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Mr. John Hayes (South Holland and The Deepings): Will the Secretary of State give way?
The White Paper describes the significant SDR milestones that we have already met. We have already achieved an initial capability for the new joint rapid reaction forces. When complete, in 2002, the JRRF will enable us to deploy forces with real punch anywhere in the world. It will draw forces from a pool of up to 50 warships and support vessels, four brigades and 260 aircraft of various kinds.
Last October, we set up the joint helicopter command. It brings together under a single command almost all our battlefield helicopters and will command 16 Air Assault Brigade. It is responsible for peacetime training and for providing helicopter force packages for operational commanders. Most importantly, however, it will provide a real improvement in operational effectiveness.
Mr. Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow):
Will my right hon. Friend give way?
Mr. Hoon:
I undertook earlier to give way to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes), so I will do so now.
Mr. Hayes:
Could the right hon. Gentleman confirm how many troops are on permanent standby for United Nations global peacekeeping missions? We were told last year that it was in the order of 8,000 to 10,000. Is that number still valid, or has it changed? Has the plan been drawn up or abandoned?
Mr. Hoon:
I think that the hon. Gentleman is confusing the mechanism for making force available to the United Nations. What happens is that we declare a number of forces that could be available to the United Nations in appropriate circumstances. In the event of a requirement arising, a request would come from the United Nations to the United Kingdom Government and, if appropriate, we
Mr. Dalyell:
Will my right hon. Friend give way?
Mr. Dalyell:
At some point convenient in his speech, and not necessarily at this moment, will my right hon. Friend say something about what is happening in Mitrovica?
A new joint doctrine and concept centre is already up and running. It will provide the fully joined-up thinking needed to address the security challenges facing us in the future, and will achieve its full capability in April of this year.
We have created a joint nuclear biological and chemical defence regiment. The joint Rapier training unit is now a reality. The Defence Procurement Agency opened for business last spring, bringing greater efficiency in delivering fighting equipment to the front line. The first of our defence diplomacy scholarship courses is already under way. We said that we would do all these things, and we have done each of them.
In the next few months, we will see a number of major new developments. The first Apache attack helicopter for the Army is already flying. Once in service with the British Army, this world-beating piece of equipment will mark a quantum leap in our ability to bring force rapidly to bear on the battlefield. It is about real capability, every bit as revolutionary in its way as the introduction of the tank in 1916.
Mr. Graham Brady (Altrincham and Sale, West):
The Minister is going through a list of initiatives that sound impressive, but when the Royal Navy runs out of fuel and cannot put its warships to sea, how can any of that lead to a credible defence for our country?
Mr. Hoon:
If the hon. Gentleman will bear with me, I will deal with that in due course. However, the list does not simply sound impressive--it is impressive. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will concede that, with his characteristic generosity.
On 1 April, joint force 2000--the joint Royal Navy/Royal Air Force Harrier force--will form. It is not about organisational neatness--it is about modern ways of working to deliver defence output most effectively. The aircrew who will operate these aircraft tell everyone of their excitement about the new arrangements.
In April, we will launch the new Defence Logistics Organisation. That brings together the three single service logistic support areas into a tri-service organisation employing more than 40,000 people. It will allow us to deliver more cost-effective support by rationalising common functions across the services, freeing up more resources for the front line.
We have also made radical changes to defence procurement, an area in which the record of the previous Government was lamentable. Our smart procurement initiative will help to fix that. Smart procurement is
already delivering results. It will provide high-quality world-beating equipment cheaper, faster and better. For example, the White Paper mentions that the Challenger 2 integrated project team responsible for introducing this new world-class tank to the British Army has so far identified £200 million in savings. That figure could easily rise to £400 million. The adoption of innovative support arrangements for Eurofighter will save up to £1.8 billion over the life of the aircraft.
Smart procurement is also helping to reduce overstretch. In response to an urgent requirement, we have worked closely with industry to place a competitive contract for a new communications system for Bosnia and Kosovo, freeing up to 260 Royal Signals soldiers from their Balkan commitment by the end of the year. Overall, the changes that we have introduced will provide better equipment at lower cost and help to reduce to a minimum the wasteful cost overruns that had become the hallmark of procurement mismanagement under the Conservative Government.
This is an impressive programme of change, but hon. Members might have been forgiven for doubting the picture I paint had they relied on some of the more sensational reporting of recent weeks. I know that some journalists do not like to let the facts get in the way of a good story, but it is a serious matter if misleading reporting leads to a reduction in public confidence in the armed forces. These are important issues and I want to spend some time confronting them head on.
First, much has been written recently about the equipment that our troops had during the Kosovo campaign last year. The fact is that our service personnel had everything that they needed to do the job that they were asked to do. That is not just my view: it is the view of force commanders at all levels; yet there have been constant criticisms, for example, of the boots used in the Falklands campaign--criticisms that have been packaged up and applied to the entirely different and very modern boots worn by our soldiers in Kosovo. The clothing given to our soldiers is excellent. I have seen myself that it is light, warm, waterproof and easy to wear, even in the most difficult conditions.
It would be ridiculous to suggest that every piece of equipment that we have is absolutely perfect. The SA80 rifle, for example, is a capable and highly accurate weapon. It has some reliability problems, especially in extreme conditions, and steps are being taken to ensure that those are put right quickly.
Mr. Paul Keetch (Hereford):
The Secretary of State mentioned equipment. As he knows, I was in Kosovo last week. I visited the Mitrovica bridge last Wednesday with Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Carter. Will the right hon. Gentleman assure the House that our forces on the bridge there will, as of today, have the right respirators, so that if a riot breaks out, as it did yesterday, and French or other KFOR troops use tear gas, our troops will not be left vomiting and crying on the banks of the river because they do not have them?
Mr. Hoon:
That is something that we are looking at. I recognise the concern.
Miss Julie Kirkbride (Bromsgrove):
The right hon. Gentleman mentioned press reports. He will have seen in
Mr. Hoon:
I will deal with that matter, so, if the hon. Lady will bear with me, I will return to it in a moment. However, as a former journalist she should know that she must not believe everything that she reads in newspapers.
The hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, West (Mr. Brady) referred to what I can only describe as the ill-informed speculation about activity levels for the Navy. Let me make it clear that the fleet was not withdrawn at Christmas, it has not run out of money and it is not confined to port. Of course, the Navy has to adjust the fleet's programme to keep within budget and to balance new training against the unusual level of operational activity in 1999, but it is being done without reducing our overall capability. As the Commander-in-Chief, Fleet recently said,
"I have no difficulty with managing my business within the limit given to me".
The Navy is not only going about its business as usual, but has entered a period of major overseas deployment. At the end of last month, HMS Illustrious left for the Gulf at the head of a task group including a nuclear submarine, nine warships and 2,000 men. In the spring, HMS Cornwall will lead a global deployment--Navy task group 2000, which will be one of the largest in 15 years. It will involve three Royal Navy warships, three auxiliaries and a submarine.
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