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Former Yugoslavia
26. Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the cost of the United Kingdom's contribution in the former Yugoslavia will continue to be met from the contingency reserve. [16822]
Mr. George Robertson: Once the costs of the Bosnia operation in the current year are clearer, we will be able to assess more precisely how much of that cost can be absorbed within the Defence budget. I will discuss the funding of anything in excess of that sum with my Cabinet colleagues.
Bosnia
27. Mr. Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current level of Britain's military contribution to the stabilisation force in Bosnia. [16823]
Dr. Reid: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon, Central (Mr. Davies), on 3 November 1997, Official Report, column 83.
New Deal
28. Mrs. Brinton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure that the armed forces participate in new deal employment initiatives. [16824]
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Dr. Reid:
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Leyton and Wanstead (Mr. Cohen) on 14 November 1997, Official Report, column 688.
29. Mr. Gibb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department took to ensure that his report following the review of the administration of the pay of officer prisoners of war and protected personnel in German and Italian hands during the second world war, published on 23 July, reflected the first-hand experiences of the officers involved. [16825]
Mr. Spellar:
My decision on the Review of officer Prisoner of War and Protected Personnel pay deductions took full account of the lengthy submissions of the officers and Protected Personnel, their meetings with the previous Minister and the letters many of them wrote, all of which reflected their first hand experiences. This work also examined the considerable weight of contemporary evidence which survives.
The main concern of the Review was to examine the pay policy which covered these servicemen, and to consider the decisions which formed it and its implementation. It is clear that those concerned with this policy had a number of sources of detailed information about the views and circumstances of those in the camps, ranging from the formal Reports of Red Cross and other visits, to communications with individuals raising questions about their own pay.
30. Mr. Hutton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his plans for defence diversification. [16826]
Mr. Spellar:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Redditch (Jacqui Smith).
31. Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was discussed at his recent meeting with Russian defence officials; and if he will make a statement. [16827]
Mr. George Robertson:
I paid a short, productive visit to Moscow on 3-4 November, where I had meetings with the Russian Defence Minister, General Sergeyev, the Secretary of the Defence Council, Dr. Kokoshin, and Foreign Minister Primakov.
Dr. Kokoshin and I agreed to develop discussions on the democratic control of defence. Foreign Minister Primakov and I exchanged views on Iraq.
The main purpose of my visit was to promote defence co-operation between the UK and Russia. General Sergeyev and I inaugurated a joint Russo-British Commission to oversee the management of defence co-operation between our countries. Among a range of bilateral issues discussed, we agreed that our navies should work towards closer co-operation in humanitarian and peacekeeping operations.
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We agreed on the value to both countries of the series of high-level British/Russian conferences on defence matters, held at Wilton Park, Sussex.
We also agreed to promote scientific co-operation between our Ministries of Defence, and that the Russians would send experts to a demining seminar in the UK next year. I took the opportunity to pass on an offer of assistance from The Royal British Legion to Russian veterans' organisations.
32. Sir George Young:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the factors underlying the delay in completing the strategic defence review. [16828]
Dr. Reid:
I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Walsall, South (Mr. George) on 25 November 1997, Official Report, columns 499-500.
Mr. Shaw:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many claims relating to alleged ionising radiation exposure at the workplace have been received by his Department from past civilian employees at Chatham Dockyard since it became a nuclear refit facility; and how many of these claimants have received compensation other than as a result of a common law claim. [17430]
Mr. Spellar:
Chatham Dockyard became an approved nuclear submarine refit facility in 1966.
It is not possible to report how many claims relating to former Chatham Dockyard workers have been received by my Department since 1966 because this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, such information has been held centrally since 23 October 1986 and my Department's records show that forty claims for compensation for illness allegedly caused by exposure to ionising radiation relating to former Ministry of Defence civilian employees who worked at Chatham Dockyard have been received.
On 27 July 1994, the Ministry of Defence joined the British Nuclear Fuels Compensation Scheme for Radiation Linked Diseases. Membership of the Scheme covers past and present radiation workers including those at the Royal Dockyards before contractorisation in 1987. Thirty-two claims have been submitted to the Scheme of which seven have been rejected as ineligible, and twenty-five are under consideration. Prior to July 1994, all claims for alleged exposure to ionising radiation from civilian employees were considered on the basis of whether or not the Department had a legal liability to pay compensation. One of the eight claims received prior to July 1994 resulted in damages being awarded by the High Court; the remaining seven claims were not pursued. Therefore, none of the claimants has to date received compensation other than as a result of a common law claim.
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Angela Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total income to his Department from the issue of licences to hunt on his Department's land in the last year for which figures are available. [17301]
Mr. Spellar:
The income that my Department will receive from those licences issued to hunt foxes on the Defence Estate in the 1997-98 season will amount to £800. The full administrative costs associated with the preparation of such licences will also be recovered.
Mr. McAllion:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Trident D5 Missiles were loaded on to HMS Vigilant in the United States after the completion of its most recent test firing of missiles there. [18320]
Mr. Spellar:
Following a very successful Demonstration and Shakedown Operation, HMS Vigilant collected 14 unarmed Trident D5 missiles from the US Navy's Strategic Weapon Facility Atlantic at Kings Bay, Georgia in preparation for her entry into operational service.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if members of the reserve forces can serve with the UN Special Commission in Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [18873]
Dr. Reid:
A Call-Out Order is in force which permits members of the reserve forces to be called out under Section 54 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 to support operations in the former republic of Yugoslavia and also in the region of Iraq. This includes service with the UN Special Commission in Iraq. Only suitably qualified volunteers are called out.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will review the boundaries of the United Kingdom low-flying zones for fast jets. [16803]
Mr. Spellar:
The UK Low Flying System is kept under continuous review to ensure that low flying is conducted as safely as possible with the minimum of disturbance to the public.
Mr. Spring:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to increase recruitment into the armed forces. [16807]
Dr. Reid:
The Government is committed to addressing the very serious problem of undermanning inherited from the previous Administration and has made recruitment to the Armed Forces one of the top priorities. A number of new recruiting initiatives are in place and, there are signs that these measures are beginning to have an effect.
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