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Royal Marines
27. Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to visit the Royal Marines in Stonehouse, Plymouth, to discuss their role in the strategic defence of the United Kingdom [11761]
Dr. Reid: Rather than visiting three Commando Brigade's Headquarters in Stonehouse, Plymouth, I plan to see them on exercise and to be briefed on the Royal Marines' roles and capabilities during their Winter Training in Norway on 24 and 25 February next. I was extensively briefed on these matters when I visited the Commando Training Centre on 16 September.
Nuclear Weapons
28. Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact of the 1996 world court judgment on the legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons on British nuclear strategy. [11762]
Dr. Reid: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 19 June 1997, Official Report, column 261.
Territorial Army
30. Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future role of the territorial armed forces units. [11764]
Dr. Reid: The future role and structure of the Territorial Army is being considered in the Strategic Defence Review as part of our work on the Armed Forces as a whole. It would be premature to assess the likely outcome of the Review before the process is complete.
Former Yugoslavia
31. Mr. Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on Britain's contribution to the multinational stabilisation force in the former Yugoslavia. [11766]
Dr. Reid: The Government is justly very proud of the highly effective contribution that British troops continue to make to the mission of the Stabilisation Force for Peace in Bosnia.
33. Mr. Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the contribution made by the Territorial Army Volunteer Reserve to UK peacekeeping operations overseas. [11768]
Dr. Reid:
Over the last few years, our volunteer forces have made a significant contribution to peacekeeping operations overseas. The Territorial Army consistently supplies around 10 per cent. of British troops serving in the Former Yugoslavia; at present, some 400 TA soldiers are mobilised in the region.
3 Nov 1997 : Column: 82
Mr. Keith Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to publish his Department's mission statement. [14206]
Dr. Reid:
I have nothing to add at this stage to the oral answer I gave to the hon. Member on 16 June, Official Report, columns 14-15.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilians were enlisted for the duration of the Gulf war. [13505]
Dr. Reid:
I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Chinese nationals are currently serving as laundrymen on Her Majesty's ships; and by whom they are employed. [13508]
Dr. Reid:
Employment of laundry personnel is primarily a matter for the contractor, Worldwide Laundry Services (WLS). However, I am advised that there are currently 38 Chinese Nationals serving on HM Ships. Of this number, 25 are employed by WLS and the remaining 13, working on ships not yet taken up by WLS, are employed by the following contractors: Mr. Chick Shun Chui; Mr. Kang Shik Ming BEM; Mr. K. P. Lau BEM; Shao Brothers and Mr. Sung Sun Ching. We would expect the rolling programme of ships transferring to the new contract arrangements to be completed by February 1998.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ex-Gurkhas are currently serving as laundrymen on Her Majesty's ships; and by whom they are employed. [13506]
Dr. Reid:
There are twenty eight ex-Gurkhas currently serving as laundrymen on HM Ships, employed by Worldwide Laundry Services (WLS).
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many non-UK nationals are currently employed aboard RFA ships. [13507]
Dr. Reid:
There is a small number of non-UK nationals employed by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. These are people who were employed before all RFA posts were designated Reserved posts and who retain reserved employment rights. I will write to the hon. Member with precise details and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the peacekeeping operations in which British forces have been involved since 1990, indicating the number of personnel of each of the armed services deployed in each, at three-monthly intervals over the last five years. [13159]
Dr. Reid:
I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
3 Nov 1997 : Column: 83
Mr. Blunt:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the marginal cost to his Department's budget of taking part in IFOR and Operation Decisive Edge in the financial year 1996-97; and how much was made available from the reserve towards these costs. [13133]
Dr. Reid:
The additional cost to the Defence budget of the United Kingdom's military contribution to the NATO led Implementation Force (IFOR) was £183 million in 1996-97. The additional cost of the supporting air operation under Operation Decisive Edge was £19 million. Based on November 1996 forecasts of £184 million, the Government provided additional funding of £184 million to meet these costs.
Mr. Geraint Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops are currently serving in Bosnia as part of the Stabilisation Force. [11851]
Dr. Reid:
Some 5,300 UK troops are currently serving in the Former Yugoslavia as part of SFOR. Around 3,600 are based in Bosnia and a further 1,700 in Croatia. These figures exclude routine short term fluctuations in numbers as units arrive and depart from theatre.
Mr. Blunt:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the additional costs to his Department's budget of IFOR and Operation Decisive Edge; and how much additional funding was received from the reserve towards these costs. [14025]
Dr. Reid:
Up to the end of the 1996-97 Financial Year, the additional cost to the Defence budget of the United Kingdom's military contribution to the NATO-led Implementation Force (IFOR) was £243 million and £19 million for the supporting air operation under Operation Decisive Edge. Based on Number 1996 forecasts of £244 million, additional funding of £244 million was provided from the Reserve. The Ministry of Defence continues to incur follow on costs from the UK contribution to IFOR. Estimates of these costs are currently being updated and a statement will be made to the House in due course.
Mr. David Atkinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has held with his NATO counterparts on ballistic missile defence. [11750]
Dr. Reid:
My right hon. Friend has had no discussions with his NATO counterparts on ballistics missile defence.
Mr. Blunt:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in respect of his Department's overspend in financial year 1996-97, how much he claimed from the Reserve in the first instance; and how much he finally obtained. [14024]
Dr. Reid:
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has not made a claim on the Reserve in the 1996-97 financial year which ended before the present Government was elected.
3 Nov 1997 : Column: 84
In November 1996, the former Secretary of State sought and secured funding from the Reserve to meet the estimated additional costs of the United Kingdom's contribution to the NATO-led Implementation Force in the Former Yugoslavia in 1996-97 of £184 million; £160 million for ground operations and £24 million for supporting air operations. In the event, the actual cost of the ground operation in 1996-97 was £183 million and a further £22 million was incurred in meeting the United Kingdom's commitment to the follow on Stabilisation Force on which decisions were made after the Reserve claim.
Mr Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which local authorities do not exercise their discretion to disregard war widows' pensions and war pensions when assessing entitlement to housing benefit and council tax rebate. [13941]
Mr. Pond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will estimate the cost of a uniform disregard of war and war widows pensions by all local authorities when assessing entitlement to housing benefit or council tax rebates; and if she will give the figures separately for each of the authorities who currently give no disregard or only a partial disregard. [13166]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
The cost to local authorities (LA) in England, Scotland and Wales if all LAs fully disregarded war and war widow's pensions when calculating entitlement to housing benefit and council tax benefit is estimated to be £70 million. This is in addition to the cost to central Government of £15 million for the statutory disregards in these benefits.
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