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SA80 Rifle

Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 23 June 2000, Official Report, column 319W, if the modified SA80 rifle will be added to the NATO Nominated Weapons List. [128771]

Dr. Moonie: In 1997, the SA80 was suspended from the NATO Nominated Weapons list, the list of those weapons used for testing ammunition that is seeking NATO qualification. Once modified, the SA80 will be re-assessed and should be re-admitted to this list.

Defence Housing Executive

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when empty Defence Housing Executive accommodation in Leeming will be placed on the market; and if he will make a statement. [129096]

Dr. Moonie: Twenty empty properties in Leeming Village were handed back to the owners, Annington Homes Ltd. (AHL), on 26 June. It is, of course, for the owners to decide how to dispose of these properties but they are likely to be sold privately through a nominated agent. It is probable that 10 of the remaining properties in Leeming will be part of a future release but they are currently subject to planning and approval processes and a number of them are occupied.

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Departmental Vehicles

Mr. Pearson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list for his Department and its agencies the approved list of manufacturers of (a) cars and (b) commercial vehicles; and if he will make a statement on his Department's leasing and purchasing policy. [128984]

Dr. Moonie: The Ministry of Defence does not operate an approved list of manufacturers of cars or commercial vehicles. The supplier is normally selected through competition. The Department's policy is to seek the best value for money and this will determine whether we purchase or lease vehicles in specific cases. However, management of cars and commercial vehicles is not core MOD business and as a consequence the Department is actively pursuing the provision of vehicle and support services through a competitively let Private Finance Initiative contract. It will be for the contractor to determine the type and mix of vehicles to provide the necessary service.

Ministerial Code

Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on how many occasions since May 1997 Ministers in his Department have made a declaration of interest to their colleagues under circumstances envisaged in Paragraph 110 of the Ministerial Code; [129159]

(2) if he will list the occasions since May 1997 on which Ministers in his Department have sought the advice of the Permanent Secretary under the circumstances envisaged in paragraphs 118, 121 or 123 of the Ministerial Code; [129106]

(3) if he will list the occasions since May 1997 on which Ministers in his Department have sought the advice of the Permanent Secretary under the circumstances envisaged in paragraphs 118, 121 or 123 of the Ministerial Code. [129178]

Dr. Moonie: Information relating to internal advice and consultation is not disclosed under Exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Married Quarters (Arborfield)

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason surplus married quarters at Arborfield were not disposed of on the open market; and if he will make a statement. [129245]

Dr. Moonie: The properties at Arborfield were included in the sale, on a 999 year lease, of most of the Service Families Quarters in England and Wales to Annington Homes Ltd. (AHL) in November 1996. At that time there was a requirement for the properties to house Service families and they were underleased back from AHL. The properties have since been declared surplus to Service requirements and, under the terms of the sale agreement a total of 105 have been handed back to AHL. The option of sale on the open market is therefore a matter for the owners, AHL.

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Cyber-warfare

Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the proposed cyber-warfare unit, identifying its proposed size and detailed costs. [129283]

Mr. Hoon [holding answer 6 July 2000]: There are no plans to establish a cyber-warfare unit in the Ministry of Defence.

Church Fenton Airfield

Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what environmental appraisal has been conducted regarding his Department's plans to secure planning permission for housing on Church Fenton airfield. [129815]

Dr. Moonie: To date it has been premature to discuss the issue of environmental appraisals with Selby District Council (SDC). The Ministry of Defence, or the site's eventual developer, will, prior to the submission of any planning application(s), liaise with SDC over the provision of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for those aspects of the development for which one may be required under planning/environmental legislation.

Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what environmental and conservation bodies have been consulted by his Department in connection with its plans to secure planning permission for housing on Church Fenton airfield. [129814]

Dr. Moonie: Under the Town and Country Planning legislation it is the duty of the local planning authority (LPA) to consult with environmental and conservation bodies, where necessary, over any applications for development. It is not known what consultations Selby District Council have undertaken in respect of RAF Church Fenton. It would be premature for us to initiate these discussions as our plans are being tested at the Local Plan Inquiry.

Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations his Department has had with local parish councils regarding his Department's proposal to secure planning permission for housing on Church Fenton Airfield. [129830]

Dr. Moonie: Under the Town and Country Planning Acts it is an obligation of the local planning authority (LPA) to consult with the parish councils once they receive a planning application for redevelopment. In August 1998, my Department submitted an application for redevelopment of part of the Church Fenton site and the LPA should have consulted the parish councils. Their response is not known. We subsequently agreed to hold any decision on that application in abeyance until the result of the current Local Plan Inquiry was known. As for our submissions to, and appearance at, the Local Plan Inquiry, the local parish councils would have been part of the LPA's consultation process throughout the preparation of the plan. However, they were also specifically advised of our proposals by letter from our planning consultants in early June of this year.

Departmental News Director

Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what civil service grade is held by the Director

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of News, Mr. Martin Howard; what civil service post was held by Mr. Howard prior to his appointment as Director of News, who the previous holder of the position of Director of News was; and what Mr. Howard's job description is as Director of News. [129829]

Dr. Moonie: Mr. Martin Howard is a member of the senior civil service. His previous appointment was in the Ministry of Defence as Head of the Overseas Secretariat. The previous incumbent of the post of Director of News was Ms Oona Muirhead, also a senior civil servant. The role of Director of News is to act as the official spokesman of the Ministry of Defence and to identify media opportunities for promoting the key themes of the Defence Mission proactively, effectively and consistently.

Journalists (Meetings)

Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the journalists he has had meetings with at his Department since December 1999; and on what dates these meetings were held. [129828]

Mr. Hoon: I have been interviewed by the following journalists and broadcasters at the Ministry of Defence since December 1999:

Interviewer	Date
Ian Kirby (News of the World)	6 January 2000
Alex Nicholl (Financial Times)	1 March 2000
Peter Ryan (Economist)	2 March 2000
Lucy Jackson (British Forces Broadcasting Service)	21 March 2000
News piece(4) (BBC TV News)	23 March 2000
Anita Anand (Zee TV)	4 April 2000
Richard Norton-Taylor (The Guardian)	17 April 2000
Tim Sebastian (BBC Hardtalk)	8 May 2000
Jon Craig (Express on Sunday)	5 July 2000

(4) Interviewer name not recorded

In addition, I have had a number of door-step interviews at the MOD with various different broadcast news teams, particularly during May and June when a large number of British troops were deployed to Sierra Leone.

I have also hosted the following press conferences to which a wide range of journalists and broadcasters have been invited:

Press conference subject	Date
Announcement of Eurofighter missile and heavy lift aircraft procurement decisions	16 May 2000
Launch of Defence Estates Strategy	7 June 2000

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