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Offal Rendering
Mr. Paice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if it is his policy that the production of tallow and other products from the rendering of pig offal and fallen stock should be disposed of in the same way as that from bovine animals. [18067]
Mr. Rooker [holding answer 27 November 1997]: The BSE (No. 2) Order 1996 requires that all mammalian protein is excluded from ruminant feed and all mammalian meat and bone meal is excluded from all farmed livestock feed. The Fertilisers (Mammalian Meat and Bone Meal) Regulations 1996 also require that mammalian meat and bone meal is not used as a fertiliser on agricultural land. The Orders do not distinguish between pig and bovine material or material from fallen stock. Under the Bovines and Bovine Products (Despatch Prohibition and Production Restriction) Regulations 1997, plants wishing to produce bovine tallow for feed use must be registered and comply with the provisions laid down in that Order.
Hemp
Mr. Paice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has made to the Home Office regarding the level of fee for the licence required for growing hemp and its impact on small producers. [18063]
Mr. Rooker [holding answer 27 November 1997]: The Department's officials have written to, and met with, officials in the Home Office and have relayed the concerns of the hemp industry about the proposed level of the licence fee for 1998.
DEFENCE
Nuclear Deterrent
4. Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the total cost of the British nuclear deterrent over the next four years. [16797]
Mr. George Robertson:
The total procurement cost for Trident is estimated to be £12.6 billion. Average running costs have been estimated at £200 million a year over the 30 year lifetime of the system. We are examining the basis
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upon which cost estimates have been calculated in the light of operating experience as part of the wider Strategic Defence Review.
16. Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will instigate a review of the policy relating to the distribution and striking of medals and the protocols relating to their display. [16811]
Mr. Spellar:
The present policy relating to the distribution and striking of medals and the protocols for the wearing of medals is well proven. There are no plans to change it at the present time.
17. Mr. Keith Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance he has given to the Chief of the General Staff on the selection and commissioning of Army officers. [16812]
Dr. Reid:
My hon. Friend the Secretary of State and the Chief of the General Staff routinely discuss all major aspects of Army policy, including recruitment. They are both committed to ensuring that access to the modern British Army, and promotion thereafter, is based firmly on merit alone.
18. Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends publishing the RAF's operational requirement for the future large aircraft. [16813]
Mr. Spellar:
I have no plans to publish the Staff Requirement (SR(A)435) for the Hercules Rolling Replacement Programme (for which the Future Large Aircraft is a possible contender for the second tranche).
19. Mr. Baldry:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the future of the Territorial Army Volunteer Reserve. [16814]
Dr. Reid:
I assume that the hon. Gentleman is referring to the Territorial Army, whose future role and structure are 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.
20. Mr. Garnier:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the review of the Defence Medical Services. [16815]
Dr. Reid:
The stewardship of the previous Administration, whatever its intentions, has left the Defence Medical Services in a parlous state. In addition to the work of the Strategic Defence Review, which will clearly encompass the Defence Medical Services (DMS), I have established a team to implement the recommendations of a recent review of the operational capability of the DMS. I have also ordered a review of the provision of secondary care in the UK by the Defence Secondary Care Agency, and called for proposals to improve morale and retention among DMS
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personnel. I have directed that the work on these separate but interrelated issues be brought together in order to determine a structured way forward.
21. Mr. Bill O'Brien:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Government's proposals for the provision of new surface ships for the Royal Navy. [16817]
Dr. Reid:
There are currently 18 surface ships either under construction or completing contractor trials. In the last 12 months two ships, the Type 23 Frigate, HMS Grafton, and the Ocean Survey Vessel, HMS Scott, have been accepted from contractors and will be entering full operational service in the next few months. The next 12 months will see the acceptance of the Type 23 Frigate HMS Sutherland, the naming and acceptance of the helicopter carrier, HMS Ocean, and the launching of the Type 23 Frigate, HMS Kent, and the Single Role Minehunters, HMS Pembroke and HMS Grimsby. A contract was placed in October 1997 for the charter of additional Ro-Ro ships which from May 1998 will increase the heavy lift capability for the Joint Rapid Deployment Force to two vessels.
Future projects include replacing, early in the next century, the capabilities currently provided by the Type 42 Destroyers with the Horizon frigates, the Type 22 and 23 Frigates with a new class of Future Escort and a new class of Aircraft Carrier to supersede the Invincible class. In addition to these major programmes, a number of other projects including replacements for the Surveying Flotilla, Logistic Landing Ships and new Combat Stores Ship are also under consideration. These projects are, of course, being considered as part of the Strategic Defence Review.
22. Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the cost of refurbishing his Department's headquarters. [16818]
Mr. George Robertson:
Costs of the refurbishment of MOD Main Building will depend on proposals from the shortlisted consortia during the next stages of the procurement programme that I announced on 12 November 1997, Official Report, column 582. Costs will continue to be closely examined as the public private partnership programme proceeds. Shortlisted bidders have the challenge of producing value for money solutions against the benchmark of my Department's public sector comparator.
23. Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated value of the ASTOR project; and when he expects to announce his decision on this project. [16819]
Mr. Spellar:
The estimated procurement cost of the ASTOR (Airborne Stand-Off Radar) project is in the region of £750 million. Final proposals for the full Development and Production phase have now been invited from the two contractors who carried out competitive Project Definition studies. In addition, the Ministry of Defence has agreed that a co-operative development of a variant of the US Joint Surveillance
1 Dec 1997 : Column: 24
Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) should also be considered for meeting the UK ASTOR requirement. We aim to announce a decision in 1998.
24. Mr. Barnes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel are currently deployed overseas on duties related to the current situation in Iraq; and what plans he has to add to these numbers. [16820]
Dr. Reid:
Some 800 UK Service personnel are deployed overseas on duties connected with the current situation in Iraq. Almost all are contributing to established land, sea and air operations (including UN operations) which predated the recent crisis caused by Saddam Hussein's decision to expel the US Unscom personnel.
In addition, HMS Invincible and RFA Fort Victoria deployed to the Mediterranean, embarking seven RAF Harrier aircraft, as part of the UK's response to the crisis, with a combined complement of some 1,300 personnel. There are no plans at present to deploy additional personnel.
25. Mr. MacShane:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will restore the planned reduction in financial support towards the maintenance of the Yorks and Lancaster regimental museum in Rotherham. [16821]
Mr. Spellar:
£6,000 of funding has been restored to the Museum in recognition of its valuable representative role for the Army and focus for local recruit activity. We have also offered our assistance in identifying alternative sources of income to enable the museum to cover any shortfall in funding.
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