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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 21 November 2000
DEFENCE
RUC Officers (Ballynure)
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of (a) the armed forces and (b) Royal Ulster Constabulary officers and other ranks were on duty in Ballynure, Co. Antrim, on the evening of 11 July and early hours of 12 July; and if he will make a statement. [136972]
Mr. Ingram: I have been asked to reply.
During the period in question the number of RUC personnel in attendance were two inspectors, four sergeants and 25 constables. In addition, a superintendent and an inspector made supervisory visits.
48 soldiers from 9 Royal Irish were deployed in support of the police.
Porton Down
Liz Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to address reports of ill-health among Porton Down volunteers. [139767]
Dr. Moonie: The Ministry of Defence is taking a number of steps designed to help those who participated as volunteers in trials at Porton Down. The Ministry of Defence is very grateful to all those whose participation in studies at Porton Down made possible the research to provide safe and effective protection for UK armed forces against chemical and biological weapons. Suggestions have been made that some Porton Down volunteers suffer unusual patterns of ill health because of their participation. The Ministry of Defence has seen no scientific evidence to support that belief, but takes such suggestions seriously. Therefore we are:
- offering volunteers the opportunity for a thorough medical assessment if they have concerns about their health. This will be along the lines of the Gulf Veterans Medical Assessment Programme and will use the same facilities at St. Thomas' Hospital, London. The data from these consultations will be analysed to explore whether patterns of ill health are associated with particular exposures;
- seeking advice from the Medical Research Council on an independent epidemiological study. Such a study may help establish whether or not former volunteers are suffering from excesses of ill health as compared to a matched group of service personnel who did not participate in trials at Porton Down;
- creating a multi-disciplinary policy focus within the Ministry of Defence which will be responsible for addressing volunteers' health concerns and liaising with other Government Departments;
- approaching this issue with openness and a commitment to dialogue with volunteers and their representatives;
- making public any information which may be of assistance to former volunteers. The current arrangements for the Porton
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- helpline will remain in being. All volunteers who approach it will be given full information by letter on their own trials, and offered the opportunity to examine the records for themselves at the site;
- continuing to co-operate fully and provide assistance to the ongoing Wiltshire police inquiry into trials at Porton Down.
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will arrange for an independent investigation into the use of national servicemen at the chemical warfare establishment at Porton Down; and if he will make a statement. [138453]
Dr. Moonie: Some 20,000 volunteers, national servicemen and non-conscripts have taken part in vital research at Porton Down. A thorough investigation by Wiltshire police of the Porton Down volunteer programme from 1939 to 1989 is under way. There are no plans for a further independent investigation.
Gulf War Syndrome
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are being taken to settle the applications for pensions for Gulf War Syndrome victims; what time scale was initially set for such applications; what time scale is now in effect for the remaining pension applications from Gulf War veterans; and if he will make a statement. [139000]
Mr. Spellar: I assume that the hon. Member is referring to the announcement I made on 18 May 2000 regarding an extension to attributable benefits available to members of the reserve forces. We are actively processing claims from known individuals who believe they have an entitlement and are taking measures to identify other individuals who may not be aware of my announcement. To allow the Ministry of Defence to make payments the new regulations must be in place; this has taken longer than anticipated but will be completed early in the new year. Payments will then be made shortly thereafter. In the meantime, the Ministry of Defence will write during the next month to individuals who have already made a claim, and advise them whether they qualify under the new regulations. Once the regulations are in place, new claims will in future be processed in the formal time frame of approximately 8-10 weeks.
Watchkeeper
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost is of the MOD accelerating the Army's Watchkeeper unmanned air vehicle reconnaissance project; when the research project will be completed; when the Army will have operational capability of Watchkeeper; and if he will make a statement. [138975]
Dr. Moonie: We do not expect the overall cost of the Watchkeeper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle capability to increase if it is advanced. We are currently considering, as part of our normal planning processes, whether there is scope to accommodate earlier expenditure within the Department's overall Equipment Programme.
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Watchkeeper is in an assessment phase which is expected to last up to three years. Once this phase is complete a decision will be made on moving to production. On current plans this would lead to an In Service Date of 2008.
Cetaceans
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what precautions the Royal Navy is taking to protect cetaceans. [139353]
Dr. Moonie: The Royal Navy is very aware of its responsibility for the application of good environmental practices on the high seas. The RN takes into consideration known cetacean migration routes, breeding grounds and similar information when planning exercise activity. Instructions are then issued to ships, submarines and aircraft on actions to take to minimise impact or when encountering marine activity.
Nuclear-powered Submarines
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many visits have been made by nuclear-powered submarines to each Z berth in each of the last five years. [139053]
Mr. Spellar: Since 1995 UK submarines have made 29 visits to alongside Z berths outside of UK Naval Bases. In addition to the alongside Z berths, there are a number of mooring buoys that have Z berth status in Plymouth Sound, at Spithead, off the Isle of Skye, Loch Ewe, off Rothesay, and in Loth Goil and at Mare Harbour in the Falkland Islands. Submarines use these mooring buoys, sometimes for as little as an hour or two, to carry out crew transfers or to take on high priority spare parts, and detailed records are not kept of all such visits. To provide details of all movement between Z berths within UK Naval Bases could be provided only at disproportional cost.
Details of visits to alongside Z berths are:
| Location | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Cardiff(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Liverpool | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Gibraltar | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Bermuda | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Hong Kong(2) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
(1) Cardiff no longer has Z berth status
(2) Hong Kong no longer has Z berth status
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list each of the ports authorised to accept the berthing of nuclear powered submarines in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) British overseas territories and protectorates; if he will indicate for which ports public safety plans, and emergency evaluation plans in respect of incidents involving nuclear submarines, exist; and if he will set out the scope of public accessibility of such plans. [139518]
Mr. Spellar: Ports authorised to accept the berthing of nuclear powered submarines, referred to as X and Z berths, in the United Kingdom, and British overseas territories and protectorates are detailed in the answer I gave on 14 November 2000, Official Report, columns 575-76W.
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All ports which are authorised to accept the berthing of nuclear powered submarines have public safety and emergency evacuation plans. The plans are accessible to the public with copies held by the local authority libraries.
Mine Detection
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contract the Defence Procurement Agency has awarded for the next phase of the vehicle-based Mine Detection, Neutralisation and Route Proving System; which companies bid for the contract; what time is set for completion of the programme; what is the total cost of the programme; and if he will make a statement. [138977]
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. Mike Hancock, dated 21 November 2000:
- I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the vehicle based Mine-Detection, Neutralisation and Route Proving System. This matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency.
- On 30 and 31 October this year, the Defence Procurement Agency awarded contracts to Ultra Electronics Ltd. of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire and to Hunting Engineering Ltd. of Ampthill, Bedfordshire respectively, for the Competitive Assessment Phase (CAP) of the Mine Detection, Neutralisation and Route Marking System Programme known as MINDER. Each contract is worth £6 million VAT inclusive. A bid was also received from BAE Systems (RO Defence, Leicester) which was not successful in the detailed tender assessment process.
- The initial capability for MINDER is planned to enter service in 2005, with incremental capability growth up to 2010. The purpose of the CAP is to determine the level of system performance that can be achieved in these timescales.
- The total cost of the MINDER programme is estimated to be £344 million.
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