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Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 4 May 1999

DEFENCE

Economic Community of West African States

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what support his Department is giving to the moratorium on the import, export and manufacture of light weapons adopted by the Economic Community of West African States in October 1998. [80504]

Mr. Spellar: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd) on 15 April 1999, Official Report, columns 341-42.

Eurofighter

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what slippage in the Eurofighter programme has taken place since its inception. [82527]

Mr. George Robertson: This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Robert Walmsley to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 4 May 1999:

I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the extent of slippage in the Eurofighter programme since its inception. This matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency.

Since the inception of the Eurofighter development programme in 1988, there has been slippage of 42 months against the original In-Service Date (the date of delivery of first aircraft to the Royal Air Force). This slippage was reported in the Department's Major Projects Report 1998, which I submitted to the Clerk to the Public Accounts Committee on 5 February 1999, and which was copied to the House of Commons Defence Committee.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes to the UK requirements for Eurofighter aircraft have been made since May 1997; and at what cost. [82523]

Mr. George Robertson: There have been no changes to our requirements for Eurofighter aircraft since May 1997.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Operational (a) Conversion Unit and (b) Evaluation Unit squadron of Eurofighters will be in service. [82525]

Mr. George Robertson: It is currently planned that the Operational Evaluation Unit will be formed in June 2002 following delivery of the first Eurofighter aircraft. This

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will be followed by the progressive build-up of the Operational Conversion Unit, which is currently planned to be complete by June 2004.

Service Pensions

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what basis the annual increase in ex-service pension rates are calculated; and if he will list the increases awarded in each of the last 10 years. [82574]

Mr. Doug Henderson: Starting rates of pension for newly-retired ex-Service personnel are linked to pay and increase each time there is a pay award. The pensions of people who have already retired are uprated annually in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI). The mechanism was set in the Pensions (Increase) Act 1971 and the Social Security Pensions Act 1975. The increase is determined by the movement of prices between September and September and is paid the following April. The last 10 years rates of increase are as follows:

Year	Percentage
1990	7.6
1991	10.9
1992	4.1
1993	3.6
1994	1.8
1995	2.2
1996	3.9
1997	2.1
1998	3.6
1999	3.2

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the rate of service pension currently paid to an Army major who retired at the age of 55 years after 34 years reckonable service on 1 April (a) 1975, (b) 1976, (c) 1977 and (d) 1978. [82576]

Mr. Doug Henderson: The current rates of Service Pension which would be paid to an Army Major who retired at the age of 55 years after 34 years reckonable service on 1 April of each of the following years are:

1975: £16,999

1976: £14,196

1977: £12,776

1978: £14,692.

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what circumstances and for what reasons ex-servicemen, of the same rank and length of service, receive different rates of pensions under the Armed Forces Pensions Scheme. [82577]

Mr. Doug Henderson: Pension rates are directly linked to pay, and new starting rates of pensions are set each time there is a pay award. All those who retire will therefore have a different level of pension than those with the same rank and length of service who retire in a different pay year. After pensions are awarded they are uprated annually in line with the retail price index (RPI). Unless, therefore, military pay increases precisely in line with the RPI, the difference in pensions between two pay years will be permanent.

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ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

Moorland

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the moorland map of England drawn up by the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service can be used, in its present form, by the Countryside Agency in compiling its draft access maps of open countryside. [82153]

Mr. Meacher: The Countryside Agency and the Countryside Council for Wales will be responsible for producing maps showing land to which the statutory right will apply. In considering how best to do this, the agencies will be assessing the suitability of a range of sources of information, including the Moorland Map of England, and will be consulting the Farming and Rural Conservation Agency, along with other organisations.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how long it took the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service to map the moorland areas of England; and how much the exercise cost. [82154]

Mr. Meacher: The production of the Moorland Map of England was undertaken between May 1992 and March 1993, and required ten staff years of resources. The estimated overall cost was £603,000. The programme was preceded by a pilot project during 1991, involving the Scottish and Welsh agriculture departments, at an estimated cost to ADAS of about £30,000. The Moorland Map shows only moorland lying within the Less Favoured Areas.

Ballast Clearance

Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) how many incidents involving ships clearing out their ballast tanks there have been in (a) British waters and (b) Liverpool Bay in each year over the past 10 years; and how many prosecutions have resulted; [82170]

(2) what action he is taking to prevent ships from clearing out their ballast tanks in British waters. [82173]

Ms Glenda Jackson: Existing legislation imposes strict controls on the discharge of oily ballast water, which are enforced by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency surveillance aircraft and other means. From 1 August 1999 the NW European waters will be designated a Special Area under International Convention, and all discharges of oil cargo contamination in ballast water will be strictly prohibited. This designated Special Area will include the North Sea and its approaches, the English Channel and its approaches, the Irish Sea and its approaches, the Celtic Sea and the North East Atlantic immediately to the West of Ireland.

There is no requirement for ships to record the take-on or discharge of sea ballast water and there have been no prosecutions resulting from ships clearing out their ballast tanks. The United Kingdom is actively participating in work at the International Maritime Organisation to

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develop measures to minimise the introduction of unwanted aquatic organisms in ballast water. Pending the outcome of this work, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has published guidance which urges owners to comply with IMO's "Guidelines for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast water to Minimise the Transfer of Harmful Aquatic Organisms and Pathogens".

Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what percentage of British ports have facilities for treating ballast from ships. [82174]

Ms Glenda Jackson: All ports are required to provide waste reception facilities which are adequate to receive the waste from ships normally using the port. However the discharge of clean ballast water is not controlled by legislation and it is not generally regarded as harmful, unless it has been contaminated by cargo on board an oil tanker. In these circumstances it is then strictly controlled by oil pollution regulations. Some oil terminals do have a local requirement that all ballast from tankers are discharged ashore and their reception facilities may include treatment to remove oil cargo residue. There are no facilities in the UK which are expressly designed for the treatment of clean ballast water.

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