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15 Oct 2002 : Column 548W—continued

Corporal John Gregory and Sergeant Robert Busuttil

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements he has made for an investigation into the circumstances of the deaths of Corporal John Gregory and Sergeant Robert Busuttil. [74163]

Dr. Moonie: An investigation into the deaths of Corporal John Gregory and Sergeant Robert Busuttil was instigated immediately after the incident. Initial reports were compiled by the Kabul Detachment of the Royal Military Police and the 32nd Section of the Royal Military Police (United Kingdom) Special Investigation Branch. The investigation is not yet complete and remains ongoing at this time.

HMS Nottingham

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a replacement ship has been sent to cover the mission of HMS Nottingham. [73703]

Mr. Ingram: A direct replacement ship will not be sent to cover the remaining parts of Nottingham's programme.

As I stated in my answer of 22 July 2002, Official Report, column 759W, to the hon. Member for North Wiltshire (Mr. Gray) HMS Nottingham deployed for duties associated with the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) 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. HMS York has been nominated as the ship held at readiness in support of the fight against terrorism.

RFA Diligence has been offered to take part in Exercise STARDEX, as an indication of United Kingdom's continued support to FPDA.

Nuclear Weapons

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of procuring Trident missiles from the United States has been in each year since the procurement contract was initiated. [73558]

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Dr. Moonie: The cost of procuring the Trident II (unarmed) missiles from the US under the Polaris Sales Agreement (as amended for Trident) has been as follows:

Financial Year	Amount #M
1980–81	0.023
1981–82	4.012
1982–83	8.471
1983–84	2.164
1984–85	2.009
1985–86	2.015
1986–87	0.308
1987–88	5.083
1988–89	7.368
1989–90	16.885
1990–91	28.800
1991–92	71.936
1992–93	108.132
1993–94	279.714
1994–95	188.299
1995–96	68.781
1996–97	48.140
1997–98	86.647
1998–99	79.264
1999–2000	71.524
2000–2001	53.223

Notes:

1. The final figure for 2001–2002 is not yet available.

2. Figures given are gross payments and do not take account of the credits due to the UK under the 1998 MOU to reduce the overall missile buy in accordance with SDR. These affect 2000–2001 onwards.

3. The costs cover only production costs as the UK paid no development costs for the missiles.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Dr Tonge) of 8 July, Official Report, column 714W, on nuclear missile defence, whether the collaborative research and information exchange will involve nuclear-based technology. [73699]

Mr. Hoon: There are no plans for this work to involve nuclear-based technologies.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost of deploying British personnel in the United States as a result of (a) the United Kingdom purchase of nuclear weapons from the United States, (b) the United Kingdom testing of nuclear weapons in the United States and (c) other logistical requirements, including C3 expertise, of procuring nuclear weapons from the United States has been since 1972. [73559]

Mr. Ingram: The United Kingdom does not purchase nuclear weapons from the United States. Article 1 of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons forbids all nuclear weapon states from supplying nuclear weapons to any other state.

The remainder of the information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under which budget headings the projected expenditure on (a) the Trident programme, (b) Nuclear Warhead Stability Review, (c) nuclear waste disposal, (d) nuclear site security and (e) remediation of radioactively contaminated land and buildings on

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defence nuclear sites, as listed in tables 1 to 6 of CM 5412, Ministry of Defence Expenditure Plans 2002–04, published on 9 July, will be placed. [73569]

Mr. Ingram: Projected expenditure on items (a)–(e) falls under ''Provision of Defence Capability'' for the Ministry of Defence Resource Budget (of which part is counted against the MOD's Departmental Expenditure Limit and part against non-cash items in Annually Managed Expenditure). Projected expenditure on items (a), (c), (d) and (e) also falls under ''Provision of Defence Capability'' for the MOD Capital Budget.

The majority of this projected expenditure (both Resource and Capital) falls within three of our Top Level Budgets; Commander-in-Chief Fleet, Chief of Defence Logistics and Defence Procurement Agency. However additional projected Resource expenditure also falls within Land Command, RAF Strike Command and the Central Top Level Budget for item (d).

A wide range of assets is also employed in support of these activities, covering most of the categories in Table 4.

Equipment (Heat and Desert Conditions)

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the performance of the Challenger I tank in extreme heat and desert conditions. [74647]

Mr. Ingram: The Challenger 1 Main Battle Tank is no longer in service and has been replaced by Challenger 2.

Challenger 2 was deployed on Exercise Saif Sareea II, held in Oman last year, where it was operated in extremely hot, dry, desert conditions. Post-exercise reports confirm that the tank performed very well during the Exercise, notwithstanding the higher than anticipated usage of engine air filters. Trials of possible enhancements to reduce the effects of high concentrations of dust on the tank are currently taking place.

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made to address the problems with (a) the Challenger 2, (b) AS90 and (c) suitability of personal equipment highlighted by the Saif Sareea II exercise. [74414]

Mr. Ingram: Trials of possible enhancements to reduce the effects of high concentrations of dust on the Challenger 2 are currently taking place.

To enhance the AS90's ability to operate more effectively in desert conditions, a Desertisation Upgrade Pack is being scoped with the Design Authority.

Personnel working on Exercise Saif Sareea II preparations over the summer months were issued with desert combat boots. It was considered that regular combat boots would be appropriate, given the expected temperatures, for the main exercise phase during the autumn. Temperatures were, however, significantly higher and a useful lesson learnt has been that for future deployments, in such temperatures, it would be appropriate for all troops to be issued with desert combat boots.

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Both desert and temperate camouflaged uniforms were approved for use on Exercise Saif Sareea II. Following experience in Oman and Afghanistan, we intend to determine the optimum upper temperature range for the temperate uniform.

SA80

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the SA80 rifle; and whether it will continue in service. [74083]

Mr. Ingram: The SA80 modification programme has significantly improved the reliability and performance of the weapon. Extensive trials were carried out in severe climatic conditions including the desert, the arctic and the jungle; these trials confirmed the newly modified weapon's superior capabilities. More recent trials and demonstrations in Afghanistan and Oman have established beyond doubt that the weapon is highly accurate, reliable, and that it can be effectively maintained in an operational environment.

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The modified weapon, the SA80 A2, is being deployed over the period December 2001 to May 2006 and is due to remain in service until 2020.

Training Exercises

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he plans a further exercise on the scale of Saif Sareea II; and what recent exercises have taken place in different (a) geographical and (b) environmental conditions. [74415]

Mr. Ingram: We aim to hold periodic exercises on the scale of Saif Sareea II but planning for the next one is still at a very early stage. Exercises at all levels frequently take place in different geographical and environmental conditions to prepare our armed forces for the many different challenges they may face, some long planned and some at short notice. A list of the most recent exercises could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Information is only held centrally on major exercises listed in the Ministry of Defence's Defence Exercise Programme (DXP) which covers some 350 exercises each year. Examples from the DXP of recent exercises in different geographical and environmental conditions include:

Exercise name	Date	Location	Type
PANTHER CUB	Feb 02	Belize	Land Command jungle warfare training
STRONG RESOLVE	Mar 02	Norway/Poland	Tri-Service participation in quadrennial NATO LIVEX
RED FLAG	Mar 02	USA	HQ Strike Command air exercise in USA
GRAND PRIX	Mar 02	Kenya	Land Command battlegroup exercise
JOINT VENTURE	May 02	UK	PJHQ tri-Service Component Commander Command Post Exercise
STARDEX 02	Jul 02	Malaysia	FLEET exercise within Five Power Defence Agreement

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