House of Commons Hansard Debates for 1 Apr 1993

Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 1 April 1993

DEFENCE

Royal Navy Personnel

Mrs. Angela Knight : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to reach further conclusions about personnel numbers in the Royal Navy.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : As foreshadowed in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Wimbledon (Dr. Goodson-Wickes) on 10 December 1992, Official Report, column 800, I can now confirm that, in the light of the overall reductions required in the Royal Navy, a third phase of Royal Navy redundancies will be necessary in 1994. The maximum overall number is likely to be of the order of 2,300, but further work is needed to determine precise numbers. Detailed terms will be promulgated within the Navy in the summer. We will be encouraging the maximum number of volunteers although some compulsory measures may be needed in order to achieve the proper balance of manpower within the Royal Navy.

Helicopter Carrier

Mr. Hutton : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Tynemouth (Mr. Trotter) of 29 March, Official Report, column 16, on what criteria tenders for the amphibious helicopter carrier will be evaluated ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Aitken : We will hold a full and fair competition for the contract, using our normal technical and value-for-money criteria. We expect to be in a position to award a contract for the amphibious helicopter carrier later this year.

Mr. Davidson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Tynemouth (Mr. Trotter) of 29 March, Official Report, column 16 , what decision has been taken on the award of a contract to build the amphibious helicopter carrier ; and on what grounds that decision was taken.

Mr. Aitken : No decision has yet been taken on the choice of contractor to build the amphibious helicopter carrier. We expect to be in a position to award the contract later this year, after a full and fair competition using our normal technical and value-for-money criteria.

Married Quarters

Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long married personnel will be allowed to remain in married quarters in (a) overseas postings and (b) the United Kingdom following the termination of their service with the armed services ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : All married service personnel in the United Kingdom and overseas are required to vacate

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their quarters on the day of their discharge. They are, however, given six months advance warning to vacate their quarter as part of the resettlement procedure. Married service personnel overseas are given the opportunity to move to a quarter in the United Kingdom for the last six months of their service to enable them to look for alternative accommodation. The Ministry of Defence is sympathetic to the needs of ex-service families who face homelessness ; in these circumstances ex-service personnel may be allowed to remain in their quarter until they have found alternative accommodation, as long as there are no pressing service requirements for the property.

EUCLID

Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on EUCLID ; what is the breakdown of the expenditure ; what evaluation of the quality need and effectiveness of these programmes is undertaken ; and by whom.

Mr. Aitken : To date, about £160,000 has been spent extramurally on two contracts on interconnection and assembly of microelectronics and solid state laser sources. The quality, need and effectiveness of these programmes are evaluated by the defence staff in consultation with their scientific advisers.

Private Finance Initiative

Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to implement the private finance initiative announced in the autumn statement on 12 November 1992 and in the Treasury private finance guidance published on 9 December 1992.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : The potential scope of the initiative will vary between departments. My Department is examining the scope for involving the private sector in the ways suggested by the interim guidance published by the Treasury on 9 December 1992, and the further published guidance on contract energy management--17 February 1993--and joint ventures--16 March 1993. I also refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 17 December 1992, Official Report, column 362.

Nuclear Weapons

Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are made for the staff in his Department to carry out routine exercises to evaluate their guidelines for dealing with an accident involving the transportation of nuclear weapons ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : Regular exercises of varying scale are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence to enable departmental and other staffs to practise the response to a nuclear transport accident.

Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements have been made for contacting local authorities when nuclear weapons convoys travel through their area ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : Local civil police forces are always notified at least 24 hours in advance of nuclear

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weapon convoy movements through their area of responsibility. It is the accepted practice nationally that the civil police will co-ordinate the response of the other emergency services to all serious incidents and they would fulfil this same role in the event of an accident involving a nuclear weapon convoy.

Aldermaston

Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many companies submitted bids to take over the running of the Aldermaston nuclear weapons plant ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Aitken : Three companies submitted bids for the contract to operate the atomic weapons establishment, which includes the Aldermaston site.

Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedure was followed in appointing a company to take over the running of the Aldermaston nuclear weapons plant ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Aitken : Comprehensive competitive tendering procedures were followed in selecting the contractor to operate the atomic weapons establishment, which includes the Aldermaston site.

Surplus Weapons

Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the sale of surplus weapons.

Mr. Aitken : As the Comptroller and Auditor General noted in the recent National Audit Office report on disposal by sale of defence surplus equipment and stores--HC 557--my Department has made good progress in establishing a unified organisation for disposal by sale. We are pursuing joint venture schemes with industry, aimed at tackling the exceptional disposal activity necessary in the next few years, which is on a scale unprecedented since the end of the second world war.

Equal Opportunities

Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to recruit women, members of ethnic minorities and disabled people, respectively, in top grades of employment at his Department.

Mr. Aitken : MOD recruitment into the fast stream is undertaken by the Recruitment and Assessment Services agency--RAS--on behalf of the Civil Service Commissioners. RAS has put in place a range of measures to aid the recruitment of minority groups. The principle of fair and open competition continues to apply, including the commitment to equal opportunities. The Department is considering with the Windsor Fellowship the possibility of sponsoring students of ethnic minority origin at the pre-recruitment stage for fast-stream entry. Consistent with departmental action programmes for women, ethnic minorities and those with disabilities, we have indicated to RAS our willingness to take fast-stream entrants from minority groups, and new recruits from all three groups have joined the Department in recent years.

Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department last conducted surveys of (a) ethnic

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origins and (b) the number of women among its employees ; when it next plans to do so ; and whether he will make a statement.

Mr. Aitken : Ethnic monitoring of all civilian staff was introduced in 1988 as an important element of our equal opportunities policies. A further survey of all staff who did not reply to the initial survey was conducted in March 1991 and resulted in an improved response rate. Ethnic monitoring is a continuous process in the MOD, and all new entrants, except casual staff, are surveyed on joining. The information to establish the number of women employed in the Department is readily available from employment records ; surveys to establish gender are therefore unnecessary.

Global Positioning System

Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has received from his United States counterpart on the Pentagon's new global positioning system ; and what are the implications for British defence plans of the deployment of the GPS by the United States of America.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : Our forces have already made use of the global positioning system, and our use of this navigation aid is planned to increase as GPS receivers are fitted to a wider range of equipment. Under arrangements we have with the United States, there is regular consultation between officials about the system.

Ammunition Manufacture

Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress made in the five-year supply tenders for ammunition manufacture announced in February.

Mr. Aitken : Tenders have been issued and are due for return at the end of April.

Exercise Team Spirit

Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations have been received by Her Majesty's Government in regard to the security implications for the Korean peninsula of the Team Spirit military exercise.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : We have received a small number of inquiries about Exercise Team Spirit.

Trident

Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress made in testing the sonar system for the new Trident submarines.

Mr. Aitken : The sonar system was tested and cleared for the support of Vanguard's contractor's sea trials, and met Vanguard's requirements adequately. The system will undergo further comprehensive testing following Vanguard's acceptance into the Royal Navy later this year.

Management Consultants

Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the management consultants employed by his Department in the last five years, indicating in each case the cost of the contract.

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Mr. Aitken : The information requested is not held centrally and could not be compiled without disproportionate cost and effort.

Market Testing

Mr. Batiste : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which professional services within his Department have been subjected to market testing within the last 12 months and with what result ; and which will be subjected to market testing within the next 12 months.

Mr. Aitken : Functions involving professional staff that have been market tested in the past 12 months include :

elementary flying training ;

helicopter maintenance and engineering support ;

works service management at various locations ;

engineering and supply services at RAF Scampton ;

management and operation of AWE Aldermaston ; and

aircraft support services at A&AEE Boscombe Down.

All except Boscombe Down resulted in the work being

contractorised.

In the next 12 months we expect to market test :

spearfish torpedo in-service support ;

information technology services ;

armoured vehicle repair and refitting ;

graphics and photography.

Bounties and Bonuses

Rev. William McCrea : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make a statement on the principle that governs the payment of bonuses or bounties to members of the security forces ; from what fund bounties or bonuses are paid to the security forces ; and who determines the circumstances in which bonuses are paid to members of the security forces ;

(2) how many bonuses have been paid to troops in the Province for reported sightings of (a) republican terrorist suspects and (b) loyalist terrorist suspects.

Mr. Archie Hamilton : The only bounties or bonuses payable from public funds to soldiers in Northern Ireland are those relating to such matters as completion of periods of service or, in the case of the Royal Irish Regiment, home service part time, completion of annual attendance and training requirements. The authority for such payments is contained in the pay warrant and supporting regulations. No payments have been made from public funds to soldiers in Northern Ireland for sightings of suspected terrorists. Local initiatives to make such incentive payments from non- public funds during the first quarter of 1993 have been terminated. There was only one award for a reported sighting, of a suspected "loyalist" terrorist.

Faslane (Security)

Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set up an inquiry into the disclosure of detailed plans of the Clyde submarine base at Faslane to the Glasgow Evening Times ; if he will review his policy of employing private security firms to protect top security installations like Faslane ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Archie Hamilton [holding answer 29 March 1993] : The plans that have come into the hands of the Glasgow Evening Times are not classified and do not relate to any sensitive parts of the Clyde submarine base. Commercial security companies are not used to guard MOD operational or other sensitive installations. There is no reason to review this policy.

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Housing

Mr. Ancram : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will revise the upper price limit which the Housing Corporation has set on qualifying properties for the do-it-yourself shared ownership scheme.

Mr. Archie Hamilton [holding answer 31 March 1993] : It is the responsibility of the Housing Corporation, with the approval of the Department of the Environment, to set qualifying limits for DIYSO properties. I understand that new DIYSO value limits have been agreed, and will be introduced from 1 April 1993. Qualifying limits vary according to the type of house and area. These limits will enable the DIYSO programme to expand by making it available to first-time buyers who require family housing.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Private Finance Initiative

Sir John Stanley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps his Department has taken to implement the private finance initiative announced in the autumn statement on 12 November 1992 and in the Treasury private finance guidance published on 9 December 1992.

Mr. Curry : We have carried out a wide-ranging exercise to inform senior budget holders within the Department of the initiative and to determine the potential for the expansion of the use of private finance in the department's programmes. As the Department's capital programmes are modest, scope for the involvement of private finance is limited. We are, however, continuing to keep this initiative under regular review.

Live Animal Transport

Mr. Pike : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the number, by animal type, of live animals transported overseas for each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr. Curry : Details, by type, of the number of live animals exported can be found for the years 1988 to 1991 in the annual volumes of the "Overseas Trade Statistics" for the United Kingdom, while those for 1992 can be found in the December 1992 issue of the monthly version of the same publication. Copies of these publications are in the House of Commons Library. Details of live animal classification within SITC 00 are shown in the "Guide to Classification for Overseas Trade Statistics", which is also in the House of Commons Library.

Group Marketing Grant

Mr. Roger Evans : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the outcome of his review of the group marketing grant ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Curry : We have today introduced a more accessible and user- friendly scheme in the light of the first year's experience and the comments received in a recent consultation exercise. The proposed changes were warmly welcomed by the industry. Copies of the new scheme have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

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Oil Dispersants

Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has to review his Ministry's system for testing and appraisal of oil dispersants for use at sea.

Mr. Curry : Our current arrangements for the testing and approval of dispersants for use on oil spilt at sea have been in place for a number of years. I have decided to review them. I shall be considering, in particular the standards against which dispersants are assessed for toxicity, efficiency and other aspects of performance ; whether any changes are needed in the procedures for issuing approvals ; the adequacy of information publicly available about the composition of dispersants.

In addition, together with other relevant Ministers, and with the advice of the marine pollution control unit and the Warren Spring Laboratory, I will take account of the circumstances in which the use of chemical dispersants is likely to remain the most effective way to protect the environment from oil spilt at sea.

My review will take into account any lessons learned from incidents in which dispersants have been used, and of the findings of the ecological steering group set up following the Braer incident by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and of Lord Donaldson's inquiry.

I will consult widely during the conduct of the review.

Agricultural Training Board

Mr. Colvin : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what decisions have been taken about the future status, funding and operation of the Agricultural Training Board following the consultation exercise that took place last month.

Mr. Gummer : The consultation exercise generated a very high level of response. The important role played by training groups was highlighted, but there was some criticism of the current ATB operational structure. Overall, there was no clear consensus in the comments received in favour of the package of changes proposed or continuing with the current arrangements. Nevertheless, it was apparent from the comments that some further restructuring and rationalisation of the ATB would be appropriate. In the longer term, I consider that the industry's training needs could be best serviced by an industry training organisation--ITO--that is independent of government. However, there remain a number of issues to be resolved before I can confirm details of the changes. I will make a further announcement in due course.

Government funding from MAFF will reduce to £2.6 million per year and will in future be directed primarily towards core ITO activities. These include the identification of training needs, developing and setting standards and the promotion of training within the industry. In addition, some funding will be directed towards local training support activities. There will be some scope to vary these arrangments in different parts of the country to meet specific local needs. It will be for the ATB board to take decisions on the future structure of the ATB and the nature of any local representational arrangements in the light of the Government and commercial funding available to it.

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Trichlorphon

Mr. Gapes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take measures to ban the use of the pesticide trichlorphon.

Mr. Soames : I have no plans to ban trichlorphon.

Sheep Dips

Sir Jim Spicer : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has received the advice of the Veterinary Products Committee on his request as to whether a moratorium on

organophosphorous sheep dips would be appropriate ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gummer : Following my meeting with a parliamentary delegation on 16 February, I asked the Veterinary Products Committee for advice on whether it would be prudent, in the light of the evidence currently available, to have a moratorium on organophosphorous sheep dips until its current review of these products is complete. I have now received the following advice from the Committee :

"Organophosphorous sheep dips : VPC Advice

1. At its meeting on 25 March the Veterinary Products Committee considered the Minister's request for advice on whether it would be prudent in the light of the evidence currently available to have a moratorium on organophosphorous (OP) sheep dips until its current review of these products is complete. For this meeting the Committee was joined by Peter Blain, Professor in Environmental Medicine at Newcastle University Medical School, Miss P Casey of the National Poisons Information Service (Birmingham Centre), and Dr. G D'Mello and Mr. D Swanston, consultant toxicologists, acting as expert consultants and participating fully in the Committee's deliberations.

2. The Committee received the papers listed in the attached annex, saw photographs of the severe effects of sheep scab and myiasis (blowfly strike) in sheep, and heard presentations from the South West Environmental Protection Agency, the National Poisons Information Service (Guy's Hospital London Centre), the National Office of Animal Health, the Institute of Occupational Medicine at Edinburgh and the Health and Safety Executive.

3. The Committee were advised that unless preventive measures were taken to combat myiasis and sheep scab, these distressing and potentially fatal diseases could cause severe welfare problems in sheep. The Committee were also advised that it is the responsibility of farmers to safeguard the welfare of their animals. Concern was expressed about recent reports of the increased incidence of sheep scab and its potential for spread, bearing in mind the contagious nature of the infestation. The current incidence of myiasis in United Kingdom flocks also gave cause for concern.

4. The Committee noted :

reports alleging adverse health effects in humans arising from the use of OP sheep dips ;

evidence that exposure to OP compounds during dipping was greatly reduced if the correct protective clothing was worn and correct dipping practices followed ;

that further research was in progress to assess the long term implications for human health from OP dip use ;

that some alternative products to OP dips were currently available for the prevention and treatment of sheep scab and myiasis, but insufficient quantities would be available for the (non statutory) 1993 summer dipping season ;

that if sheep scab and myiasis were left untreated serious animal welfare problems would ensue causing

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the deaths of many sheep ;

that sheep dip could cause environmental harm if disposed of incorrectly.

5. After careful consideration of all the evidence available to it, the Committee advises that OP sheep dips should continue to be available for the 1993 summer dip but that the future licensing of these products should reconsidered at its October 1993 meeting when it would wish to conclude its current review on the basis of the further data currently being generated.

6. In the light of evidence of poor use of protective clothing and incorrect dipping practices however, the Committee recommends that the following action be taken :

the potential hazards arising from the misuse of these products should be re-emphasised ;

clear advice should be made available from dip manufacturers and suppliers of clothing on the types of personal protective equipment which should be used when working with OP sheep dips ;

hazard symbols should be included on product labels, and hazard warnings and instructions to users should be standardised ; users of sheep dips should be strongly encouraged to obtain a certificate of competence in the safe use of veterinary medicines, recently introduced by the National Proficiency Tests Council ; HSE efforts to ensure that sheep dips are used safely should be endorsed ;

the continued reporting of suspected human adverse reactions to these products should be encouraged ;

7. The Committee also recommends that :

consideration should be given to the siting of new dipping facilities, and the associated plans for dip disposal, being subject to planning controls with the regulatory water organisations as statutory consultees ;

better statistics on the actual usage of individual sheep dip products should be requested from the veterinary pharmaceutical industry.

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