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28 Jan 2003 : Column 842W—continued
Royal Navy
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what Royal Navy resources are allocated to meet commitments in (a) the Balkans, (b) Cyprus and (c) Sierra Leone. [92893]
Mr. Ingram: There are currently fifty Royal Navy personnel in the Balkans. Two patrol craft, one rigid raiding craft and fifty RN or Royal Marine personnel are currently allocated to British Forces Cyprus. In Sierra Leone, three RN personnel are assigned to UNAMSIL and two RN personnel to the International Military Assistance and Training Team.
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Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what Royal Navy resources are allocated to combating (a) piracy and (b) drug-trafficking; and in which theatres. [92896]
Mr. Ingram: No Royal Navy assets are specifically allocated to combating piracy. International Maritime Law does however, place an obligation on any seafarer to assist others in distress if they are in a position to do so. RN ships would offer such assistance if appropriate. In areas where there is a known risk of piracy, RN warships would take this into consideration and adjust their own level of readiness accordingly.Again, there are no RN assets dedicated specifically to counter narcotics activities. Military Forces are, however, made available upon request, when operational commitments and resources allow, to support the counter drugs activities of the law enforcement agencies. In recent years, such assistance has been provided in the Caribbean, United Kingdom waters, Atlantic and the Arabian Sea.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what Royal Navy resources are allocated to training former Eastern Bloc countries' armed forces. [92897]
Dr. Moonie: The United Kingdom has pursued for several years an active programme of defence assistance to countries of the former Eastern Bloc, as an integral part of our policy to build stability and security in the region. For geographical and historical reasons, defence assistance is focused principally on land forces but, where practical, the Royal Navy contributes to the overall programme. In particular, students from the former Eastern Bloc attend Royal Naval Initial Officer Training and Tactical and Staff Training at the Naval module of intermediate staff training courses in the United Kingdom. In addition, the Royal Navy also undertakes joint mine warfare training in the Baltic with Allies and the Baltic states; and is supporting the operational sea training of the Polish frigate Pulaski to bring her into NATO's Standing Naval Force Atlantic for 2004. There is also a well established programme of naval co-operation with Russia which includes some limited elements of training.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the specialist (a) anti-aircraft, (b) anti-ship and (c) anti-submarine capabilities of each class of (i) frigate and (ii) destroyer (A) being built and (B) already deployed by the Royal Navy. [92900]
Mr. Ingram: The in-service Type 22 (Broadsword Class) and Type 23 (Duke Class) Frigates have been designed primarily for the Anti-submarine Warfare (ASW) role. To fulfil this, they have torpedo tubes fitted and Lynx or Merlin ASW helicopters embarked. Their anti-aircraft capability is provided by Sea Wolf missiles, and their anti-surface ship capability by Sea Skua missiles carried on Lynx helicopters, close-range guns and long-range Harpoon anti-surface missiles.
The primary role of the in-service Type 42 Destroyer is to provide air defence for task group operations. For this, it is equipped with Sea Dart anti-aircraft missiles, which also have a secondary anti-surface ship capability. As with the Frigates, Type 42 Destroyers
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also have torpedo tubes and Lynx ASW aircraft for anti-submarine warfare, with anti-surface capability provided by Sea Skua missiles on Lynx aircraft.
Equipped with the Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS), the prime role of the future Type 45 Destroyers will be anti-air Warfare. The Sea Skua missile, fitted to the Lynx helicopter, together with the ship's medium range gunnery system, will provide the anti-surface ship capability. Anti-submarine warfare capability will primarily be provided by the Lynx helicopter, equipped with Stingray anti-submarine torpedoes. The systems delivering these capabilities will be considered for progressive updates during the in-service life of the Type 45, which is designed with significant space and weight margins to meet emerging requirements.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) Royal Naval and (b) Royal Marines shore establishments which have been (i) taken out of and (ii) brought into service since May 1997. [92960]
Mr. Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on multi-national training programmes with allied forces for (a) the Royal Navy and (b) the Royal Marines. [92971]
Mr. Ingram: The Royal Navy and Royal Marines, and the other services, take part in a wide range of multinational and bilateral training exercises to prepare for operations and enhance interoperability with NATO and coalition partners. In addition, United Kingdom operational sea training and joint maritime courses (JMCs) are carried out with participants from a wide range of European navies, USA, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, with the aim of preparing units to operate together.
The Royal Navy and Royal Marines maintain personnel exchange programmes with allies. In addition to core exercise activity, exercises are carried out with other nations in support of defence diplomacy initiatives, including Partnership for Peace countries. The Royal Navy and Royal Marines are also committed to the United Kingdom Netherlands Amphibious Force (UKNLAF), which has proved a model for amphibious co-operation for other nations in Europe. This standing force celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2003 and the capability has been maintained through regular shared training opportunities.
Examples of major Royal Navy and Royal Marines' multinational and bilateral exercises in 2002 included an integrated air defence exercise with Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia (five powers defence arrangements), exercise Destined Glory with other NATO members and exercise Blackhorse with the USA. Major elements of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines also participated in exercise Saif Sareea in late 2001, alongside the Omani armed forces.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what Royal Navy resources are allocated to duties in respect of Northern Ireland. [92972]
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Mr. Ingram: The Royal Navy (RN) has a squadron of three Hunt Class patrol craft based in Faslane, which support naval operations in Northern Ireland. One patrol craft, with 35 personnel onboard, is routinely deployed to patrol Northern Ireland territorial waters every day of the year. This ship is supported by a team of eight Royal Marines (RM) with four rigid inflatable boats to conduct the boarding of vessels entering or leaving NI ports. There are also 20 RN/RM personnel based in the Province who provide operational support to the patrol vessel.
In addition, the Royal Navy have an Armed Forces Career Office in Palace Barracks, Holywood, consisting of one RN officer and four senior ratings. There is a staff of two officers and eight senior/junior ratings on HMS
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Caroline (reserve training ship). The Joint Helicopter Force (Northern Ireland) has one RN officer on its staff, and there is one officer in the post of Assistant Naval Regional Officer (Northern Ireland) also based at HMS Caroline.
A Sea King Helicopter Detachment (consisting of three helicopters and up to 40 personnel) deploys to the Province as operational requirements demand.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) male and (b) female personnel there have been in (i) the Royal Navy and (ii) the Royal Marines in each year since 1997, broken down into (A) officers and (B) other ranks. [92973]
Dr. Moonie: Royal Navy and Royal Marine strengths by gender 1997–2002 are shown in the table:
| January 1997 | January 1998 | January 1999 | January 2000 | January 2001 | January 2002 | December 2002 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RN officer | |||||||
| Male | 6,800 | 6,640 | 6,540 | 6,450 | 6,460 | 6,440 | 6,440 |
| Female | 430 | 450 | 460 | 500 | 540 | 570 | 600 |
| RM officer | |||||||
| Male | 700 | 690 | 690 | 680 | 680 | 720 | 750 |
| Female | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RN other ranks | |||||||
| Male | 28,780 | 27,830 | 27,200 | 26,370 | 25,640 | 24,790 | 24,200 |
| Female | 2,760 | 2,740 | 2,810 | 2,830 | 2,840 | 2,880 | 2,970 |
| RM other ranks | |||||||
| Male | 6,000 | 6,070 | 5,990 | 5,990 | 6,160 | 6,220 | 6,340 |
| Female | 30 | 40 | 50 | 50 | 60 | 60 | 80 |
Note:
All figures are rounded to the nearest 10, and include untrained strengths.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Afro-Caribbean and (b) Asian ethnic minority personnel there have been in (i) the Royal Navy and (ii) the Royal Marines in each year since 1997, broken down into (A) officers and (B) other ranks. [92974]
Dr. Moonie: The number of Asian and Black Caribbean personnel serving in the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines are shown in the tables:
| April 1997 | April 1998 | April 1999 | April 2000 | April 2001 | 21October 2001 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Officers | Asian | 15 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 20 | 20 |
| Black Caribbean | 10 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
| Other Ranks | Asian | 20 | 20 | 25 | 25 | 30 | 30 |
| Black Caribbean | 55 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 45 | 45 |
| Officers | Asian | — | — | _ | — | — | — |
| Black Caribbean | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Other Ranks | Asian | _ | _ | _ | 5 | 5 | _ |
| Black Caribbean | 15 | 15 | 20 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
(56) Royal Navy figures include QARNNS.
(57) A re-survey of the ethnic origin of Armed Forces personnel is currently being undertaken using the categories contained in the Population Census of 2001. The last available figures using the previous ethnic categories are those of 1 October 2001.
Notes:
Figures shown are for UK Regular forces (including both trained and untrained), and therefore exclude Full Time Reserve Service personnel and Naval Activated Reservists.
Asian consists of those classified as Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi.
All figures are rounded to the nearest five.
_ denotes fewer than five
— denotes zero
28 Jan 2003 : Column 847W
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on educational opportunities for (a) officers and (b) other ranks in (i) the Royal Navy and (ii) the Royal Marines. [92975]
Dr. Moonie: Both the Royal Navy and Royal Marines offer a wide variety of educational opportunities for personnel as part of training, personal development or lifelong learning.
There are a number of educational opportunities that are available to all, regardless of rank. These consist of a university short course programme, a variety of short courses available to personnel at no cost to the individual, an HM Forces scheme administered under the University of Cambridge Local Education Syndicate which provides world-wide access to IGCSE/GCE programmes and a forces distance learning scheme.
For officers there is the opportunity to achieve accreditation for many Royal Navy and Royal Marines courses, examples include, supply officers, legal training for barristers and flying start degree scheme, for non graduate aircrew, plus sponsored post graduate study for selected officers and language training.
Other ranks of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines undertake national vocational qualifications, and accreditation for many training courses with national bodies such as higher national diplomas. Training for Royal Marine musicians has also achieved accreditation to BA Music. In addition, a high percentage of Royal Navy personnel are corporately sponsored through foundation for modern apprenticeship programmes, including NVQs, key skills and technical certificates.
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