| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Prisoners of War
31. Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications for the ex gratia payment to former prisoners of the Japanese announced on 7 November 2000 have been (a) accepted, (b) rejected and (c) remain to be determined. [15105]
Dr. Moonie: As at 12 November, 22,622 applications for the ex gratia payment have been accepted. 3,741 have been rejected and 1,240 remain to be determined.
Afghanistan
32. Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the deployment of members of the armed forces to assist the humanitarian effort in Afghanistan. [15106]
39. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assets his Department has made available for the delivery of humanitarian aid in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [15114]
Mr. Hoon: We have made available a number of service personnel and service assets to assist the humanitarian effort in Afghanistan.
A detachment of Royal Marines has been deployed to Bagram as part of a coalition mission to help make the airport usable by United Nations and other diplomatic and humanitarian missions.
We also have a small team of armed forces personnel in Islamabad where, along with United States colleagues, they are liaising with aid agencies, as well as other personnel in the United States who are assisting with the planning and co-ordination of the coalition humanitarian effort.
In addition, the Canberra PR9 reconnaissance aircraft which we have deployed to the region can assist in the targeting of humanitarian assistance by identifying concentrations of displaced persons. We will, of course, consider making other assets available as necessary.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many women are on active duty as part of the Afghanistan campaign. [15094]
Mr. Hoon: Approximately 300 women are currently on active duty as part of the UK contribution to the international coalition against terrorism.
26 Nov 2001 : Column: 662W
European Defence Initiative
33. Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made to encourage NATO to share information with the European defence initiative. [15108]
Mr. Hoon: The EU and NATO have been working closely together on the development of the European Security and Defence Policy. NATO has assisted in the analysis of capability requirements and has been involved in the assessment of national offers towards the pool of forces.
The EU's Political and Security Committee (PSC) and NATO's North Atlantic Council (NAC), as well as the EU's and NATO's respective Military Committees, meet on a regular basis and at least once per Presidency. Further meetings may be requested.
NATO has agreed in principle to allow the EU access to its assets and capabilities and we are discussing the details of the arrangements. An EU-NATO security agreement is also being established to allow the exchange of classified information between NATO and the EU.
Cadet Forces
34. Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the strength of cadet forces. [15109]
Dr. Moonie: As at 1 April this year, the total strength of the cadet forces was 128,304. Although this represents a decrease of 3,650, or 2.8 per cent., since April 2000, cadet numbers have been relatively stable over recent years. The cadet forces continue to offer a wide range of military, adventurous and sporting activities, and the opportunity to gain nationally recognised qualifications as well as enhance personal development. We strongly encourage young people and adult volunteers to join and the Services will continue to offer practical support for the cadet forces' recruitment activities wherever possible.
Armed Forces Establishment
35. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total establishment of the armed forces is; and how many vacancies are unfilled. [15110]
Mr. Ingram: The current trained requirement of the armed forces, as at 1 October, was 197,243 against a total trained strength of 187,699, showing a shortfall of 9,544.
Armed Forces Recruitment
38. Syd Rapson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes there have been to rates of recruitment and retention in the armed forces since 11 September. [15113]
Mr. Ingram: Apart from an increase in the number of inquiries about armed forces careers, there have been no discernible changes to the rates of recruitment or retention which might normally be expected at this point in the year.
Low Flying
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are in place to monitor low flying by the RAF. [15081]
26 Nov 2001 : Column: 663W
Dr. Moonie: The number of hours booked for military low flying in the UK Low Flying System is monitored throughout the training year from April to March. As part of the monitoring process, the RAF police carry out regular covert surveys of military low flying, often assisted by the deployment of a Skyguard radar system which measures accurately the heights and speeds of aircraft. These checks confirm a healthy respect for the regulations. A copy of the statement on the pattern of military low flying for the training year to March 2001 was placed in the Library of the House on 17 July.
Capabilities Initiative
Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the defence capabilities initiative. [15090]
Mr. Hoon: NATO's Defence Capabilities Initiative was launched at the Washington Summit in April 1999 with a view to addressing shortfalls in military capabilities across the Alliance. Since then NATO nations have been working hard to implement the initiative. Progress has been made in many capability areas, including air to air refuelling; air and sealift and precision-guided munitions. The UK's own performance within the Defence Capabilities Initiative compares very well with the Alliance average.
Land Mines
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on new technology to detect and remove land mines; and if he will make a statement. [15133]
Dr. Moonie [holding answer 20 November 2001]: The Ministry of Defence's on-going generic mine detection research programme is currently assessing the following technologies:
- Ground penetrating radar
Metal detection
Polarised thermal imaging
Ultra wide-band radar
Quadrupole resonance.
Research is also under way on a Portable Humanitarian Mine Detector. A pre-production demonstrator system will be completed by July 2002 for assessment by humanitarian de-mining organisations.
The Ministry of Defence and QuinetiQ have also developed a pyrotechnic torch for destroying anti- personnel and anti-tank mines with minimal collateral damage and improved safety of deployment. Current procurement action for this system is aimed at delivering 2000 units into military service by early 2002.
The Defence Procurement Agency placed contracts in October with Ultra Electronics Ltd. of High Wycombe, Bucks and Hunting Engineering Ltd. (now Insys Ltd.) of Ampthill, Bedfordshire for the Competitive Assessment Phase of the Mine Detection, Neutralisation and Route Marking System (MINDER) Programme, with an initial capability to enter service by 2005.
26 Nov 2001 : Column: 664W
Progress has also been made to improve the effectiveness of minefield breaching operations, and techniques have been developed to improve ploughing efficiency and survivability. Investigations into individual mine neutralisation are also taking place.
RAF Bases
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the contribution made by RAF Lyneham to the local economy. [17041]
Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has not produced a formal estimate of the current contribution made by RAF Lyneham to the local economy. As I announced on 22 November 2001, Official Report, column 367W, a study has been commissioned as part of the Department's normal planning process, to consider the future roles of RAF Lyneham, RAF Brize Norton and RAF St. Mawgan and an economic appraisal of all three sites will be conducted as part of this work. It is understood that previous local estimates have placed the contribution to the local economy in the region of £18 million a year and this figure will be validated as part of the study.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many planes are based at (a) RAF Brize Norton and (b) RAF Lyneham; and how this total will change in the next five years to reflect (i) the introduction of the A400M and the C130J and (ii) the phasing out of the VC10 and Tristar. [17154]
Mr. Ingram: There are currently 33 aircraft based at RAF Brize Norton and 54 aircraft based at RAF Lyneham. On current plans, three Hercules C130K aircraft based at RAF Lyneham will be retired within the next five years in the last element of the rolling programme to replace part of the Hercules C130K fleet with C130Js. No other changes in aircraft numbers at RAF Lyneham and RAF Brize Norton are currently planned in the next five years as a result of the procurement of the A400M and C130J or the phasing out of the VC10 and Tristars.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many vacant rooms there are at RAF Brize Norton (a) officers accommodation and (b) other ranks accommodation. [17039]
Dr. Moonie: As at 20 November 2001 there were (a) 31 rooms vacant in Officers' Mess accommodation out of a total of 183 and (b) four rooms vacant in the other ranks single living accommodation out of a total of 1,289. All 31 rooms vacant in the Officers' Mess are out of use as a result of repair work currently being carried out in one wing of the mess.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what square footage of (a) hangers for aircraft maintenance and repairs and (b) apron parking there is at (i) RAF Lyneham and (ii) RAF Brize Norton; and what the total acreage is of each base. [17255]
Mr. Ingram: Hangars used for aircraft maintenance and repairs cover approximately 27,500 square metres at RAF Lyneham and approximately 19,970 square metres at RAF Brize Norton. The area of apron parking is approximately 270,000 square metres at RAF Lyneham
26 Nov 2001 : Column: 665W
and 470,000 square metres at RAF Brize Norton. RAF Lyneham covers approximately 1,164 acres and RAF Brize Norton approximately 1,184 acres.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers and other ranks live in single accommodation at (a) RAF Lyneham and (b) RAF Brize Norton. [17038]
Dr. Moonie: As at 20 November 2001, there were 112 officers and 861 other ranks living in single living accommodation at RAF Lyneham. On the same date 152 officers and 1,275 other ranks were living in single living accommodation at RAF Brize Norton.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many married quarters' houses there are at (a) RAF Lyneham and (b) RAF Brize Norton; and how many married quarters houses at RAF Brize Norton are unoccupied. [17256]
Dr. Moonie: There are 764 service families' accommodation at RAF Lyneham and 1,286 at RAF Brize Norton. 241 properties at Brize Norton are unoccupied although they are shortly to be handed back to Annington Homes. 68 are being refurbished or awaiting major repairs and 23 have been allocated to service families.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what length the runway is at (a) RAF Lyneham and (b) RAF Brize Norton. [17378]
Mr. Ingram: The length of the main runway available for take off or landing at RAF Lyneham is 2,386 metres. The length of the secondary runway is 1,826 metres. The runway at RAF Brize Norton available for take off and landing is 3,050 metres long.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |