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DEFENCE

Ashchurch Vehicle Storage Depot

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many "A" vehicles will be stored at his Department's centralised vehicle storage depot at Ashchurch; [3862]

(2) what assessment he has made of the impact on the local road network of centralising his Department's vehicle storage depot at Ashchurch; what is the maximum weight of Army vehicles using the local roads; and what assessment he has made of the consequences of transport of such vehicles over the Ashchurch road bridge; [3863]

(3) what discussions he has had with the local authority responsible for Newbury on the implications of transporting Army vehicles on the A34 through the centre of the town. [3864]

Mr. Soames: These matters are for the Army Base Storage and Distribution Agency, ABSDA, under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Brigadier K. J. W. Goad to Dr. David Clark, dated 5 December 1995:

The Secretary of State for Defence has asked me, as Chief Executive of the Army Base Storage and Distribution Agency, to respond to your recent Parliamentary Questions regarding the storage and movement of Army vehicles. My responses are detailed below:
"To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the local authority responsible for Newbury on the implications of transporting Army Vehicles on the A34 through the centre of town".
When large vehicles are to be transported by road, the military authorities, where appropriate, clear the route in advance, with the respective authorities, such as Police, County Highway, British Water Board, British Rail, British Gas, etc. Such arrangements have been in operation, throughout the country, for many years.
As a general policy, we are seeking to increase the use of rail to move 'A' Vehicles but not all are within guage (for example Main Battle Tanks) and are therefore too large for rail movement. These must continue to be transported by road.

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"To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many 'A'vehicles will be stored at his Department's centralised vehicle storage depot at Ashchurch."
The current planning figure for the number of vehicles to be stored at Ashchurch is 10106. 'A' vehicles make up a small but important part of this total. The majority of these vehicles will be placed in high density, long-term storage adopting a "leave it alone" policy.
"To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the impact on the local road network of centralising his Department's vehicle storage depot at Ashchurch; what is the maximum weight of Army vehicles using the roads; and what assessment has he made of the consequences of transport of such vehicles across the Ashchurch road bridge."
Ashchurch has close and easy access to the M5 motorway and transportation of vehicles into and out of the depot will have little effect on the surrounding local road network. The largest vehicles that will be using the depot will be Main Battle Tanks. These vehicles with their transporters weigh 102 tonnes. The local authority are aware of this requirement and we do not anticipate any problems in the use of the Ashchurch road bridge.
I trust that my reply has fully answered your questions. If you have any further questions or require further clarification on any of the answers I have given, please contact me.

Hawk Aircraft

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which countries purchased Hawk aircraft from the United Kingdom in each of the past seven years; and to what military purposes they were deployed. [3643]

Mr. Arbuthnot: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Ynys Mon (Mr. Jones) on 27 November, Official Report, column 488.

Royal Irish Regiment (Lisnaskea Base)

Rev. Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the Government's plans for the Lisnaskea Royal Irish Regiment base and St. Angelo's, Enniskillen. [3775]

Mr. Soames: The requirement for bases and installations is kept under continuous review. Following the announcement by my right hon. and learned Friend the Northern Ireland Secretary on 2 November that the Fermanagh Roulement Battalion would not be replaced when its six-month emergency tour ended, it was decided that the small number of Royal Irish Regiment soldiers based at the Lisnaskea Royal Ulster Constabulary station should operate in future from the recently refurbished Army base in Clogher. The buildings formerly occupied by these soldiers in Lisnaskea RUC station will, however, be maintained in case they are needed in future. It was also decided that the company of Royal Irish Regiment soldiers based at St. Angelo should in future operate from Grosvenor barracks, Enniskillen. Their former premises at St. Angelo will be demolished.

Rev. Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the threat posed by terrorists to the Lisnaskea Royal Irish Regiment base and to the people of the area. [3777]

Mr. Soames: The threat posed by terrorists is continually assessed by the Royal Ulster Constabulary. The armed forces remain fully committed to, and capable of, providing whatever support the RUC requires.

5 Dec 1995 : Column: 164

Weapons Dumps

Mr. Macdonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all weapons dumped since 1995 west of the Hebrides showing (a) the date, (b) the amount (c) the sources and (d) the exact location. [3176]

Mr. Soames: Surviving records give no indication that weapons have been dumped west of the Hebrides since 1965.

Land Mines

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what new proposals he has to reduce worldwide fatalities caused by land mines; and what new restrictions he intends to put in place to avoid future death caused by mines that have time limited detonators or self destruct. [3644]

Mr. Arbuthnot: We want tighter international restrictions on the use and export of all anti-personnel mines to prevent their indiscriminate and irresponsible use and, thereby, to minimise the dangers posed to civilians. In particular, we are working towards incorporating such restrictions into a strengthened UN weaponry convention, protocol II of which, on mines, is currently under review internationally.

Defence Expenditure

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the percentage of United Kingdom spending on defence expressed as a percentage of gross domestic product in each of the past five years. [3645]

Mr. Soames: The percentage of UK gross domestic product spent on defence in each of the past give years is:

1990-91	1991-92	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95
Percentage	Percentage	Percentage	Percentage	Percentage
4.0	4.2	3.8	3.6	3.3

Recruitment Costs

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the average total recruitment cost for each new recruit to the (a) RAF, (b) Navy and (c) Army in each of the last five years. [3646]

Mr. Soames: My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence will write to the hon. Member and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. David Hart

Mr. Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if Mr. David Hart has declared any financial or other interest in any organisation potentially interested in or able to benefit from the proposed transfer of the Ministry of Defence married quarters' estate to the private sector. [4203]

Mr. Soames: All the independent advisers involved in our work on the transfer of ownership of the married quarters estate to the private sector have given formal

5 Dec 1995 : Column: 165

undertakings designed to ensure that there is no conflict of interest in their involvement and that they have no financial stake in the outcome of the transaction.

Mr. Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the extent of the involvement of Mr. David Hart in (a) the formulation of his proposal to transfer the ownership of the Ministry of Defence married quarters' estate to the private sector and (b) discussions about this policy with NatWest Markets. [4204]

Mr. Soames: As my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces said in his answer of 22 March to the hon. Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark), Official Report, column 218, Mr. Hart is one of several independent advisers who have contributed to the development of proposals for the married quarters estate. His involvement has included, from time to time, participation in discussions on the proposed transfer of ownership with Ministers, officials, and others advising on the proposals, including NatWest Markets.

Eurofighter 2000

Sir David Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to take steps to procure a medium range air-to-air missile for Eurofighter 2000. [4482]

Mr. Arbuthnot: I am pleased to announce that we are today inviting competitive tenders for a medium range air-to-air missile for Eurofighter 2000. This weapon--the future medium-range air-to-air missile, FMRAAM--will give EF2000 a formidable beyond-visual-range capability, complementing the advanced short range air-to-air missile, ASRAAM, already on contract. We expect other European countries will join us in the tender assessment.

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