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DEFENCE

Bosnia

12. Mr. Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next expects to visit Bosnia to inspect British troops; and if he will make a statement. [16849]

Mr. Portillo: I regularly visit British troops in the former Yugoslavia and was last there in December. I hope to make another visit in the spring.

Mr. Jopling: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the logistic plan to establish and support the implementation force with particular reference to the prices which IFOR is paying for essential services. [18616]

Mr. Soames: It is not possible to assess separately the costs of the logistic support to IFOR. Logistics costs are, however, included in the total estimated cost which is currently in the region of £300 million.

The prices which are being paid for essential services used by the UK forces contributing to IFOR are consistent with market prices. Wherever possible, we seek savings through competition, buying in bulk and exemption from taxes under the status of forces agreement.

International Peacekeeping

13. Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on Britain's contribution to international peacekeeping operations of reducing United Kingdom defence spending to the European average. [16850]

Mr. Portillo: If any Government were to reduce spending to the European average of 2.3 per cent. of gross domestic product, they would be forced to cut spending on defence by as much as £4.5 billion. This would severely undermine our capacity to undertake operations of any kind.

Defence Industry

14. Mr. Congdon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British jobs are sustained by the defence industry; and if he will make a statement. [16851]

16. Mr. David Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the level of employment in the defence industry in the United Kingdom. [16855]

Mr. Arbuthnot: The most recent figures available are for 1993-94, when an estimated 395,000 UK jobs depend on defence expenditure. About 80 per cent. of these--315,000--were sustained by my Department's spending, on both equipment and non-equipment items; the other 20 per cent.--80,000--depended on defence exports.

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Home Ownership

15. Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has in respect of home ownership among younger service personnel following the publication of the Bett report. [16852]

Mr. Soames: My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Defence Procurement announced on 1 March, Official Report, columns 766-67, a replacement for the married quarters discount sales scheme, which will end following the proposed sale of the married quarters estate. The new long service advance of pay scheme provides an interest-free loan and will promote home ownership more widely in the services.

Interoperable Equipment

17. Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if future orders for new or replacement equipment will be interoperable with NATO partners' equipment. [16856]

Mr. Arbuthnot: Interoperability with the equipment of our NATO partners is an important consideration in our assessment of the procurement options for meeting the equipment needs of our armed forces.

Low Flying

18. Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on possible damage to children's hearing caused by low-flying aircraft. [16857]

Mr. Soames: My Department has not conducted specific research into the subject. We do, however, closely monitor and evaluate scientific research on noise and hearing, including that relating to possible hearing loss in children due to aircraft noise. We believe that the restrictions we place on heights, speeds and operating procedures of military aircraft should ensure that the level of noise experienced on the ground is not harmful, particularly given the brief exposure involved.

Sir Dudley Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy over low training flights taking place over cities and towns. [18859]

Mr. Soames: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) on 10 February 1995, Official Report, column 463.

Sir Dudley Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons two RAF fighter aircraft were allowed to fly fast and low over central London at 10.57 am on 28 February and four more at 12.30 pm on the same day; and if he will make a statement. [18858]

Mr. Soames: The RAF Tornado GR1 aircraft were authorised to perform low-level flypasts of St. Paul's cathedral as part of the ceremony and service to mark the unveiling by HM the Queen of a memorial commemorating British service men who died in the Gulf war.

5 Mar 1996 : Column: 114

Army Training Regiment

19. Mr. Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the operation of the Army Training Regiment. [16858]

Mr. Soames: The Army Training Regiment, Lichfield is one of five such regiments providing initial training to Army recruits. The regiment at Lichfield trains recruits for the Army Medical Services, the Parachute Regiment and the Prince of Wales Division of Infantry.

The initial training provided at the Army training regiments is designed to meet the Army's requirements in a progressive and professional way which recognises the abilities of recruits on entry. All recruits at the Army training regiment are trained to the high uniform standard laid down in the 10-weeks common military syllabus (recruits) prior to undertaking phase 2 (special to arm) training at the appropriate phase 2 training centre.

Type 23 Frigate

20. Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations he has received on the time scale for orders for the type 23 frigate. [16859]

Mr. Arbuthnot: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Moray (Mrs. Ewing) on 21 February 1996, Official Report, column 165.

RAF Valley

21. Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make an announcement on the award of the contract following the market-testing exercise carried out at RAF Valley. [16860]

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.

Dual-use Technology

22. Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to strengthen the controls over nuclear and related dual-use technology. [16861]

Mr. Arbuthnot: Nuclear and related dual-use technology is controlled under an EC Council regulation and in UK implementing regulations, under the Dual Use and Related Goods (Export Control) Regulations 1995. The control list is amended when necessary to reflect changes agreed in the relevant non-proliferation regimes.

Recruitment

23. Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what improvements he plans in recruiting procedures for new members of the armed services. [16862]

Mr. Soames: The most important new procedure introduced on 10 January is that of the use of jobcentres for armed forces recruiting. I refer the hon. Member to the oral answer I gave on 9 January, Official Report, column 5.

A number of other new improvements to recruiting procedures have been introduced or will be introduced in the next few months. These include a new armed forces eligibility questionnaire which allows candidates to see at

5 Mar 1996 : Column: 115

a glance if they are eligible for entry into the armed forces and the introduction later this year of a standard application form for use by all three services.

In recognition of the reduced physical fitness of some young people, a physical development course is being trialled at the Army Training Regiment, Glencorse. The aim of this course is to take borderline physical fitness failures from the recruit selection centres and offer them a progressive three-week physical fitness programme to bring them up to the required entry standards.

The armed forces are also in the process of developing new formal links with the career service to help produce a wide network of well-informed careers advisers to help promote careers in the armed forces.

Arms Sales (Information)

24. Ms Roseanna Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further steps he is taking to provide Parliament with greater access to information on arms sales; and if he will make a statement. [16863]

Mr. Arbuthnot: I refer the hon. Member to the speech made by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade on 26 February, Official Report, columns 589-604.

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