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Departmental Documents (Vote Office)
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many official documents published by his Department, including those published in co-operation with outside organisations, were not made available to hon. Members through the Vote Office in each of the last three years; and for what reasons the document "British Defence Doctrine" was not made available. [19111]
Mr. Soames: Details of all such documents are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. It is not therefore possible to give a number not placed in the Vote Office. Copies of "British Defence Doctrine" were placed in the Libraries of both Houses--including some additional copies--and separate copies were sent to those right hon. and hon. Members believed to have a particular interest in the document. A small number of copies was provided to the Vote Office in response to requests from individual hon. Members.
The normal minimum number of copies of documents provided to the Vote Office is 100. Our decision whether or not to place this number of any document in the Vote Office depends on a number of factors, including the relevance to parliamentary proceedings, the likely level of interest and thus potential waste, and previous practice in relation to similar documents.
Organophosphates
Mr. McWilliam: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) instances of disciplinary procedure have been initiated and (b) individuals have been informed that they may be subject to disciplinary action in (i) the civil service, (ii) defence or other agencies and (iii) the military as a result of the organophosphate pesticides investigation team report and further investigations. [19357]
Mr. Soames [holding answer 10 March 1997]: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 21 January, Official Report, column 550, if he will place in the Library copies of the documents on organophosphates then requested. [19203]
Mr. Soames: No, for the reasons states in my answer of 21 January, Official Report, column 550.
Mr. Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when Ministers were first informed of the contents of Health and Safety Executive guidance note MS17 on the biological monitoring of workers exposed to organophosphate pesticides. [19955]
Mr. Soames
[holding answer 13 March 1997]: I am not aware of any occasion on which the contents of Health and Safety Executive guidance note MS17, on the biological monitoring of workers exposed to organophosphoros pesticides, have been specifically brought to the attention of Ministry of Defence Ministers.
20 Mar 1997 : Column: 866
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which countries were visited by elements of the British defence advisory team in 1991. [20634]
Mr. Soames:
During 1991, the United Arab Emirates was the only country visited by elements of the British defence advisory team.
Sir Julian Critchley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals he has to privatise the Army Base Storage and Redistribution Agency; and if he will make a statement. [20998]
Mr. Soames:
There are no proposals at this present time to privatise ABSDA. However, as the hon. Member will be aware, ABSDA is required to make efficiencies and improve cost-effectiveness. To this end we have launched a programme of market testing under the Government's "Competing for Quality" initiative.
The CFQ programme embraces the activities of the three functional divisions of ABDSA which deal with vehicles and fuels, ammunition and stores. The programme is currently under way and its findings are as yet unknown but will be reported as soon as they are available.
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost to his Department in 1991 of providing overseas (a) short-term training teams, (b) advisory visits and (c) service personnel. [20999]
Mr. Soames:
The costs of many of the short-term training teams and loan service personnel deployed overseas are met by the host countries or by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, while those of defence export advisory visits are met by UK companies on occasions when they specifically request military support. Records of costs are not maintained by calendar year. However, according to available records, in financial year 1991-92, the net cost to the Department of providing short-term training teams was £116,000 and of providing loan service personnel was £2.129 million. In 1991, detailed records of the cost of defence export advisory visits were not maintained. However, on the basis of the information available, costs to the Department are estimated to have been in the region of £146,080. All costs are at historic prices.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the official visits to Saudi Arabia made by Ministers in his Department since May 1979, stating in each case the dates and purpose of the visit. [19560]
Mr. Soames:
For the period April 1993 to February 1996, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Defence Procurement to the hon. Member for Warrington, South (Mr. Hall) on 1 March 1996, Official Report, column 767. According to our records, the following visits have since been made to Saudi Arabia:
20 Mar 1997 : Column: 867
The purpose of these visits was the promotion of our important bilateral relations.
Records of ministerial visits prior to April 1993 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mrs. Anne Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the defence co-operation accord signed in November 1996 with the Government of the United Arab Emirates. [20274]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
The defence co-operation accord is confidential between the two Governments. I am therefore withholding the document under exemption 1b of the code of practice on access to government information. However, the scope of the accord was outlined in the Secretary of State for Defence's answer to the hon. Member for Wyre (Mr. Mans) of 28 November 1996, Official Report, column 388.
Mr. Murphy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, (1) if the present number of civilian staff will continue to be employed at the Army vehicle depot at Ashchurch, through to April 1998; [21172]
Mr. Soames:
This is a matter for the chief executive of the Army Base Storage and Distribution Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Foxton to Mr. Paul Murphy, dated 20 March 1997:
Mr. Stern:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will assess the extent of intelligence acquired by NATO from asylum seekers currently facing the threat of deportation from Germany to Russia, Belarus and Ukraine; and if he will discuss the value of that intelligence with his German counterpart. [21323]
Mr. Soames:
My Department has no indication that any intelligence reports from asylum seekers were acquired by NATO.
20 Mar 1997 : Column: 868
Mr. Stern:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will request that a search be made of NATO files to establish what promises of asylum were made to asylum seekers in Germany in the course of interrogations by intelligence officers reporting to NATO. [21315]
Mr. Soames:
I have no plans to do so.
Mr. Stern:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the proportion of asylum seekers arriving in a NATO member state from (a) Eastern Europe and (b) elsewhere who are interrogated on behalf of NATO or one of its member states. [21325]
Mr. Soames:
No such estimate has been made.
Mr. Stern:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many asylum seekers now resident in Germany were interrogated for military information by officers of the British armed forces or officers of British military intelligence. [21324]
Mr. Soames:
I am withholding this information under exemption 1 of the code of practice on access to government information, in relation to defence security and international relations.
Secretary of State Defence (Mr. Portillo) March 1996.
Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Mr. Soames) April 1996.
Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Mr. Soames) October 1996.
(2) how many vehicles are currently at the Army vehicle depot at Ashchurch. [21170]
I am replying to the recent questions you tabled to the Secretary of State for Defence as this falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the Army Base Storage and Distribution Agency (ABSDA). You asked if the present number of civilian staff will continue to be employed at the Army Vehicle Depot at Ashchurch, through to April 1998. You also asked how many vehicles are currently at the Depot.
At present 217 people are employed at the Base Vehicle Depot (BVD) Ashchurch. There will be retirements (both forecasted and unforecasted) and there may be small scale efficiency measures which reduce this figure somewhat but, according to the information I have to hand, the Ashchurch staffing level should remain at about its current level until April 1998.
Lastly, at 18 March 97, there are 6974 vehicles stored in BVD Ashchurch. I trust this has answered your questions satisfactorily.
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