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Portsmouth Naval Base
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what physical constraints would prevent Portsmouth Naval Base becoming the home base port for the two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy if their overall weight displacement was over 46,000 tons. [92422]
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Mr. George Robertson:
The size of the new aircraft carrier is currently estimated to be up to 40,000 tonnes but this will very much depend on the design selected. There are no known physical constraints that would prevent Portsmouth Naval Base from becoming the base port for the vessels currently envisaged.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what applications his Department has made to the Treasury Contingency Reserve for funds in each year since 1989; how much was requested; how much was received; and if he will make a statement. [92283]
Mr. George Robertson:
I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contracts exist with suppliers outside the United Kingdom for the replacement of ordnance and ammunition expended in operations by the British armed forces; which companies service those contracts, and for which items; and if he will make a statement. [92284]
Mr. Spellar:
I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many staff from the United States Defence Nuclear Facilities Safety Board have been stationed at the Atomic Weapons Establishment as part of an exchange of staff since 1 January 1997; [92257]
(3) how many staff from the Atomic Weapons Establishment have been stationed at the United States Defence Nuclear Facilities Safety Board as part of an exchange of staff since 1 January 1997; [92256]
(4) how many times members of staff from the Atomic Weapons Establishment have visited the United States Defence Nuclear Facilities Safety Board since 1 January 1997; on what dates each visit took place; and what was the purpose of each visit. [92255]
Mr. George Robertson:
I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many low-level sorties under 220 feet were undertaken during (a) the Kosovo conflict and (b) the Gulf War. [92634]
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Mr. George Robertson:
The RAF did not undertake any operational low-level sorties during the course of the Kosovo campaign. Precise figures for the Gulf war are not available, but in excess of 170 operational low-level sorties were flown by the RAF at altitudes below 250 feet.
Mr. Bob Russell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 19 July 1999, Official Report, column 426, on the Royal Tournament, if he will arrange for performances of the Royal Military Tattoo 2000 to be staged at principal garrison towns in addition to those at Horse Guards Parade in London. [92627]
Mr. George Robertson:
The Royal Military Tattoo 2000 is the Armed Forces' flagship contribution to the nation's Millennium celebrations with a theme of Defence of the Realm: Past, Present and Future. It will combine pageantry, son et lumiere and state of the art technology and has been specifically design for production on Horse Guards Parade. It is not suited to being staged at other venues around the country without major modification and considerable additional expense.
Mr. Tom King:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the strategic security of supply for ammunition and explosives in relation to Royal Ordnance, Bridgwater, indicating the actions he is proposing. [92553]
Mr. George Robertson
[holding answer 23 July 1999]: The Ministry of Defence recognises that the British Armed Forces need to have access to reliable sources of supply for ammunition and explosives. We are currently negotiating with Royal Ordnance potential partnering arrangements covering a wide range of ammunition products. It is too early to predict the outcome of these negotiations. The industrial base required to support the company's likely future business, including individual Royal Ordnance factories, is a matter for the company.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all current bilateral agreements between the United Kingdom and the United States affecting RAF Menwith Hill. [92943]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
The presence of the United States Visiting Forces at RAF Menwith Hill is governed by the NATO Status of Forces Agreement of 1951 and other arrangements appropriate to the relationship which exists between the governments of the United Kingdom and United States for the purposes of our common defence. These arrangements are confidential and are withheld under exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information relating to defence, security and international relations.
Mr. Blunt:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the average annual cost of maintaining a Defence Housing Executive administered married quarter for the latest year for which figures are available. [92191]
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Mr. Spellar:
In the Defence Housing Executive (DHE) 1999 Corporate Plan, the action plan sets out a key target relating to the unit cost of housing and aims to achieve a figure of less than £5,400 per property. The figure is calculated by dividing the total cost of the DHE (£349,152 million including some £100 million rental payment to Annington Homes Ltd) by the number of properties occupied (including those which are Substitute Services Families Accommodation) (63,195). The equivalent figure for Financial Year 1998-99 is £5,460. The cost of the upgrade programme is not included as this is outside the routine cost of housing provision.
Mr. Menzies Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the impact of recent operations in South East Europe on the Future Aircraft Carrier programme. [91335]
Mr. George Robertson:
Recent operations in the Gulf and the Balkans have demonstrated the important part that aircraft carriers can play in supporting a range of activities from peacekeeping to military action. We are carrying out a full study into the lessons learned from the Kosovo conflict. Initial conclusions will be made available to the House in the Defence White Paper in the autumn and a more definitive account should be available by next spring.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if, in respect of overseas students at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for each year from 1992 to 2000 inclusive, he will list the total number of overseas students indicating their countries of origin. [92488]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers, sailors and airmen were in training on 1 April. [92944]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
On 1 April 1999, the number of soldiers, sailors and airmen/airwomen under training were:
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department has (a) undertaken and (b) assessed in relation to the heath effects of (i) radiation emanating from military use of infra-red cameras and (ii) microwave radiation emitted from
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military surveillance equipment; what guidance is issued to personnel using this equipment; what instructions have been issued to medical staff in order to monitor any effects from the use of this equipment; and what instructions have been issued to military personnel to protect civilians from radiation exposure. [92935]
Mr. Spellar:
I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
(2) if he will make a statement on the collaboration between the Atomic Weapons Establishment and the United States Defence Nuclear Facilities Safety Board; and if he will list the co-operative agreements between the Atomic Weapons Establishment and the United States Defence Nuclear Facilities Safety Board which have been in existence since 1 January 1990, indicating when each agreement was made; [92258]
(2) in respect of overseas students at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (a) what is the current cost per student to (i) the defence budget and (ii) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office budget and (b) what is the total annual cost to those budgets. [92489]
Naval Service (including RN ratings and RM other ranks)--3,542
Army soldiers--12,490
RAF airmen/airwomen--2,345.
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