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Project Horizon
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what alternative systems to Project Horizon are available to the Royal Navy; [66749]
- (2) what representations he has received from European partners concerning Project Horizon; [66755]
(3) what departmental funds have been spent to date on Project Horizon; [66750]
(4) what plans he has for his Department's future participation in Project Horizon. [66754]
Mr. Spellar
[holding answer 21 January 1999]: The Common New Generation Frigate, CNGF, is a French/Italian/UK collaborative project, comprising of two programmes, the Horizon warship and the Principal Anti-Air Missile System--PAAMS. We have achieved satisfactory progress on PAAMS with our partners, but we require urgent and similar progress on the Horizon warship. We are looking to a successful outcome to the current difficulties; an affordable, effective warship and the establishment of a robust industrial structure to manage the development and build of the warship and its systems. The National Armament Directors met on 14 January 1999 to discuss, among other things, progress on CNGF. No final decisions have been taken, and industry has been asked to provide definitive responses on the areas of concern. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence intends to meet his French and Italian counterparts shortly to discuss these issues further. Clearly, if rapid progress on these matters is not forthcoming, we would need to consider the option of alternative strategies, including a national warship, to
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ensure that the Royal Navy's requirement is fulfilled. The departmental spend on the Horizon programme to the 31 December 1998 was £75 million. The majority of this spend was on feasibility and assessment Studies.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what response he has sent to the request of the Government of the Sudan that a British inspection team be sent to the Al Shifa factory in Khartoum. [67622]
Mr. George Robertson:
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, Central (Mr. Fatchett), on 30 November 1998, Official Report, column 96, to the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan).
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the assessments which are required to establish a full costing of the move of HQ 101 Battalion REME from Chorley to Queensferry which have not yet been prepared. [65019]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
A full costing of the move will depend on finalising what modifications are required at the Queensferry site, the cost of re-locating staff who transfer to the new location, the cost of any redundancies found to be necessary, and the cost of re-locating the HQ's equipment and vehicles. From the costings to date, it is already clear that running cost savings will arise from the co-location of HQ 101 Battalion REME at the Queensferry site.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will place in the Library a copy of the latest version of the memorandum of understanding between the MOD and the Child Support Agency. [66063]
Mr. Doug Henderson
[holding answer 18 January 1999]: I have now placed a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Defence and the Child Support Agency in the Library of the House. I have not been able to do so until now as there had been a delay in the signing of the Memorandum. The delay resulted from copies of the latest version of the Memorandum, which had been signed on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and forwarded to the Child Support Agency for signature by the Agency's Chief Executive, being lost in transit.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if infra-red technology is listed by his Department as a key defence technology. [66663]
Mr. Spellar:
Infra-red technology has a wide spectrum of applications in both defence and civil sectors. Certain elements of infra-red technology are listed as key defence technologies.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action he has taken to ensure that
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technology developed partly using his Department's funding is given the opportunity to compete for sub-systems work when private contractors are given overall technical responsibility. [66662]
Mr. Spellar:
Companies involved in developing technology funded wholly, or in part, by the MOD can incorporate both technology into their competitive tenders for subsequent work, subject to the usual rules of competition and licensing.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the anticipated service life of (a) Tornado GR4 aircraft engines, (b) Eurofighter aircraft airframes and (c) Type 42 ships. [66664]
Mr. Spellar:
The anticipated service life of these respective equipments is as follows:
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the cost of the future refit of HMS Ark Royal; and when he expects the refit to commence. [66700]
Mr. Spellar:
The estimate of the cost of the future refit of HMS Ark Royal is commercially sensitive as we are still engaged in contract negotiations. I am, therefore, withholding the information under exemption 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. On current plans the refit is due to commence in May 1999.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what basis International Military Services (Iran) is trading; and if he will make a statement on its activities. [66984]
Mr. Spellar
[holding answer 21 January 1999]: I understand that IMS Iran Ltd. ceased trading in 1991.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what basis International Military Services Ltd. is trading; and if he will make a statement on its activities. [66998]
Mr. Spellar
[holding answer 21 January 1999]: International Military Services Ltd. ceased trading in July 1991, and only remains in being until its outstanding obligations are discharged.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what basis International Military Services (Saudi Arabia) is trading; and if he will make a statement on its activities. [66985]
Mr. Spellar
[holding answer 21 January 1999]: I understand that IMS Saudi Arabia Ltd. ceased trading as at 1 January 1985.
25 Jan 1999 : Column: 11
Mrs. Gilroy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements exist for publicising the public access arrangements to the defence estate; and what plans he has to publish the arrangements on the internet. [67003]
Mr. Spellar:
Public access to the Defence Estate is promoted via the booklet "Walks on MOD Lands", which is issued on request free of charge. There are also leaflets detailing local access arrangements, available from a number of establishments. Whereas access has to be restricted at certain times because of live firing for example, details of the closures are published in the local press and in some areas, broadcast on the local radio. The Dartmoor training area also has a manned telephone line to answer queries, as do some other training areas. It is intended to publish information about access to the Defence estate on the Internet, although no date has yet been set.
Mrs. Gilroy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what income was received by the MoD estate from (a) agricultural lettings, (b) sporting rights and (c) commercial lettings in each year since 1994-95. [67004]
Mr. Spellar:
The information requested is shown in the table:
(a) Tornado GR4 engines--25 years.
(b) Eurofighter aircraft airframe--25 years.
(c) Type 42 destroyers--in excess of 22 years but varies for individual vessels in the class.
| (a) Agricultural lettings | (b) Sporting rights | (c) Commercial lettings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-95 | 3,787,972 | 75,974 | 5,307,870 |
| 1995-96 | 4,011,546 | 44,276 | 5,693,040 |
| 1996-97 | 3,794,769 | 51,973 | 5,897,999 |
| 1997-98 | 3,674,562 | 58,762 | 9,036,551 |
| 1998-99 | 3,802,096 | 43,521 | 7,644,033 |
Notes:
1. The figures shown for 1994-95 and 1995-96 are approximate totals as a dedicated computerised system was not set up until 1996.
2. The figures for 1998-99 have been estimated up until the end of the financial year.
Departmental Activities (Environmental Impact)
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to reduce the environmental impact of his Department's activities. [65522]
Mr. Spellar: An Environmental Management Systems (EMS) Working Group has been established to develop an MOD-wide EMS based on ISO 14001. The intention is to use the EMS as a vehicle to enable my Department to meet its Greening Government commitment and to contribute to the Government's sustainable development objectives.
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