9 Dec 1998 : Column: 189
Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 9 December 1998
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
BBC Funding
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects to announce who will chair the independent review panel considering BBC funding. [62949]
Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 8 December 1998]: I expect to announce the chairman and members of the licence fee review panel shortly.
Tourism
Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action he intends to take to encourage visitors to the UK to visit parts of the country outside London. [62961]
Janet Anderson: The British Tourist Authority recently opened the new Britain Visitor Centre in London. The new Centre, which is a partnership between the BTA and the tourist boards of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, aims to encourage visitors to London to travel more widely throughout the UK. This year we are providing a further £1.5 million to the London Tourist Board to support its Focus London campaign, which promotes London as a gateway to the rest of Britain. Our new tourism strategy, which will be published early next year, will set out in detail our plans for spreading the benefits of tourism throughout the country and throughout society.
UK Sports Institute
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to copyright the name of the UK Sports Institute. [62700]
Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 7 December 1998]: I assume that the hon. Member has in mind registration of a trademark rather than copyright. Action is in hand through the United Kingdom Sports Council to register as a trademark the names 'UK Sports Institute', 'United Kingdom Sports Institute' and 'UKSI' with the Trademarks Registry. A hearing before the Trademarks Examiner was attended by the UK Sports Council's legal advisers on 24 November as a forerunner to the process of formalising the submission of evidence for registration in the form of a Statutory Declaration.
A licence agreement has also been prepared between the Department, the UK Sports Council and Phoenix Sports Ltd. (the Sheffield bid team) for use of the trademark 'UK Sports Institute' and other similar marks during the period prior to registration of the trademark.
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Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many representatives there are on the Creative Industries Task Group and Film Policy Review who have a background in the technical side of their industry. [61425]
Janet Anderson:
Industry members of the Creative Industries Task Force were invited to participate on the basis of their expertise and experience and do not represent particular industries or aspects of industry. However, Paul Smith has a technical background in fashion.
Members of the Film Policy Review Action Committee were chosen for their knowledge and experience of the film industry as a whole. Several have direct experience of technical aspects of the industry.
Navy (Early Retirement)
Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the numbers of (a) divorces and (b) applications for premature voluntary retirement of Royal Naval personnel were during each of the last 10 years. [62936]
Mr. Doug Henderson: My Department does not hold statistics on divorces of service personnel.
| Financial year | Applications |
|---|---|
| 1988-89 | 3,788 |
| 1989-90 | 4,647 |
| 1990-91 | 3,470 |
| 1991-92 | 2,140 |
| 1992-93 | 1,667 |
| 1993-94 | 1,396 |
| 1994-95 | 1,691 |
| 1995-96 | 2,639 |
| 1996-97 | 2,086 |
| 1997-98 | 2,019 |
Notes:
1. Royal Naval Service includes Royal Marines and Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service.
2. PVR applications are recorded against the date they were input to the computer database.
Otterburn Range
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if munitions containing depleted uranium are authorised to be fired on the Otterburn range, Northumberland. [63034]
Mr. Doug Henderson: Munitions containing depleted uranium have not been and are not fired on the ranges at Otterburn.
Helicopter Crash (South China Sea)
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance was offered by (a) Singapore rescue helicopters and (b) the Malaysian Government, following
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the crash of a British military helicopter in the South China Sea off the east coast of Malaysia; and if he will make a statement. [62079]
Mr. Doug Henderson
[holding answer 8 December 1998]: A Lynx helicopter, operating from HMS Grafton, crashed during a bilateral exercise with the Singapore Navy on 23 September this year. Following the crash, a Singaporean naval vessel rescued the pilot after he had spent about an hour in the sea. Other Singaporean ships and aircraft continued to search for the second crew member until the decision was taken to call off the rescue.
Malaysia was not involved in the exercise and was therefore not in a position to offer immediate help. Two Malaysian ships did, however, offer assistance later; but by then the wreck of the helicopter had been located and so it was not necessary to accept the offer.
Dr. David Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to publish the interim epidemiological reports relating to Gulf War Syndrome sufferers. [62956]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
The MOD is funding two epidemiological studies into the health of UK Gulf veterans. One study, being conducted by a team from Manchester University led by Professor Nicola Cherry, aims to determine whether Gulf veterans are experiencing greater ill-health than Service personnel who did not take part in the conflict and to identify possible exposures and predisposing factors associated with any distinctive pattern of symptoms which may be found. It will also investigate whether there is an increased incidence of mortality or cancer amongst Gulf veterans. Initial results from this study are expected to emerge in the first part of next year.
The other study, being conducted by a team from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine led by Dr. Patricia Doyle, will examine the reproductive health of Gulf veterans and the health of their children. Initial results from this study are not expected until the end of 1999.
Initial results from a US-funded study by a team from Kings College, London, led by Professors Simon Wessely and Anthony David, are expected to become available at around the turn of the year.
All three research teams are working on an independent basis and therefore the publication of their results is a matter for them and not for my Department.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the allegation that secrets of where NATO were prepared to strike during the recent crisis in Kosovo were passed to the Serbs; and what assessment he has made of the implications for UK forces. [62096]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
There have been recent reports of a possible breach of security involving Major Bunel, a French military officer working at NATO headquarters. This and any other alleged breaches of NATO or national security regulations are matters for the security authorities concerned. In the Bunel case, the French Minister of
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Defence has stated publicly that Major Bunel had not had access to detailed planning, and preparations for NATO military action had therefore not been compromised. This case had no direct implications for UK forces.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the reports alleging corruption in the 1970s involving members of Her Majesty's Forces in Oman; and if he will make a statement. [62296]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
I believe that my hon. Friend is referring to allegations that appeared in a newspaper article and a book recently of corruption in the Special Air Services (SAS) Regiment during the Dhofar Campaign in the early 1970s. The events in question took place almost 25 years ago and official records on the matter are incomplete. However, I understand that the Regiment dealt with the matter at the time and that disciplinary action, where appropriate, was taken.
Mr. Brake:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his e-mail address. [62565]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
An e-mail address at which Ministers in this Department may be contacted will be set up shortly.
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