| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Trident
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the warhead for the Trident system is of fixed or variable yield. [19224]
Mr. Arbuthnot: The UK has some flexibility in the choice of yield for the warheads on its Trident missiles.
AWE Aldermaston
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current status of the A90 building at AWE Aldermaston; and on what date it is expected that this building will become fully operational. [19220]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
The A90 building at AWE is now fully operational in its production role, enabling plutonium production to cease at the original facilities. Other equipment and processes in A90, not directly linked with production, are being progressively brought into use.
11 Mar 1997 : Column: 189
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if all nuclear depth bombs removed from service have been dismantled. [19222]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
All such weapons have been withdrawn from service and the dismantling process is continuing satisfactorily.
Mrs. Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's policy towards the conclusions of the US Department of State report on the enlargement of NATO, with particular reference to the responsibility for bearing the costs associated with improving NATO's regional reinforcement capabilities. [19107]
Mr. Soames:
We are aware of the recent report to Congress by the US Administration on the enlargement of NATO, and believe that it provides a useful assessment of the issues. Rapid reinforcement is already a fundamental tenet of NATO doctrine. The Government have invested significantly, and will continue to invest, in the required capabilities, but we do not expect the enlargement of NATO of itself to require any significant changes to the level of this investment.
Mrs. Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the financial cost to Britain of NATO expansion up to the year 2000. [19108]
Mr. Soames:
No decisions have been taken on which countries will accede to NATO membership, when and on what terms. The costs of enlargement, which will fall both on the countries which join and on the existing members of the alliance and will be incurred over a long period, will depend on those decisions but are not expected to be unaffordable. We expect the accession of new members to result in a proportionate reduction in the UK share of NATO common budgets.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of fast jets which are not combat ready because (a) of failings in the maintenance programme and (b) they are awaiting spares. [19301]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
The RAF has sufficient aircraft available to meet all its operational commitments. These commitments are given the highest priority in terms of logistic support, which can affect overall serviceability rates. On occasion, specific technical and industrial problems have also, temporarily, affected serviceability amongst the fast jet fleets.
Mr. Caborn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what price the developers Dukeminster paid to acquire the three Walmer and Deal barracks sites, which were made redundant due to the closure of the Royal Marines school of music; and for what type of development the land will be used. [19014]
Mr. Soames:
The overriding concern for the development of the barracks will be to provide an economically sustainable future for the site. The
11 Mar 1997 : Column: 190
prospective developers, in conjunction with other interested parties and the local planning authority, are considering a range of options which will form the basis of a development plan for the site. For reasons of commercial confidentiality, I am withholding information regarding the proposed sale price under exemption 7 of the code of practice on access to Government information.
Mr. Dykes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what response he has made to the representations made in recent months on behalf of the Marconi Defence Systems Ltd. subsidiary group within GEC plc for inclusion in significant high-technology defence contracts; and if he will list the recent contract awards in which Marconi Stanmore and the other subsidiaries have been so included. [18274]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
Other than the representation that my hon. Friend made in July 1996 about the advanced air launched anti-armour weapon, SR(A)1238, to which I replied on 24 July 1996 my Department is not aware of any other representations. During the last three months, the various companies within GEC-Marconi Ltd. have received about 400 contracts from MOD and DERA, ranging from a few hundred to several million pounds in value. As there are so many contracts and as details of the nature of individual contracts are not held centrally, to research the requested information and list those over a certain value could be carried out only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 6 March Official Report, column 710 on the MRSA outbreak at Cambridge Military hospital, what antibiotic was used following the screening for MRSA in 1994. [19900]
Mr. Soames:
The antibiotic used at the Cambridge military hospital was Bactroban nasal. This is a nasal ointment comprising 2 per cent. Mupirocin in a white soft paraffin basis.
Mr. Wilkinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for training for the medium-support helicopter fleet. [20068]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
I am pleased to announce that a medium support helicopter aircrew training facility is to be provided under the Government's private finance initiative, and that a consortium led by CAE Electronics of Canada, containing the UK companies Vega and Serco, has been selected as the preferred bidder. This will provide a training service for our Chinook HC Mk 2 and 3, Merlin HC Mk 3 and Puma HC Mk 1 helicopter crews based on dynamic mission simulators, together with computer-based training and support, housed in a single facility at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire. We plan to let a contract for at least 20 years with CAE for this service on the successful completion of final negotiations, which we hope to complete in the next few months.
11 Mar 1997 : Column: 191
Mr. Simon Coombs:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement about the efficiency and effectiveness of records storage keeping and storing in Government departments. [20062]
Mr. Freeman:
The efficiency unit and Public Record Office recently undertook a joint study of records storage and management within government. I have placed a copy of their report in the Library of the House.
Mr. Simon Coombs:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he has made a decision on the sale of custody services. [20060]
Mr. Freeman:
I announced on 16 January 1997, Official Report, column 310, that I had granted Apax Partners and Co., the proposed acquiror of the support services division of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency--DSSD, exclusive access to further information about custody services, with a view to their supporting a final bid for the business. I also announced that their final bid would be compared with the option of retaining the business in the public sector. The offer for custody services from DSSD/Apax did not represent better value for money than retention in the public sector.
The custody services will, alongside the special services group, remain part of the Security Facilities Executive, the future of which I announced on 3 December 1996, Official Report, column 602. A competition will be held in due course for a new chief executive, whose remit will include the development of a robust commercial strategy for improving the competitiveness of the business.
Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the annual cost of paying a London supplement to civil servants working in London in the last year for which figures are available. [17686]
Mr. Freeman
[pursuant to his answer, 27 February 1997, c. 287-88]: I regret that the date that I gave for the delegation to Departments and agencies of authority to determine pay and allowances was incorrect. The correct date was 1 April 1996.
Ms Eagle:
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to increase the number of next steps agencies. [15537]
Mr. Bates
[pursuant to his answer, 24 February 1997, c. 123]: I regret that the information that I gave on the number of agency launches expected in April and the list that I placed in the Library were incorrect. Preparations are in hand for the launch of 10 new agencies and the relaunches of two existing agencies being expanded to take on additional functions. The correct list is as follows:
11 Mar 1997 : Column: 192
I have arranged for the earlier list to be withdrawn from the Library.
The Army Individual Training Organisation is being expanded to take in Army recruiting and the RAF Training Group Defence Agency is being expanded to take in RAF recruiting and selection.
Functions being prepared for launch as next steps agencies in April 1997
Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
Defence Estates Organisation
Defence Medical Training Agency
Defence Vetting Agency
Employment Tribunals Service
Farming and Rural Conservation Agency
Fisheries Research Services
Forestry Commission Research Agency
Government Car and Despatch Agency
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |