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Defence Aviation Repair Agency

Mr. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many headquarters staff are employed by DARA at RAF St. Athan. [138887]

Mr. Spellar: As at 1 October 2000, the Defence Aviation Repair Agency employed 79 staff in its head office at RAF St. Athan.

Mr. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when it was decided to designate the location of the DARA headquarters at RAF St. Athan as an interim measure. [139325]

Mr. Spellar: The decision to locate the DARA Headquarters as an interim measure in vacant accommodation at RAF St. Athan was taken in July 1998, prior to the launch of the Agency.

Mr. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans DARA has to re-locate its headquarters from RAF St. Athan to the Bath-Bristol Area. [139326]

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Mr. Spellar: DARA Headquarters were established at RAF St. Athan as an interim measure prior to the launch of the Agency on 1 April 1999. Their location will be subject to review once the Agency achieves Trading Fund Status.

Lynx Helicopters

Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current inventory is for each armed service of Lynx helicopters; and how many of these are operationally available. [139236]

Mr. Spellar: As at 15 November, the total number of Lynx aircraft held by the army was 124, of which 84 were allocated to units. Of these, 32 were fully serviceable. The Royal Navy had a total of 74 Lynx aircraft, of which 48 constituted the Active Fleet. Of these, 34 were fully serviceable. The RAF does not have any Lynx helicopters.

Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the flying hours logged for Lynx helicopters, of all types, for each of the past three years. [139237]

Mr. Spellar: The flying hours logged for Lynx helicopters, of all types, for each of the past three financial years are shown in the table.

Lynx type	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000
Mark 3	10,696	9,990	8,066
Mark 7	27,154	25,148	22,982
Mark 8	3,772	4,220	5,459
Mark 9	4,152	4,013	4,469
Total	45,774	43,371	40,976

Penguins (Falklands)

Mr. Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact of aircraft activity in the Falklands on the breeding patterns of penguins. [139413]

Dr. Moonie: The Minister of Defence has not made any assessment and Falklands Conservation has not carried out specific research on the effects of aircraft overflying penguin colonies in the Falkland Islands. We are not aware that there has been any other related research with any scientific basis. Mount Pleasant Airfield Flying Orders specifically ban aircrews from overflying areas of the Falkland Islands which are known to be sensitive breeding sites of penguins. Those Orders are supported by a detailed map of the sites.

Royal Navy (Diving)

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the absence in the Royal Navy of saturation-trained personnel and support with expertise in deep-water diving for long periods and the employment of foreign offshore civilian divers for missions involving national security and the recovery of sensitive materials. [139720]

Mr. Spellar: The Ministry of Defence has effectively used civilian saturation-trained divers since the early 1990s. It is not cost-effective for the Royal Navy to retain saturation-trained personnel for isolated incidents. UK

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contractors involved in this area of work have the appropriate level of security clearance. In addition our Salvage and Mooring Organisation maintains the ability, with the use of commercial assets, to provide assistance to or recovery of a nuclear submarine or the recovery of objects from the seabed. This arrangement allows MOD to tailor the recovery to the specific tasks. Foreign offshore divers would however be used if they were best placed to prevent loss of life.

NATO Staffing Costs

Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has contributed to NATO staffing costs in each of the past 10 years. [140019]

Mr. Spellar: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Cluster Munitions

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of NATO's estimate of the failure rate of cluster munitions deployed in Kosovo. [139765]

Mr. Spellar: The use of cluster munitions during the Kosovo campaign was a matter for individual nations. The cluster munitions used by the UK have a manufacturer's estimated failure rate of approximately 5 per cent. The failure rate of other nations' cluster munitions (which have different specifications) may vary, but any assessment is a matter for these nations. We are not aware of any agreed NATO estimate of the failure rate of cluster munitions used by Allies in Kosovo.

Controlled Substances

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of (a) the Army, (b) the Navy and (c) the RAF tested positive for the use of controlled substances in the most recent testing programme, stating in each instance what percentage of trained strength tested positive for (a) cannabis, (b) cocaine, (c) heroin and (d) other controlled substances; and if he will make a statement. [137861]

Mr. Spellar [pursuant to his answer, 14 November 2000, c. 576W]: An amendment should be made to certain figures provided in respect of Army personnel. In the period 1 January to mid October 2000, 522 Army personnel, not the 580 given in my previous reply, tested positive. Of the trained strength, 0.26 per cent. tested positive for cannabis, 0.04 per cent. for cocaine, 0.10 per cent. for other controlled substances (Ecstasy, LSD, Amphetamines, Benzodiazepines and Performance Enhancing Drugs), and 0.001 per cent. tested positive for heroin.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Millennium Dome

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will hold a public inquiry into financial and management issues at the Dome. [134610]

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Janet Anderson [holding answer 26 October 2000]: Full and rigorous scrutiny of the project is under way. The National Audit Office (NAO) report into the Millennium Dome was published on 9 November, an Opposition day motion on the Dome was debated on 13 November, and the Committee of Public Accounts took oral evidence from Accounting Officers on 15 November. The Government have no plans to carry out a public inquiry.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to ensure that the Dome will not be demolished. [138922]

Janet Anderson [holding answer 21 November 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and the Regions gave the hon. Member for East Surrey (Mr. Ainsworth) on 20 November 2000, Official Report, column 25W.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much lottery money so far received by the NMEC is (a) a loan and (b) a grant; and what terms and conditions apply to repayments. [139017]

Janet Anderson [holding answer 22 November 2000]: The Millennium Commission does not have the statutory powers to make loans and has never offered loans to the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC). Grant made to NMEC is repayable under the terms of the Grant Memorandum from any operational surplus or asset disposal achieved after the organisation has met its other contractual liabilities.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement about the proposed plans for the disposal of the Millennium Dome and the dispersal and division of the resultant proceeds. [139018]

Janet Anderson [holding answer 22 November 2000]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and the Regions gave the hon. Member for East Surrey (Mr. Ainsworth) on 20 November 2000, Official Report, column 25W. Ministers are currently considering how the proceeds will be dealt with and will reach a decision in due course.

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the date by which the Millennium Dome will be available for occupation by a purchaser. [140150]

Janet Anderson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and the Regions gave the hon. Member for East Surrey (Mr. Ainsworth) on 20 November 2000, Official Report, column 25W.

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