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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 26 February 1996
DEFENCE
British Military Forces (Control)
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what requests he has received for British military forces to come under local, non-British control; what has been his response; and if he will make a statement. [13266]
Mr. Soames: British military forces regularly come under non-British operational control when they take part in operations under UN, NATO or ad hoc coalition auspices. In all cases, British forces remain under UK national command.
Iraq
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the report, "Iraq's Growing Arsenal: Programs and Facilities," prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency in July 1990. [16004]
Mr. Arbuthnot: I have no responsibility for reports prepared by a foreign intelligence agency. Matters relating to Iraq's procurement programme are dealt with in the Scott report.
Public Bodies
Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department have a statutory base and which (a) admit members of the public to all board or committee meetings and (b) hold open meetings for the public; and whether in each case this is (i) under a statutory requirement or (ii) voluntarily. [16030]
Mr. Arbuthnot: None of my Department's executive non-departmental bodies has a statutory requirement to admit members of the public to board or committee meetings, or to hold open meetings.
Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which are subject to (a) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (b) scrutiny by the Audit Commission, (c) scrutiny by the National Audit Office, (d) statutory provisions for open government, (e) performance indicators and (f) provisions under the citizens charter. [16017]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
While none of my Department's executive non-departmental bodies is subject to (a) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner or (b) the Audit Commission, they are all subject to (c) scrutiny by the National Audit Office, (d) the code of practice on access to Government information, (e) performance indicators and (f) citizens charter provisions.
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Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's staff formerly involved in the Al Yamamah project office have made applications under the business appointment rules. [16190]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
The information is not held in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Tony Banks:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what efforts have been made to raise private sector finance to construct a new royal yacht. [16259]
Mr. Soames:
No decision has been made on whether to replace Britannia and the Government have not invited contributions from the private sector to the costs of any replacement. A number of suggestions for a possible replacement have, however, been received from outside the Government, and some of these include private sector funding. The Government are continuing to consider the question of a replacement. An announcement will be made in due course.
Mr. Banks:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what efforts have been made to raise funds from the private sector towards the financing of HMY Britannia; and if he will make a statement. [16258]
Mr. Soames:
Private sector funding has not been sought for the operation of HMY Britannia. However, organisers of trade promotion events held on board the yacht meet all additional costs incurred, over and above normal running costs.
Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what considerations led him to approve Air Vice-Marshal Howard's appointment as a consultant to Tripod Engineering Ltd. in November 1988 following his retirement in October 1988; and to what extent these considerations were based on (a) written policy guidelines and (b) assessment of the particular case. [16304]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
As Sir Richard Scott's report makes clear, Air Vice-Marshal Howard did not seek permission before taking up his appointment with Tripod Engineering Ltd.
Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the present whereabouts and ownership of International Military Services Ltd. files relating to defence consultancies and contracts in Jordan, Iran and Iraq after 1981. [16313]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
These are matters for the company.
Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance was provided by (a) serving and (b) recently discharged British officers to International Military Services Ltd. to provide advice to the Government of Iraq between July 1981 and August 1990. [16305]
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Mr. Arbuthnot:
Advice given by any IMS representatives is a matter for the company. I am not aware of any serving officers being involved in any such matters.
Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date a final settlement of outstanding contractual issues with Iran in respect of contracts involving International Military Services Ltd. was concluded. [16309]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
This is a matter for International Military Services Ltd., but I understand that not all of the company's outstanding contractual issues have been concluded.
Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department (a) was informed of and (b) approved the instruction of the chief executive of International Military Services Ltd. to remove material relating to Iraq from the company's files. [16394]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
No. The maintenance of records is a matter for the company.
Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions the integrated weapon complex constructed in Basra, Iraq, in 1985, was subjected to allied attack in Operation Desert Storm; and what assessment his Department made of the damage caused to it. [16399]
Mr. Soames:
Full details of coalition operational combat sorties are not held by the MOD, but we have no record of any RAF attacks on such a facility. Battle damage assessment reports from recent conflicts remain classified.
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the ownership and trading activities of the Canira Technical Company Ltd. of Northern Ireland with particular reference to its involvement with the Iraqi arms procurement programme. [16325]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
There is nothing that I can usefully add to the information contained in paragraph D5.25 (xvi) of the Scott report.
Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many serving British officers (a) on secondment and (b) temporarily discharged were made available for the repair of an Iranian naval base at Bander-Abbas in the period between July 1981 and August 1988 as a contribution to a contract held by IMS. [16401]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
I am aware of none.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the officials in his Department who have declared a current interest; what requirements are placed on officials to declare relevant interests; in what form records of such declarations are kept; and if he will establish a central register of officials' interests. [16877]
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Mr. Arbuthnot:
Regulations require staff to declare to their line manager all investments in any company with which they have official dealings. These declarations should include details of such investments held by an individual's immediate family, as far as he or she is aware of those interests. Staff who are themselves directors, or partners or who hold any other appointment in a private sector commercial organisation must, if the private interest is associated in any way with their official duties, declare the interest to their line manager. Any information declared is confidential to the declarant and his or her line manager. No central records are kept, nor is it considered necessary to collect such information centrally.
Ms Eagle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those contracts his Department currently holds with EDS, indicating for each the (a) date of inception, (b) value and (c) duration. [17451]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
The central data maintained by the Ministry of Defence procurement executive shows that there are more than 150 contracts currently open with the company with a total value of in excess of £50 million. To obtain the level of detailed information requested for each contract would require considerable further research which could not be undertaken without disproportionate cost.
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