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DEFENCE
HMS Bristol
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when HMS Bristol was paid off ; and which ship will replace her as the Dartmouth training ship.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : HMS Bristol was paid off on 14 June 1991. Her replacement for the period 15 June 1991 to 14 December 1991 was HMS Fearless. Until initial sea training is introduced in the spring, sea-going training is being provided by HMS Ariadne, HMS Broadsword and HMS Brazen.
Devon Training Squadron
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are his future plans for the Dartmouth training squadron ; how trainees will gain seagoing experience ; and what effect these arrangements will have on the effectiveness of operational Royal Navy ships.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The sea going training provided in the Dartmouth training squadron will be replaced by initial sea training--IST-- with effect from spring 1992. Young officers will undertake IST in type 22 batch 1 frigates which have been modified to provide the extra
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accommodation required. The operational effectiveness of the ships will be maintained in between officer training periods by their normal ships' companies.RNR Port Diving Branch
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it is his intention to make the services of Royal Navy clearance divers available to assist civil authorities following the disbandment of the Royal Naval Reserve port diving branch.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Royal Navy clearance diving teams can provide assistance to the civil authorities on a repayment basis when this can be done without detriment to their operational tasks. There are no plans to change this policy.
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list the requests for assistance made by civil authorities to the Royal Navy Reserve port diving branch in each of the last seven years ; giving the occasions on which such services were rendered ;
(2) what payments have been received by his Department in each of the last seven years from civil authorities for services rendered by the Royal Naval Reserve port divers branch ;
(3) under what arrangements the services were rendered to civil authorities by Royal Naval Reserve port divers for (a) the search in the Thames following the sinking of the Marchioness, (b) the search of the berth of the Queen Elizabeth II in Southampton, (c) the survey of Her Majesty's customs vessel in Newcastle, (d) inspections following hurricane damage in Dover harbour and (e) the search of Glencorse reservoir in Midlothian to assist a police murder inquiry.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces will write to the hon. Member.
Suicides
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers who have served at Fallingbostel in the last three years have committed suicide during that time.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : A driver in the Royal Corps of Transport committed suicide in Fallingbostel on 11 October 1991. Additionally, a private in 1 Cheshires stationed in Fallingbostel committed suicide on 10 January 1992 while on leave in the United Kingdom.
Information is not held centrally to identify whether those soldiers who committed suicide in other places during the past three years may have been attached, or temporarily posted, to units in the Fallingbostel area.
Fallingbostel
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers have gone absent-without-leave from Fallingbostel since January 1989 ; and how many of those have been granted a full discharge.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces will write to the hon. Member.
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Terrorists (Compensation)
Mr. A. Cecil Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many claims have been made against the MOD in respect of fatalities and injuries which have occurred from activity by the security forces against terrorists in each of the last five years ; and what sums have been paid in compensation.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Claims data are not kept in the format requested. While a number of claims are received each year, the recorded data do not distinguish between terrorists and other parties.
Data Information Systems
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what data information systems his Department has (a) agreed and (b) been consulted about with a view to taking part in ; what are the criteria for inclusion in such systems ; whether they will be linked to (i) the police national computer and (ii) other computer systems ; what data protection provisions apply to them ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Ministry of Defence currently has no data information systems physically linked to any external systems. Discussions are now taking place between the Department's security branches and the national identification bureau to allow direct access to the police national computer, PNC. Such access would not permit the exchange of information or the interrogation of an individual's criminal record and would, as now with manual inquiries, be governed by the PNC procedures which comply with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1984.
Al-Yamamah Project
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will publish the size of receipts, and payments, and end-year balances, on the handling accounts operated by him as part of the Al-Yamamah I project ;
(2) if he will list the quantities and values of items acquired by the British Government under the buy-back provisions of the Al-Yamamah I project.
Mr. Alan Clark : It is not the Government's practice to comment on detailed matters concerning individual defence export sales.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the handling accounts of the Al-Yamamah I project are audited ; and whether these accounts have been the subject of audit reports.
Mr. Alan Clark : All accounts of the Ministry of Defence are subject to normal audit arrangements, the results of which are reported as appropriate.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department seeks the recoup of any handling charges on departmental costs from the handling accounts forming part of the Al-Yamamah I project.
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RAF Greenham Common
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has received notification of United States intentions in respect of the future of RAF Greenham Common ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The United States Department of Defence announced on 30 January 1992 the decision to withdraw from RAF Greenham Common in autumn 1992, returning the station to full Ministry of Defence control. We are now considering options for the future use of the base, including scope for other defence uses. Our studies are at an early stage, however, and no decisions have yet been taken.
NAAFI
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will underwrite the NAAFI to ensure that funds are available to meet staff redundancy payments and rehousing costs in case of any financial difficulties.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The financial implications of the reductions in force strengths on NAAFI are currently being considered.
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give NAAFI staff who lose their accommodation under the options for change process the same options on rehousing as those being offered to ex-service personnel.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : No. NAAFI staff are not Ministry of Defence employees and not subject to the practical constraints on entering the housing market that apply to service personnel.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current approved staffing level for the Queen Elizabeth military hospital, Woolwich ; and how many posts remained unfilled in each main specialty at the most convenient recent date.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The peacetime establishment of the Queen Elizabeth military hospital, Woolwich, is 175 officers, 395 other ranks and 147 civilians. On 11 February 1992, 127 posts were unfilled in the following specialties :
|Posts
--------------------------------------------
Anaesthetics and Resuscitation |2
Ear, Nose and Throat (Otology) |2
General Medicine |1
General Surgery |4
Ophthalmology |2
Orthopaedics |2
Plastic Surgery (and Burns) |2
Rheumatology and Rehabilitation |1
Urology |2
Supporting Staff |109
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out the estimate operating costs of the Queen Elizabeth military hospital, Woolwich, for the current financial year together with the actual costs for the preceding five years.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces will write to the hon. Member.
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Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out the latest available figures of bed occupancy at the Queen Elizabeth military hospital, Woolwich, for each of the main specialties.Mr. Archie Hamilton : Records are not kept of bed occupancy by specialty. The occupancy rate for 1990-91 for the hospital was 65.6 per cent., excluding bedded day patients.
Armed Services (Medical Support)
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the current review of medical support for the armed services to be completed.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces expects to receive the conclusions and recommendations within the next few months.
Hong Kong (Ministerial Visits)
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether, on their visits to Hong Kong in January and March 1988, the Ministers of State took part in party political activities in addition to official duties.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Ministers at the Ministry of Defence meet fellow Conservatives from time to time in the margins of public duties both in the United Kingdom and abroad.
23 Base Workshop, Wetter
Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of 23 base workshop, Wetter, Germany ; and when it will be closed.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : A study into the Army's requirements for static workshops is now in progress. No decisions have yet been taken.
Trident
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the fourth Trident submarine to (a) be ordered and (b) begin construction.
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Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : We plan to place the order following the completion of contract negotiations with Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd. Construction of the vessel under long-lead funding arrangements has already begun.
SCOTLAND
Toll Bridges
Mr. Andrew Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the figures for the (a) annual income and cost and (b) capital debt outstanding for toll bridges in Scotland ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The latest published figures for toll bridges in Scotland are as follows :
|Erskine<1>|Forth |Tay
|1989-90 |1990-91 |1990-91
|£ million |£ million |£ million
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual income (tolls revenue) |2.3 |7.2 |2.1
Annual cost (operating expenses
including non-recurring
expenditure) |0.9 |3.6 |<2>2.7
Other charges |<3>13.2 |1.1 |0.6
Total expenditure |14.1 |4.7 |3.3
Outstanding deficiency |95.5 |11.0 |6.9
<1> There is no real debt at Erskine Bridge. The bridge was built from
the funds available for trunk road expenditure in Scotland.
Expenditure was borne on what is now the Roads (Scotland) Vote.
However, the accounts are compiled, under Treasury direction, in
such a way as to show the deficiency which would exist if the bridge
had been funded by borrowing.
<2> Includes £1.8 million extraordinary repairs financed from the
Tay Road Bridge Joint Board's General Reserve Fund.
<3> Comprises amortisation, interest and notional sinking fund
advances.
Government Grants
Mr. Andrew Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what Government grants were awarded for (a) ferry services and (b) bridge projects in Scotland listed by region, for each of the last five years.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The following grants and subsidies were awarded :
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£ million
|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tariff rebate subsidy for P and O services to Orkney and Shetland |3.5 |3.8 |4.2 |4.3 |5.0
Tariff rebate subsidy to Coastal Shippers |0.9 |1.0 |1.04 |1.0 |1.6
Deficit subsidy for Caledonian MacBrayne |7.4 |6.2 |5.3 |5.5 |5.5
Capital grant for pier works undertaken by Caledonian MacBrayne |0.4 |0.44 |0.71 |0.61 |0.17
Capital grant for local authority piers and harbours |1.84 |0.47 |1.05 |2.7 |2.32
Capital grant for independent harbour trusts, piers and harbours |0.012 |0.006 |- |- |0.043
Capital grant to British Waterways Board:
Bridge repairs to Strathclyde region |0.08 |0.1 |0.1 |0.04 |0.04
Cardiologists
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number of cardiologists per million population in Scotland at the latest available date.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The number of whole-time equivalent consultant cardiologists per million population in Scotland was 3.7 as at 30 September 1991, the latest date
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for which information is available centrally. This data are provisional and do not include general physicians who have a special interest in cardiology.Crime Statistics
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Strathclyde as to what proportion of the clear-up rate for
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crime in his area in 1990-91 is accounted for by voluntary admissions by convicted criminals ; how many detectives are employed to obtain these admissions ; and when the practice ceased.Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Such practices are not part of the approach to detection employed by Scottish police forces. Strathclyde police have no record of any voluntary admissions obtained in this way.
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Set-aside Scheme
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 20 December, Official Report, columns 413-14, if he will now give the figures for 1990-91.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information requested is as follows :
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Region Serious Minor Payment
irregulabreach withheld
(a) (b) (c)
|in full|in part
--------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |- |3 |- |3
Central |- |- |- |-
Dumfries and Galloway |- |- |- |-
Fife |- |1 |- |1
Grampian |- |16 |2 |14
Highland |- |1 |- |1
Lothian |- |- |- |-
Tayside |- |7 |- |7
Others |- |- |- |-
|-- |-- |-- |--
Total |- |28 |2 |26
This information is provisional, as a small number of claims are still outstanding.
Health Service
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give each, for each health board in Scotland, the amounts paid in August 1991 by the prescription prescribing division to suppliers of colostomy and ileostomy appliances.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 5 February 1992] : It is not possible to separately identify colostomy and ileostomy prescriptions for August 1991 at the present time. Following are the amounts paid in August 1991 in respect of all prescriptions dispensed in August 1991 by appliance contractors. The information on appliance prescriptions dispensed by chemists is not readily available.