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Land Mines (Bosnia)
Mr. Chris Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the country of origin of the land mines which have been responsible for the death or injury of British soldiers in Bosnia. [17667]
Mr. Soames: Complete information is not available. Where it has been possible to recover and examine fragments, however, the mines concerned were identified as having been manufactured in the former Yugoslavia.
Army Tanks
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many tanks the Army possessed in (a) 1979 and (b) 1996. [17758]
Mr. Arbuthnot: At 1 January 1979, the Army possessed 870 main battle tanks, of which 620 were deployed in operational units, and at 1 January 1996, 470 main battle tanks, of which 350 were deployed in operational units.
Medical Services Review
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library the submissions received from the Department of Health, the NHS executive, NHS trusts and health authorities in relation to (a) the defence medical services review in "Options for Change" and (b) the "Front Line First" review in the period 1 January 1994 until 17 October 1994. [17762]
Mr. Soames: I will write to the hon. Member.
RAF Aircraft
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many front-line aircraft the RAF possessed in (a) 1979 and (b) 1996. [17757]
Mr. Soames: The number of operational, excluding training and communications, RAF aircraft at 31 March 1979 was 628. The corresponding figure for 31 March 1996 is planned to be 512.
Railhead Transfer Equipment
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if railhead transfer equipment was deployed in the gulf war with the DROPS--demountable rack offloading and pick-up system--logistic supply chain; and if he will make a statement. [17761]
Mr. Soames:
Railhead transfer equipment was not deployed in the Gulf because the tractor units on which it was mounted were not designed to operate in the desert conditions of the Gulf.
28 Feb 1996 : Column: 538
Dr. Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the deployment of the Arbau-Klaus railhead transfer equipment to Bosnia; and how trains transporting British equipment unload their cargo before that deployment. [17759]
Mr. Soames:
There is no requirement for the Arbau-Klaus railhead transfer equipment to be deployed to Bosnia. The unloading of cargo is currently undertaken by whichever mechanical handling system is available at each station or siding.
Dr. Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if Arbau-Klaus railhead transfer equipment is capable of unloading DROPS flatracks. [17760]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
Yes. The Arbau-Klaus railhead transfer equipment fully meets the specification to handle the DROPS flatracks.
Dr. David Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many destroyers the Royal Navy possessed in (a) 1979 and (b) 1996. [17755]
Mr. Soames:
On 1 April 1979 12 destroyers were in service with the Royal Navy, the same number as today.
Dr. David Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list his Department's vessels which will take part in the sea exercise Purple Star with the American navy, when the exercise will take place, and if he will make a statement. [17763]
Mr. Soames:
Exercise Purple Star will take place, with the United States Navy, off the eastern seaboard of the United States from late April to mid-May. It is not our normal practice to give details in advance of the composition of groups of ships taking part in exercises. The UK will, however, be making a sizeable contribution in terms of ships, aircraft and personnel.
Dr. David Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the strength of the (a) Army manpower, (b) RAF manpower and (c) Royal Navy manpower in (i) 1979 and (ii) 1996. [17756]
Mr. Soames:
The information requested is contained in "TSP1--Tri-Service Personnel Statistics--Strengths, Intake and Outflow of UK Regular Forces", a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.
Dr. David Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the choice of a radar system for his Department's replacement maritime patrol aircraft. [17671]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
The responses to the invitation to tender for a replacement maritime patrol aircraft are currently being assessed by my Department. The selection of particular subcontractors for subsystems is a matter for the bidders themselves.
28 Feb 1996 : Column: 539
Dr. David Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when Spartan vehicles will be converted from petrol to diesel engines; and if he will make a statement. [17672]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
As part of the enhancement programme for the combat vehicle reconnaissance (tracked)--CVR(T)--family of vehicles, which includes Spartan, studies have been undertaken into the feasibility of replacing existing petrol engines with diesel. Further work is currently in progress, which should allow a decision on whether to proceed to be made this summer. If it is decided to proceed, the first diesel engines are expected to enter service in 1998, with production complete by 2000-01.
Dr. David Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent contracts he has signed for the purchase of advanced rifle grenades. [17663]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
A contract was signed on 22 December 1995 to purchase rifle grenades from TAAS Israel Industries.
Dr. David Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many replacement maritime patrol aircraft his Department plans to purchase. [17674]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
The number of replacement maritime patrol aircraft to be purchased is currently under examination in the context of our assessment of responses to the invitation to tender. At present, no decision has been taken.
Dr. David Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total value of the contracts placed with American companies in the last two years. [17675]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
The total value and number of contracts placed with American companies over the last two years are as follows:
| Number | Value (£) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 270 | 153,965,050 |
| 1995 | 296 | 1,602,086,486 |
| Totals | 566 | 1,756,051,536 |
Royal Marines Reserve
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will update his answer of 15 March 1995, Official Report, column 638, in respect of the roles and future strength of Royal Marines Reserve. [17831]
Mr. Soames:
The role and tasking, and therefore the strength, of the Royal Marines Reserve are kept under review so as to ensure that they reflect our operational requirements. Any future changes would of course be subject to consultation in the usual way.
28 Feb 1996 : Column: 540
Passes
Miss Emma Nicholson: To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee what procedures exist governing the issue of House of Commons passes to foreign nationals; and if he will make a statement. [17856]
Mr. Michael J. Martin: A House of Commons photographic pass may be issued to a foreign national provided the appropriate application is signed by the sponsoring Member and security clearance has been obtained.
Members' Interests
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Chairman of the Committee on Standards and Privileges when he expects the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to provide guidelines to hon. Members in respect of the declaration of interest on parliamentary questions and motions. [17231]
Mr. Newton: Following recommendations to the House contained in paragraphs 55 to 60 of the first report of the Select Committee on Standards in Public Life of Session 1994-95, HC 637, the House agreed, with effect from the beginning of Session 1995-96, to extend the rules about declaring interests to cover the giving of written notices. Accordingly, on 23 October last, the Table Office issued a guidance note to Members on the application of the amended rules. Members were advised that if they had doubts about whether a declaration of interest was appropriate they should consult the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.
Walter Somers (Trade and Industry Committee)
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Lord President of the Council if he has anything to add to his oral answer to the right hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Ashdown) of 25 May 1993, Official Report, column 750, on the briefing of witnesses from Walter Somers before the Trade and Industry Committee. [15999]
Mr. Newton: The inquiry to which I referred has been completed, and the report was published on 15 February.
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