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Mr. Aitken : Collocation of the related staff of the Directorate of Contracts at RAF Brampton and RAF Wyton will improve the efficiency with which the RAF's support management business is handled and follows a detailed investment appraisal. The Harrogate contracts

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posts are due to transfer in 1995 and the majority of the Liverpool posts in the RAF's Support Management Group in 1996. The costs incurred in these moves can be assessed only when the number of staff moving is known.

EU Security Links

Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reductions in defence preparedness and defence expenditure will be made following the decision of the EU to establish closer security links with nine additional nations in eastern Europe.

Mr. Hanley : No such reductions are planned.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many parliamentary questions, in the period November 1992 to March 1993, were answered with the response that the information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost ; how many were referred on to an agency chief executive ; and, in each case, what percentage of the total number of questions asked this constituted.

Mr. Hanley : Based on figures available from the House of Commons POLIS system, of 1,304 written parliamentary questions answered by my Department between 1 November 1992 and 31 March 1993, full answers could not be given to 34 because of disproportionate cost or because information was not held centrally ; and 29 were referred to an agency chief executive for answer.

Low Flying

Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date Royal Air Force Tornadoes first carried out instrument low flying, using automatic terrain following radar, from Goose Bay, Labrador.

Mr. Hanley : In October 1983.

Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what facilities were provided to UK-based United States air force F111 units to maintain an instrument low flying capability prior to the establishment of the highlands restricted area.

Mr. Hanley : Prior to the introduction of the highlands restricted area in 1981 there were no facilities for flying in instrument meteorological conditions within the United Kingdom low flying system.

Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects US air force F15E aircraft to commence using the highlands restricted area for instrument low flying training.

Mr. Hanley : United Kingdom-based USAF F15E aircraft began using the highlands restricted area for instrument low flying training in January 1994.

Canadian Forces Base, Goose Bay

Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many deployments of forward air control personnel have been made to Canadian forces base Goose Bay in each year since 1990 ; and what was the purpose of each deployment.

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Mr. Hanley : There have been no deployments of RAF forward air controllers to Goose Bay.

Coulport Armaments Depot

Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the nuclear accident exercise which took place at the Royal Naval Armaments Depot Coulport on 22 March.

Mr. Hanley : The purpose of the exercise was to test the procedures that would be employed in the unlikely event of an accident involving the reactor of a nuclear-powered submarine while berthed at RNAD Coulport. It was part of a programme of routine exercises held each year to test the effectiveness of the MOD's nuclear accident response organisation.

Public Bodies

Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who are the members currently appointed to the United Kingdom Polar Medal Assessment Committee.

Mr. Hanley [holding answer 28 January 1994] : To ensure that the advice from members of honours committees is fair and impartial, and to avoid lobbying of members, it is Government practice not to publish details of the composition of committees responsible for the awards of honours. This particular committee is made up of a small group of scientists and academics associated with work in the Arctic and Antarctic.

Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who are the members currently appointed to the National Employer Liaison Committee.

Mr. Hanley [holding answer 28 January 1994] : Members of the National Employers Liaison Committee for the Reserve Forces are as follows :

Sir Alexander Graham, GBE (Chairman)

Sir Michael Angus

Professor J. S. Bridgeman

Sir Dermot de Trafford, Bt

Mr. A. J. Gooding, OBE

Mr. F. C. Graves, OBE

Mr. N. A. Johnson, OBE

Mr. D. A. C. Lambert

Mr. D. M. Middleton, CBE

Mr. J. Miller, CBE

Baroness O'Cathain, OBE

Mr. P. D. Orchard-Lisle, CBE

Mr. D. G. C. Webster

Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who are the members currently appointed to the Defence Scientific Advisory Council and committees.

Mr. Hanley [holding answer 28 January] : The members of the Defence Scientific Advisory Council are as follows :

Professor G. G. Roberts (Chairman)

Dr. D. S. Aldwinckle

Dr. A. D. Appleton

Professor A. Bailey

Mr. D. R. Barron

Professor A. C. Baynham

Dr. A. R. Begg

Dr. L. Bennett

Mr. K. P. Blair

Professor D. Bloor

Professor R. K. Burcher

Dr. D. Butler

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Dr. I. L. Buxton

Professor J. A. Carruthers

Professor J. E. Castle

Professor P. C. Chatwin

Mr. G. M. Churchhouse

Professor P. J. Clarricoats

Professor R. Coats

Professor E. C. Cocking

Professor R. B. Cundall

Mr. D. J. Daniels

Professor K. E. Davies

Dr. A. A. Denton

Professor G. B. Donaldson

Dr. D. Driver

Professor H. A. Dudley

Professor P. E. Dyer

Professor C. S. Easmon

Professor R. Eatock Taylor

Professor B. G. Evans

Professor J. Ferguson

Dr. J. E. Field

Mr. P. D. Forrest

Professor J. H. Freer

Professor G. S. French

Professor D. Gardner

Mr. P. N. Goddard

Professor B. T. Golding

Professor F. A. Goldsworthy

Dr. J. E. Green

Professor R. L. Grimsdale

Professor K. B. Haley

Mr. F. R. Harris

Professor R. M. Harrison

Professor P. J. Heggs

Mr. J. R. Hennessy

Professor C. Hilsum

Mr. J. Hough

Professor C. I. Howarth

Dr. I. M. Hutchings

Professor K. R. Jennings

Professor D. J. Jeffries

Dr. D. M. Jones

Professor N. Jones

Dr. A. J. Keane

Dr. A. J. Kearsley

Professor L. J. King

Dr. R. H. King

Professor J. F. Scott

Professor M. H. Lader

Dr. I. Levack

Professor A. G. Lockett

Professor J. B. Long

Professor M. V. Lowson

Mr. M. Meek

Professor J. Melling

Dr. J. F. Miles

Mr. M. H. Mills

Professor D. V. Morgan

Dr. R. D. Mulligan

Dr. P. O'Brien

Dr. M. H. Ogle

Professor R. M. Ogorkiewicz

Professor T. F. Page

Dr. D. J. Price

Professor W. G. Price

Dr. S. Primrose

Professor B. Randell

Dr. B. M. Richards

Professor M. W. Roberts

Mr. P. C. Ruffles

Dr. S. J. Rushforth

Dr. J. W. Scadding

Professor N. Shadbolt

Professor K. S. Sing

Sir Joseph Smith

Dr. L. L. Smith

Mr. P. J. Stein

Mr. T. Truman

Mr. R. V. Turner

Professor M. J. Underhill

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