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RN Naval Base Clyde
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 20 January 1999, Official Report, columns 460-61, on RN Base Faslane, on what date BP4 probes started to be used at RN Naval Base Clyde to monitor personnel leaving the reactor compartments of nuclear submarines. [69088]
Mr. Spellar: The BP4 probe has been in use at HM Naval Base Clyde for approximately 15 years.
RN Base Faslane
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the radiation hotspots discovered in M11 workshop at RN Base Faslane in 1989. [69466]
8 Feb 1999 : Column: 21
Mr. Doug Henderson:
No radiation "hotspots" were discovered in the M11 workshop in 1989.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Future Engineer Tank; and if he will list the project milestones. [68516]
Mr. Spellar
[holding answer 3 February 1999]: The Future Engineer Tank programme will provide the Army with modern armoured bridge launchers and engineer vehicles to support the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank. A number of potential solutions have been identified and the MOD plans to let feasibility study contracts with Vickers Defence Systems, Alvis Vehicles Ltd. and OBRUM in partnership with Marconi Electronic Systems (Land and Naval). Depending on the results of the feasibility study phase, which are expected to report next year, we expect to select one contractor to develop and manufacture both variants.
We currently require an in service date of around 2004.
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the long-term future of RAF Dishforth. [69178]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
On current plans, RAF Dishforth will continue to be used both as a helicopter base and for training aircraft operating from RAF Linton-on-Ouse.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the average flying hours in (a) 1997 and (b) 1998 for Tornado F3 aircraft in service with the RAF. [69383]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
Tornado F3 aircraft each flew an average of 24.5 hours per month in 1997 and 21 hours in 1998.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the average flying hours in (a) 1997 and (b) 1998 of Canberra aircraft in service with the RAF. [69674]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
Canberra aircraft each flew an average of 21 hours per month in 1997 and 17 hours in 1998.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department adopted the European parliamentary constituencies as a geographical unit for decision making. [69378]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
My Department has not adopted the European Parliamentary Constituencies as a geographical unit for decision making.
8 Feb 1999 : Column: 22
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list property owned by his Department which he plans to dispose of with outline proposals for (a) housing, (b) industrial use and (c) other uses, indicating the size of each site and the number of houses or premises projected. [69572]
Mr. Spellar:
I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Letwin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements have been made to assure the continuity of the London Irish Rifles Company. [69485]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
The London Irish Rifles will form part of the new London Battalion, which is part of the new structure for the Territorial Army announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 17 November 1998, Official Report, columns 749-71. The London Battalion, which has yet to be given formal name, will have 6 companies with a total strength of some 658 volunteers. The intention is that the units that will make up the London Battalion will be able to retain their capbadge affiliations within the new structure, if they so wish.
Ann Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what investigations are taking place into an incident in May 1998 involving a cargo of military equipment flown from RAF Manston destined for South Africa which failed to reach its destination; and if he will make a statement. [68236]
Mrs. Roche:
I have been asked to reply.
The investigation of alleged breaches of United Kingdom export controls is a matter for HM Customs & Excise. It is not normal practice to comment publicly about the existence or nature of such investigations.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Government have to write off the debt of Nicaragua with UK institutions. [68469]
Mrs. Roche
[holding answer 1 February 1999]: The UK has written off all aid loans debt to Nicaragua. We have also pledged that Nicaragua need make no debt service payment to the UK over the next three years, at which time Nicaragua is expected to qualify for debt write off under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial assistance has been given to Nicaragua in the relief effort since Hurricane Mitch; and what assistance he will provide in the future. [68468]
8 Feb 1999 : Column: 23
Mrs. Roche
[holding answer 1 February 1999]: The UK has contributed £10 million to the trust fund set up by the International Financial Institutions for assistance to meet Nicaragua's multi-lateral debt service obligations and participated in an international debt relief package for Honduras and Nicaragua at the Paris Club, which will amount to over $100 million dollars of debt relief.
Mrs. Lait:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of the Secretary of State for the Home Department of 25 January 1999, Official Report, column 75, on electronic warfare, what responsibilities of his Department for measures against information warfare will come within the lead responsibility of the Secretary of State for the Home Department. [68314]
Dawn Primarolo:
The Home Secretary's reply of 25 January set out his new responsibilities to co-ordinate action across government and to work with the private sector to ensure adequate protection for the UK's critical IT infrastructure. The responsibilities of individual Departments have not changed.
In this context, HM Treasury has responsibility for the regulatory framework for the financial sector. Within this framework, the Financial Services Authority has operational responsibility for banking supervision, which includes ensuring that banks have sufficient systems and controls to protect themselves against the possibility of attack. The Bank of England oversees the UK payment systems industry.
Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise have responsibility for ensuring the robustness of their systems against attack.
Mr. Maude:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list his latest estimates and forecast expenditure in cash terms for (i) defence superannuation less charges, (ii) civil superannuation less charges and (iii) pension increase payments for (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99, (c) 1999-00, (d) 2000-01 and (e) 2001-02. [68379]
Mr. Milburn:
Latest figures for net pensions expenditure can be found in Supply Estimates 1998-99, Main Estimates (Cm 635, April 1998). Supply Estimates for 1999-2000 will be presented to Parliament in the Spring. Figures for historical figures are available in the Appropriation Accounts of the respective departmental votes.
Mr. Gill:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the United Kingdom's net contribution to (a) the European Union, (b) NATO, (c) the United Nations, (d) the Council of Europe, (e) the WEU and (f) the OSCE in the latest year for which figures are available. [67119]
8 Feb 1999 : Column: 24
Mrs. Roche:
In 1997-98, the latest year for which figures are available, the United Kingdom's net contributions were:
| Organisation | 1997-98 net contributions |
|---|---|
| European Community Budget | 2,567 |
| NATO | 122 |
| United Nations | 82 |
| Council of Europe | 17 |
| WEU | 2 |
| OSCE | 6 |
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the United Kingdom's total financial contribution to the EU in 1997-98. [69165]
Mrs. Roche: The United Kingdom's net contribution to the EC Budget in 1997-98 was £2.6 billion.
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