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Tornado Accident (Germany)
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at what height above ground level the Tornado involved in an accident in Germany on 10 May 1991 was found to have been flying at the commencement of the manoeuvres which led to control loss. [23440]
Mr. Soames: The aircraft's final manoeuvre was a level turn, which it entered at a height of 1,075 ft above ground level.
Weapons Ranges
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those weapons ranges in the United Kingdom where delivery of live BL755 weapons is authorised. [23448]
Mr. Soames: No RAF weapons ranges in the United Kingdom are cleared for the delivery of live BL755 munitions, although the Defence Test and Evaluation Organisation's range at West Freugh is cleared for the release of BL755 for trials purposes.
Gas Pipeline
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the sequence of events and the meetings and correspondence which preceded Premier Transco digging the Scotland-Northern Ireland gas pipeline in 1995. [23984]
Mr. Soames: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 6 February 1996, Official Report, columns 121-23.
Key Personnel (Travel)
Mr. Allason: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy regarding the air transport of key personnel travelling together to minimise the risk of loss. [24129]
Mr. Soames: Our policy remains that a judgment must be made in each case to assess the very remote possibility of a flying accident against the operational and other advantages that this form of travel provides.
2 Apr 1996 : Column: 100
Munitions Dumping (Solent)
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 12 March 1996, Official Report, column 512, if he will place in the Library documents which relate to the dumping of surplus munitions in St. Catherine's Deep off the Isle of Wight or other small-scale munitions dumps in the Solent. [23982]
Mr. Soames: No. Complete records of munitions disposal are no longer available and St. Catherine's Deep, although shown on hydrographic charts, may have had only limited or emergency use, if at all. There is no surviving evidence of other munitions dumps in the Solent.
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will survey the St. Catherine's munitions dump for reasons of public safety. [23983]
Mr. Soames: There are no plans to survey St. Catherine's Deep. Current scientific evidence indicates that munitions dump sites present no significant risk to safety, human health or the marine environment, if left undisturbed.
Bedenham Jetty
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 12 March, Official Report, columns 510-11, if he will list the purposes for which Bedenham jetty was used after 1966. [24220]
Mr. Soames: Bedenham jetty has been, and continues to be, used to transfer armament stores between the storage and maintenance depot Gosport to RN ships, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and between other armament depots by naval armament vessels.
Defence Export Services Organisation
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) the current offset adviser and international finance adviser at Defence Export Services Organisation, (b) the companies from which they are seconded, (c) the duration of their appointments and (d) the bonuses to which they are entitled. [24078]
Mr. Arbuthnot: The current offset adviser is Mr. Barry Teidman, a civil servant and not a secondee. The international finance adviser, Mr. Miles Faulkner is a fixed-term appointee and is also not a secondee but his previous company was Trafalgar House. Mr. Faulker was originally appointed on 1 April 1992 and his appointment has been extended until 31 March 1997. Both are eligible for any performance-related pay awards which may be agreed for their grades, but no specific bonuses are attached to the posts.
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the net cost of the Defence Export Services Organisation in each year from 1988 to the present. [24079]
2 Apr 1996 : Column: 101
Mr. Arbuthnot: The net cost of the Defence Export Services Organisation for each year from 1988 was as follows:
| Year | Net cost of DESO |
|---|---|
| £ million | |
| 1988-89 | (12.23) |
| 1989-90 | (15.99) |
| 1990-91 | (17.63) |
| 1991-92 | 11.05 |
| 1992-93 | 11.89 |
| 1993-94 | 16.02 |
| 1994-95 | 10.94 |
| 1995-96 (estimated) | 16.81 |
In the years 1988-89 to 1990-91, receipts exceeded costs because the proceeds from sales of surplus equipment were not disagregated to the services concerned.
Permanent Secretary (Visits)
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the visits outside Britain made by the permanent secretary to his Department on official business within the last 12 months indicating the date and purpose of the visit in each case. [24191]
Mr. Arbuthnot: Since 1 April 1995 the permanent under-secretary of my Department has made the following overseas visits:
| Date | Country | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 28-30 April 1995 | Germany (Munich) | Attend conference organised by the Ditchley Foundation |
| 29 August-3 September 1995 | Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) | Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) followed by conference |
| 19-20 October 1995 | Belgium (Brussels) | Visit to UK Delegation and International staff at NATO HQ |
| 14-15 January 1996 | Germany (Oberammergau) | Keynote address to NATO Defence Planning symposium |
| 2-4 February 1996 | Germany (Munich) | Attend Wehrkunde conference on security issues |
| 2-7 March 1996 | Pakistan (Islamabad) | Co-chair inaugural meeting of the UK/Pakistan Defence Cooperation Forum |
| 14-15 March 1996 | Bosnia/Croatia | Visit to UK personnel deployed with IFOR |
War Memorials
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the names of service personnel killed in Northern Ireland can be placed on local war memorials in Great Britain. [24370]
2 Apr 1996 : Column: 102
Mr. Soames: My Department has no objections to the names of service personnel killed in Northern Ireland being inscribed on dedicated memorials.
Departmental Purchases
Mr. Colvin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the Army has a very urgent requirement for 55,500 rounds of 30 mm AFV TP-T (Practice) L18A2 ammunition as listed as future purchase number ART 2A/10 in MOD contracts bulletin volume 10, number 112 dated 21 February; and if he will make a statement. [22256]
Mr. Arbuthnot: The annual training requirement for the 30mm AFV TP-T practice round was expected to reduce following the introduction of the new discarding sabot reduced range round in 1995-96. Changes in the production timetable of the DSRR have resulted in the need to train with the TP-T round instead and, therefore, to replenish stocks earlier than expected.
Mr. Colvin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for which forces there is a requirement for eight electronic support measure/direction finding stations as listed as tender number ISIS2A/017 in MOD contracts bulletin, volume 10, number 12, dated 21 February; and if this requirement is to replace existing equipment. [22257]
Mr. Arbuthnot: The requirement for the equipment specified in tender number ISIS2A/017 in MOD contracts bulletin, volume 10, number 12 dated 21 February, is to support the Army's activities in Bosnia as part of the NATO implementation force. The equipment to be provided is intended to meet the operation requirements of the deployment to Bosnia and is not intended to replace any existing Army equipment.
Future Attack Submarine
Mr. Colvin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what assumption for an in-service date for the future attack submarine tender number NSM13C/60167 in MOD contracts bulletin, volume 10, number 12, dated 21 February was issued in respect of pre-feasibility concept studies for the combat system. [22258]
Mr. Arbuthnot: The future attack submarine, currently the subject of concept studies, is intended to replace the Trafalgar class submarines early in the next century.
Matrix Churchill Trial
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussion he had with Alan Moses QC before the collapse of the Matrix Churchill trial. [22392]
Mr. Arbuthnot: None. Mr. Moses's only contact with the Department was in order to review MOD papers which may have been relevant to the case. Details are set out in Sir Richard Scott's report.
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