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SA80
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the SA80 to be readmitted to the NATO list of approved weapons. [46862]
Mr. Ingram: The modified SA80 was accepted as a NATO Nominated Weapon in March 2002.
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the requirements are for weapons to be admitted to the NATO list of approved weapons. [46863]
Mr. Ingram: There is no NATO list of approved weapons. There are, however, procedures by which NATO member nations may introduce a national or foreign weapon as a NATO Nominated Weapon.
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The procedures for introducing NATO Nominated Weapons are contained in the Manuals of Proof and Inspection Procedures for NATO Ammunition. I will write to the hon. Member providing details and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by how much modifications to the SA80 went over the estimated cost. [46865]
Mr. Ingram: The approved cost limit of the SA80 modification programme is £92 million and spending is still within this level.
Widows
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pensioners have been affected by the provision in the war widows pension whereby widows whose husbands served before 1970 receive a pension equivalent to 33 per cent. of their husbands' retired pay; and what plans he has to amend the provision. [46861]
Dr. Moonie: The rates of war widows' pensions paid under the War Pensions Scheme are not based on the husbands' dates of service or the rate of their retired pay.
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many widows of post-retirement marriages to ex-servicemen are affected by the rule whereby they are only entitled to payments on service following 1978. [46870]
Mr. Ingram: There is no requirement for the Ministry of Defence to hold data on post-retirement marriages of pensioners with service before 1978. This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to review the situation whereby widows of post-retirement marriages to ex-servicemen are only entitled to payments on service following 1978. [46869]
Dr. Moonie: The Government have no plans to increase the current armed forces pension scheme provisions for widows of post-retirement marriages. Following long-standing practice, improvements to the armed forces and other public sector pension schemes do not apply retrospectively.
Fylingdales
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what structural and transport improvements have been made to the base at Fylingdales and Menwith Hill since 1997. [46677]
Mr. Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Baltic States
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last met representatives of the Baltic States to discuss their entry into NATO; and if he will make a statement. [46678]
Mr. Hoon: I visited Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on 25–27 February 2002 for a series of meetings with fellow Defence Ministers and their colleagues. Our discussions
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covered a range of issues including NATO enlargement, NATO-Russia relations, and the UK's strong bilateral and multilateral relations with all three Baltic States.
Gibraltar
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in relation to supporting and assisting the Government of Gibraltar to celebrate 300 years of British sovereignty in Gibraltar in 2004. [48264]
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Department refused permission for use of the Naval Ground in Gibraltar for the demonstration held on 18 March; on what grounds it was refused; and who gave the order that the Naval Ground in Gibraltar could not be used for the demonstration. [47415]
Mr. Ingram: A request by the Government of Gibraltar (GoG) to use Naval Number One Ground as a car park to assist in the organisation of the GoG sponsored demonstration on 18 March 2002 was made to Commander British Forces Gibraltar on 5 March 2002. This request was agreed. Subsequently GoG sought agreement to change the intended use of the ground from a car park to a public assembly area for the demonstration. Commander British Forces declined this request because of the use of Ministry of Defence facilities for political events is prohibited by Queens Regulations for the armed forces. The offer to use Naval Number One Ground as a car park was reiterated but not taken up.
ESDP
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (1) new regulations governing European security and defence policy were agreed at the EU Defence Ministers' meeting in Zaragoza, Spain; and if he will make a statement; [46874]
- (2) if he will make a statement on the conclusions reached at the informal EU Defence Ministers' meeting in Zaragoza, Spain; and if he will place a copy of the conclusions reached in the Library. [46872]
Mr. Hoon: As this was an informal meeting, intended for the exchange of views on topical subjects, no formal conclusions or decisions were reached.
European Armaments Policy
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts regarding the establishment of a European armaments policy; and if he will make a statement. [46875]
Dr. Moonie: The Laeken European Council asked the Spanish presidency to consider
- "measures to enhance co-operation in the field of armaments as member states consider appropriate".
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Defence Clothing and Integrated Project Team
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent by the Defence Clothing and Integrated Project Team on outside research and development since the changeover from the Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency. [46868]
Mr. Ingram: The Defence Clothing Integrated Project Team was formed on 1 April 2001 and has to date spent £0.8 million on outside research and development.
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the Research and Project Support Organisation will be incorporated by QinetiQ; and what effect this will have on the Defence Clothing and Integrated Project Team. [46867]
Mr. Ingram: A number of options have been considered for the future of the Clothing Research and Project Support Organisation. No final decision has yet been taken, but it is unlikely that the activity will transfer to QinetiQ.
Petersberg Tasks
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to widen the Petersberg tasks missions beyond the original 1992 mission; and if he will make a statement. [46873]
Mr. Hoon: There are no plans to broaden the scope of the Petersberg Tasks. The Petersberg Tasks are: humanitarian and rescue tasks, peacekeeping tasks and tasks of combat forces in crisis management, including peacemaking. They were defined at the Western European Union Council of Ministers in Bonn in June 1992 and subsequently adopted by the EU.
Japanese Prisoners of War
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will change his policy on the award of compensation payments to Japanese prisoners of war who were citizens of British colonies; and if he will make a statement. [48197]
Dr. Moonie: Reflecting the ex gratia payment scheme that I announced in November 2000, payments to those British groups held as prisoners of war by the Japanese during the Second World War include eligible servicemen who were citizens of British colonies.
With regard to former civilian internees, the Association of British Civilian Internees Far East Region (ABCIFER) has submitted an application for leave to seek judicial review in respect of certain aspects of the scheme. In the circumstances, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on this issue at present.
Patrols
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of patrols are sent out employing close operation procedures; in what circumstances these procedures are ordered; and in what circumstances members of a patrol would carry live rounds in the barrel of their rifles inside an army barracks. [48027]
Mr. Ingram: "Close operation procedures" is not a recognised term and I am assuming that my hon. Friend is referring to Close Observation Platoons (COP). The proportion of COP patrols in comparison to other patrols
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is small and will vary depending on the security situation at any given time and the needs of the police service of Northern Ireland. For obvious security reasons details about their role and specific tasking are classified.
Rules for carriage of personal weapons are set out clearly in Joint Service Publications and during routine barrack security duties service personnel must always carry their weapon in a safe state with no live round being carried in the breech.
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