House of Commons Hansard Debates for 24 Nov 1992

Western European Union

26. Mr. Jim Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last met the secretary-general of the Western European Union to discuss the future of the union.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : My right hon. and learned Friend has met the secretary-general of WEU on a number of occasions since taking up office. Their discussions have covered a wide range of issues.

Options for Change"

28. Mr. Colin Shepherd : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he is making with the implementation of the changes outlined in "Options for Change".

Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my right hon. and learned Friend gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, North (Mr. Thompson) earlier today.

Autumn Statement

Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to be able to report on the implications of the autumn statement on defence expenditure for defence establishments in Wiltshire.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : The new expenditure plans announced in the autumn statement will allow us to maintain the direction for Defence set out in "Britain's Defence for the 90s" and the requirements of the defence policies most recently set out in the 1992 Statement on the Defence Estimates. We will continue to implement the

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present plans for restructuring and reorganisation, including those affecting defence establishments in Wiltshire. Any further adjustments to individual defence commitments and capabilities will be considered during the course of the normal annual recosting of the defence programme as a whole and will be announced in due course where appropriate.

Sir Michael Neubert : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received in response to defence issues raised by the Chancellor of the Exchequer's autumn statement.

Mr. Rifkind : Three parliamentary questions, including the hon. Member's, have sought information or a statement from Defence Ministers in the light of the autumn statement. One letter has been received from a Member of Parliament. The Government remain committed to armed forces which, while smaller, will be properly manned and supported and better equipped.

Trooping the Colour

Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much Trooping the Colour was estimated to have cost in 1992 ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 30 June 1992, Official Report, column 513.

Low Flying

Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many investigations into incidents involving low-flying jets in Wales were conducted in each year since 1989 ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : The number of RAF police investigations following complaints about low-flying aircraft in Wales in each year since January 1989 is as follows :


        |Number       

----------------------

1989    |61           

1990    |73           

1991    |74           

<1>1992 |85           

<1> Up to 31 October  

1992.

Stolen Documents

Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the nature of Ministry of Defence documents stolen from post office premises in Kilbirnie street, Glasgow.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : A Ministry of Defence document was stolen from the Parcelforce Glasgow distribution centre, Kilbirnie street, Glasgow on 17 November 1992 but was recovered within the depot. It is not the policy to disclose the nature of stolen documents.

Files (Disposal)

Mr. Hain : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how many years his Department holds files before shredding or other means of disposal.

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Mr. Archie Hamilton : The retention and disposal of Ministry of Defence files are governed by the requirement of the Public Records Acts of 1958 and 1967. Files are reviewed at various stages after closure, in the light of their possible administrative or historical value, and those which are not selected for ultimate permanent preservation at the Public Record Office may be destroyed almost immediately or held for periods up to 85 years, depending upon their content and continued departmental utility.

Trident

12. Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about planned expenditure on the Trident programme in 1993-94.

Mr. Aitken : Our current estimate for capital expenditure on the Trident programme in the financial year 1993-94 is £827 million.

Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to paragraph 1, page 28, of the Statement on the Defence Estimates, if possible future

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revisions of the assessment of the number of nuclear warheads that need to be deployed on each Trident submarine will include raising the self-imposed maximum limit of 128.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : The Government have long made it clear that their planning for the Trident force is based on deploying in each Trident submarine no more than 128 warheads.

Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it is his policy to deploy a front-end on the United Kingdom's Trident missiles that will be capable of carrying more than eight warheads ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : The actual number of warheads which will be carried by the D5 missile in United Kingdom service, and the maximum number that could be, is classified information. The Government have, however, made it clear that each United Kingdom Trident submarine will carry no more than 128 warheads.

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