "language survival" courses as part of pre-deployment training, the issue of word lists, and low-level training for all personnel in theatre. These arrangements meet the current operational requirements of the three services and there is no reason for an increase in training. If, however, the requirements change then additional training in Serbo-Croat would need to be addressed.
Military Exercises
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military exercises involving the operational use of both HMS Intrepid and HMS Fearless have been held in each year since 1982 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : As HMS Intrepid and HMS Fearless have alternated between being fully operational, and being refitted or held in a state of extended readiness, there have been no exercises, in the time period specified, in which both ships have participated.
Defence Research Agency
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken in the last two years to improve the formal quality and project management of the Defence Research Agency and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Aitken : This is a matter delegated to the Defence Research Agency under its framework document. I have therefore asked the chief executive to reply directly to the hon. Member.
Letter from J. Chisholm to Dr. David Clark, dated 20 January 1994 :
In today's written answer the Minister of State for Defence Procurement informed you that I would be replying to your question about formal quality and project management improvements in the Defence Research Agency.
When the Agency was set up in April 1991 it had no formal customer/supplier relationship and no requirement for formal quality certification. It became clear from the results of the satisfaction surveys we carried out that our customers' perceived our ability to manage their programmes and our lack of formal quality certification as a weakness. We decided that if the DRA was to survive as a trading organisation in a competitive environment what was needed was a strong quality culture within the DRA and a major reorientation in our work practices so that customer care and management of customer programmes became key drivers. I will deal with the quality initiative first.
The key to effective change is establishing the mechanisms that empower people at all levels in the organisation to contribute to improving effectiveness and efficiency. The Total Quality Process initiative we instituted in 1992 is the vehicle that allows this to happen. This initiative is not just about achieving formal quality standards such as BS 5750 though these are important to our customers ; it is about identifying, developing and implementing the simplest and most cost effective ways of carrying out our business. The DRA has made a promising start and our goal is to establish TQP throughout the organisation by March 1995 and formal quality BS 5750 certification by December 1996.
The changes we have introduced to the way we manage our research projects are based on the need to respond flexibly and quickly to customer requirements ; to put together teams to address particular issues or tasks ; and to empower those teams to manage their projects efficiently. A major element in all this is a comprehensive training programme to equip our managers with the necessary commercial and project management skills to do
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the job effectively ; this should be completed by the end of April. We are also looking at the best way of identifying and addressing any weaknesses or problems in the way we manage our projects. Both these initiatives are unlikely to yield quick results but we believe we have laid the foundations which will provide a lasting improvement in efficiency and effectiveness that will be of considerable benefit and value to our customers.Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 14 January, Official Report, columns 344-45, if he will give details of the various Heckler and Koch weapons that were built at the royal small arms factory, Enfield, and subsequently sold to Heckler and Koch (UK), listing the number and type of weapons sold in each year between 1970 and 1985 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Aitken : The information requested is not available from official sources.
Performance Review (Indicators)
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 14 January, Official Report, column 349, if he will publish declassified copies of the indicators of military capability and readiness for forces and headquarters that are used as the basis for the quantitative aspect of performance review ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : Data on military capability and readiness must remain classified, and cannot therefore be published.
Ministry of Defence Flights
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 14 January, Official Report, columns 347-48, how many non-MOD personnel are passengers on any of the weekly scheduled flights to Washington, Belize and Decimomannu ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : The number of non-MOD personnel travelling as passengers on the weekly scheduled flights to Washington, Belize and Decimomannu varies in accordance with availability of seats and the demand.
Non-MOD passengers can be grouped into two categories :
(a) Staff employed in support of MOD contracts, and
(b) Staff of other Government Departments.
Figures for the 12 months to October 1993 for return journeys for these two categories are as follows :
|(a) |(b)
|Contractors|OGDs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Between Brize Norton and Washington |125 |361
Between Brize Norton and Decimomannu |9 |16
Between Brize Norton and Belize |11 |32
In addition, MOD personnel and their dependants are entitled to use empty seats on a fill-up standby basis at a nominal administrative cost to the individual. It is not possible to differentiate between MOD personnel and their dependants without disproportionate cost.
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Background Briefing
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 14 January, Official Report, column 343, what criteria he used to select the journalists who were given a background briefing on 20 December ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Aitken : The criterion for the invitation to journalists to the briefing on the defence costs study was that they should be specialist defence correspondents from national media organisations.
Sea Harrier
Mr. Mans : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he proposes to take to maintain the capability of the Royal Navy's Sea Harrier force.
Mr. Aitken : In order to sustain the Royal Navy's Sea Harrier force well into the future, I am pleased to announce the decision to purchase a total of 18 new FRS2 aircraft and to convert a further five FRS1s to FRS2 under the current mid-life update programme. Contracts for the programme are being placed as satisfactory terms are agreed, under the Department's no acceptable price, no contract--NAPNOC--procedures, in order to secure best value for money. The contract for the 18 new aircraft has now been placed with British Aerospace at a value of some £200 million.
Trident
Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the latest estimate of the cost of the Trident programme ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Rifkind : The current estimate of the total project cost of the Trident programme is £11,631 million, if all expenditure, including payments already made, is brought up to current prices and a common exchange rate of £1=$1.44, as assumed in the long-term costing of the defence programme. If payments already made are expressed at the prices and exchange rates actually incurred, the equivalent estimate is now £9,937 million. Expenditure on the Trident programme to 31 August 1993 represented some 67 per cent. of the overall estimate. After allowing for the effects of inflation and exchange rate variations, the revised estimate of £11,631 million represents real cost reduction of £24 million compared to that announced last year. The increase in cash terms is £955 million, primarily as a result of a less beneficial exchange rate. The reduction in real terms since the original 1982 Trident II estimate, including the savings resulting from the decision to have United Kingdom missiles processed in the United States facility at Kings bay, Georgia, now stands at some £3.5 billion.
The proportion of the estimate for work undertaken in the United Kingdom has decreased from 74 per cent. to 70 per cent. reflecting the change in exchange rate.
I am pleased to say that the Trident programme remains on schedule to enter service in the mid-1990s. There has been no slippage in the in-service date since the decision to purchase Trident II was announced in March 1982. I am, as in previous years, sending to the Chairmen of the Public Accounts Committee and the Select Committee on Defence a more detailed report on the programme. I am also placing a copy of this report in the Library of the House.
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ENVIRONMENT
Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library copies of all the representations he has received from other Governments (a) in favour of and (b) opposed to THORP ; and if he will indicate whether any
intergovernmental correspondence arose in each case.
Mr. Atkins : I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to the hon. Members for Pembroke (Mr. Ainger) and for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) on Monday 29 November, Official Report, columns 385-86 . In addition, letters have been received from the Governments of Japan and Iceland. All have been notified of the decisions of the Secretary of State and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food concerning discharge authorisations for the Sellafield site, as has the Environment Minsiter of each EC member state and the EC environment commissioner. Correspondence between the United Kingdom and overseas Governments or the EC Commission is treated in confidence.
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 13 December, Official Report , column 449 , how many civil servants were involved in the preparation of the United Kingdom submission to the European Commission on article 37 on radioactive waste discharges from THORP ; and what was the cost of preparing the document.
Mr. Atkins : A number of civil servants were involved in preparing the "General Data relating to the arrangements for Disposal of Radioactive Wastes" as called for under article 37 of the Euratom treaty. The cost of preparing the document is not readily ascertainable.
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many of the responses to which he refers in his report on BNFL Sellafield further public consultation, published on 15 December, were submitted in a language other than English ; and what arrangements were made to translate such submissions.
Mr. Atkins : A few responses in German were received and read. About 1,300 proforma responses were also received from Japan in English as well as in Japanese.
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the basis of his statement in
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paragraph 26 of his decision document on THORP of15 December, that there are no risk-free options for energy supply ; and if he will list the risks for each energy production or conversion technology. Mr. Atkins It is evident that industrial activities in the energy sector will involve risks, both for workers and the public. These will inevitably arise from such activities as construction and transport and may also arise from the disposal or discharge of wastes or combustion products. There may also be major accident risks, as exemplified by the Aberfan and Piper Alpha disasters.As regards the hon. Member's request for quantification of the various risks, information is available from a number of published studies. Among these are the Health and Safety Executive's 1992 publication "The Tolerability of Risk from Nuclear Power Stations" and the document "The Safety of Nuclear Power"--safety series no. 75--INSAG--5--published in 1992 by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Market Charters
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the names and addresses of those making complaints regarding market charters since1 January 1993 and give details of the basis of each complaint.
Mr. Baldry : I refer to the answers given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Planning to the hon. Members for Birmingham, Ladywood (Ms Short) and for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett) on Tuesday 18 January. The additional information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Energy Expenditure
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the energy expenditure for 1990-91, and for 1992-93, for each Government Department set out as in the first column of table 1 of his answer of 20 October 1993, Official Report, columns 257-58.
Mr. Atkins : Energy expenditure by each Government Department for the periods requested, and also for 1991-92, is shown in the table :
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Departmental energy expenditure
£ million
Department 1990-91 1991-92 1992-93
MAFF-Main Estates |3.2 |3.6 |3.9
-Buffer Depots |0.1 |0.1 |0.1
Cabinet Office |0.4 |0.5 |0.5
Customs and Excise |2.1 |3.4 |3.6
Defence-Civil |4.5 |5.5 |5.9
-Royal Navy |\
-Army | | |167.7 |195.8 |200.7
-RAF |/
-Procurement Executive |\ |/ |11.0 |11.3
-Defence Research Agency |/ |22.9 |\ |13.9 |11.5
Education |0.5 |0.7 |0.5
Employment |9.3 |10.4 |9.8
Environment |2.0 |2.1 |2.0
Foreign and Commonwealth |0.9 |1.1 |1.0
Health |0.7 |1.1 |0.8
Home Office-Non-Prisons |1.9 |2.4 |2.6
-Prisons |20.1 |23.5 |24.4
Inland Revenue |9.9 |12.0 |12.7
Lord Chancellor's |5.2 |6.2 |6.4
Overseas Development Administration |N/a |0.7 |0.7
National Heritage |- |- |N/a
National Savings |1.2 |1.2 |1.3
Northern Ireland Office |10.4 |10.0 |10.4
Scottish Office |0.9 |0.7 |1.0
Scottish Courts |N/a |1.0 |1.0
Scottish Prisons |2.5 |2.6 |3.3
Social Security |12.5 |14.2 |15.6
Trade and Industry |5.2 |6.0 |5.5
Transport |3.7 |4.3 |4.3
Her Majesty's Treasury |0.4 |0.4 |0.3
Welsh Office |0.6 |0.6 |0.6
Total |288.8 |355.0 |341.7
Notes:
1. Figures are actual expenditure: no adjustments have been made for weather correction, fuel price changes or changes to estate size. The Energy Efficiency Office's performance indicators, £ per square metre, takes account of these factors, and Departmental progress towards the
Government's estate 15 per cent. energy efficiency target using this indicator was set out in the written answer dated 20 October 1993. Performance against two further indicators, using CO2 emissions, was also published.
2. Some figures are revisions to those previously published. Equally, 1992-93 figures may be subject to revision.
Government Car Service
Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes have taken place since 1979-80 in the method of recording the cost of the Government car service.
Mr. Baldry : Until 1 April 1989, the Government car service costs were recorded as part of the Crown suppliers trading fund. On 1 April 1989, the Government car service transferred to the PSA. Since then, costs have been separately recorded as part of the vote and a separate GCS memorandum trading account has been developed. The GCS now produces full commercial- style accruals accounts for management purposes.
Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will quantify the cost of the factors which led to an increase in the cost of cars for Ministers in his Department since 1990-91.
Mr. Baldry : I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to him by my right hon. Friend on Friday3 December 1993-- Official Report, column 759 --and on Thursday 16 December 1993-- Official Report, column
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827 --in which he indicated that the cost of cars for Ministers in the DOE was £270,000 in 1990-91 and £265,000 in 1992-93.There are two main factors which have led to an increase in the cost per car for Ministers in my Department. The first is the effect of inflation on GCS costs, particularly on pay, vehicles and fuel. The second is that, during this period, the GCS restructured its charges to reflect the fact that it had been under-recovering its full costs in 1990-91.
Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the cost of the Government car service in 1988-89 and 1989-90 ; how many vehicles were in the fleet ; what was the cost of the Government car service in 1980-81 ; and how many vehicles were in the fleet.
Mr. Baldry : In 1988-89, there were some 187 cars in the GCS fleet. During this year, the GCS was the responsibility of the Crown Suppliers-- TCS--and its costs were consolidated into the TCS trading fund. Separate cost information is not readily available. In 1989-90, there were some 189 cars in the GCS fleet. In this year, the GCS became the responsibility of the Property Services Agency and separate financial records were started for the GCS. The cost of the GCS was approximately £6.7 million.
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Comparable information is not available for 1980-81.Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many pool cars and pool drivers were in the Government car service pool service in 1990-91 ; and what was the cost of the pool service.
Mr. Baldry : In 1990-91, there were some 28 cars and 24 drivers in the GCS pool. At that time, pool costs were not identified separately from other GCS costs.
Housing Corporation
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many homes for rent are planned to be provided by the Housing Corporation in each of the next three years.
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Sir George Young : The Housing Corporation's approved development programme provides homes for rent in two ways : new homes for rent provided by the new rental programme ; and new lettings freed up through the tenants' incentive scheme and 60 per cent. of the do-it-yourself shared ownership programme which help existing housing association and local authority tenants to become full or partial owner occupiers. The Housing Corporation estimates that in the next three years, its approved development programme will provide homes for rent within the following ranges :
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