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Ms Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what circumstances his Department (a) prescribes and (b) administers Lariam as an anti-malarial prophylaxis to military pilots and air crew. [36872]
Mr. Soames: Larium is not prescribed as an anti-malarial prophylaxis to service pilots and aircrew.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Trident submarines there are in the Trident programme; how many have been acquired; and how many are on station at any given time. [37393]
Mr. Arbuthnot: There are four submarines in the Trident programme; so far two have entered service. It is not our practice to give details of the dispositions of the strategic nuclear deterrent.
Mr. Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department expects to commission the last Trident submarine in its programme. [37392]
Mr. Arbuthnot: HMS Vengeance, the fourth Trident submarine, will enter service around the turn of the century.
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Mr. Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what will be the additional contribution of the last Trident submarine to the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent capability. [37394]
Mr. Arbuthnot: The four boat Trident fleet will guarantee continuous deterrent patrols throughout the planned 25-year life of the submarines, which includes periods for refit.
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports he has received from the United States authorities concerning the contents of the bunkers at Kamisayah in southern Iraq in March 1991. [37388]
Mr. Soames: No British troops were present in the vicinity of the Kamisayah arms depot when it was destroyed by US troops in March 1991. We continue, nonetheless, to take a close interest in the investigation being carried out by the US authorities into the incident. I understand that the US troops involved were 5 km from the depot when it was destroyed and that, further, a preliminary study of the health of those involved shows that there is nothing at present to suggest that they were exposed to chemical agents.
Mr. Rowe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to ensure that major publications from his Department are accompanied by a simultaneous electronic release of the text on the Internet. [37245]
Mr. Arbuthnot: We have already released on the MOD home page--http:\\www.mod.uk--a summary of the 1996 "Statement on the Defence Estimates", and have a sub-page for major defence policy speeches. This is in addition to press releases and other information.
The use of the Internet is kept under continual review as we recognise its potential as a publishing medium.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact of the International Court of Justice's recent decision on nuclear weapons on the position of the commanding officer of a naval SSBN--strategic submarine ballistic nuclear. [37345]
Mr. Soames: We do not believe the court's advisory opinions will have any implications for the commanding officers of our SSBNs.
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if an additional review has been made of the paper on the distribution of uranium 235 and plutonium 239 around the air force base at Greenham Common, referred to in his answer to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) of 3 July 1995, Official Report, column 93; and if he will make a statement on the prospects for the public release of this report. [37739]
Mr. Soames: This report has been reviewed and arrangements are being made to release it to the Public Record Office as soon as possible.
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Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many accidents involving nuclear weapons have taken place in the United Kingdom, or its dependent territories, since 1966. [37514]
Mr. Soames [holding answer 15 July 1996]: A nuclear weapon accident is defined as
Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings Defence Ministers have had with the Empty Homes Agency to discuss how empty MoD married quarters might be offered for sale or lease by housing associations or local authorities in areas of housing needs; and if he will make a statement. [37175]
Mr. Arbuthnot: My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence has held a number of meetings with the Empty Homes Agency during 1995 and 1996 to discuss issues related to void properties.
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on maintenance of the married quarters estate in each of the past five years. [37605]
Mr. Soames: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark) on Tuesday 9 July, Official Report, column 127.
Dr. Twinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what key targets have been set for the Defence Transport and Movements Executive in 1996-97. [37886]
Mr. Soames: The chief executive of the Defence Transport and Movements Executive has been set the following key targets for 1996-97:
(c) The requirements for trained personnel, op eqpt.
16 Jul 1996 : Column: 486
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