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Departmental Budget
17. Mr. Brian David Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will calculate the change in his Department's budget as a percentage of gross domestic product between April 1990 and April 1997 under current plans. [8987]
Mr. Terry Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the change in his Department's budget as a percentage of gross domestic product between April 1990 and April 1997 under current plans. [8974]
Mr. Soames: Under our latest spending plans and forecasts of GDP, the defence budget will account for approximately 2.8 per cent. in 1997-98, compared with 4 per cent. in 1990-91.
Eurofighter
18. Mr. Merchant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had on progress on Eurofighter with his German counterpart. [8988]
Mr. Arbuthnot: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence met his German opposite number in November, when Herr Ruhe confirmed that Germany expected to make a decision on the production investment and production phases of Eurofighter early in 1997. I met my German opposite number most recently on 5 December 1996, when he reaffirmed Germany's commitment to the programme.
Racial Harassment
19. Mrs. Fyfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cases of racial harassment have been reported in each of the armed services; and of these how many have resulted in disciplinary action being taken in the last year for which figures are available. [8989]
Mr. Soames: A total of 38 cases of alleged racial harassment in the Army were reported between 1992 and 6 December 1996, the last date for which figures are available. Of these, 25 were found to be unsubstantiated, and seven are still under investigation. Of the six cases substantiated, four have resulted in disciplinary action being taken.
In the corresponding period, the Royal Air Force has dealt with seven cases of alleged racial harassment. Of these, four were found to be unsubstantiated and one was withdrawn. Disciplinary action was taken in the other two cases.
The naval service has kept records of such cases for the last 12 months. In this time, five cases have been raised. Of these, one has been found to be unsubstantiated, another is under investigation and one involved disciplinary action. A further case was resolved without
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resort to disciplinary action. The remaining case relates to incidents in 1991-92, and is subject to a claim for damages at the High Court.
Racial abuse or discrimination is not tolerated in the armed forces. All complaints about racial discrimination are investigated and, where appropriate, action is taken against the offenders.
20. Mr. Luff:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what tasks are performed by the West Indies guard ship and its accompanying Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel; and if he will make a statement. [8990]
Mr. Soames:
The West Indies guard ship and her accompanying Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker provide support to our dependent territories and other UK interests in the region. They carry out a broad range of tasks, including disaster relief, support for international operations, goodwill visits, and training for Caribbean forces. They also make a significant contribution to the international fight against drug trafficking.
21. Mr. Bernard Jenkin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in how many countries overseas United Kingdom armed forces are currently serving; and if he will make a statement on the global role of the United Kingdom armed forces. [8991]
Mr. Soames:
British service personnel are currently providing a UK military presence either on operations or at permanent bases in 18 countries outside the United Kingdom.
Our armed forces are deployed around the globe to protect the interests of the United Kingdom and our dependent territories; to contribute to operations under international auspices, in particular those of NATO, the United Nations and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe; and to promote and sustain international peace and stability.
22. Dr. Spink:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what upgrades are planned in Royal Navy fighting capabilities. [8992]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
To maintain the Royal Navy as one of the world's most modern, able fighting forces, the capabilities afforded by its equipment are kept under regular review. A number of key projects are planned to enter service during the next decade, including six further type 23 frigates; two further Trident class SSBNs--strategic submarine ballistic nuclear; seven further single role minehunters; the landing platform helicopter, HMS Ocean; the two landing platform docks (replacement), HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark; the EH101 Merlin anti-submarine warfare helicopter; the batch 2 Trafalgar class submarine to succeed the Swiftsure class; the Tomahawk land attack missile; and the common new
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generation frigate, which will replace the air defence capabilities of our type 42 destroyers. In addition, improvements are planned to a range of weapons and equipment fitted to RN submarines and surface ships to ensure that they maintain their operational capability into the next century.
23. Mr. Ainger:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the current instructions given to Her Majesty's forces about the care of organophosphate pesticides have changed since January 1991; and if he will make a statement. [8993]
Mr. Soames:
Instructions regarding the storage and use of organophosphate pesticides are included on the safety data sheets for pesticides which accompany every delivery of service stock. The instructions have therefore changed since 1991 in line with changes in the inventory of the UK armed forces.
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list each of the toxic delousing powders or sprays used by British forces during Operation Granby indicating in each case (a) on whom and in what form it was used and (b) if it was licensed for use in the United Kingdom. [10641]
Mr. Soames
[holding answer 13 January 1997]: I refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 2.C.8 and 3.E.10 to 3.E.17 of the report of the organophosphate pesticide investigation team D/OPPIT/3 dated 6 December 1996, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
24. Mr. Pope:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received in connection with the Royal British Legion campaign to establish an ex-service affairs unit. [8994]
Mr. Soames:
My Department has recently received a number of letters expressing support for the Royal British Legion's campaign for the establishment of an ex-service affairs unit. Replies have been sent to all these letters, explaining that the Government continue to believe that provision for former service men and women is best integrated with that for the population as a whole.
25. Sir Fergus Montgomery:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the impact of the withdrawal from Hong Kong on the role of the Royal Navy. [8995]
Mr. Soames:
The UK's wider interest in security in the region will not diminish when the sovereignty of Hong Kong is transferred to China on 30 June. The Royal Navy will continue to deploy to the far east, as it has done traditionally. In addition to our continuing commitment to the five powers defence arrangements, we shall continue our programme of bilateral defence contracts with our friends in the region.
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26. Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's estimate of the number of (a) direct and (b) indirect jobs in the United Kingdom defence industry; and what was this number in 1990.[8996]
29. Mr. George:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's estimate of the number of (a) direct and (b) indirect jobs in the United Kingdom defence industry; and what was the number in 1990.[8999]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
Estimates of UK employment dependent both directly and indirectly on defence expenditure and equipment exports in recent years appear in table 1.10 of "UK Defence Statistics 1996", a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
27. Mr. Peter Atkinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the advantages of earmarking troops solely for peacekeeping tasks. [8997]
Mr. Soames:
Requests for British personnel to participate in peacekeeping are considered case by case in the light of other commitments. Contributions to peacekeeping operations can potentially be drawn from any part of the armed forces, subject to availability. We believe that this approach is preferable to earmarking personnel or formations. The inherent uncertainty of where and how operations will arise makes it very difficult to determine in advance which capabilities will be required. This results in the risk of a mismatch between requirements and earmarked forces. The United Nation's standby force arrangements, which identify capabilities in a large number of member states, provide a more practical and flexible method of identifying forces.
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