---

Gulf War

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many chemical mines the Iraqi Army laid on (a) land and (b) sea in the course of the Gulf War;

26 Feb 2001 : Column: 560W

where they were found; and what (i) advice and (ii) protection was made available to personnel clearing them. [150946]

Mr. Hoon: Analysis of the information available to the Government has produced no evidence that chemical weapons, including mines, were issued to operational Iraqi forces during the 1990-91 Gulf conflict. There is no indication that Iraqi laid chemical-agent-filled mines and the Iraqi Government have never declared that they hold or have developed such weapons. UK forces neither discovered nor cleared any such mines.

UK forces were, however, advised that the threat of Iraqi use of chemical mines was a possibility. An assessment contained in the diary of one of the UK Engineer Regiments in theatre in late January 1991 was that Iraq may deploy land mines containing up to 5kg of chemical agent, probably mustard gas or a variation of it, and that these may be laid some 15cm below the subsurface, and could be remotely detonated from a central point. This engineer unit was also advised that such mines might be protected by conventional anti-personnel and anti-tank mines in order to prevent their neutralisation.

We do not have details of what advice was provided on how to make such mines safe, or what protection was to be employed in the course of handling any chemical mines encountered. However, it is believed that personnel undertaking explosive ordnance disposal duties were made aware of the need to wear NBC protective clothing during the handling of chemical or biological warfare munitions of any type, and that this would therefore include any mines with a chemical-agent filling.

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department has plans to research chromosome 22 and 22/IE in Gulf War veterans; and what discussions it has had with (a) the US Department of Defense and (b) other agencies on this matter. [150943]

Mr. Spellar: My Department has no such plans and has had no discussions on this matter.

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to make TH1 and TH2 tests available to Gulf War veterans; and what the cost of such tests would be per capita. [150944]

Mr. Spellar: My Department has no such plans.

Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if members of the armed forces who received immunisation in preparation for deployment during the Gulf war have access to their medical records on request. [150261]

Mr. Spellar [holding answer 14 February 2001]: The Ministry of Defence handles requests for medical records in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. The Act allows an individual full and complete access to his medical records on written request. Access to any part of a health record may, however, be refused if, in the opinion of the appropriate health professional:

(a) disclosure of the record would be likely to cause serious harm to the physical or mental health of the individual or any other person; or

26 Feb 2001 : Column: 561W

(b) the record contains information relating to or provided by another person who could be identified from that information, unless consent has been given or the person was a health professional involved in the treatment of the individual making the request.

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what decontamination facilities were available in the theatre of the Gulf War for personnel, vehicles and aircraft; in what quantities; and where they were located. [150945]

Mr. Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer which my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Finchley and Golders Green (Dr. Vis) on 7 December 2001, Official Report, columns 455-56W, and to paragraphs 131-38 of the paper "British Chemical Warfare Defence during the Gulf Conflict (1990-91)", which is available in the Library of the House.

Defence Agencies

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (1) the total expenditure of each defence agency in the last year for which figures are available, indicating expenditure in Scotland; [149568]

(2) the total value of the fixed assets of each of the defence agencies, indicating the value of each in Scotland. [149567]

Dr. Moonie [holding answer 8 February 2001]: Information on the assets and expenditure of each defence agency has been presented to Parliament, most recently for the year 1999-2000, and is available in the Library of the House. Many defence agencies have a significant presence in Scotland, and details of the associated fixed assets were provided following a special exercise, in a letter of 8 May 2000 to the hon. Member for Angus (Mr. Welsh). A copy was also placed in the Library of the House. To identify the relevant portion of their expenditure would involve disproportionate cost.

Common Threat Assessment

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent steps have been taken to arrive at a common threat assessment with the UK's allies; and if he will make a statement. [150804]

Mr. Hoon: NATO undertakes periodic assessments, in consultation with Allies, of the threats to Alliance security. These assessments form one of the major inputs into Alliance defence planning.

Albanian Extremists

Mrs. Mahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his oral answer of 12 February 2001, Official Report, column 5, how many Albanian extremists operating in Kosovo and southern Serbia, who have been detained in possession of illegal weapons and handed over to the Americans at Camp Bondsteel, have been charged; and for what offences they have been charged. [150701]

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

26 Feb 2001 : Column: 562W

Fighter Aircraft

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the RAF to take delivery of its first single-seater European fighter aircraft. [150725]

Mr. Hoon: Delivery of the first single-seater Eurofighter to the RAF is planned for March 2003. The first Eurofighter to be delivered, in June 2002, will be twin-seat.

HMS Tireless

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects HMS Tireless will be ready to resume her fleet duties; and if he will make a statement. [151436]

Mr. Spellar: The repair work to HMS Tireless is scheduled to be completed at the end of March and she will sail from Gibraltar as soon as possible thereafter. HMS Tireless will then resume fleet duties.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the total cost of work carried out on HMS Tireless; what the expected total cost is of bringing the submarine back in service; and if he will make a statement. [151435]

Mr. Spellar: As of December 2000 the cost committed on the repair work to HMS Tireless was approximately £1.8 million.

The estimated total cost of work is £2.5 million to £3.0 million. This includes Tireless' share of the cost of developing a generic solution for all submarines affected by this defect. In addition, the cost of supporting the boat's crew during the repair period and providing essential operational training in order to return the submarine to operational service is expected to amount to £0.6 million.

Armed Forces (Married Quarters)

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force married quarters are occupied by cohabiting couples; and what Government policy is regarding the allocation of married quarters to members of the armed forces who are not married. [151354]

Dr. Moonie: The Ministry of Defence uses marital status as the determinant in its policy when allocating married quarters. Married personnel, and lone parents with dependant children for whom they have prime responsibility, are currently entitled to Service Family Accommodation (SFA) and Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA). Single personnel and lone parents are not authorised to cohabit with a partner in SFA or SSFA.

From time to time cases do come to light. Currently, in Great Britain, two suspected cases are being investigated and in two other cases irregular occupants, who may be cohabiting, are under notice to vacate.

MOD Police

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will announce a start date for the single-source document for terms and conditions for Ministry of Defence police officers. [151282]

26 Feb 2001 : Column: 563W

Dr. Moonie: The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) Policy and Procedures Manual, incorporating MOD police terms and conditions of service, was issued in electronic format on 10 May 2000. Distribution of the hard copy commenced in June 2000. Further chapters continue to be issued as soon as they are agreed with the Defence Police Federation. The manual became effective from 10 May 2000.

---