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Lariam
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.
Trident Programme
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.
16 Jul 1996 : Column: 484
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.
Iraq
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.
Internet
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.
Nuclear Weapons
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.
16 Jul 1996 : Column: 485
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
"any unplanned occurrence involving the destruction of, or damage or suspected damage to, a nuclear weapon, which has resulted in actual, or potential hazard to life, or property, or which may have impaired nuclear safety".
Married Quarters Estate
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.
Transport and Movements Executive
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:
1. To confirm and satisfy the operational requirement through the achievement of a satisfactory operational evaluation.
Method of Assessment
(a) The criteria for KT should be an objective assessment by the chief executive based on:
Key post manning requirements are met.
Staff training and skills are to the required standard.
Owned infrastructure can achieve appropriate throughput and sustain 24-hour operation.
G4 transport and movements contracts or other available transport and movements assets provide the means of meeting the operational requirement.
The required service level agreements are in place and functioning.
- (b) Crisis management exercise.
(c) The requirements for trained personnel, op eqpt.
16 Jul 1996 : Column: 486
- 2. To meet the agreed service levels for single service top-level budgets within its wider peacetime transport and movements role.
An objective assessment by DG Log Sp (A) that DTMX has met its wider peacetime role based on the following criteria:
(a) The owner's advisory boards.
(b) Confirmation of success in meeting the criteria for key target 1.
(c) Confirmation that the G1 transport and movements contracts base meets customer's requirements.
3. To provide an agreed transport and movements service which meets the transport and movements element of the standard priority system requirements as laid down in JSP 336, to time in 96.5 per cent. of cases.
4. To implement the agency's competing for quality strategy specifically:
(a) To complete the Falkland Islands resupply contract with the option of a commercial partner by 31 December 1996.
(b) To complete the tri-service freight distribution market test by:
Evaluating tenders by 30 September 1996.
Letting the contract by 11 November 1996.
Commencing the contract by 15 May 1997.
(c) To re-examine the procurement strategy of following existing contracts:
Rail
Freight forwarding.
(d) Identify unavoidable excess spare capacity within owned assets and assess the opportunity to marketing this by December 1996.
(e) Evaluate the requirement for and procurement of additional MoD shipping assets.
5. To develop internal management systems to:
(a) Produce accruals accounts for 1996-97 for a full NAO audit.
(b) Achieve activity-based costing for 90 per cent. of DTMX budgetary responsibilities by 31 March 1997.
(c) Continue to pursue the targets set in the DTMX information systems strategy.
6. Through the use of the DTMX ABC system identify input or output efficiencies against:
(a) Costing appropriate management charges against activities within DTMX's budgetary area and implementing a process for internal and external benchmarking of these costs.
(b) Make output efficiencies in management costs within the following functional areas:
Lands Ops.
Sea Ops.
Unaccompanied baggage--initiate management procedures in policing services and changes to the management organisation to identify output efficiencies.
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