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production quotas and to expose the dairy industry throughout the Community to the free market forces of supply and demand.Birds (Killing)
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will give details of all licences issued by her Department for the killing of birds protected under the Countryside and Wildlife Act 1981 during the last three years, specifying the number and species killed.
Mr. Soames : Figures for 1993 are not yet available. The number of licences issued for birds protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for the years 1990 to 1992 and the number of birds killed are as follows.
1990 1991 1992
|No. of |No. of |No. of |No. of |No. of |No. of
|licences|birds |licences|birds |licences|birds
|issued |killed |issued |killed |issued |killed
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feral pigeon and house sparrow |435 |12,756 |382 |4,899 |333 |6,583
Canada goose<1> |73 |3,708 |86 |4,833 |94 |2,737
Bullfinch |2 |1,346 |1 |402 |1 |587
Herring gull<2> |1 |1,005 |1 |781 |1 |1,546
Brent goose |87 |831 |108 |1,244 |214 |2,797
Greylag goose<1> |2 |23 |5 |91 |14 |37
Cormorant |3 |11 |4 |18 |4 |10
Greenfinch |1 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Robin |1 |1 |0 |0 |5 |2
Blackbird |2 |4 |0 |0 |2 |1
Wigeon |1 |0 |1 |13 |1 |0
Moorhen and coot |0 |0 |1 |40 |2 |36
Heron |0 |0 |1 |5 |2 |1
Mallard |0 |0 |0 |0 |1 |2
Thrush |0 |0 |0 |0 |1 |1
Blue Tit |0 |0 |0 |0 |1 |1
Pink-footed goose |0 |0 |0 |0 |1 |0
Pied Wagtail |0 |0 |0 |0 |1 |0
Wren |0 |0 |0 |0 |1 |0
Notes:
<1>Includes the pricking of eggs.
<2>Includes the taking of eggs and nests.
Set-aside
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what changes have taken place since set-aside was introduced in (a) the acreage of land cultivated, (b) the acreage of set-aside fallow land, (c) the totals of pesticides used and (d) the totals of agro-chemicals used.
Mr. Jack [holding answer 3 February 1994] : The set-aside arrangements under the arable area payments scheme first came into operation at the end of 1992 in respect of the 1992-93 crop year. The total area of relevant arable crops (cereals, oilseeds, linseed and proteins) in England and Wales for 1992 and 1993 respectively was :
|hectares
---------------------------------------
1992 |3,738,800
1993 |<1>3,349,900
<1> Source: June census.
The area of land set-aside in England and Wales under all the options of the voluntary five-year set-aside scheme, the one-year set-aside scheme and the arable area payments scheme was :
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|1992 |1993
|hectares|hectares
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Five-year scheme |128,779 |114,778
One-year scheme (applied in 1992 only) |12,192 |-
Arable area payments scheme (applied in 1993
only) |- |501,120
|--- |---
Total area set aside |140,971 |615,898
Just over 25,000 tonnes of pesticides and herbicides were used in England and Wales in 1992, but this figure includes quantities used for protected crops as well as for outdoor arable crops. The 1992 British survey of fertiliser practice indicates that the average application rate of organic fertilisers was 257 kg/ha. Comparable figures for 1993 are not yet available.
Intervention Stocks
Dr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to her answer of 25 January, Official Report , columns 131-32 , when she expects to receive figures for actual expenditure in respect of each member state under the EC surplus food scheme in 1993.
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Mrs. Gilliam Shephard [holding answer 4 February 1994] : Final figures will be available after 31 March, which is the closing date for the notification of member states' expenditure under the 1993 scheme.
DEFENCE
Defence Planning
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the purpose and outcome of the recent trilateral meeting between France, Germany and the United Kingdom on co-operative defence planning.
Mr. Hanley : My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence hosted informal discussions with his French and German counterparts in London on 26 January 1994 to share views on European security issues following the NATO summit. The discussions, which were wide -ranging and constructive, did not cover defence planning.
Scott Inquiry
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what cost has been incurred in providing documents to the Scott inquiry additional to that given in his reply of 8 July 1993, Official Report , column 80 .
Mr. Aitken : The direct cost of the provision of documents to the Scott inquiry between 1 July 1993 and 31 January 1994 is estimated to be approximately £58,000.
Armaments (Shipping)
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what safety and environmental protection precautions are taken at each of the ports used by his Department for the shipping abroad of armaments and explosives.
Mr. Aitken : Protection is afforded through the licensing of commercial ports by the Health and Safety Executive as required by the Dangerous Substances in Harbour Areas Regulations 1987. Dockyard ports and the military berth at Marchwood are also licensed in accordance with HSE standards.
Allivane International Ltd.
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when payment was made by his Department to Allivane International Ltd. for the storage of ammunition at the central ammunition depot at Longtown, from 7 to 16June 1988 to which he referred in the reply on 7 June 1993, Official Report , column 125.
Mr. Aitken : No payment was made by my Department to Allivane International Limited for the storage of ammunition at the central ammunition depot at Longtown from 7 to 16 June 1988.
Overseas Trainees
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if any (a) Iraqi, (b) Iranian, (c) Indonesian and (d) Malaysian nationals are currently training at British military establishments in the United Kingdom or at overseas bases.
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Mr. Hanley : The information requested is as follows :
(a) No
(b) No
(c) Yes
(d) Yes
It is not our practice to give details of training or numbers involved.
Iraq
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the information he secured from the CIA on Iraqi military capabilities, as indicated in his reply of 10 June 1993, Official Report , column 192 .
Mr. Hanley : In this instance the United States Government have not been able to produce a copy of the report in a form that is releaseable to foreign Governments. My Department, however, regularly exchanges information and assessments with the US authorities, and I believe that we have a good picture of Iraqi military capabilities.
Tornado-Helicopter Accident
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action he is taking following the report from the military accident investigation, pursuant to his answer of 26 November, Official Report , column 239 ; and when he will publish the report.
Mr. Hanley : The RAF board of inquiry report into the investigation of the accident involving a civil helicopter and an RAF Tornado on 23 June 1993 is not yet complete. A summary of the board's findings will be published as soon as they are available. The RAF's flying procedures are kept under constant review to ensure that flying is conducted with full regard to safety and a number of possible measures to reduce further the risk of collision are under consideration. A new system of notification by civil operators engaged in pipeline inspections has also been introduced by the CAA, and is currently under review after an initial six month period.
Public Appointments
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of the public appointments for which he is responsible require advance notice to and consultation with the Chief Whip's office ; and which appointments made since 1979 have been so notified and consulted upon.
Mr. Hanley : It is not the practice of Her Majesty's Government to answer parliamentary questions about discussions and consultations between Departments and offices of Government relating to public appointments.
No-fly Zone (Bosnia)
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when Sea Harriers first took part in monitoring and enforcing the no-fly zone over Bosnia ; under what operational command ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : The Sea Harriers first participated in no-fly zone operations on 2 August 1993. The Sea Harriers remain under national command. Their tasking on no-fly zone operations is co-ordinated between the command of NATO's 5th allied tactical air force and the commander of the Royal Navy task group.
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RFA Sir Geraint
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the United Nations is paying for the charter of RFA Sir Geraint to transport heavy equipment of the Nordic battalion from Trieste to Split ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : The UN has agreed to pay a daily hire charge of £3,500 for the use of the landing ship logistic, LSL, Sir Geraint and to meet any additional costs arising as a result of the charter.
HMS Birmingham
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the implications for the pattern of rotation of Royal Navy ships on Adriatic embargo operations of the recent alleged sabotage of HMS Birmingham.
Mr. Hanley : HMS Birmingham sailed recently for pre-deployment work in United Kingdom waters after a two-week delay and will shortly deploy for the Adriatic. HMS Coventry, the Op Grapple escort, has been made available for the NATO-WEU embargo operation until HMS Birmingham arrives in theatre.
UNPROFOR
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reservists on S type engagement in the regular forces are currently deployed with the British contingent in UNPROFOR ; and if he will give a summary of the categories of reservists concerned.
Mr. Hanley : Members of the Territorial Army and the Royal Marines Reserve may volunteer to undertake short regular engag‡ements or commissions on special terms. No one serving on that basis is currently deployed as part of the British contingent of UNPROFOR.
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to seek information on the monthly additional allowances paid by countries contributing troops to the UNPROFOR mission since 28 January ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : Having now received some information from other countries participating in the UNPROFOR mission, I am satisfied that the current arrangements for paying United Kingdom service personnel in the former Yugoslavia are both fair and justifiable and compare well with other nations. All personnel serving under United Nations auspices in Bosnia, including United Kingdom personnel, receive a United Nations allowance of $1.28 per day and a lump sum of $73.50 to cover rest and recreation : this is passed on in full by the British Government.
There are, however, inevitable differences in the pay and allowance regimes of the various participating nations. United Kingdom service personnel, for example are not paid "danger money". But their basic salary is in general significantly higher than the other nations' troops. For example the basic pay of British junior NCOs is some 70per cent. higher than their French counterparts, some 55per cent. higher than their Belgian counterparts and
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some 35 per cent. higher than their Norwegian counterparts. In addition, all United Kingdom personnel receive, throughout their career and irrespective of where they are stationed, an X- factor representing an 11.5 per cent. enhancement of basic salary which contains an element which recognises the need for them to serve on occasions under difficult and dangerous circumstances.Troop reimbursement costs paid to nations providing personnel for United Nations deployments are intended to allow participating Governments to recover certain costs from the United Nations, including an element for the salary costs of personnel on a per capita basis. United Kingdom personnel continue to receive their full pay and allowances from the British Government, including for those deployed from Germany and proportion of their local overseas allowance at a rate of 70 per cent. for married personnel and 40 per cent. for singles, in recognition of their continuing financial commitments at home.
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) purusant to his answer of 28 January, Official Report , column 425 , if he will give a breakdown of the annual receipts and costs areas they cover received by his Department from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the British contribution to UNPROFOR ;
(2) what has been the cost to his Department of the British contribution to UNPROFOR in each of the last three financial years ; and if he will give a breakdown ;
(3) what costs have been reclaimed by his Department from the Foreign and Commonwealth office for each year since Britain contributed troops, equipment and expertise to UNPROFOR.
Mr. Hanley : UNPROFOR was established in financial year 1992-93 when the additional cost of the British contribution amounted to some £63,000,000. This amount was reimbursed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the Ministry of Defence in full in financial year 1992-93 and comprised £1 million for personnel costs ; £8 million for set-up costs ; £12 million for deployment ; £38 million for sustainment ; and £4 million for miscellaneous support and equipment. For the current financial year, it is anticipated that the additional cost will amount to some £75 million which will be reimbursed in full by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Employment Legislation
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what employment legislation is applicable to his Ministry ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : The Crown is bound by legislation which contains a specific provision to this effect, or where this is the necessary implication of the legislation.
Service Women (Numbers)
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many women were in each of the armed forces as (a) female officers and (b) non- commissioned females in each year since 1979-80.
Mr. Hanley : The information requested is as follows :
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Year as at |2|Royal Naval ||2|Army ||2|Royal Air Force
services
1 April
|Female officers |Service women |Female officers |Service women |Female officers |Service women
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |434 |3,402 |884 |4,933 |608 |5,036
1980 |440 |3,395 |877 |5,373 |706 |5,402
1981 |481 |3,590 |945 |5,644 |755 |5,518
1982 |465 |3,495 |959 |5,014 |752 |5,016
1983 |436 |3,465 |933 |5,211 |740 |4,634
1984 |387 |3,542 |984 |5,589 |767 |4,977
1985 |374 |3,332 |1,009 |5,762 |801 |5,149
1986 |380 |3,062 |979 |5,582 |850 |5,186
1987 |403 |2,980 |1,115 |5,491 |971 |5,443
1988 |399 |2,945 |1,137 |5,285 |1,053 |5,350
1989 |407 |3,064 |1,186 |5,465 |1,099 |5,277
1990 |430 |3,231 |1,230 |5,816 |1,136 |5,625
1991 |456 |3,716 |1,253 |6,096 |1,181 |6,116
1992 |473 |4,100 |1,197 |6,585 |1,194 |6,099
1993 |495 |3,991 |1,170 |6,424 |1,139 |5,698
Note: Figures prior to 1 April 1986 exclude female officers in the medical, dental, veterinary and legal specialisations as they were included in the
male officer numbers.
Pregnant Women
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Ministry first received a legal challenge from a woman serving in the armed forces or formerly serving in the armed forces with regard to dismissal from the armed forces on the ground of pregnancy; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : The first legal challenge to the policy of compulsorily discharging service women on pregnancy was received from two former service women in June 1990. With the assistance of the Equal Opportunities Commission, the women applied to the High Court for judicial review of the decision to discharge them.
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the average amount paid in compensation to women who had to leave the armed forces because they became pregnant in each year since compensation payments were first made; and if he will make a statment.
Mr. Hanley : Compensation payments to women discharged from the armed forces on the ground of pregnancy commenced in 1992-93, when the average amount paid was £3,462. The figure for the current financial year to date is £3,823. My answer of 21 January to the hon. Member, Official Report, col 939, should have given a total of £5,822,943 as the figure paid in compensation to women compulsorily discharged from the armed forces on grounds of pregnancy between August 1978 and August 1990. The current figure for compensation claims paid is 1,720 at a total cost of £6,234,779.
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many women who left the forces because they became pregnant in each year since 1980 subsequently rejoined the forces at a lower rank; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : The Royal Navy and Army do not hold this information centrally and it could not be provided without disproportionate cost. Fourteen airwomen dis-charged on pregnancy after 1980 rejoined the Royal Air Force at a lower rank : nine in 1991, four in 1992 and one in 1993. All these women rejoined the RAF under the local service airwoman scheme. Three of those who re-enlisted in 1991 have since transferred to regular service.
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Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under which vote and subhead his Ministry made compensation payments to women who left the armed forces because they became pregnant ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : As with all compensation paid by my Department in common law and industrial tribunal cases, payments made to pregnant ex- service women are made centrally on behalf of the three services from the second Under Secretary of State's top level budget--vote 1L2.
Creches
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 21 January, Official Report, column 940, what estimates he has of the costs involved in providing creche facilities at military bases ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : I have nothing further to add to my answer of 21 January, Official Report, column 940.
Equal Opportunities Employment
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what policy statement his Ministry has with regard to equal opportunities employment ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : It is the Department's policy to promote equal opportunity in the field of employment for disabled civilian personnel, for personnel of all racial groups and between men and women. The level of fitness required of service personnel precludes the recruitment of disabled persons. For operational and practical reasons, female service personnel are excluded from certain areas of employment, but the positon is kept under continuous review.
Dual-use Technology
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy towards the development of dual-use technology.
Mr. Aitken : We favour the development of dual-use technology wherever practicable. The Defence Research Agency is currently pursuing a number of initiatives in this field including the pathfinder scheme and the development of dual-use technology centres.
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Lightweight Fighter
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the objectives of the common affordable lightweight fighter programme.
Mr. Aitken : The common affordable lightweight fighter programme is sponsored by the United States Department of Defense. Its overall objective is to demonstrate, through flight testing, technologies to enable the development of a lightweight fighter aircraft of modular design. It is intended that the developed aircraft will have an advanced short takeoff and landing variant and a conventional takeoff and landing variant, sharing common designs of modules of engine, airframe and avionics. Cost reduction of design and manufacturing processes, is a major objective of the programme.
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the United Kingdom to join the common affordable lightweight fighter programme ; and on what terms.
Mr. Aitken : We hope to join the risk reduction phase of the United States common affordable lightweight fighter programme this summer, subject to mutual agreement of terms that are still under consideration by both countries.
NATO Soldier Modernisation Plan
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the NATO soldier modernisation plan so far as it affects United Kingdom companies and forces.
Mr. Aitken : The NATO soldier modernisation plan is a long-term concept for an integrated system of personal equipment for soldiers which is currently the subject of a study by the NATO industrial advisory group, NIAG. A number of representatives from United Kingdom companies are involved in this work. It is too early to assess the effect of the NATO soldier modernisation plan on United Kingdom companies and forces.
Long-term Costings
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to release information relating to long-term costings ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : 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 normally provide details of the contents of the long-term costing.
Desert Storm Syndrome
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has relating to possible psychological aspects of Desert Storm syndrome ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Hanley : We have no evidence to support the existence of a medical condition peculiar to armed forces service in the Gulf conflict, so statements on its possible psychological aspects would be mere speculation.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what new information he has received in the last six months relating to Desert Storm syndrome ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : My Department has continued to receive information relating to the alleged Desert Storm syndrome over the past six months from various sources. The information and sources are too numerous to list in detail but include :
(a) the results of medical assessments on those United Kingdom service and ex-service personnel concerned that their health might have been affected by their Gulf service, who came forward in response to my offer to such personnel of investigation by armed forces medical services' specialists.
(b) information from the United States authorities about the investigations and research they are undertaking into the existence of the alleged Syndrome.
(c) correspondence from various individuals and organisations concerning claims that service and ex-service personnel who served in the Gulf are suffering unexplained illnesses.
(d) media reports of the alleged existence of Desert Storm syndrome.
To date none of the information has provided scientific evidence to support claims of the existence of a medical condition peculiar to service in the Gulf conflict.
Accommodation (Expenditure)
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy regarding expenditure on improvements and furnishings for the accommodation assigned to commanding officers ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : The Ministry of Defence provides married quarters for all ranks of the armed forces. The scale of provision of quarters for commanding officers varies according to the rank and responsibilities of the appointment. Expenditure on improvements and furnishings of these and all quarters is limited to that which is necessary to maintain the property to an appropriate standard.
Defence Industrialists
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish all the graphical information on defence expenditure that has been shown to defence industrialists in the last three years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Aitken : No central record is kept of the contacts with industry at all levels at which such information may have been passed. I will however make arrangements, as soon as possible, to place in the Library of the House appropriate unclassified graphical information from the chief of defence procurement's first two conferences for defence suppliers, in July 1992 and July 1993. These include illustrative indications of possible trends in certain categories of defence procurement expenditure.
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Britannia Royal Naval College
Mr. Jamieson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of building dog kennels at Britannia Royal Naval college, Dartmouth.
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Mr. Hanley : The work undertaken to prepare the site and to house the Ministry of Defence police guard dogs at Britannia Royal Naval college, Dartmouth cost some £54,000.
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