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Child Care Facilities

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what child care facilities his Department provides for its employees; what facilities were provided in 1992; and how many employees have used child care facilities in each year since 1992. [6454]

Mr. Arbuthnot: In line with my Department's policy to provide good-quality, affordable child care for staff wherever it is cost-effective to do so, the MOD and its agencies currently provide a range of child care facilities for use by service and civilian staff. In 1992 there were three nurseries, operating in central London, Taunton and Farnborough. Today, 13 MOD nurseries offer over 500 places to children of service and civilian staff in addition to places in playgroups, creches and holiday playschemes. No record has been kept of the use of facilities since 1992, in the form requested.

28 Nov 1996 : Column: 385

Radiation Testing

Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the Government have spent on radiation experiments since 1966. [6563]

Mr. Soames: As far as my Department is concerned, the specific costs of these studies were subsumed into the overall Defence programme. They are not separately identifiable and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. It is unlikely, however, that there would have been anything other than minor expenditure on these studies.

Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) Government and (b) private US collaboration funding has been received for the radiation-testing programme. [6567]

Mr. Soames: As far as my Department is concerned the information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. There is no evidence of any US private or Government funding of these MOD studies.

Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many lawsuits against the Government there have been based on the long-term health effects of radiation experiments. [6560]

Mr. Soames: I am not aware of any legal proceedings having been brought against my Department in respect of the studies involving the use of radioactive material at Aldermaston, Porton Down and Farnborough.

Bois de Mai Residence

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 18 November, Official Report, column 396, what action was taken in respect of the furniture at the official residence of Bois de Mai following its sale. [6626]

Mr. Soames: Following the sale of Bois de Mai, the furniture originally purchased from the Norwegian Government has been sold on to the German Government. Of the remaining furniture, some has been redistributed to the residences of the Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe and the United Kingdom military representative, with the balance going to storage. Items such as carpets and curtains were sold with the property.

Women

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of those employed by his Department in 1992-93 were women. [6472]

Mr. Arbuthnot: Of the total number of civilian staff employed by my Department and its agencies in 1992-93 some 30 per cent. were women.

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many women are currently employed by his Department at each civil service grade. [6443]

Mr. Arbuthnot: I refer to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Cunninghame, South (Mr. Donohoe) on 4 June 1996, Official Report, column 334.

28 Nov 1996 : Column: 386

Information Technology Projects

Ms Church: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 7 November, Official Report, columns 652-53 on IT projects, what is his Department's definition of disproportionate cost. [6702]

Mr. Arbuthnot: When it is estimated that the cost of providing the information requested would exceed £450.

Co-operation Accord (United Arab Emirates)

Mr. Mans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in the negotiation of a defence co-operation accord with the Government of the United Arab Emirates. [7029]

Mr. Portillo: The Governments of the United Kingdom and of the United Arab Emirates have signed today a defence co-operation accord in Abu Dhabi. The accord provides for the strengthening of military co-operation between the UAE and the UK in a number of areas, including training, the conduct of combined exercises, the provision of modern defence equipment and related services to the UAE armed forces and the development of joint military plans and military deployment strategies for the defence of the UAE. Under the terms of the accord, the UK is committed to assisting the UAE in deterring threats or preventing aggression against the UAE and, in the event of such aggression taking place, to implementing the joint military plans which are judged appropriate for the defence of the UAE. Discussions will now take place on these military plans and military deployment strategies under the auspices of a joint military committee; the accord will take effect once these discussions are complete.

The accord builds upon the 1971 treaty of friendship between the UK and the UAE and upon the long-standing history of co-operation between our two countries on defence. It is a welcome sign of our close and valuable relationship and it underlines our continuing commitment to working with states both in the Gulf and outside it to secure security and stability in a region of strategic importance to the UK.

Russian Space Agency (Environmental Evaluation)

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make representations to his Russian counterpart in regard to the environmental evaluations made by the ecological division of the Russian Space Agency's Central Scientific Machine Building Research Institute of the use of rocket engines to incinerate nerve gas, biological and toxic weapons and industrial toxic wastes. [6017]

Mr. Soames: No. While my Department has concerns about the environmental impact of using rocket engines to incinerate nerve gas, biological and toxic weapons and industrial toxic wastes, it does not have access to the technical data on the processes involved which would allow it to form a judgment on its suitability as a disposal route.

28 Nov 1996 : Column: 387

Disbanded Regiments

Sir Irvine Patnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 20 November, Official Report, columns 610-11, where the records of disbanded regiments are kept. [6128]

Mr. Soames: Records of disbanded regiments could be held in one of several locations such as a regimental headquarters or museum, a private or local authority museum or the National Army museum. They are not held centrally in my Department. If my hon. Friend has a particular regiment in mind, my Department would be pleased to determine the whereabouts of its past records.

Arms Sales

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will present an annual report to Parliament on arms sales and the criteria on which the Government's guidelines are based. [5999]

Mr. Arbuthnot: As I announced on 23 July 1996, Official Report, column 213, a report on defence equipment exports will in future be included as part of the annual statement on the defence estimates. This report will include an explanation of the Government's policy on defence exports.

TREASURY

Self-employment

12. Mr. Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received concerning his policies to encourage the growth in the number of self-employed people in the United Kingdom.[4867]

Mrs. Angela Knight: All Treasury Ministers meet representatives of the small firms sector, including the self-employed, frequently.

Economic Forecasting

13. Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to improve the accuracy of his economic forecasting. [4869]

Mr. Kenneth Clarke: Economic forecasting will be easier in an environment that has stable growth, low inflation and sound public finances. We shall continue to pursue policies to bring these about.

Economic Growth

14. Mr. Berry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations have been made to him on growth rates in the United Kingdom economy. [4870]

Mr. Waldegrave: I receive many representations on economic growth. The Government are happy to be judged by their record. Since 1992, the UK has had the strongest and steadiest recovery of any major EU country. Both the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Monetary Fund expect the UK to be the fastest-growing major European economy, both this year and next.

28 Nov 1996 : Column: 388

Public Spending

15. Dr. Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for public spending as a proportion of gross domestic product over the planning period. [4871]

Mr. Waldegrave: As my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor announced in his Budget on 26 November, spending will fall to 40 per cent. of GDP in 1997-98 and continue to fall in the following two years.

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