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DEFENCE

Malathion

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what clinical assessments have been conducted by or on behalf of his Department on the health effects of malathion powder containing organophosphates. [10634]

Mr. Soames: None.

Mr. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what licensing procedures apply in respect of use of malathion by British armed forces. [10640]

Mr. Soames [holding answer 13 January 1997]: Malathion-based dusting powder has been discontinued and replaced in the inventory of UK armed forces by coopex powder, a pyrethroid-based pesticide. Residual stocks of the malathion-based dusting powder are being disposed.

Post-viral Fatigue Syndrome

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what data have been collected by his Department in each year since 1979 on the occurrence of post-viral fatigue syndrome or related illness contracted by environmental health assistants serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps. [10891]

Mr. Soames: Data on post-viral fatigue syndrome are not collected in this form.

Gulf War Syndrome

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary for Defence what assessment his Department's research into Gulf war syndrome made of the possible linkage between the use of vaccines against hepatitis B and post-viral fatigue syndrome manifested in Gulf war veterans. [10894]

Mr. Soames: My Department has made no specific assessment of the possible linkage between the use of vaccines against hepatitis B and post-viral fatigue syndrome manifested in Gulf war veterans.

Mr. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department's inquiry into Gulf war syndrome has made of articles published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association"; and what is his policy on reviewing American publications on post-Gulf war illness. [11028]

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Mr. Soames: My Department is currently assessing the four articles and editorial on the health of US Gulf war veterans which were published in the 15 January edition of the "Journal of the American Medical Association". We continue to monitor articles on Gulf health issues in American publications, reviewing them and conducting detailed assessments as medical staff consider appropriate. The Medical Research Council has also agreed to review research carried out or in progress in the US on our behalf, in order to establish its relevance to UK Gulf health issues.

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of the vaccines provided for use by personnel who served during the conflict with Iraq included anti-malarial agents. [11292]

Mr. Soames: None of the vaccines provided for use by the personnel who served in the Gulf during the conflict with Iraq included anti-malarial agents.

Diazinon

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what examination his Department's research into Gulf war syndrome undertook of the transitional breakdown products of the pesticide, diazinon; and what externally produced research papers on this pesticide have been evaluated by his Department. [10898]

Mr. Soames: My Department has not undertaken any research into the health effects of pesticides containing diazinon. As was stated in the report of the organophosphate pesticide investigation team, paragraph 3.D.31, there is a possibility that during deployment to the Gulf in 1990-91 a small number of personnel could have used a pesticide containing diazinon, which was purchased locally, for a limited period. As far as the Department is aware, these are the only circumstances under which British forces may have used a pesticide containing diazinon. The Ministry of Defence has not evaluated any externally produced research papers on diazinon.

Ballistic Missiles

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to develop technology-based defence against ballistic missile attack. [11029]

Mr. Arbuthnot: We are currently assessing whether we have a national requirement for ballistic missile defence, taking into account risks posed by ballistic missiles and evaluating the options for responding to these risks.

Naval Helicopters (Training)

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many departures from the agreed flight plan of naval helicopters on training flights occurred in each year since 1992. [11527]

Mr. Soames: This information is not available. Military aircraft are not required to file flight plans other than if transmitting through civil controlled airspace. Departures from a sortie plan can occur for a variety of emergency, operational or air traffic control reasons.

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Duke of York (Helicopter Flight)

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the flight path and the stopping-off places of the naval helicopter which carried the Duke of York on a training flight on 13 November 1996. [11520]

Mr. Soames: The aircraft left its home base at Portland, delivered a flight crew to the royal naval auxiliary yard Fleetlands, Gosport and then proceeded to collect HRH the Duke of York at Sunningdale while carrying out navigation training in the London helicopter route. A visit to Cowarth Park school was then undertaken during this training and after HRH was returned to Sunningdale the aircraft proceeded to RAF Manston for a military exercise.

Mr. Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who was responsible for agreeing the flight plan of the helicopter which carried the Duke of York on 13 November 1996. [11518]

Mr. Soames: The sortie was fully planned and authorised through the normal chain of command at the royal naval air station, Portland.

Mr. Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of the training flight of the naval helicopter which carried the Duke of York on 13 November 1996. [11519]

Mr. Soames: The cost of individual flights is not routinely recorded. The cost of the helicopter training flight which carried HRH the Duke of York on 13 November was accommodated within overall annual training hours and fuel allocations.

Child Care Facilities

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if Ministers are entitled to use child care facilities supported by his Department. [11598]

Mr. Arbuthnot: Ministers of the Crown are eligible to make use of the child care facilities provided by the Department. If use were made of my Department's child care facilities by my ministerial colleagues or by me, we would expect to pay the full non-subsidised cost of the care provided.

Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston

Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress is being made to clean up the North Ponds area at AWE Aldermaston; and if he will make a statement. [11482]

Mr. Arbuthnot: The North Ponds area receives surface water from within the Aldermaston site. Radiological levels are within limits set by the Environment Agency and other regulatory bodies. The area is being remodelled as part of a scheme to improve water management at Aldermaston, with completion expected next year. Some decontamination work will then be needed.

Nuclear Co-operation

Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many requests have been made by the

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United States of America for permission to transfer nuclear weapons information of British provenance to France since 1967. [11536]

Mr. Soames: We are not aware of any official requests for the transfer of nuclear weapons information under the 1958 agreement.

Defence Police (Highlands and Islands)

Mr. Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the number and location of his Department's police within the Scottish highlands and islands. [11898]

Mr. Soames: This is a matter for the chief constable/chief executive of the Ministry of Defence Police agency. I have asked the chief constable/chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from W. E. E. Boreham to Mr. Charles Kennedy, dated 20 January 1997:

I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the number and location of Ministry of Defence Police officers located in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, as this falls into my area of responsibility as Chief Constable/Chief Executive of the Ministry of Defence Police Agency.

There are no Ministry of Defence Police officers stationed in the Scottish Highlands and Islands.

Sunken Ships

Mr. Soley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a list of sunken ships which are listed as war graves indicating their approximate location. [12016]

Mr. Soames: Consideration of whether a sunken ship falls to be considered as a war grave, as now defined in the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, has been on a case-by-case basis. It has not in the past proved necessary to compile a list of such vessels, and to do so now would be possible only at disproportionate cost.

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