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Computer Aided Medical Systems Ltd.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the answer 10 May, Official Report, column 285, what is the estimated figure for licence income from the NHS in Wales accruing to Computer Aided Medical Systems Ltd. in each financial year since 1991-92. [29961]
Mr. Hague: The answer included the income from the NHS in Wales. The specific amounts were:
1991-92: £14,120
1992-93: £52,048
1993-94 £35,231
1994-95: £14,220
1995-96: £18,570.
LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL
Council of Europe Meetings
Mr. Terry Davis: To ask the Lord President of the Council how many meetings of, or organised by, the Council of Europe since January 1995 have been attended by Ministers or officials of the Privy Council Office; and if he will make a statement. [29365]
Mr. Newton: No such meetings have been attended since January 1995 by Ministers or officials of the Privy Council Office.
17 May 1996 : Column: 620
SCOTLAND
Control of Advertisements:
Mr. Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many appeals he has received in the last year under the Control of Advertisements (Scotland) Regulations 1984; and how many he granted. [28327]
Mr. Kynoch: The information, which is available only by calendar year, is as follows:
Calendar year: 1995
Appeals received: 301
Appeals allowed: 42
Public Interest Immunity (Lockerbie Investigation)
Mr. Galbraith: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the public interest immunity certificates issued in respect of the Lockerbie investigation, and the fatal accident inquiry; and to whom they were issued. [28638]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Five public immunity certificates were signed by Government Ministers in connection with the Lockerbie fatal accident inquiry in relation to matters or documents which Ministers considered not, in the public interest, be the subject of evidence. The then Secretary of State for Transport signed four certificates which dealt with aviation security measures, the size and shape of the improvised explosive device in the radio cassette recorder, the weight of explosives and the content of confidential communications by other Governments. The then Home Secretary signed a certificate which related to information concerning national security. None of these certificates required to be produced at the fatal accident inquiry.
In 1992, the then Secretary of State for Transport signed two certificates and the then Lord Advocate signed two certificates relating to the Lockerbie disaster concerning the taking of evidence for proceedings in the United States. The taking of that evidence, however, did not proceed.
DEFENCE
Armed Forces (Roles)
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 16 April, Official Report, column 456, what is the estimated annual cost to his Department of each of the main functions carried out by Her Majesty's armed forces not carried out by other European members of NATO. [29869]
Mr. Soames: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox) on 6 March 1996, Official Report, column 232, which gives a cost for our nuclear deterrent; and to table 1.3 of "UK Defence Statistics 1995", which shows the cost of overseas garrisons and General Officer Commanding (Northern Ireland), a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
17 May 1996 : Column: 621
Council of Europe Meetings
Mr. Terry Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many meetings of, or organised by, the Council of Europe since January 1995 have been attended by Ministers or officials of his Department; and if he will make a statement. [29356]
Mr. Soames: There is no record of any such attendance by officials or Ministers of my Department.
HMS Sheffield
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action has been taken or is planned to remove radioactive material from the grave of HMS Sheffield. [29764]
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give (a) the location and (b) the depth at which HMS Sheffield is estimated to lie. [29763]
Mr. Soames: HMS Sheffield sank some 350 miles east of the Falkland Islands, and is lying at a depth of approximately 2,000m.
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what actions his Department has taken to retrieve objects on HMS Sheffield, which sank off the coast of the Falkland Islands in 1982; if he will list the objects which have been removed from HMS Sheffield; what forms of monitoring his Department has carried out on HMS Sheffield since she sank; and if he will make a statement; [29880]
- (2) how many nuclear depth charges and of what type were carried by HMS Sheffield when she sank; and if he will make a statement; [29882]
17 May 1996 : Column: 622
(3) if he will list the nuclear weapons that his Department has lost in the past 30 years. [29881]
Mr. Soames: HMS Sheffield was abandoned when it proved impossible to extinguish fires resulting from a direct missile hit. She was later taken under tow, but sank six days after being hit. During those six days, small parties were helicoptered on to the ship on several occasions, primarily to assess the prospects of salvage and to see if lessons could be drawn. I understand that the only equipment that was recovered in this period was firefighting apparatus, which had been borrowed from other ships. No efforts were made to recover further equipment then or subsequently and, as HMS Sheffield sank in very deep water, no form of subsequent monitoring was either necessary or carried out.
It has been the practice of successive Governments neither to confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons in specific locations at specific times. I can, however, confirm that the UK has never lost such a weapon, nor lost and subsequently recovered one.
Road Accident Deaths, Gorazde
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the special investigation branch report into the death of three soldiers from the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment in a road accident on 12 September 1994, near Gorazde. [29879]
Mr. Soames: In common with civilian police reports, it is not my Department's practice to place service special investigation branch reports in the Library of the House. The witness statements from the SIB report into the deaths of these soldiers, however, have been made available to the next of kin.