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Defence Exports (Indonesia)
35. Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next expects to meet members of the Indonesian armed forces to discuss defence exports; and if he will make a statement. [6541]
Mr. Spellar: Currently there are no plans for the Secretary of State, or any other Defence Minister, to meet members of the Indonesian armed forces to discuss defence exports.
Foresight Action Programme
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the funding by (a) his Department, (b) other Government Departments and (c) British aerospace companies this year and in each of the following two years for the foresight action programme. [6520]
Mr. Spellar: I very much welcome the imaginative proposals of the Society of British Aircraft Companies in its foresight action programme. My Department has already identified programmes that can be aligned with Foresight Action and is considering the potential of others. I am pleased to be able to tell the hon. Gentleman that as part of our planning process we are also evaluating promising future programmes.
34 Field Hospital
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) the number of personnel on the recent exercise by 34 Field Hospital at Elvington airfield, (b) the numbers planned for theatre operational deployment by 34 Field Hospital and (c) numbers available currently for operational deployment by 34 Field Hospital, by each
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specialty described in the current Defence Medical Services Army manning spreadsheet; and if he will make a statement. [8547]
Dr. Reid:
(a) 229 personnel from 34 Field Hospital participated in Exercise BOB CAT at Elvington airfield, near York, between 27 May and 16 June of this year.
(b) the number of hospital personnel who would deploy on operations, in 34 Field Hospital's current role in support of the Joint Rapid Deployment Force (JRDF), would depend on the composition of the force that is to deploy and the size of the hospital that is required to support that force. The following table illustrates the number of medical personnel that deploy with a hospital according to the number of beds and surgical teams the force will require, which in turn is dependant on the nature of the operation. The different requirements for beds and surgical teams are grouped into four categories.
| Serial | Reinforcement category | Total troops (cumulative) | Beds | Surgical teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (9)Cadre | 106 | 25 | 1 |
| 2 | (10)Category 1 | 121 | 25 | 2 |
| 3 | Category 2 | 172 | 50 | 2 |
| 4 | Category 3 | 270 | 100 | 4 |
| 5 | Category 4 | 506 | 200 | 8 |
(9) The Reinforcement Category "Cadre" is a permanent staff that are based in barracks and provide the manpower for peacetime activities including command, equipment husbandry and administration.
(10) Categories 1 to 4 are reinforcement staff, who are mostly provided by Defence Secondary Care Agency (DSCA). Personnel to make up Categories 1 and 2 are nominated in advance, but the balance of personnel to make up Categories 3 and 4 are found as required from the balance of DSCA personnel.
(c) 34 Field Hospital is available for deployment with a full complement of the required specialists. The table below lists the personnel currently available for operational deployment, by speciality, and according to the various reinforcement categories.
Work is in hand to consider the future of the Operational Medical Capability requirements of the Armed Forces.
Defence Industry
Mr. Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals the Government have to improve co-operation with the United Kingdom defence industry.[7344]
Mr. Spellar: I refer the my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Frind the Member for Barrow and Furness (Mr. Hutton), Official Report, 16 June 1997, column 78.
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Mr. Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, (1) pursuant to his answer of 4 July, Official Report, column 303, what other organisations were represented at the meeting with Mr. Knight of CND; [8171]
- (2) pursuant to his answer of 4 July, Official Report, column 303, what written materials were made available to Mr. Knight of CND during his meeting with Ministers;[8173]
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(3) pursuant to his answer of 4 July, Official Report, column 303, what other organisations were represented at the meeting with Mr. Knight of CND. [8172]
Dr. Reid: A list of those from outside Government who participated in the Strategic Defence Review seminar held on the 3 July is as follows:
Sir Brian Fall--Chairman
Josh Arnold-Forster, United Nations Association
Menzies Campbell (Liberal Democrat)
Professor Michael Clarke, Kings College London, peacekeeping
Rear Admiral Richard Cobbold, Royal United Services Institute
Jack Dromey, Transport and General and Vice Chairman of the Whitley Council
Paul Eavis, Saferworld
Jonathan Eyal, Royal United Services Institute, European security
Sir Timothy Garden, Royal Institute for International Affairs
Charles Grant, The Economist
Owen Green, Bradford University
James Gow, Kings College of London, Balkans
Rosemary Hollis, Royal Institute for International Affairs, Middle East
Martin Kettle, Guardian
Dave Knight, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Mark Laity, BBC
Alan Lee Williams (Atlantic Council of the UK)
John Lloyd, New Statesman
Ann McElvoy (Spectator)
John MacKinley, Kings College London, peacekeeping
Edward Mortimer, Financial Times
Sebastian Pease, British Pugwash Group
Dan Plesch, British American Security Information Council
Dr. Alex Pravda, St. Antony's Oxford, Russia
Stephen Pullinger, International Security Information Service
Ron Smith, Birbeck, defence economist
Jon Snow, Channel 4
Peter Snow, BBC
Clare Spencer, Centre for Defence Studies, Middle East
Lord (William) Wallace, LSE, Europe
Sir George Young (Conservative)
Royal Naval College
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to conclude negotiations between Greenwich Hospital, the Greenwich Foundation for the Royal Naval College and a new tenant for that site; and if he will make a statement. [8163]
Dr. Reid:
We hope negotiations will conclude in the autumn, so as to allow the Foundation to take responsibility for the Royal Naval College Greenwich progressively as it is vacated by the Royal Navy through to 1999.
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Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the number of MOD personnel, military and civilian, who are working (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) overseas on identified humanitarian projects. [6764]
Dr. Reid:
Information on the numbers of personnel engaged in humanitarian projects is not held centrally. However, in the former Yugoslavia 26 Service personnel work full-time on a range of humanitarian projects funded by the Department for International Development. Other humanitarian tasks are undertaken as the need arises. According to available records, on 1 July 1997 approximately 100 service personnel were assisting in flood relief operations in the Moray area of Scotland. On the same date HMS Liverpool and RFA Black Rover were in the vicinity of the island of Montserrat to provide any necessary assistance in the wake of the volcanic eruption. Parties were put ashore to assist in the construction of additional emergency facilities. It is likely that individual or small groups of service and civilian personnel were also taking part in humanitarian projects as a result of local initiatives.
Mr. Viggers:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of plans to promote the historic heritage at Greenwich by co-ordinating the activities of the National Maritime Museum and the new owners of Greenwich hospital.[7816]
Dr. Reid:
The Greenwich Foundation for the Royal Naval college is working alongside the National Maritime Museum and other organisations to plan both for the development of the proposed World Heritage site, to which the Royal Naval college is central, and to develop plans for the display of the history of the college itself.
Mr. Viggers:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the present position and the planned time scale in respect of the transfer of Greenwich Hospital to new owners. [7817]
Dr. Reid:
The Ministry of Defence will cease use of the Royal Naval college Greenwich progressively up to mid-1999. Following the departure of the Joint Defence and Royal Navy Staff colleges this summer, the Department of Nuclear Science and Technology will cease training at Greenwich in late 1998. MOD occupation is planned to cease in mid-1999 on completion of the decommissioning of JASON, the small teaching reactor. The Greenwich Foundation for the Royal Naval college is negotiating with the Director of Greenwich hospital on the terms of a lease by which it will hold the site, with potential occupants, and is working closely with staffs in my Department and in the Department of National Heritage, with the aim of taking over the site progressively as MOD use ceases.
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