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DEFENCE
Service Accommodation
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Army, (b) Navy and (c) RAF officers live in privately-rented accommodation funded by his Department; how much this has cost in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [118060]
Dr. Moonie: It is a condition of service that Service personnel are provided with publicly funded accommodation at or within an appropriate distance from their place of duty. When family and single accommodation is not available, suitable equivalent property is rented from the commercial rental market. Until 1 February 1997, MOD satisfied this requirement in GB through the payment of an allowance to personnel to enable them to find rented accommodation under private arrangements (Excess Rent Allowance for family accommodation and Lodging Allowance for single accommodation). However, with effect from 1 February 1997, MOD established an Accommodation Agency which utilises an MOD contractor to obtain equivalent rented accommodation for Service personnel. This has since superseded the allowance regimes.
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As at 31 March 2000, there were 1,943 officers in occupation of rented family and single accommodation in GB. The breakdown by Service is as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| RN | 876 |
| Army | 709 |
| RAF | 358 |
| Total | 1,943 |
The cost to the Department of providing rented accommodation throughout GB is only available for the last three Financial Years following the formation of the Defence Housing Executive and the MOD Accommodation Agency, and these are summarised in the table. The figures represent the full cost of providing rented accommodation for all ranks since it is not possible to extract the costs for officers alone. Prior to FY 1997-98 costs for Excess Rent Allowance and Lodging Allowance were met by respective budget holders. This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost:
| Financial year | Total cost per FY |
|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 44.9 |
| 1998-99 | 45.5 |
| 1999-2000(4) | 49.8 |
(4) Estimated
Chinook Helicopters
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the improved actuators were fitted to the RAF Chinook fleet; and if he will make a statement. [118099]
Mr. Spellar: All RAF Chinooks had an improved standard of actuator fitted during conversion to HC Mk2.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the US authorities have determined the cause of the incident involving a US Army Chinook helicopter on 11 April 1997; and if he will make a statement. [118064]
Mr. Spellar: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave him on 14 July 1999, Official Report, column 230W, which explained that my Department had evaluated an extract from the US Army investigation report into this incident. However the content of the report, and its conclusions are a matter for the US authorities.
South Africa
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of Her Majesty's armed forces are acting as military advisers in South Africa; if their responsibilities include advice to the Government of Zimbabwe; what terms of reference they have; and if he will place relevant items in the Library. [118294]
Mr. Spellar [holding answer 7 April 2000]: A British Military Advisory Training Team (BMATT), currently comprising 16 armed forces personnel, has been providing
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advice to the South Africans since 1994 on the integration of former statutory and non-statutory forces into the new South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The team helps to validate standards; monitor training; and adjudicate in disputes. Its responsibilities do not include advice to the Government of Zimbabwe. The detail of the terms under which the BMATT operates is subject to a confidential agreement between the UK and South African governments.
General Service Medal
Mr. Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the deployments or campaigns involving British Armed Forces (a) from 1990 to 2000, (b) from 1980 to 1989 and (c) from 1970 to 1979, for which the General Service Medal has been awarded. [118234]
Dr. Moonie [holding answer 7 April 2000]: The deployments and campaigns involving British Armed Forces for which a clasp to the General Service Medal 1962 has been awarded are as follows:
(a) 1990 to 2000
Clasp Kuwait for service between 8 March 1991 and 30 September 1991 inclusive.
Clasp Northern Iraq and Southern Turkey for service between 6 April 1991 and 17 July 1991 inclusive.
Clasp Air Operations Iraq for service between 16 July 1991 and a date to be agreed.
(b) 1980 to 1989
Clasp Lebanon for service between 7 February 1983 and 9 March 1984 inclusive.
Clasp Mine Clearance--Gulf of Suez for service between 15 August 1984 and 15 October 1984 inclusive.
Clasp Gulf for service between 17 November 1986 and 31 October 1988 and for continuing Mine Counter Measures Operations within the Gulf between 1 November 1988 and 28 February 1989 inclusive.
(c) 1970 to 1979
Clasp Northern Ireland for service between 14 August 1969 and a date to be agreed.
Clasp Dhofar for service between 1 October 1969 and 30 September 1976 inclusive.
Serle's House
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will enter into negotiations with Hampshire county council on the purchase of the remembrance garden at Serle's House, Winchester. [118367]
Dr. Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 16 March 2000, Official Report, column 282W, and to the hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis) on 2 March 2000, Official Report, column 718. I expect to be able to take a final view shortly, once I have been able to consider fully all of the issues involved.
Burma Railway Memorial
Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations he has received concerning funding for a memorial on the Burma Railway for British servicemen who lost their lives whilst prisoners of the Japanese during the Second World War; and if he will make a statement. [117938]
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Dr. Moonie: My Department has not received any recent representations on this subject. It has been a long-standing policy of successive Governments that the cost of memorials is not usually met from public funds, but from private donations or public subscriptions.
Heavy-lift Aircraft
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how transport to Saudi Arabia would differ from present arrangements following the purchase of (a) the Antonov 124 and (b) the Boeing C17. [116499]
Dr. Moonie: Currently there are two C-130 and one VC10 resupply flights to Saudi Arabia every week; these flights also serve Kuwait in their schedule. If the Antonov An-124 were employed, it could substitute for the two C-130s, but the VC10 would have to be maintained for passengers. As the C-17 can also carry passengers, only one C-17 flight per week would be necessary to meet the total requirement.
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how (a) refuelling and (b) diversion arrangements would differ from those which currently apply, in respect of transport to the Falklands, following the purchase of (i) the Antonov 124 and (ii) the Boeing C17. [116498]
Dr. Moonie: The current six Tristar C2 passenger and one Tristar KC1 freighter flights to the Falkland Islands all refuel at Ascension Island and rely on Rio de Janeiro or Montevideo for their diversions. If the Antonov An-124 or the Boeing C-17 were used in place of the Tristar KC1 freighter, the present refuelling and diversion arrangements would not change.
Iraq
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the targets by type engaged by the Royal Air Force over Iraq in 1999. [117567]
Mr. Hoon: In response to Iraqi threats to coalition aircraft, RAF aircraft took action, in self-defence, against 36 targets in Iraq during 1999. All targets were part of the Iraqi Integrated Air Defence System and included Anti-Aircraft Artillery, Surface-to-Air Missiles and Military Command and Control facilities.
Injunctions
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many injunctions are in force to prevent the publication of materials deemed potentially harmful to the national interest; if he will list the publishers against which injunctions are in force; and if he will list the titles, publications and authors so affected. [117260]
Mr. Spellar: There are nine temporary injunctions currently in force which were applied for by the Ministry of Defence against authors or publishers in relation to the disclosure of material harmful to national security or in breach of confidentiality obligations owed to the MOD. I am withholding further information under exemptions 4 and 14 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
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