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Naval Training Establishments
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has for the future of (a) HMS Collingwood, (b) HMS Centurion, (c) HMS Dryad and (d) HMS Sultan; and if he will make a statement. [100876]
Mr. Spellar: My Department has no plans which might affect HMS Collingwood, HMS Dryad, HMS Sultan and the Centurion site in the immediate future. With specific regard to Collingwood, Dryad and Sultan, these Naval training establishments form part of the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency, whose Chief Executive is under a constant remit to review his estate usage to ensure efficiency targets are achieved. Accordingly, the Chief Executive has commissioned an internal strategic review to develop a number of innovative, imaginative, and far reaching options for the future of naval training and to propose the size and shape of the Agency for the future. In Portsmouth, HMS Collingwood, HMS Sultan, HMS Dryad and HMS Excellent are all being considered as part of this review.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money has been spent in each of the last three years on (a) HMS Collingwood, (b) HMS Centurion, (c) HMS Dryad and (d) HMS Sultan; and if he will make a statement. [100877]
Mr. Spellar: The amount of money spent on HMS Dryad, HMS Collingwood and HMS Sultan over the last three years is as follows:
| £ million | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Year 1996-97 | Financial Year 1997-98 | Financial Year 1998-99 | |
| HMS Collingwood | 27.395 | 27.472 | 26.978 |
| HMS Dryad | 23.402 | 22.255 | 23.632 |
| HMS Sultan | 40.350 | 35.404 | 36.460 |
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| £ million | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Year 1996-97 | Financial Year 1997-98 | Financial Year 1998-99 | |
| HMS Collingwood | 0.183 | 0.614 | 1.235 |
| HMS Dryad | 1.063 | 0.578 | 0.581 |
| HMS Sultan | 2.259 | 0.448 | 0.122 |
Centurion Building was transferred under a full repairing and insuring lease on 1 January 1998 to Electronic Data Systems (EDS) Defence Limited, as part of a PFI contract. The MOD has not incurred any direct costs arising from maintenance or alterations to this building since that time.
TAVR (Solihull)
Mr. John M. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will report progress on the securing of new premises for the sea, army and air cadets who parade at the TAVR centre in Haslucks Green Road in Shirley, Solihull. [101062]
Mr. Spellar: An alternative site nearby has been identified for the Army Cadet Force, Air Training Corps and Sea Cadet Corps detachments currently based at the Territorial Army Centre, Haslucks Green Road, Shirley. A joint facility will be constructed on this site for the Army Cadet Force and the Air Training Corps and a separate facility on the same site will be constructed for the Sea Cadet Corps. It is hoped that the new accommodation for the cadets will be completed by April 2001, and I can confirm that all three units will continue to parade at their present location until then. The Secretary of the West Midlands Reserve Forces and Cadets Association will continue to keep the hon. Member informed of progress on this matter.
RAF Chinook Crash
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the continuing involvement of the Air Accident Investigation Branch in the 1994 RAF Chinook crash on the Mull of Kintyre. [101195]
Mr. Spellar: The Air Accidents Investigation Branch are available for consultation by my officials as the need arises.
Air-to-air Missile Contract
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make a statement on the contract for the Beyond Visual Range Air-to-air Missile; [101331]
- (2) what account he has taken of the use and sales abroad of the Eurofighter in determining his decision on supplying the contract for the Beyond Visual Range Air-to-air Missile. [101332]
6 Dec 1999 : Column: 347W
Mr. Hoon: We are currently evaluating the Best and Final Offers we have received in response to the BVRAAM competition. The evaluation will take fully into account the implications for potential sales of Eurofighter of the different proposals received, together with all other relevant factors such as missile performance, cost, industrial impact and overall value for money.
US Army Chinook
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library reports he has received from the United States authorities relating to the US Army Chinook CH-47 barrel roll incident in 1998. [101400]
Mr. Spellar: No. The information that we received from the US Army Authorities about the incident was provided in confidence. I am therefore withholding it under Exemption 1c (information received in confidence from foreign governments) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Salisbury Plain
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he or his officials have had with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport about the extension of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site boundaries into the Salisbury Plain training area, including Robin Hood's Ball. [101399]
Mr. Kilfoyle: My officials have not had direct discussions with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on the proposed extension of the World Heritage Site (WHS). However members of Defence Estate, Land Command and DCMS staff sit on various working groups run by English Heritage connected with the Stonehenge World Heritage Site (WHS) Management and Master Plans. A number of these groups have considered the boundaries of the World Heritage Site.
HMS Glasgow
Mr. Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how long HMS Glasgow will continue with its current deployment as part of the UN mission in East Timor; [101297]
- (2) what role HMS Glasgow and her crew have played in the humanitarian effort in East Timor. [101296]
Mr. Hoon: HMS Glasgow sailed to East Timor on 18 September as part of the combined Task Group, and carried-out escort duties in the initial stages of the INTERFET deployment. She landed a working party to assist the Gurkhas with humanitarian aid tasks on 25 September. The ship's medical company also came ashore to assist in the setting up of a clinic. HMS Glasgow left East Timor on 30 September, and arrived home in Portsmouth on 10 November.
MOD Police
Mr. Rendel:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the average number of sickness hours, per
6 Dec 1999 : Column: 348W
officer, per month, among MOD police as a whole in each of the last 12 months. [101639]
Mr. Spellar:
The average number of sickness hours per Ministry of Defence police per officer per month is shown in the following table:
| Month | Hours |
|---|---|
| November 1998 | 10.1 |
| December 1998 | 9.8 |
| January 1999 | 10.4 |
| February 1999 | 9.6 |
| March 1999 | 10.1 |
| April 1999 | 8.6 |
| May 1999 | 8.5 |
| June 1999 | 9.7 |
| July 1999 | 10.0 |
| August 1999 | 10.0 |
| September 1999 | 10.2 |
| October 1999 | 10.8 |
Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the average length of employment at AWE Aldermaston of MOD police officers whose service there ended in the last five years. [101640]
Mr. Spellar: This information is held in files that have been archived and so I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House when it is available.
Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of MOD police at Aldermaston left their job (a) by retirement with immediate pension rights, (b) voluntarily, but without immediate pension rights and (c) compulsorily during (i) 1997, (ii) 1998 and (iii) 1999. [101641]
Mr. Spellar: The information requested is shown in the table:
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of officers that left their job with immediate pension rights | 2.97 | 3.56 | 3.38 |
| Percentage of officers that left their job voluntarily but without immediate pension rights | 0 | 1.98 | 1.35 |
| Percentage of officers that left compulsorily | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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