| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Training Areas (Warsaw Pact Countries)
24. Dr. Goodson-Wickes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he can report on the use of training areas by British and allied forces in the former Warsaw pact countries. [26942]
Mr. Soames: We plan that the Army will exercise in both Poland and Ukraine in September of this year, subject to final confirmation by the Governments of those two countries. Discussions over other possible training opportunities in central and eastern Europe are continuing. The arrangements under which other allies train in central and eastern Europe are a matter for the countries concerned.
Horseshoe Barracks, Shoeburyness
25. Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the Horseshoe barracks in Shoeburyness. [26943]
Mr. Soames: Studies are currently under way to identify whether any parts of Horseshoe barracks are surplus to Ministry of Defence requirements and therefore suitable for disposal. The views of the local authorities and local community will be taken into account before any decisions are reached.
7 May 1996 : Column: 18
Ministerial Visit (Israel)
26. Mr. Janner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his recent visit to Israel. [26944]
Mr. Soames: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to my hon. Friend the Member for Swindon (Mr. Coombs).
RAF Aircraft Crashes
27. Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF aircraft have crashed this year; and if he will make a statement. [26945]
Mr. Soames: A total of seven RAF aircraft have crashed in six accidents. Separate boards of inquiry are carrying out thorough investigations in order to determine the causes of each accident and to consider what action may be necessary to minimise the risk of recurrence. In line with normal policy, a summary of the findings of each inquiry will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses in due course.
European Defence Co-operation
28. Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent initiatives on European defence co-operation he has instigated; and if he will make a statement. [26946]
Mr. Soames: We have pursued a number of initiatives in support of the Government's policy on European defence announced in our memorandum of 1 March last year. In NATO, we have actively pursued implementation of measures designed to support development of a European defence identity within the alliance, consistent with the NATO summit agreement of January 1994. In the Western European Union, and in particular during the United Kingdom's six-month presidency of WEU, which began on 1 January this year, we have pursued a number of initiatives, including the establishment of a situation centre and introduction of a progressive exercise programme with the aim of strengthening the WEU's capability to mount and control certain humanitarian and rescue, peacekeeping and other crisis management tasks.
Departmental Performance (Value for Money)
29. Mr. Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria his Department uses to judge whether it provides value for money; and what assessment he has made of its performance. [26947]
Mr. Arbuthnot: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon.member for Cynon Valley (Mrs. Clwyd) on 2 April, Official Report, column 146.
Service Personnel
30. Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel are currently stationed in the United Kingdom and how many overseas; at what cost in each case; and if he will make a statement. [26948]
Mr. Soames: Details of deployments by geographical area are published annually in my Department's "UK Defence Statistics" booklet. At 1 January 1996, 178,412 service personnel were deployed in the UK, and were
7 May 1996 : Column: 19
deployed 52,631 overseas. Information on the associated costs is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Nuclear Submarines
Mr. Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many nuclear-submarine Z-berths there are currently in Scottish coastal waters; which ones have been used in the last 10 years, and when; and if he will make a statement. [28076]
Mr. Soames: The table sets out the usage of Z-berths in Scotland during the period 1992 to 1994. Figures prior to 1992 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Figures for 1995 are not yet available.
| Z-berth | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadford bay | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brodick bay | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Campbeltown | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Coulport | 51 | 94 | 66 |
| Dales Voe | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dalgety bay | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Firth of Forth | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Glen Mallan | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Holy loch | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lerwick | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Loch Ewe | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Loch Goil | 3 | 14 | 14 |
| Loch Striven | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Portree | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Raasay | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rothesay | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Mr. Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what monitoring he undertakes of the potential environmental impact of nuclear submarine Z-berths in Scottish coastal waters; and if he will make a statement; [28075]
- (2) what assessment he has made of the potential environmental impact of nuclear submarine Z-berths in Scottish coastal waters; and if he will make a statement. [28074]
Mr. Arbuthnot: The Defence Radiological Protection Service--DRPS--regularly monitors areas around UK establishments that support submarine operations to demonstrate that nuclear powered warship operation is neither harming the environment nor resulting in unacceptable levels of public radiation exposure.
DRPS surveys are complemented by the marine radioactivity monitoring programme undertaken by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, which publishes its findings independently.
Unidentified Objects, (Rendlesham Forest)
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current security classification on the documents his Department holds on the unidentified objects seen by members of the United States Armed Forces in Rendlesham forest, Suffolk in 1980; and if he will make a statement. [27644]
7 May 1996 : Column: 20
Mr. Soames: The papers held by my Department relating to the alleged events at Rendlesham forest, Suffolk in 1980 are unclassified.
British Service Personnel (Cyprus)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many official complaints as to the behaviour of British service personnel stationed in Cyprus have been reported to the Ministry of Defence in London since 1 January 1996; and if he will make a statement. [27622]
Mr. Soames: My Department has received a number of letters from hon. Members and from members of the public condemning the actions of the three soldiers convicted of the manslaughter of Louise Jensen. While many of them have also included general criticism of the behaviour of some UK military personnel, I am not aware of any separate complaints relating to specific incidents involving service personnel in Cyprus since 1 January 1996.
We will not tolerate behaviour that brings the Armed Forces into disrepute. The vast majority of service personnel based in Cyprus are very well behaved.
Land Mines
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions have taken place with the Italian company Valsella regarding the upgrading of the Ranger land mines delivery system; and if he will make a statement. [27631]
Mr. Arbuthnot: A representative of Valsella attended a presentation given to officials of my Department in September 1995 by the manufacturer of the Ranger land mine delivery system about the potential for upgrading that system.
Office Space
Mrs. Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the square footage and cost of office space rented by his Department and its agencies and the number of his Department or agencies' buildings partly, or fully unoccupied together with the square footage of that unoccupied office space and its estimated rental value where available in each of the past five financial years. [27730]
Mr. Arbuthnot: The information is not held in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Employees' Rights
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what provision is available to employees of his Department for (a) maternity leave, (b) maternity pay, (c) paternity leave, (d) parental leave, (e) flexible working hours, (f) part-time work, (g) job sharing, (h) leave to care for sick children, (i) home-working, (j) term-time contracts, (k) annual hours contracts, (l) workplace nurseries, (m) child care allowances, (n) carers' leave and (o) career break schemes; and what criteria are used to judge eligibility in each case; [27609]
- (2) what provision is available to employees of executive agencies under the control of his Department for (a) maternity leave, (b) maternity pay, (c) paternity
7 May 1996 : Column: 21
- leave, (d) parental leave, (e) flexible working hours, (f) part-time work, (g) job sharing, (h) leave to care for sick children, (i) home-working, (j) term-time contracts, (k) annual hours contracts, (l) workplace nurseries, (m) child care allowances, (n) carers' leave and (o) career break schemes; and what criteria are used to judge eligibility in each case. [27610]
Mr. Arbuthnot: I shall write to the hon. Member and place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |