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Strategic Airlift Capability
2. Mr. John Bercow (Buckingham): What progress his Department is making in acquiring strategic airlift capability. [75965]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (
Mr. John Spellar): We received bids at the end of January for competing aircraft to meet our requirements for both short and longer-term strategic airlift capability. MOD officials are now assessing those bids. We will announce the outcome to the House once decisions have been made.
Mr. Bercow: I have to tell the hon. Gentleman that that was a lamentably complacent response to my question. Given that it is now several months since Ministers described the need for four Boeing C17s as "urgent", will the hon. Gentleman tell the House today when those aircraft will be in service with the RAF, or whether he envisages that the country will be forced into the ignominious position of having to lease old Russian Antonovs?
Mr. Spellar: One wonders who the Government were before May 1997 and why the hon. Gentleman displays mock indignation on this issue. We are considering possible alternatives--C17 or its equivalent. As the hon. Gentleman knows, the Antonov, among others, is being considered by potential industrial participants. We are conducting a proper evaluation to find out which fits our need and which would fulfil our longer-term requirements. A little less fake indignation and a little more examination of the facts would serve the hon. Gentleman well.
Mr. Robert Key (Salisbury): Can the Minister confirm that the delay in the lease of the C17s is because of problems with military exports from the United States? Is he now looking more favourably on the Airbus A400M option, which appeared at one time to be shelved? Can he not rule out at least some of the Antonov aircraft, which would be particularly ancient and really not equivalent to the C17s?
Mr. Spellar: The B52 could be described as ancient, but it seems still to be a very effective aircraft in its particular field of operation. Our short-term requirement is for out-size airlift. We are also considering our longer-term requirement for major airlift. We are examining synchronisation between the two requirements and whatever degree of commonality is possible if that will provide the best mix. We are examining the best possible outcomes and we hope as a result to remedy the deficiencies in heavy lift, in the air and at sea, that we took over when we came to office.
Gulf War Illnesses
3. Mr. David Kidney (Stafford): How much the Government are currently spending on research into the illnesses of Gulf war veterans. [75966]
7. Mr. Ben Chapman (Wirral, South):
How much the Government are spending on research into the illnesses of Gulf war veterans. [75970]
The Minister for the Armed Forces (Mr. Doug Henderson):
The Ministry of Defence's research into Gulf veterans' illnesses currently comprises two major epidemiological studies, a neuromuscular symptoms study, an independent review of research literature, and a
Mr. Kidney:
I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. It is reassuring to hear of the money that is spent on research. I am sure that it is welcome to all the Gulf war veterans, including those to whom I spoke in my constituency, who still do not have a definite diagnosis of their illness, let alone any hope of a cure. Does my hon. Friend agree with the Royal British Legion that, for these veterans, time is of the essence if they are to benefit from the results of the research? Given the resources that are available to my hon. Friend, does he look to sharing information in the context of the results of research done in other countries, especially the United States?
Mr. Henderson:
I thank my hon. Friend for that question. I much agree with the Royal British Legion's view that time is of the essence for the individuals who are suffering from illness which they believe they contracted in the Gulf. That is why the Government have increased the resources that are committed to research to try to get to the bottom of what happened, to try to ascertain the illness or illnesses that they have suffered from, the cause, how similar illnesses could be prevented, and what sort of treatment is appropriate.
We recognise that many people in the United States are suffering from similar illnesses. We want to enter into discussions with the US Government to determine how best we can combine our research resources.
Mr. Chapman:
I thank my hon. Friend for his reply. However, does he understand that Gulf war syndrome, if that is the right expression--it seems that there is a plurali--a plur--[Laughter.] It seems that there are lots of conditions. Does my hon. Friend understand that that is worrying generally, but particularly to those who are suffering? It is essential that the present level of research be continued so that a cause or causes are found. Will my hon. Friend confirm that, if the Government are found to be at fault, compensation will be paid?
Mr. Henderson:
If my hon. Friend had trouble with "plurality", he would have had even greater trouble with "epidemiological". I can assure him that we are doing everything we can to try to get to the bottom of what is wrong with people who are suffering from illnesses that were contracted in the Gulf, and that we shall commit any necessary resources--we have already committed three times more than the previous Government--to trying to find out what is wrong with personnel who served in the Gulf.
Mr. Andrew Robathan (Blaby):
I think I am the only current Member who served in the armed forces in the Gulf, although I may be wrong. I welcome the Minister's remarks about investigating the causes of the illness. It is self-evident that some members of the armed forces have suffered severe illness, possibly from organophosphate poisoning, and they deserve swift compensation. Can the Minister tell us whether any evidence of a syndrome has yet emerged from the research in the United Kingdom or the United States?
Mr. Henderson:
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that further question. It has not been possible to
Mr. Nicholas Soames (Mid-Sussex):
Does the hon. Gentleman agree that it is important that none of those research programmes, many of which were started when the previous Government were in power, should duplicate the work done in the United States of America? Does he agree that it will add greatly to the credibility of those programmes, which have been undertaken by distinguished scientists, if it is clearly seen that they do not overlap with any American studies?
Mr. Henderson:
Yes, I very much agree. As I said during the previous Defence Question Time, I went to Washington three weeks ago. I spoke to the Department of Defence, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the White House about the kind of research that was considered a priority. The Americans are coming back next Monday, I think, and I will have further discussions with White House officials about how we can co-ordinate the research. It is crucial that there should be no opportunity for one group of experts to argue against another group, simply because they come from different sides of the Atlantic. We must get the experts together to give us the best medical and scientific opinion, in the hope that we can resolve the outstanding problems.
4. Mr. Simon Hughes (Southwark, North and Bermondsey):
What level of recruitment he expects for (i) regulars and (ii) reserves to (a) the Marines, (b) Special Air Service, and (c) RAMC over the next five years.[75967]
The Minister for the Armed Forces (Mr. Doug Henderson):
The recruiting targets for Royal Marines, Special Air Service, and the Royal Army Medical Corps are set to maintain current and known future staffing requirements, for both regular and reserve forces.
Soldiers and officers for the Regular SAS are recruited as required from among serving personnel.
The Regular Royal Marines recruiting targets for 1999-2000 are 1,155 other ranks and 38 officers, reducing to 800 other ranks and 38 officers in 2003-04.
The Regular Royal Army Medical Corps recruiting targets for 1999-2000 are 398 other ranks and 69 officers, rising to 625 other ranks and 78 officers in 2003-04. I am placing fuller tables of the targets for the Royal Marines and the Royal Army Medical Corps in the Library of the House.
The Royal Marine Reserve adjusts its recruitment to maintain a trained strength of 592 reservists.
Following the strategic defence review, the Reserve Royal Army Medical Corps is to increase by more than 2,000 personnel, and we aim to recruit those additional reserve personnel as soon as possible.
Mr. Hughes:
I am grateful for a full and helpful reply. I believe that we are still a little below establishment in each of those forces. Can we increase the number of women and of black and Asian recruits? Will the Minister reflect on the benefit of trying to pull from the reserves in the Marines, the RAMC Corps and the SAS into the regulars? There is a link, but the numbers going from the reserves to become full-time service personnel are still relatively small. All the evidence and anecdotes that I hear suggest that there is potential there for further recruitment.
Mr. Henderson:
I agree that it is important to tap into all the potential resources for recruitment to our armed forces. The reserves are a key area for that, as are the cadets. That is why the Government put so much emphasis on building up the resources and the capabilities of the cadets.
The hon. Gentleman also identified two important areas of recruitment. Although women are obviously not so important in respect of the Royal Marines, they are important in the other parts of the armed services and we must tap into such a major section of the population. Female recruitment has been improving significantly, especially for officers. About one in five such recruits are women and not many organisations in this country could claim that one in five of their middle management are women. It is a tribute to our armed forces that they have been able to achieve that.
It is also important that we recruit from the widest base of the population. So many people in the black and Asian communities would offer so much to our armed forces if they could be convinced that they had a first-choice career there. It is our aim to make sure that that is the case.
Mr. John Wilkinson (Ruislip-Northwood):
Is not the crucial test, particularly for the commando course of the Royal Marines and the selection course for the Special Air Service Regiment, whether people going through those courses have the mental and physical toughness to pass and to be fully operational thereafter? On the RAMC, do not the needs of the wounded and the sick transcend the racial divides in our society; therefore, should we not forget any notion of ethnic quotas for any arm of the armed forces and judge applicants only on their ability to do the job?
Mr. Henderson:
There is no question of quotas in our armed forces and no question of anyone joining our armed forces who does not have the qualifications--whether mental agility or toughness--to join. If we are to fulfil our recruitment targets, we have to make sure that an awful lot of people with mental agility and toughness who currently are not taking the opportunity to join our armed forces get that opportunity.
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