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Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has made to the American military and civil authorities to stop American military handcuffing or blindfolding British citizens who enter military bases within the United Kingdom; what instructions he has issued to his Department's police to stop American military personnel from taking such actions; and what penalties can be imposed on his Department's police if they fail to stop American military personnel from taking such action against civilians entering bases.
Mr. Soames: There is regular and close liaison between United Kingdom and United States authorities on all policing matters. No specific instructions are issued to my Department's police to deal with the circumstances outlined. MOD police act in accordance with the law and the powers conferred upon them. They are a disciplined force and any complaints against them are processed in accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential danger arising from intruders entering weapons storage areas at United States bases in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Soames: Internal security arrangements at United States bases in the United Kingdom and assessments of the potential dangers arising from intruders entering weapons storage areas at these bases are matters for the United States authorities.
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidelines for his Department's police actions which was
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passed in March to United States military personnel based in the United Kingdom.Mr. Soames: It is not my Department's policy to comment on operational security matters or to release related documents.
RAF Lakenheath
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are being made to install a barrier to the entrance of RAF Lakenheath.
Mr. Soames: There are currently no plans to install a barrier to the entrance of RAF Lakenheath.
Military Police
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if United States authorities have indicated whether they wish his Department's police to be transferred from Upper Heyford to Croughton; how many of his Department's police have been offered for transfer; and what would be the total cost to his Department of any such transfer.
Mr. Soames: There are currently no plans to deploy Ministry of Defence police to RAF Croughton.
Bosnia
Mr. Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF pilots in line for service in Bosnia have so far refused to volunteer for conduct after capture courses.
Mr. Soames: No RAF aircrew in line for service in Bosnia have refused to participate in these course.
Mr. Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy in respect of service in Bosnia for RAF pilots who refuse to volunteer for conduct after capture courses.
Mr. Soames: We consider that it is in the interests of RAF aircrew whose duties may take them over Bosnia to undertake these courses, but, in the event of a refusal to undergo the training, appropriate action would be considered in light of the particular circumstances of the case.
Defence Contractors
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 24 November, Official Report, column 360 , if he will give the date on which Airwork Ltd. was placed on the list of contractors requiring special attention; and if it has now been removed from that list.
Mr. Freeman: Airwork Ltd. was placed on the list of contractors requiring special attention on 21 May 1993. The current entry on the list reflects the change of name and ownership.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 24 November, Official Report , column 360 , on which date each contractor was placed on the list of contractors requiring special attention; and which of them have since won contracts with his Department.
Mr. Freeman: One in 1988, two in 1990, one in 1991, four in 1993 and two in 1994. It is my Department's policy not to contract with listed contractors for work
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similar to that which gave rise to concerns about their quality management.Road Transport Regulations
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last revised the joint service road transport regulations; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Soames: The current edition of the joint service road transport regulations was issued in 1988. There have been seven amendments since publication, the last one being dated January 1994. The complete revision of the document is currently being undertaken in order to maintain alignment with current road transport regulations and to cover extra responsibilities that will devolve to lower management levels as a result of further disaggregation of funding for vehicle procurement and maintenance to user commands. This new edition is expected to be published by 1 April 1995.
Royal Marines Reserve
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on the future of the Royal Marines Reserve.
Mr. Soames: My Department has received a number of representations from hon. Members and other interested parties. No decisions on the future size and shape of the Royal Marines Reserve have been taken.
Consultants
Mr. Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the names of the consultants, with the amounts they received, who were paid in connection with preparing documents for the privatisation of the royal dockyards at Devonport and Rosyth.
Mr. Freeman: Since October 1993, a number of consultants have provided my Department with advice on the proposed privatisation of Devonport dockyard and Rosyth dockyard, as shown in the table:
Firm |Subject ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coopers and Lybrand |Financial and business Allott and Lomax<1> |Civil engineering AEA Technology Consultancy Services (SRD)<1> |Nuclear Safety Simmons and Simmons |Legal advice relating chiefly to Devonport Brodies WS |Legal advice relating chiefly to Rosyth Fuller Peiser |Property valuation Kleinwort Benson |Commercial Rust Environmental |Environmental survey at Devonport Kenchington Ford |Environmental survey at Rosyth <1> These firms were engaged under subcontract to Coopers and Lybrand. Details of payments made to individual firms are commercially confidential.
Mr. Gerald James
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Government Department currently holds the diaries, business and personal papers of former Astra Holdings plc chairman, Mr. Gerald James; and on what grounds their return is being refused.
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Mr. Soames: I have nothing to add to the answer that I gave the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 21 July 1994, Official Report, column 554.
Training Sorties
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many training sorties were flown by each type of RAF aircraft from Goose Bay during 1994; and how many of these were at low level.
Mr. Soames: RAF aircraft have flown 1,299 training sorties during the 1994 flying season at Goose Bay--22 by Hercules aircraft and 1,277 by Tornado GR1s. Precise details of how many of the sorties were at low level are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Very few, however, would not have involved an element of low flying.
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many training sorties were flown by each type of RAF aircraft from Eielson air force base, Alaska, during 1994; and how many of these were at low level.
Mr. Soames: RAF aircraft have flown 396 training sorties from Eielson air force base, Alaska during the 1994 flying season--20 by Hercules aircraft, 174 by Tornado GR1s, 201 by Tornado F3s and one by a Sentry AEW1. All of those sorties were conducted at low level, apart from the Sentry AEW1 flight and one Tornado F3 sortie.
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West Freugh Airfield
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many aircraft, and of what types, were involved in the high intensity air activity from West Freugh airfield on 27 September; what was the purpose of the activity; and what were the minimum altitudes authorised.
Mr. Soames: Five Harrier GR7 and two Harrier T4 aircraft undertook training sorties from West Freugh airfield on 27 September. The minimum authorised height for the purpose of this exercise was 250 ft.
Low Flying
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the dates, locations, aircraft type and nationality, and nature of the breach, for all breaches of low flying regulations established following RAF police investigations, since 1990.
Mr. Soames: Details of breaches in 1993 are listed on pages 35 and 36 of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee report, HC 314 of Session 1993 1994, on low flying. Details of a further six breaches which occurred in 1993 but were not included in the report are set out. Of these, three were omitted in error from the evidence provided to the Committee; in the other three cases, details of the RAF police investigations were not known until this evidence had been provided. The details of breaches in other years are not recorded and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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Date |Location |Numbers and type of A/C |Nationality |Nature of breach 4 February 1993 |Beverley N. Humberside |1XGazelle |RAF |Hull aero club avoidance area. 1 April 1993 |Ingleton N. Yorkshire |1XF16 |Belgian Air Force |Ingleton Quarry temporary avoidance. 23 August 1993 |RAF Alconbury |2XMirage |Belgian Air Force |Unauthorised flight within UKLFS. 20 September 1993 |Caerlaverock Dumfries and Galloway |2XTornado |RAF |Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust avoidance area. 6 October 1993 |Caerlaverock Dumfries and Galloway |2XJaguar |RAF |Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust avoidance area. 16 November 1993 |Lairg Sutherland |1XJaguar |RAF |Temporary avoidance area owing to rock blasting.
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints about low flying were submitted to the RAF police for further investigation in each year since 1990.
Mr. Soames: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 1 December 1994, Official Report, columns 905 6.
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the Farleton Fell hang gliding site ceased to be a military low flying avoidance area.
Mr. Soames: The avoidance area was removed on 6 October 1988 at the request of the British Hang Gliding Association, since the level of flying activity there had been much reduced.
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Skyguard Radars
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total number of Skyguard radars in operational service with the Royal Air Force; and what role is performed by each.
Mr. Soames: There are two Skyguard radars in operational service with the RAF. Their primary role is in support of the RAF's low-flying monitoring task; they have a secondary role of electronic warfare training at RAF Spadeadam.
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has on the number of Royal Air Force aircraft observed by Skyguard low flying monitoring radars during sorties over Germany over the last three years.
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Mr. Soames: We have no information on observations of RAF aircraft made by German Skyguard radars other than those cases when an infringement of the German low flying regulations was detected and notified, the details of which are as follows:
1989--6
1990--21
1991--3
1992--5
1993--1
1994--none to date
We have been notified of no infringements other than those detected by Skyguard.
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the operating base for the Skyguard radar used for monitoring low flying was moved from RAF Waddington to RAF Spadeadam; and what is the designation of the unit now responsible for operating the radar.
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Mr. Soames: The move of the Skyguard radars to RAF Spadeadam occurred on 18 April 1994. The designation of the unit responsible for operating the radars is: Skyguard Section (Facilities Flight) RAF Spadeadam.
Departmental Land
Mr. Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the annual cost to his Department for the land it uses in Otterburn, Northumberland in (a) rent payable to landowners, (b) any compensation payments and (c) any disturbance payments.
Mr. Soames: The information requested is given:
|1994 |1993 |1992
|£ |£ |£
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Rents paid-including licence fees |48,774 |48,775 |36,385
Compensation |<1>20,968|16,474 |24,239
Disturbance |N/A |10,081 |10,310
<1> Figures only available to end of November 1994.
N/A = Not available
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