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Imia
Mr. O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 7 February, Official Report, column 321, if he will set out the authority for his statement that the question of sovereignty over the island of Imia is not determined. [15083]
Mr. David Davis: The Minister of State , Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Upminster (Sir N. Bonsor) observed in his oral answer on 7 February 1996, Official Report, columns 321-23, that the Greek and Turkish Governments take different positions on sovereignty over the island of Imia. We warmly welcome expressions by both sides of determination to deal with the issue by peaceful means. This must be right. It is important that it is done in accordance with international law.
Malaysia
Mr. Fatchett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Malaysian Government regarding Lim Guan Eng; and if he will make a statement. [14545]
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Mr. Hanley:
We are following Mr. Lim Guan Eng's case, which is before the Malaysian courts. We have not made any representations.
Mrs. Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his officials have made to the South African authorities in the case of Paul Grecian. [15104]
Mr. Hanley:
We are in regular contact with the South African prison authorities in the course of giving Mr. Grecian full consular support.
Mrs. Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the legal procedures which have been followed in the case of Paul Grecian, at present in prison in South Africa. [15103]
Mr. Hanley:
Mr. Grecian has his own lawyer in South Africa who is able to advise on the legal procedures in his case.
Mr. Garnier:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to publish as a Command Paper the current provisions of the treaty on European Union and the treaty establishing the European Community. [15313]
Mr. David Davis:
Such a Command Paper has now been published and has been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
Aircrew Standards Evaluation
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel are employed in aircrew standards evaluation duties in the Royal Air Force; and what is the minimum frequency of standards evaluation reviews of flying units. [13210]
Mr. Soames: The RAF is committed to ensuring that its aircrews maintain the very highest standards in all aspects of military flying. In addition to the continuous process of maintaining standards within units, all aircrew are regularly subjected to formal standards evaluation reviews every 12 to 24 months, depending on units' roles and operational commitments. Currently, 115 service personnel directly support the standards evaluation process.
Low Flying
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints in respect of low flying have been received by his Department from addresses in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland in each month since September 1995. [14232]
Mr. Soames:
The number of inquiries and complaints about military low flying received by my Department since September 1995 from addresses in England, Wales and Scotland are in the table.
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| Month | England | Wales | Scotland |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | |||
| October | 375 | 52 | 116 |
| November | 364 | 80 | 69 |
| December | 150 | 61 | 87 |
| 1996 | |||
| January | 141 | 44 | 87 |
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of the fine weather in the summer of 1995 on the rate of public complaints to his Department concerning low-flying aircraft. [14233]
Mr. Soames: It is our experience that the rate at which complaints about military low flying are received by my Department increases when the weather is fine, as people are more likely to be outdoors or to have windows open and noise of any sort is more intrusive. We believe that the prolonged period of fine weather in the summer of 1995 was a significant factor in the increase in complaints during that year, but we are not able to quantify the effect.
Empty Buildings
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many empty buildings his Department currently owns; what is the cost of insuring and securing these buildings; how many were designed as residential properties; and what was the total amount spent by his Department on empty property taxes in each of the last five years. [14575]
Mr. Soames: No central record is maintained of the number of buildings which may be empty at any given time and the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Army Apprentices College, Harrogate
Mr. Robert Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken to find alternative uses for the Army apprentices college, Harrogate, (a) within his Department, (b) in conjunction with other Government Departments and (c) by selling the property on the open market. [14143]
Mr. Soames: Since the announcement in December 1992 of the decision to close the Army apprentices college, Harrogate, my Department has considered the property for a number of other defence uses, none of which was found to be suitable. While the scope for alternative defence use is still being explored, we have, in parallel, conducted a without commitment "Expressions of Interest" advertising campaign through consultants to identify possible commercial interest in the site. The results of this advertising campaign are being assessed. A regular dialogue is maintained with the Government office for Yorkshire and Humberside.
Commissioned Officers
Mr. Bayley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many commissioned officers (a) in the Royal Air Force under Queen's Regulation 2905(3), (b) in (i) the
13 Feb 1996 : Column: 492
Royal Navy and (ii) the Army under the equivalent Queen's Regulations have been required to retire, relinquish or resign their commissions in each of the last 10 years. [14555]
Mr. Soames:
The number of commissioned officers who have been required to retire, relinquish or resign their commissions under Queen's Regulation (RAF) 2905(3) or equivalent regulations in the Royal Navy and the Army over the past 10 years are:
| Year | Royal Navy | Army | RAF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 3 | 1 | (1)-- |
| 1987 | 5 | 3 | (1)-- |
| 1988 | 10 | 3 | (1)-- |
| 1989 | 8 | 1 | (1)-- |
| 1990 | 7 | 7 | 5 |
| 1991 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 1992 | 7 | 3 | 6 |
| 1993 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 1994 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 1995 | 10 | 6 | 8 |
(1) Figures are not available for these years.
Nuclear Test Simulation
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the United Kingdom has the super-computing capability for nuclear test simulation. [14393]
Mr. Arbuthnot: A number of techniques and facilities, including super-computers, which will help to maintain the capabilities and expertise necessary for the stewardship of our nuclear weapons in the absence of underground testing are being developed. As regards the acquisition of super-computing equipment, I have nothing to add to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, North-West (Mr. Stern) on 26 January 1996, Official Report, column 466.
Empty Dwellings, North Yorkshire
Mr. Robert Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many empty Ministry of Defence domestic dwellings there are in North Yorkshire; and how many are for sale. [14196]
Mr. Soames: There are 491 empty MOD domestic dwellings in North Yorkshire, of which eight are currently being sold under the joint services discount scheme. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence announced on 30 November 1995, Official Report, columns 810-11, we intend to transfer ownership of the married quarters estate in England and Wales to the private sector.
RAF Valley
Mr. Spellar:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make an announcement for the contract to operate maintenance services at RAF Valley; and what requirements for on-going training commitments have been written into the specification. [14762]
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Mr. Soames:
Tenders for the maintenance work at RAF Valley are currently being evaluated. I expect to be in a position to announce the award of the contract in April. The contract will specify the qualifications and experience levels required by personnel undertaking maintenance work rather than the training needed to achieve those qualifications which will be a matter for the contractor.
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