| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Phoenix UAVs
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if UK Phoenix UAVs were deployed in recent operations in Afghanistan. [70764]
Heavylift Aircraft
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on hiring heavylift aircraft since 1 July 1998 for use in UK defence or aid-related activities. [70782]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 18 July 2002]: From 1 July 1998 to 4 July 2002, the Ministry of Defence has committed to the charter of civilian heavylift aircraft up to the value of £43.9 million.
HMS Nottingham
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are for the future of HMS Nottingham. [70786]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 18 July 2002]: Repair options for HMS Nottingham are still being considered.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if warships will be brought out of (a) reserve and (b) extended readiness to replace HMS Nottingham while she is out of service. [70785]
22 Jul 2002 : Column 759W
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 18 July 2002]: No warships are in reserve at present. Decisions on whether to change the readiness state of other warships will be taken once we have a clear assessment of the damage to HMS Nottingham.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Royal Navy warship will be deployed to replace the duties undertaken by HMS Nottingham. [70948]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 18 July 2002]: HMS Nottingham deployed for duties associated with the Five Power Defence Arrangements including Exercise Stardex. She was subsequently assigned to Coalition maritime operations in the Middle East, and was being held at notice for this purpose while deployed to the Asia Pacific region. She was also programmed to undertake a series of port visits in support of our defence diplomacy goals and wider security objectives in the region. It will not be possible to deploy another ship to undertake the full range of these duties. However, HMS York has been nominated as the ship held at readiness in support of the fight against terrorism, and options are being investigated for United Kingdom participation in Ex Stardex.
HMS Southampton
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the repairs to HMS Southampton cost following her accident in the Gulf in 1988; and how long the repairs took to make. [70784]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 18 July 2002]: The repairs to HMS Southampton were combined with the ship's 1989 refit. It is not possible, from existing records, to separate the cost of repairs from those for the refit. However, the overall cost of this package of work including replacement equipment was some £45 million at that time. The duration of the repair and refit was 92 weeks.
Fleet Submarines
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he plans to extend the service life of fleet submarines. [70788]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 18 July 2002]: Plans to extend the service life of fleet submarines are kept under review as part of the Ministry of Defence's normal planning processes.
C-17 Aircraft
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if the RAF's C-17 aircraft have exceeded the flying hours agreed under the terms of their lease; and if he will make a statement; [70783]
- (2) what the projected cost is of the lease of C-17 aircraft throughout its entire term. [70780]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 18 July 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Keetch) on 15 May 2002, Official Report, column 640W.
22 Jul 2002 : Column 760W
Since entering service with the RAF the C-17 fleet has now flown just under twice the hours upon which the support was modelled. The additional support costs arising from this level of flying are in the order of £10 million.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the cost of leasing four C-17 aircraft is greater than purchasing individual C-17 aircraft; and if he will make a statement. [70781]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 18 July 2002]: The detailed lease costs and the underlying aircraft price are commercially sensitive and I am withholding this information under Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Type 23 Frigates
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Chilean Government have expressed an interest in existing type 23 frigates or new build vessels; and if he will make a statement. [70789]
Dr. Moonie [holding answer 18 July 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 July 2002, Official Report, column 852W, to the hon. Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin).
Army Cadets
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of Army cadets in Bridgwater, Somerset. [71240]
Dr. Moonie: I understand that there has been recent progress in the negotiations with Sedgemoor district council in order to identify a suitable location in which to provide a joint cadet centre for both the Army and Air Cadets in Bridgwater. Until these negotiations are concluded, however, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further. Once they are completed I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
RAF Navigators
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the redeployment of navigators when the Tornado is replaced by the Eurofighter. [71180]
Dr. Moonie: The planned replacement of the Tornado F3 aircraft by Eurofighter will lead to a phased reduction in the requirement for fast jet navigators in the Royal Air Force over the next 10 years. Those F3 navigators who do not leave at an extant exit point during the draw down will be offered employment opportunities on other aircraft types. They will be redeployed as appropriate, taking account of individuals' skill sets, personal aspirations and service needs.
HMS Fearless
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on HMS Fearless; and what plans he has to bring the ship back into service while the launch of HMS Albion is delayed. [71534]
22 Jul 2002 : Column 761W
Dr. Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 July 2002, Official Report, column 275W, to the hon. Member for North Wiltshire (Mr. Gray), and on 2 July 2002, Official Report, column 234W, to the hon. Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin).
Wind Farms
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact of the development of large scale wind farms in the North sea on (a) existing radar defence and (b) the UK's ability to co-operate with the USA in respect of the Missile Defence programme; and if he will make a statement. [70045]
Dr. Moonie: All wind farm proposals are examined on a case-by-case basis to establish whether they are likely to have an adverse effect on air defence radar. Rotating turbines can send false returns to radar heads and a study is currently being undertaken in conjunction with the DTI to see what measures, if any, can be taken to mitigate this.
An independent review of the United Kingdom's air defence radar was instituted following the terrorist attacks of 11 September, and this work will inform on-going work on SDR New Chapter.
No assessment has been made of the impact of wind farms on the type of radar currently used for missile early warning, or on those that might be developed for missile tracking, but there is no reason to expect wind farms to affect such radars in view of their different operating characteristics.
Information Campaigns
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in financial year 2001–02; if he will list the campaigns that spent over £250,000; and if he will make a statement. [70205]
Dr. Moonie: The expenditure for information literature, advertising and campaign material is spread among many different budgets and budget holders. The information is not therefore held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. More general information on advertising and publicity is expected to be included in the 2001–02 departmental performance report which, will be published later in the year. Copies will be available in the Library of the House.
Royal Military Music School
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list his Department's total expenditure relating to the Royal Military Music School, Kneller Hall, Twickenham for each year since 1995. [70517]
Dr. Moonie: Costs are not available for the complete period requested. Information available is as follows:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 1.805 |
| 1999–2000 | 2.546 |
| 2000–01 | 2.414 |
| 2001–02 | 2.287 |
The figures are cash costs and represent the running costs of the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall excluding the salary costs of students.
22 Jul 2002 : Column 762W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |