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Anglo-Irish Meeting
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the meeting at the home of Commandant Patrick Trears in the Republic of Ireland on 30 July 1974 involving Major Peter Maynard. [87461]
Mr. Doug Henderson [holding answer 18 June 1999]: An informal meeting was held with a view to the possibility of exchanging technical information between Irish and British explosives experts which would have been of benefit to both sides. No action was taken as a result of the meeting.
Faslane Shiplift
Mr. Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current status of the shiplift at Faslane; and if he will make a statement. [88132]
Mr. Spellar: The Clyde Naval Base shiplift is currently in use for the docking of a Vanguard class submarine.
DLH Project
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much further over budget the Active Decoy Round-Outfit DLH Project has gone since the 1997 National Audit Office Major Projects report. [90968]
Mr. Spellar: The estimated cost of the Outfit DLH project has not increased since the NAO's 1997 Major Project Report. The current estimated cost for the project, at 1999-2000 prices, is £108 million. This is consistent with the projects in the 1997 NAO Major Project Report uplifted to the same 1999-2000 price base.
US Strategic Defence Initiative
Mr. Heseltine: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the number of contracts awarded to British companies under the US Strategic Defence Initiative and their total value, in each year since 1985. [90760]
Mr. Spellar: The MOD does not maintain a central or comprehensive record of all contracts let by the US Government with UK industry and universities under the Strategic Defence Initiative.
2nd Division
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what additional annual staff costs will be incurred as a result of moving HQ command of the 2nd Division from York to Edinburgh. [91142]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
The staff establishment of the new Headquarters 2nd Division in Edinburgh has yet to be finalised but annual staff costs are expected to be £650,000 lower than those of the existing Divisional Headquarters in York. Taking into account the other consequences of the amalgamation of the Scottish District and 2nd Division Headquarters, the resultant savings in staff costs are expected to be of the order of £3 million per annum.
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Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) the occasions on which the GOC Northern Ireland has met military officers of foreign countries, (b) the occasions on which senior officers have attended social gatherings and receptions for foreign military delegations and (c) the cost of entertainments for overseas delegations and visitors since 1 May 1997. [89913]
Mr. Doug Henderson
[holding answer 12 July 1999]: Records of the General Officer Commanding's (GOC's) meetings from 1 May 1997 to the end of March 1998 are not available. The GOC NI has met military officers of foreign countries on the following occasions since 1 April 1998:
Other British senior military officers also attended the dinners with the Royal College of Defence Studies.
Mr. ottaway:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many armed forces personnel he estimates will be committed to (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Kosovo, (c) Bosnia, (d) the Gulf, (e) Germany, (f) Gibraltar, (g) Cyprus, (h) other Mediterranean and Near East, (i) the Far East and (j) other locations in each of the next two years; and if he will make a statement on the numbers for each location; [90936]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
The approximate numbers of Service personnel deployed on operations or garrisoned in these locations (as at 1 July 1999 unless otherwise stated) are as follows:
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We keep these commitments under review and any adjustments made over the next two years will reflect changes to our operational and other requirements.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is (a) the purpose and (b) the cost of Project Aquatrine; how many of his Department's sites are involved; and if he will make a statement. [91570]
Mr. Spellar:
The purpose of Project Aquatrine is to allow the MOD to substantially reduce its direct involvement in the provision of water and sewerage services, which, while important is not regarded as a core activity. The underlying principle driving Project Aquatrine is the maintenance of current and future services with improved value for money. It is considered that the most effective and efficient way to deliver and support these services across our sites throughout Great Britain would be to adopt an innovative situation based on a Public Private Partnership. This approach would enable us to access external capital and commercial expertise and better manage our continuing environmental responsibilities.
Mr. Sedgemore:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the future of the Royal Tournament. [92197]
Mr. George Robertson:
Last year, I announced that the Royal Tournament in its current form would end on a high in 1999, but that a flagship Armed Forces event would continue in the future.
The Royal Military Tattoo 2000 will be a flagship contribution by the Armed Forces to the country's Millennium celebrations. Within the setting of Horse Guards' Parade, the theme will be Defence of the Realm: Past, Present and Future, portraying a 1000 year story. The event will take place between 10-15 July 2000, with one performance each evening.
From 2001 onwards, the spirit of the Royal Tournament will be carried forward in a showcase event in London. This will be a Military Tattoo at Horse Guards Parade, involving ceremonial, massed bands, and pageantry. It will be held in the summer inside a week.
In addition, a Military Festival will be held annually outside London at different military locations, also in the summer. In 2001 this will be at Portsmouth, based on the Royal Navy's Festival of the Sea.
These changes will mean that the final Royal Navy Field Gun Competition will take place at the 1999 Royal Tournament, in the centenary year of the action it commemorates.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the non-departmental public bodies in existence on 1 May 1997 that (a) have been disbanded, indicating when they were disbanded, (b) will be disbanded
19 Jul 1999 : Column: 429
in the next 12 months, (c) have had their functions transferred to (i) another non-departmental public body and (ii) a democratically elected body, (d) have been renamed but continue to perform a similar role and (e) have been unchanged; if he will indicate in (c)(ii) the relevant successor body; what new non-departmental public bodies have been established since 1 May 1997; and how many non-departmental public bodies his Department currently is responsible for. [90671]
Mr. Spellar:
In line with Government policy, the Ministry of Defence is committed to keeping the number of Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) to a minimum and to ensuring that those which remain are open, accountable and effective. MOD had 17 NDPBs on 1 May 1997. None has been disbanded, and there are no current plans for any to be disbanded in the next 12 months. The Royal College of Defence Studies Advisory Board was declassified as an NDPB in October 1998, but not disbanded. The Nuclear Weapons Safety Committee and the Nuclear Powered Warship Safety Committee merged to form the Defence Nuclear Safety Committee in November 1998. No other body has had its functions transferred or has been renamed in this period. In August 1998, the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (a body already in existence) was classified as an advisory NDPB. In addition to the above changes, MOD has taken over as lead department for the Armed Forces Pay Review Body which was formerly listed under HM Treasury.
1 April 1998
Dinner for visiting members of the Royal College of Defence Studies in Northern Ireland. Overall cost: £390.98
6 May 1998
Presentation to the Royal College of Defence Studies in England. Cost: £59.30.
18 June 1998
Presentation to the Joint Senior Command Staff College in England. Cost of refreshments (tea/coffee only) borne by individual students.
24 March 1999
Dinner for visiting members of the Royal College of Defence Studies in Northern Ireland. Cost: estimated at £360--invoice not yet received.
4 June 1999
Presentation to the Joint Senior Command Staff College in England. Cost of refreshments (tea/coffee only) borne by individual students.
(2) how many armed forces personnel are currently committed to (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Kosovo, (c) Bosnia, (d) the Gulf, (e) Germany, (f) Gibraltar, (g) Cyprus, (h) other Mediterranean and Near East, (i) the Far East and (j) other locations. [90937]
(a) Northern Ireland--16,500
(b) Kosovo--10,100 (including FYROM, Greece, Italy and RN personnel afloat)
(c) Bosnia--3,590 (plus a further 1,000 in Croatia)
(d) The Gulf--1,330 (as at 6 July 1999) (including personnel in Turkey to patrol the Northern No Fly Zone over Iraq)
(e) Germany--27,700
(f) Gibraltar--440
(g) Cyprus--3,700 (1 January 1999)
(h) Other Mediterranean and Near East--0
(i) The Far East--1,070
(j) Other locations--1,530
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