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3 Nov 2003 : Column 431W—continued
Cyprus
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his (a) policy is and (b) procedures are in place for British (i) forces personnel and (ii) employees from the Sovereign base areas visiting the occupied areas of Cyprus. [135012]
Mr. Ingram: British Forces Cyprus Service Personnel, UK Based Civilians, authorised UK Officials and their dependants and specified close relatives are permitted to visit Northern Cyprus. Such personnel either cross as tourists or on passes arranged by the British High Commission. The procedures for issuing passes remain under review in the light of on-going political developments affecting the island.
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Defence Spending
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of defence spending per capita in each of the home countries of the United Kingdom in 2003–04. [135559]
Mr. Ingram: The Defence Aim is to deliver security for the people of the United Kingdom and the Overseas Territories by defending them, including against terrorism; and to act as a force for good by strengthening international peace and stability. We do this by providing a world-class national capability—not a specifically regional one. No estimate of the nature suggested has therefore been made.
Separated Service
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the frequency of detached duties for (a) medical staff, (b) RAF regiment personnel and (c) catering staff. [133156]
Mr. Ingram: The Naval Service has introduced a maximum limit for separated service for junior rates of 660 days in a rolling three-year period, and to date, no-one has exceeded this limit. While Royal Navy medics and chefs are examples of current shortage categories and some personnel are stretched, the aim is that this will be balanced out over a three-year period.
The Army introduced Separated Service recording in December 2002, but will not have sufficiently mature information for release until mid-2004, by when there will have been a minimum of 12 months data for analysis. Information on the frequency of detached duties for medical staff is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. For catering staff, chefs are embedded in every deployable Army unit and again specific details on individuals are not held centrally.
The RAF introduced a Separated Service (SS) recording system on 1 April 1997 to monitor the amount of time personnel spend on detached duty. The levels of Separated Service 1 for operational reasons, from September 2002 to August 2003 for medical staff, RAF regiment personnel and catering staff were as follows:
1 An incidence of Separated Service is recorded when an individual is absent from their parent unit for three nights or more.
| Branch/trade(33) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical | RAF regiment | Catering | ||
| Less than 90 days | ||||
| Number | 417 | 832 | 411 | |
| Percentage | 30.3 | 40.1 | 31.7 | |
| 90 to 139 days | ||||
| Number | 158 | 486 | 230 | |
| Percentage | 11.5 | 23.7 | 17.8 | |
| Over 140 days | ||||
| Number | 27 | 188 | 42 | |
| Percentage | 1.9 | 9.2 | 3.2 | |
(33) All figures include officers and other ranks.
European Rapid Reaction Force
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the European Rapid Reaction Force; and if he will make a statement. [135457]
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Mr. Hoon: There is no European Army or standing European Rapid Reaction Force nor any EU agreement to create one. Forces are offered by EU Member states for EU crisis management operations on a voluntary, case-by-case basis. This is no different from the arrangements for NATO crisis management operations. Member states have, however, set themselves a Headline Goal to be able to deploy within 60 days, and sustain for at least one year, some 50–60,000 personnel on crisis management operations including smaller rapid response elements available and deployable at very high readiness. I discussed the improvement of European military capabilities, in particular the creation of a European Defence Agency for capability development, with my EU counterparts at the Informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers in Rome on 3–4 October.
Hawk 128
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the capability the Hawk 128 Advanced Jet Trainer will give the RAF to train pilots for the (a) Eurofighter Typhoon and (b) Joint Strike Fighter. [135547]
Mr. Ingram: The Hawk 128 will provide RAF and Royal Navy pilots with a modern and highly capable training aircraft. This will ensure our future pilots are capable of meeting the demands of the next generation of highly capable frontline aircraft, such as Typhoon and Joint Strike Fighter.
HMS Cambeltown
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department (a) will publish the report into HMS Cambeltown running aground in 2001 and (b) expects to announce the costs of (i) recovery and (ii) repair; and if he will make a statement. [134957]
Mr. Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Infantry Battalions
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has (a) to disband and (b) to amalgamate Army infantry battalions. [133488]
Mr. Ingram: There is a continuing need to assess force structures in order to ensure that we have the balanced, flexible forces needed to meet the full range of operational contingencies. However, there are currently no plans to disband or amalgamate Army infantry battalions, nor are there plans to reduce the current overall strength of the Army. The White Paper to be published later this year will provide an updated statement of defence policy.
JTIDS Capability
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which aircraft are fielded with joint tactical information and distribution system capability; what other types of aircraft will receive JTIDS capability; and when it will be installed in each type. [134462]
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Mr. Ingram: The Joint Tactical Information and Distribution System (JTIDS) is operational on the following types of UK aircraft: Sentry E-3D, Tornado F3, Nimrod R, VC10 and Tristar Tanker aircraft and Sea King AEW. It is also being fitted on Typhoon, Nimrod MRA4 and Sentinel R Mkl. Installation is planned on Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft in 2005, Tornado GR4 and Harrier GR9 in 2006, A400M in 2007 and Joint Combat Aircraft in 2010. These dates can be up to two years before in service date to allow for integration and acceptance. Other future aircraft types are also expected to be fitted with this capability.
Low Flying
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints he has received of low flying by RAF fast jets in each year since 2000. [135410]
Mr. Caplin: The number of complaints received by the Ministry of Defence Lower Airspace Complaints and Enquiries Unit for low flying by RAF fast jets over the last four calendar years was as follows:
| Number of complaints | |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 2,699 |
| 2001 | 2,612 |
| 2002 | 3,009 |
| 2003 | (34)2,735 |
(34) Up to end September.
Mutual Defence Agreement
Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the joint working groups since 1997 conducted under the auspices of the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement. [134906]
Mr. Caplin: Joint Working Groups conducted since 1997 under the auspices of the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement have exchanged technical information on the following subjects:
- Radiation Simulation and Kinetic Effects Technology
Energetic Materials
Nuclear Materials
Warhead Electrical Components and Technologies
Non-nuclear Materials
Nuclear Counter Terrorism Technology
Facilities
Nuclear Weapons Engineering
Nuclear Warhead Physics
Computational Technology
Aircraft, Missile and Space System Hardening
Laboratory Plasma Physics
Manufacturing Practices
Nuclear Warhead Accident Response Technology
Nuclear Weapon Code Development
Nuclear Weapon Environment and Damage Effects
Methodologies for Nuclear Weapon Safety Assurance
Nuclear Weapons
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's assessment is of the implications
3 Nov 2003 : Column 435W
for the long-term future effectiveness of the United Kingdom's nuclear weapons of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. [133722]
Mr. Hoon: As was made clear in the Strategic Defence Review, Supporting Essay Five, Chapter 14, we will, for as long as Britain has nuclear forces, ensure that we have a robust capability at the Atomic Weapons Establishment to underwrite the safety and reliability of our nuclear warheads, without recourse to nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosion. This approach is consistent with our continued support for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
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