asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many Russian spy ships were sighted in the English Channel during 1975; and how this compares with the situation during each of the previous five years.
The following table shows, for each of the last five years, the number of Soviet ships of the trawler type flying the naval auxiliary ensign which appeared in the English Channel fitted with a large array of aerials indicating that they were equipped with sophisticated electronic equipment, and the average number of days each spent on station:
| Year | Ships | Days |
| 1975 | 5 | 23 |
| 1974 | 5 | 28 |
| 1973 | 8 | 24 |
| 1972 | 4 | 49 |
| 1971 | 3 | 35 |
asked the Secretary of State for Defence, in the light of the continuous and protracted shadowing of Her Majesty's ships and NATO exercises by Soviet trawlers, what evidence there is that parent or factory ships attending on the Soviet trawler fleet are also equipped to service submarines.
None.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence, in the light of the continuous and protracted shadowing of Her Majesty's ships and NATO exercises by Soviet trawlers, what evidence he has that the trawlers and factory ships carry arms, or are equipped to carry arms, and in particular are equipped for mine-laying activity.
None.
asked the Secretary of State for Defence, in the light of the continuous and protracted shadowing of Her Majesty's ships and NATO exercises by Soviet trawlers, if he is satisfied that the parent or factory ships of the Soviet fishing fleet do not carry electronic guidance and missile-tracking equipment.
On the information currently available there is no reason to believe that the parent or factory ships of the Soviet fishing fleet carry electronic guidance and missile tracking equipment.