| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Kosovo
Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the security situation in Kosovo. [122648]
Mr. Spellar: I refer my hon. Friend to the oral answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Workington (Mr. Campbell-Savours), Official Report, columns 16-17.
Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last met his colleagues from other NATO member states to discuss the deployment of military forces in Kosovo. [122660]
Mr. Spellar: The situation in Kosovo has been a major subject for discussion among NATO Defence Ministers since the crisis began. The Secretary of State and other Ministers meet colleagues from NATO and other countries regularly on both a bilateral and multilateral basis. The topics for discussion range widely.
The next formal meeting of NATO Defence Ministers is on 8 and 9 June, at which he will discuss a wide range of issues including Kosovo.
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of available stocks of (a) precision guided munitions and (c) non-precision guided munitions were used during operation Allied Force. [124316]
Mr. Spellar: The numbers of munitions used during Operation Allied Force were published by the Ministry of Defence last year, in my right hon. Friend, the then Secretary of State, Lord Robertson's account of the Kosovo crisis. Details of the percentage of our stockpile this expenditure represented would assist a potential adversary to assess our operational capability. I am therefore withholding this information in accordance with exemption 1 (Defence, Security and International Relations) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Medal Awards (Suez)
Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received calling for the award of a medal for those who served in the Suez Canal zone in the early 1950s. [122671]
5 Jun 2000 : Column: 9W
Dr. Moonie: Since this Government took office, the Ministry of Defence has received three written Parliamentary Questions calling for the award of a medal for service in the Suez Canal Zone in the early 1950s. We have also received 229 Parliamentary Inquiries from 175 hon. Members, and my officials have dealt with 164 letters from 71 members of the public. Five Early Day Motions have been tabled. In March 1998, my predecessor held a meeting with a delegation of veterans at which he was handed a petition containing some 20,000 names, and in March this year, I held a meeting with two hon. Members with an interest in this subject.
Multipart Tender
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the tender submitted by Multipart, Chorley, for the stock and supply of spare parts for the armed forces. [122678]
Dr. Moonie: Multipart, through an appropriate competitive tendering process, have been appointed the 'service provider' to Vickers Defence Systems (VDS) for the provision, procurement, storage and distribution of Challenger 2 specific consumable spares (Project CRISP). A decision on whether Project CRISP will proceed is expected in late June.
5 Jun 2000 : Column: 10W
Demining Assistance (Libya)
Mr. Frank Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assistance has been provided to the Government of Libya for humanitarian demining; and if he will make a statement. [124560]
Warships
Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many warships have been (a) ordered, (b) laid down, (c) launched and (d) commissioned since 1 May 1997. [122821]
Dr. Moonie: 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. Christopher Gill, dated 5 June 2000:
- I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the construction of warships since 1 May 1997. This matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency.
- Since 1 May 1997 no warships have been ordered. In the same period, (that is from 1 May 1997) 10 warships have been laid down, 8 launched and 7 commissioned. A list of these vessels by category is attached. More detailed information on the relevant vessels can be obtained from "Jane's Fighting Ships", a copy of which is held in the House of Commons Library.
5 Jun 2000 : Column: 9W
| Class of vessel | Vessel name | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type 23 Frigate | HMS Sutherland | Yes | ||
| HMS Kent | Yes | |||
| HMS Portland | Yes | Yes | ||
| HMS St. Albans | Yes | Yes | ||
| Loading Platform Docking (Replacement) | HMS Albion | Yes | ||
| HMS Bulwark | Yes | |||
| Single Role Minehunter (SRMH) | HMS Penzance | Yes | ||
| HMS Pembroke | Yes | Yes | ||
| HMS Grimsby | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| HMS Bangor | Yes | Yes | ||
| HMS Ramsey | Yes | Yes | ||
| HMS Blyth | Yes | |||
| HMS Shoreham | Yes | |||
| SSN | HMS Astute | Yes | ||
| SSBN | HMS Vengeance | Yes | Yes | |
| Offshore Survey Vessel (OSV) | HMS Scott | Yes | ||
| Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) | HMS Ocean | Yes | ||
| Total | 10 | 8 | 7 |
5 Jun 2000 : Column: 9W
Staff Secondments
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff from his Department were seconded to private sector companies in (a) May 1997 to April 1998, (b) May 1998 to April 1999 and (c) May 1999 to April 2000; and if he will list in each case the companies to which staff were sent, the names and ranks of the staff involved and the duration of the secondment. [123428]
Dr. Moonie [holding answer 24 May 2000]: Information, by financial year, on personnel on secondment to the private sector from my Department is as follows. 1
5 Jun 2000 : Column: 10W
5 Jun 2000 : Column: 11W
In addition we had 209 miscellaneous interchange activities--mainly trainee engineer/scientist and students who undertake various planned short-term attachments to different companies as part of their training.
5 Jun 2000 : Column: 12W
In addition we had 213 miscellaneous interchange activities--mainly trainee engineer/scientist and students who undertake various planned short-term attachments to different companies as part of their training.
(3) All figures exclude DERA
(4) Met Office
5 Jun 2000 : Column: 13W
Figures for trainee engineers/scientists and students are not yet available for 1999-2000.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |