---

Plutonium

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what United Kingdom origin reactor grade plutonium has been fabricated into a nuclear device and subsequently tested for reliability and yield by British defence authorities since 1970. [138986]

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

Defence Aviation Repairs Agency

Mr. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the cost to DARA was of monitoring (a) Armondbank, (b) Fleetlands, (c) RAF Sealand and (d) RAF St. Athan in the financial year 1999-2000; [139328]

(2) what recent representations he has received about the cost to the Royal Air Force of work undertaken by the Defence Aviation Repairs Agency; [140985]

(3) how many RAF personnel were in DARA at RAF St. Athan on 1 April 1999; [141167]

(4) what plans headquarters Strike Command have to reduce the number of RAF personnel at DARA at RAF St. Athan by April 2002; [141169]

(5) what the estimated cost is of locating the headquarters of the Defence Aviation Repairs Agency outwith the existing DARA sites; [141164]

(6) what reason the chief executive of DARA does not consider RAF St. Athan as a cost effective and strategic location for the headquarters of DARA; [141165]

(7) what cost savings are expected from re-locating the DARA headquarters from RAF St. Athan to the Bath/Bristol area; [141166]

(8) if the personnel department at DARA at RAF St. Athan keeps computerised records of the home addresses of their staff. [141168]

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

RAF St. Athan

Mr. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the RAF plans to upgrade and repair the runway at RAF St. Athan. [139324]

Mr. Spellar: There are no plans to upgrade the runway at RAF St. Athan. However, repairs have been undertaken during this year and are planned to continue during 2001.

Mr. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list the buildings at RAF St. Athan and the purposes for which they are used; [140988]

(2) what plans he has for the future of RAF St. Athan. [140984]

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

European Rapid Reaction Corps

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list the military advantages over the existing NATO structure of EU countries allocating forces to a rapid reaction corps; [139953]

30 Nov 2000 : Column: 719W

(2) what criteria he will apply to the provisional allocation to an EU rapid reaction corps of the UK armed forces currently assigned to NATO. [139951]

Mr. Hoon: The UK is not allocating forces to an EU Rapid Reaction Corps.

The EU, with the assistance of NATO, has identified the required pool of forces and capabilities to carry out the full range of Petersberg tasks. EU member states have nominated those elements of their own national forces they believe could contribute to this requirement and have committed themselves to make further improvements to meet a defined level of capability (the 'Headline Goal') by 2003.

Our declaration of forces to NATO is unaffected.

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what access to US intelligence facilities a separate EU rapid reaction corps will have. [139958]

Mr. Hoon: Access by the EU to American intelligence facilities is a matter for the US Government. As a member of NATO, however, the US has welcomed the impetus being given to strengthening a common European policy in security and defence. Work is in hand to afford the EU access to Alliance capabilities in support of operations in which NATO as a whole is not militarily engaged.

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the role of a separate EU rapid reaction corps in the creation of a common European defence policy. [139961]

Mr. Hoon: There is no intention to create a separate EU rapid reaction corps.

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from the USA about the European Rapid Reaction Force proposal. [140281]

Mr. Hoon [holding answer 24 November 2000]: William Cohen, the US Defense Secretary, speaking at NATO Defence Ministers Informal Meeting on 9-10 October, said,

"Let me be clear on America's position. We agree with this goal--not grudgingly, not with resignation, but with wholehearted conviction".

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what parliamentary scrutiny will apply to the agreements reached on setting up the EU Rapid Reaction Corps. [140087]

Mr. Hoon [holding answer 24 November 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to my statement to the House on 22 November 2000, Official Report, columns 319-20, and in particular my answer to the points raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Hull, North (Mr. McNamara). In addition the Government remain open to scrutiny by the Defence Select Committee whose remit is to "examine the expenditure, administration and policy" of the Department.

Research Organisations

Mr. Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research organisations are owned by his Department; and what their budgets are for the year 2000-01. [R] [140158]

30 Nov 2000 : Column: 720W

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

Press Officers

Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many additional press officers he plans to recruit; where they will be based; and how much has been allocated for their recruitment. [140016]

Dr. Moonie [holding answer 24 November 2000]: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Military Exports

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of defence attaches' time was allocated to promoting military exports in the last five years. [140705]

Mr. Spellar: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 29 November 2000, Official Report, column 642W.

No comparable information is available for earlier years.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the occasions in the past two years when UK service personnel have been used to promote the sales of military equipment (a) in the UK and (b) abroad; and what income was derived from such activities. [140703]

Dr. Moonie: Many staff in my Department contribute to the Government's support for defence exports. As an indication of the level of activity involved, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for South Derbyshire (Mr. Todd) on 16 November 2000, Official Report, columns 741-42W, which includes details of occasions when defence personnel, including service personnel, have been used to promote the sales of military equipment at specific events in the UK and overseas.

Defence exports save the defence budget around £400 million a year. These savings come from spreading fixed overheads over the longer production runs generated by exports, from the sale of surplus defence equipment and from receipts of commercial exploitation levy on equipment developed using public money.

Training (Foreign Armed Forces)

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will breakdown the income derived by the UK Government from training in the UK of service personnel from foreign forces in each of the last three years. [140707]

Mr. Spellar: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 27 November 2000, Official Report, column 429W.

C-17 Globemaster Aircraft

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the minimum operational flying height permitted under the terms of the lease of the four Boeing C-17 Globemaster aircraft for the RAF will be. [140572]

30 Nov 2000 : Column: 721W

Mr. Spellar: There is no minimum operating height, other than for flight safety reasons, within the flight envelope for the C-17 aircraft. However, as the requirement which the C-17s will meet is that for outsized strategic airlift, not tactical airlift, we have no plans to use these aircraft for low level operations.

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the air-dropping of troops or equipment will be permitted under the terms of the lease of the four Boeing C-17 Globemaster aircraft for the RAF. [140570]

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

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the maximum number of flying hours permitted for each of the four Boeing C-17 Globemaster aircraft will be under the terms of their lease for the RAF; and what penalties are specified if the figure is exceeded. [140571]

Mr. Spellar: Under the terms of the lease there is no restriction on the number of flying hours permitted either for individual aircraft or across the fleet.

---