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11.16 pm
The Minister for the Armed Forces (Mr. John Spellar): I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate on a subject that is understandably of great interest to her and her constituents, and in respect of which she is a robust champion, as she ably showed again tonight.
Before going on to talk about the future of HMS Gannet, to which my hon. Friend referred at the end of her remarks, I believe that it would first be appropriate to say a few words about the current role of that establishment, which is one of three royal naval air stations, the other two being at Yeovilton in Somerset and Culdrose in Cornwall.
The royal naval air station located at HMS Gannet in Prestwick is the home of 819 Naval Air Squadron. The squadron has been there since 1971, and has a long and happy association with the area, to which my hon. Friend rightly drew attention. The squadron are currently equipped with the Sea King Mark 6 helicopter, which is primarily used in an anti-submarine warfare role, and the Sea King Mark 5, which has a search and rescue function. The squadron's primary role is to provide anti-submarine warfare defence of the Clyde area, and in that it works very closely with the submarine base at Faslane.
The squadron also has a secondary but very important role in providing a peacetime search and rescue service across much of Scotland, northern England and sea areas out to the west. Indeed, 819 squadron has been conducting search and rescue operations from HMS Gannet since 1971.
Following my hon. Friend's favourable comments, I should like to pay tribute to all the members of the squadron who perform these vital duties with considerable professionalism and dedication, as we would expect. Over and above their military tasks, they have also shown an exceptional level of commitment to the local community through their support of local charities over the years.In recognition of their efforts, it was fitting that
819 squadron was awarded the Wilkinson sword of peace in 1997: an honour which they richly deserved, and which, as my hon. Friend rightly pointed out, was presented by the previous Secretary of State for Defence, now Lord Robertson.
HMS Gannet has a total work force of about 450, comprising service personnel, civil servants and contractors. The establishment occupies two sites: an operational site, where flying operations are conducted and technical support is provided, and a support site, which is for accommodation and administrative support.
As my hon. Friend said, we are considering the future of HMS Gannet following the strategic defence review. The SDR included a major examination of naval aviation, covering the use of aircraft carriers, fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, and the future organisations and commands needed to ensure that we make the most operationally effective use of our aircraft. Naval aviation is flexible, adaptable and able to contribute to a wide range of operations. The SDR confirmed that naval aircraft and helicopters will continue to play a key role in the new strategic environment that has developed since the cold war.
The SDR also confirmed that the new and highly capable Merlin anti-submarine helicopter would remain a vital part of the Navy's future capability. But, given the shift from large-scale open-ocean warfare and the decline in the scale of the submarine threat since the end of the cold war, it also became apparent during the SDR that we no longer needed the numbers immediately planned, and that the 44 Merlins already on order would now be enough to meet the reduced scale of anti-submarine warfare operations expected in the foreseeable future.
Against that background, and in the wake of the SDR, the Royal Navy has rightly looked carefully at the future provision of helicopter support in the Clyde area to meet our anti-submarine warfare requirements and other military tasks, notably the search and rescue role. It has proved to be a highly complex review, embracing a wide range of operational, financial, support and personnel issues.
As part of the review, we have been considering what the future role and structure of HMS Gannet will be when the new Merlins come into operational service. We have already announced, as part of the SDR, that the Sea King Mark 6 helicopters based at RNAS Prestwick will not be replaced when they go out of service early in the new millennium. From that time, the essential task currently carried out by Sea King Mark 6 will be performed by Merlins earmarked from other areas. As a result, HMS Gannet will be maintained, but will become a forward operating base for anti-submarine warfare operations, with aircraft deploying there for short periods as and when required.
I assure my hon. Friend that we will provide--as we obviously should--the necessary protection for our Trident submarine fleet. I also assure her that HMS Gannet will continue its vital search and rescue rule, with two Sea King Mark 5 helicopters based there for the foreseeable future. I thank her for her praise for the valued work of that group, and I stress, for the avoidance of doubt, that the search and rescue Sea King Mark 5 will not go out of service in 2002.
In recent months, the Royal Navy has been considering how to implement these complex changes, and what they mean for the future role, size and structure of HMS Gannet. A key element of that is ensuring the best possible use of the capabilities of the new Merlin helicopter, which is significantly more versatile than the generation of helicopters that it will replace, and which constitutes a quantum leap in terms of technology, operability and capability. It is vital that we exploit Merlin's extensive capabilities to the full, and to that end we must be sure that the decisions that we make now about its future basing, support and deployment are right.
The issue is not simple. Military helicopters are complex pieces of fighting equipment, and the operations that they carry out are complex. The way in which they conduct such operations from the west of Scotland in future deserves, and is receiving, careful consideration.
We are examining a range of options to ensure that in future our forces will be able to meet anti-submarine warfare and other military requirements in the Clyde area as effectively as possible. That will inevitably take time, not least because the Merlin helicopter is a brand new aircraft. Deliveries to the Royal Navy have begun, but the Merlin is not yet in operational service. The full extent of its potential is being evaluated. Detailed concepts of operations, to take full advantage of the abilities of this sophisticated aircraft, are still being developed; but, as my hon. Friend rightly says, the protection of the Clyde and the submarine base at Faslane should not be put at risk.
I fully understand the concerns my hon. Friend's constituents, which she has rightly raised, about their future employment prospects at HMS Gannet and the uncertainty that they are undergoing. We regret that we will not be able to end that uncertainty tonight, but I assure the House that the process is drawing to a close. I expect to receive proposals on the way forward shortly, enabling me to write to her and to initiate formal consultation early in the new year.
I recognise that the work that has to be undertaken to ensure that we get the right result can cause a period of concern and uncertainty not only at HMS Gannet, but at several other establishments. At the same time, we are trying not to extend that too far and we undertake full consultation with the work force after we have come to the initial proposals.
Furthermore, HMS Gannet will continue in its present role until 2002 and, thereafter, will continue to have an important role in the key search and rescue task that is carried out in west Scotland. Obviously, I cannot pretend that there will be no impact on people who work at HMS Gannet. After all, we are looking at a different way in which to conduct anti-submarine warfare operations. Until the current work is complete, I am not able to say exactly what the impact will be on the whole work force at HMS Gannet--obviously, with a knock-on effect on the local community. However, I hope to be able to do so very soon.
As I have said, before we can put forward firm proposals, we must be sure that we have it right. Our proposed way forward not only makes sense from an operational view--vital and significant as that is--but takes account of the many other factors, not least cost considerations, which have to be borne in mind as we look at achieving best value from our resources in the defence sector, and at the impact on service people and civilians alike.
The strategic defence review set out clear principles for the future operation and development of naval aviation. We are following those principles and have made real progress in implementing SDR decisions. The joint helicopter command is now a fact. Joint Force 2000 is progressing well. Our review of anti-submarine requirements in the Clyde area is nearing completion. We must ensure that we provide effective military anti-submarine warfare and make full use of the tremendous potential of the Merlin helicopter.
I am conscious of the need to take into account the impact of our decisions on those who work for us in and around HMS Gannet, whose case my hon. Friend ably presented. I am fully committed to the consultative process to ensure that her constituents' views and concerns will be recognised and understood.
Question put and agreed to.
Adjourned accordingly at twenty-eight minutes past Eleven o'clock.
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