To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make a statement on the force reductions announced by Mr. Gorbachev.

Her Majesty's Government welcome the reductions in Soviet forces recently announced by Mr. Gorbachev as a significant step towards the elimination of the Warsaw pact's superiorities in convenonal forces in Europe. However, even if the announced reductions are implemented, the Warsaw pact will continue to enjoy significant numerical superiorities in key equipments such as tanks and artillery. NATO must, therefore, continue with its existing policy of deterrence whilst seeking balance in conventional forces in Europe through the arms control process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with Mr. Manfred Wörner, Secretary-General of NATO, on military strategy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with Mr. Manfred Wörner, Secretary-General of NATO, on military strategy.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence last met Dr. Woerner at the meeting of NATO's defence planning committee on 1 and 2 December. They discussed a range of subjects of mutual interest.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are his latest plans for a nuclear replacement for the Royal Air Force's free-fall bombs.

I have nothing to add to the reply given on 26 October 1988 by my hon. Friend the Member for Hove (Mr. Sainsbury) to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Dr. Thomas) at columns 281-82.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to meet the new United States Defence Secretary; and what subjects he expects to discuss.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence hopes to meet the United States Defence Secretary in the new year. He expects to discuss a range of issues of mutual interest.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to improve stock-taking procedures in the armed forces with a system of bar coding; and if he will make a statement.

The Comptroller and Auditor General's report on stocktaking in the MOD was published on 1 November 1988 and included observations on the use of bar coding.The accounting officer, Sir Michael Quinlan, will be giving evidence to the Public Accounts Committee on the contents of the report in due course. Once the PAC has produced its report, the Government's formal response will be given in a Treasury minute, which is in accordance with usual practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on changes in the past five years to the readiness status of United States Navy weapons units at RAF Machrihanish designated to support the Royal Air Force Nimrod force in time of crisis or war.

It is not our practice to comment on the readiness status of military units.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what have been recent trends in the proportion of the defence budget spent on equipment; and what assessment has been made of the reasons for these trends.

I refer the hon. Member to table 2.2 of volume 2 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1988" (Cm 344-II). Planned defence procurement expenditure in 1988–89 allows for a real increase of some 19 per cent. compared with the outturn for 1978–79, using a measure of inflation based on movements in the price of defence equipment. Furthermore, our commercial approach to defence procurement has enabled us to achieve substantially better value for the money which we spend on equipment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what peacetime attrition rates were assumed for (a) Royal Air Force Tornado GR.1 aircraft and (b) Royal Air Force Tornado F.2/3 aircraft under the production plan agreed in 1982; and what changes have since been made to these assumed rates.

This information is classified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes were made to the deployment plans for (a) Royal Air Force Tornado GR.1 aircraft and (b) Royal Air Force Tornado F.2/3 aircraft as a result of the sale of Tornado aircraft to Saudi Arabia and Oman.

As a result of the 1985 sale to Saudi Arabia the build-up of the RAF's Tornado GRI force has proceeded slightly more slowly tan had originally been planned.The recently announced sale of Tornado aircraft to Saudi Arabia and Oman is expected to have no effect upon the Royal Air Force's deployment plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the actual attrition rate of the Tornado GR.1 since its entry into Royal Air Force service, expressed in terms of (a) the rate of category 5 accidents per 10,000 flying hours, and (b) the percentage of the total in-service fleet lost in accidents.

Since the entry of the Tornado GR.1 into RAF service in 1980, the major accident rate per 10,000 hours flown was 0·7 as of 16 December 1988. In that time, 17 aircraft (8·5 per cent.) of the total number of aircraft delivered to the service have been destroyed in 16 major accidents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all accidents and incidents since 1979 involving Royal Navy vessels and civilian vessels for which compensation was paid by his Department to the owners or operators of the civilian vessel, giving for each accident or incident (a) the date, (b) the names of the vessels involved, (c) the nature and location of the incident and (d) the amount of compensation paid.

The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he takes to exclude (i) Fascist groups and individuals and (ii) mentally unstable persons from access to Territorial Army training and weaponry; and if he will make a statement.

Prospective recruits into the Territorial Army are required to declare on their enlistment form any affiliations with certain specified causes and must swear on oath that each answer given on the form is a true one. Training of volunteers, particularly of those in their early years of service, is closely supervised and access to weapons and ammunition is, at all times, strictly controlled. All applicants are additionally subjected to stringent medical examinations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has as to how many United States A-10 planes have crashed (a) in Britain and (b) elsewhere in recent years.

There have been five major accidents involving United States A-10 aircraft in or near to the United Kingdom since 1980, as follows:

Date	Location
18 November 1980	Yarmouth
9 January 1981	Donna Nook, Lincs
8 May 1981	Wainfleet, Lines
12 December 1983	North Sea off Yarmouth
29 February 1984	Suffolk

Accidents involving this aircraft type elsewhere are a matter for the United States authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will bar the United States Airforce A-10 from overflying built-up areas in the United Kingdom until further notice.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has endorsed deployment of a new warhead for the Lance missile; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces on 5 December to the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Mrs. Ruddock) at column 73.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department will evaluate the implications of papers 8581 and 8582 presented to the fourth international conference on AIDS in Stockholm in 1988 relating to the effects on visuospatial skills amongst males with early HIV infection and relating to a general deficit of vigilance amongst HIV positive individuals; and if he will make a statement regarding his policy of not screening all pilots for HIV.

The Ministry of Defence is well aware of the content of the papers 8581 and 8582 presented to the fourth international conference on AIDS in Stockholm in 1988. I refer my hon. Friend to my predecessor's reply on 20 May 1988 at col. 611-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what heritable property owned by his Department in Scotland has been sold in the last 10 years for which information is available; to whom it was sold in each case; and what price was obtained in each case.

This information is not readily available in the form requested and the need for commercial confidentiality would in any case limit the amount of information that could be disclosed. A review of our records is being undertaken with the aim of providing some information and I shall write to the hon. and learned Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if, pursuant to his answers of 5 December, Official Report, columns 70-73, he will list the approximate value of the heritable property in each case of the bases and establishments owned by his Department in Scotland.

No. This information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department has any plans to sell any of the bases and establishments owned by his Department in Scotland and listed in his answers of 5 December, Official Report, columns 70-73.

There are no firm plans to sell off any of the bases and establishments listed in my hon. Friends answers of 5 December, Official Report, columns 70-73. As the hon. Member will appreciate, however, the Defence estate is kept under continuing review to ensure that the area retained is the minumum necessary to meet essential requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints about low flying were received by his Department in each year since 1979 from addresses in the Cunninghame, North constituency.

Figures prior to 1986 are not available but since then, according to available records, the Ministry of Defence has received a total of 13 complaints or inquiries about military low flying from addresses in the Cunninghame, North constituency. These are as follows:

Year	Number of complaints/enquiries
1986	3
1987	6
1988 to 31 October	4

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if the Gazelle AH 1 helicopter, serial number XZ328, operated by the Army Air Corps, was authorised to operate in low flying area 14 on 5 May; and what information he has on its routing;(2) if the Lynx AH 1 helicopter, serial number ZX614, operated by 3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron, Royal Marines, was authorised to operate in low flying area 14 on 5 May; and what information he has on its routing;(3) if he will make a further statement on the outcome of the inquiry into the incident involving a helicopter and a civilian car near Dalmally, Argyll on 5 May.

I assume that the hon. Gentleman's questions all refer to allegations from the hon. Member for Dewsbury (Mrs. Taylor) about an incident involving a helicopter and a civilian car in the Tyndrum area on 5 May. During our investigations, the hon. Lady estimated the time of the incident to be between 3.45 and 4.15 pm. These investigations, as reported by my predecessor in his letter to the hon. Gentleman of 10 August 1988 confirmed that no military helicopters were operating in the Tyndrum area during this period. The Royal Marines 3rd Brigade Air Squadron Lynx AH 1 helicopter, serial number ZX614, referred to by the hon. Gentleman, landed near the Kyle of Lochalsh at around 12.55 pm, and remained on the ground for the rest of the day. The Army Air Corps Gazelle AH 1 helicopter, serial number XZ328, similarly referred to, passed some miles west of Dalmally at around 3 pm and landed at HMS Gannet at 3.30 pm. At 3.48 pm it departed and flew south to RAF Church Fenton, landing at 4.58 pm. I have nothing further to add to my predecessor's letter of 6 December.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list those medical establishments on the Island of Arran over which military low flying is prohibited;(2) what advice is given to military pilots concerning low-level flying over Lochranza, Arran;

Military aircraft are instructed not to overfly major conurbations at low level. Unfortunately it is not possible to avoid many smaller centres of population, although pilots will do so if possible. It is not our practice to release details of the United Kingdom low flying system.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what was the total number of low-level terrain-following radar flights in the Highlands restricted area in each year since 1980; and how many of these were flown by (a) RAF Tornados, (b) RAF Hercules, (c) US Air Force F-111s, (d) US Air Force RF-4Cs, (e) US Air Force MC-130Es and (f) other specified types of aircraft;(2) how many low-flying aircraft movements took place in low-flying area 14 in each year since 1979;(3) how many low-flying aircraft movements took place in low-flying area 14 (T) in each year since 1979.

It is not our practice to publish detailed information about activity in specific low-flying areas. However, the Highlands of Scotland currently experience only a small percentage of the total low-flying activity in the United Kingdom, in comparison with its overall size as a proportion of the United Kingdom low-flying system.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all the areas in the United Kingdom where instrument low flying using terrain-following radar is permitted.

At present instrument low flying using terrain-following radar is only permitted in the Highlands restricted area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence between which hours, and on which days of the week, low flying using terrain-following radar is normally permitted in the highlands restricted area; and if such flying has every been authorised outside those hours.

Low flying using terrain-following radar is only permitted in the Highlands restricted area between the hours of 1500 and 2300 Mondays to Thursdays, Scottish public holidays excepted. I am not aware of any such flying having ever been authorised to take place outside these hours.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to ensure that foreign military pilots have read and understood the relevant sections of joint services publication 318 and the United Kingdom military low flying handbook prior to being authorised to fly in the United Kingdom low flying system.

Permission for foreign military pilots to fly in the United Kingdom low flying system is conditional on their receiving a comprehensive face to face briefing by a qualified British Forces or USAF officer. This briefing would cover, inter alia, relevant sections of joint services publication 318 and the United Kingdom military low flying handbook.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many local public meetings to explain the reasons for military low flying have been held in Scotland by his Department since 1979; and if he will list the location and date of each such meeting.

According to available records, the Minister of Defence has held the following public meetings on low flying in Scotland since 1979:

Location	Date
Inverurie, Grampian	12 January 1980
Newton Stewart, Strathclyde	8 July 1980
Dingwall, Highland	18 May 1982
Ullapool, Highland	19 May 1982
Tain, Highland	20 May 1982
Jedburgh, Borders	5 June 1985
Kelso, Borders	6 June 1985
Duns, Borders	6 June 1985
Galashiels, Borders	30 June 1987
Perth, Tayside	15 June 1988

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations he has received from members of the public about the effect of low flying in the United Kingdom.

Between 1 October and 30 November 1988 the Ministry of Defence received 744 inquiries or complaints about military low-flying training in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the locations in Scotland other than Thurso, Mormond Hill, Edzell, Prestwick, Machrihanish, Holy Loch and Glen Douglas where United States military personnel were assigned in each year since 1979.

There are no other locations in Scotland, other than those referred to by the hon. Member, to which United States military personnel have been assigned since 1979.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken to introduce a formal requirement for quieter engines to power military aircraft.

[holding answer 16 December 1988]: The possibility of noise reduction is one of a number of aspects taken into account in the Ministry of Defence consideration of requirements for new military aircraft engines.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the achievements of the Defence Export Services organisation in 1988.

This year DESO has again made a valuable contribution to the increasing success of British defence companies in the defence export market. The defence White Paper when it is published will as usual give more details.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on the Chieftain tank replacement.

There have been numerous representations from right hon. and hon. Members, industry and members of the public about the choice of a Chieftain tank replacement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated total amount saved by cost reductions on defence procurement contracts let on a competitive basis since 1979.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Chipping Barnet (Mr. Chapman) on 1 December 1988 at column 352. However, I should like to draw attention to an error in this answer; in line 11 it reads

"competition can be used to make it impossible",

it should read

"competition can be used, make it impossible".

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the level of Royal Navy war stocks in each year since 1979, expressed as a proportion of (a) national targets, and (b) agreed NATO force goals.

The information on precise levels of war stocks is classified. Since 1979, Royal Navy stockholdings have, in general, been maintained at a level which meets both national and NATO requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the level of Royal Air Force war stocks in each year since 1979, expressed as a proportion of (a) national targets and (b) agreed NATO force goals.

Information on the precise levels of war stocks is classified. Since 1979, Air Force stockholdings have increased considerably and generally continue to meet both national and NATO requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the level of Army war stocks in each year since 1979, expressed as a proportion of (a) national targets, and (b) agreed NATO force goals.

Information on the precise levels of war stocks is classified. Since 1979, Army stockholdings have increased considerably and have been maintained at levels which mainly meet both national and NATO requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what recent trends have been observed in accident rates to Royal Air Force fast jet aircraft operating at low level; and what assessment has been made of the reasons for these trends;(2) what recent trends have been observed in accident rates to Royal Air Force fast jet aircraft; and what assessment has been made of the reasons for these trends.

The major accident rates (1971–87) for Royal Air Force aircraft and for RAF fast jet aircraft were set out in columns 336-38 of the Official Report on 18 April 1988. Both have fallen over the years, reflecting the professionalism of the aircrew and support personnel of the RAF as well as the continuous improvements in aircraft performance. Time spent at low level is not recorded precisely: it is not, therefore, possible to state the major accident rate for fast jets operating at low level. However, since 1979 such accidents account for some 32 per cent. of the total suffered by the RAF. This is compatible with the increased proportion of low-level flying training undertaken by the RAF since 1979.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether plans exist to restore the number of nuclear artillery regiments in the British Army of the Rhine to five.

The four BAOR artillery regiments currently equipped with the 105mm Abbot gun will be equipped in due course with a nuclear capable 155mm howitzer which could be deployed in a nuclear role. This change will not, however, lead to any increase in United Kingdom-assigned nuclear shell stocks in Europe.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have been made to provision for logistics, weapons and spares support for Royal Netherlands Navy P-3C aircraft at RAF Machrihanish in the past four years.

It is not our practice to discuss details of any such arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information has been provided to Her Majesty's Government by the United States authorities on the size of United States chemical warfare stockpiles.

It would not be appropriate to comment in detail on the defence capabilities of an ally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if, following the publication of the NRPB report into the incidence of cancers in British nuclear test veterans, he will take action to investigate test veterans' claims of genetic effects and inherited deformity; and if he will make a statement.

The findings of the NRPB report give no grounds for investigating the claims by participants in the nuclear test programme that their offspring suffer raised incidence of genetic effects or inherited deformities. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to a similar question on 26 July 1988 at columns 228–30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will release information relating to the decontamination undertaken to vessels and cargo of the special squadron as part of Operation Hurricane operating under Rear Admiral Torlesse in 1952; if he will give the level and nature of this contamination; and how many personnel were on board HMS Tracker at the time it entered contaminated waters;(2) where decontamination of HMS Tracker was undertaken, after its contamination in the Pacific; and whether this vessel remained contaminated on entering British waters.

The two ships HMS Tracker and HMS Zeebrugge, which experienced low depositions of radioactive material during the Hurricane operation, primarily from fission products, at levels not significant to health, were subject to first stage decontamination and temporary fixative treatment at sea at the scene of the test. Further decontamination and stripping of fixative from the ships and items of cargo was conducted on return to Naval Ports in the United Kingdom. In this operation full decontamination was completed to levels at which no further treatment or precautions were necessary. With its crew and complement of scientists and other visitors, approximately 200 personnel were on board HMS Tracker when she entered mildly contaminated waters during the Hurricane operation. HMS Tracker did not take part in the tests conducted in the Pacific.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (I) if he will provide information on the effectiveness of film badges and personal dosimeters in detecting the ingestion of particles emitting beta radiation when used by British military personnel during British nuclear tests in the Pacific in the 1950s;(2) what methods were used to detect levels of beta radiation during British nuclear tests in the Pacific in the 1950s;(3) how film badges operated as indicators to overall body contamination of all forms of radiation when used by British military personnel during British nuclear tests in the Pacific in the 1950s.

Information on the effectiveness of personal film badge dosimeters is readily available in standard textbooks on the measurement of radiation. Their purpose was to assess exposure to ionising radiations by measuring the radiation incident on a piece of photographic film, usually contained in a locket which had a number of "windows" of different thicknesses and filter materials. By examining the film density under these "windows" the health physicist can determine the amount and type of radiation reaching the film, whether it be gamma rays, beta rays or slow neutrons. By definition, it cannot detect radiation form ingested material unless the radiation is capable of penetrating the body and reaching the dosimeter. Nevertheless, by using more sophisticated instruments and detectors to determine the dose from other sources of non-penetrating radiation associated with radioactivity present in the environment, a judgment can be reached as to its contribution to the exposure Film badge dosimeters can then be used to monitor exposure and allowance made as necessary for the other contributions.During the United Kingdom test programmes, because strict control was exercised over entry to, and operation within, areas in which surface deposited radioactive material may have been present, uptake and deposition on skin did not lead to doses sensibly above zero.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the film badges issued to British personnel were given to military personnel during British nuclear tests in the Pacific during the 1950s.

A full account is given in chapter 3 of the NRPB report of all information on the exposure of participants and of the numbers of service and civilian personnel for whom a record of exposure, or a likelihood of exposure exists. Since, as was explained in the answer to the hon. Member on 31 October at column 529, the exact number of badges issued is not known, I cannot provide him with the information he seeks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the implications of the absence of information on the number of film badges issued during British nuclear tests in the Pacific for the accuracy of estimated contamination levels for British military personnel serving in the Pacific during the tests.

Lack of information on the precise numbers of film badge dosimeters issued has no implications for the estimated exposures of personnel to ionising radiation. Access to all areas in which the levels of surface deposited radioactive material were such as to require the wearing of film badge dosimeters was strictly controlled and I have no reason to believe that it was not effective (a) in controlling the exposure of personnel to ionising radiation and (b) in ensuring that the uptake of radioactive materials or depositions on skin did not lead to radiation doses sensibly above zero. The accuracy of dose estimation by current or contemporary standards was and remains acceptable for control purposes and for the dose levels experienced throughout the test programme for the few who were exposed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British military personnel received war pensions following active service on Christmas Island during British nuclear tests there in the 1950s and 1960s.

The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if coconuts, posted home by British military personnel serving on Christmas Island during the 1950s and 1960s, were checked for radioactive contaminaton on Christmas Island and on arrival in Britain.

The extensive environmental monitoring which was conducted throughout the operations in the Pacific showed that none of the indigenous products could be expected to be affected to a significant extent by deposition of surface radioactivity. No monitoring of coconuts or related products (such as Copra) was conducted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what precautions were taken to monitor indigenous edible vegetation and other foodstuffs for radioactivity, during British nuclear tests on Christmas Island during the 1950s and 1960s.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 7 November 1988 at columns 32–33, which states that fish and sea water were monitored. The bulk of food supplies for service and other personnel were imported to the island and I am not aware that any significant amounts of local produce were used by them. The extensive environmental monitoring which was conducted throughout the operations in the Pacific showed that none of the indigenous products could be expected to be affected to a significant extent by deposition of surface radioactivity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if water from desalination plants on Christmas Island during British nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s used by British or other personnel on the island as a source of drinking water was monitored for radioactivity.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 7 November 1988 at columns 31–32.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the national origin of construction vehicles which were buried and abandoned on Christmas Island after British nuclear tests there.

Most of the construction vehicles used on Christmas Island were of British construction, though some vehicles, notably amphibious transport DUKWs, were of United States manufacture. None were buried, but parts of some may have been abandoned or dumped in the sea.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what quantities of foodstuffs were buried by the NAAFI following nuclear tests on Christmas Island in the 1950s.

There are no records to suggest that surplus food supplies were buried on Christmas Island.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role Fanning Island had during British nuclear tests in the Pacific during the 1950s.

At the time of the tests, Fanning Island was an important communications point and continued in the same role beyond the date when the test programme was completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether, on the date of the test for Grapple Y, Mr. Andrew Dickson of Wakefield was among British personnel who were moved nearer to the test site; on how many occasions similar such movements occurred; and how many personnel were involved;(2) how checks were made to ascertain that service personnel were at a safe location during the Grapple Y test in 1958;(3) where Mr. Andrew Dickson, service number 22999369, serving with the 12th Independent Field Squadron, Royal Engineers, was located on the date and time of the Grapple Y test on 28 April 1958;(4) what are the implications for the Ministry's ability to assure ex-Service men on Christmas Island in 1958 that they did not receive a dose of radiation of its inability to ascertain where each individual was at the time of a particular detonation; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 31 October 1988 at column 529 referring to the location of named individuals and to the closest distances at which personnel were located during each of the tests in the Pacific area. I have no information on the precise movements or whereabouts of Mr. Andrew Dickson except to state that he was at a safe location. The means by which the checks to ascertain that all personnel, service and civilian (including the local population) were at a safe location were to conduct a full roll call of all personnel know to be present. The countdown sequence to the firing could not continue until it was established that all personnel were at a safe location. The records which have been kept do not now permit the identification of each individual at the time of each detonation. Nevertheless I am confident that the roll call checks were conducted scrupulously and therefore that all personnel were at safe locations at the time of each detonation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the present status of the 12th Independent Field Squadron Royal Engineers; and what was its major function during British nuclear tests in the 1950s.

The 12th Independent Field Squadron (now known as 12 Field Squadron) is part of 25 Engineer Regiment stationed at Osnabruck, Germany. At the time of the tests its major function was building, construction and related works.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has as to the members of the 12th Independent Field Squadron Royal Engineers who served in British nuclear tests in the 1950s and are still alive.

I have no information specific to the present vital status of members of the 12th Independent Field Squadron who served at Christmas Island. The NRPB study includes members of the squadron among the participants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why members of the 12th Independent Field Squadron Royal Engineers, previously serving on Christmas Island during British nuclear tests, were later involved in a series of experiments conducted at Porton Down; and what was the nature of these experiments.

The nature of the duties involved were, to the best of my knowledge, not such as to warrant their being described as involvement in a series of experiments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how mortality amongst British nuclear test veterans is identified from general mortality; who has overall responsibility for this investigative procedure; and how the records are collated;(2) what was the annual level of mortality amongst British military personnel serving on Christmas Island, during British nuclear tests undertaken in the 1950s and 1960s; and what were the causes of these mortality levels.

The NRPB together with its consultants from ICRF, Professor Sir Richard Doll and Dr. Sarah Darby, were responsible for analysing the mortality data on participants and a full account of the causes analysed is given in the NRPB report. As for the annual level of mortality in the 1950s and 1960s, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 31 October 1988 at column 529, where he asked for similar information for each year since 1958. The sources of mortality records are described in the NRPB report. The bulk of them came from National Health Service (NHS) and Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) central records, but for those not traced in this way further searches were undertaken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will release information as to how safe distances were calculated when positioning British military personnel, during British nuclear tests in the Pacific in the 1950s;

The means by which it was established that the locations where personnel were situated at the time of each test were safe were based on standard methods described in textbooks such as "The Effects of Nuclear Weapons" published by United States Department of Defence and United States Department of Energy. These calculations took into account the expected maximum yield and altitude and the effect of the intervening air. These yields for the tests in the Pacific were within range given in answer to a question from the hon. Member on 31 October 1988 at columns 523–26.Since the wearing of film badges was not a means of checking the exposure at these locations, they were not necessary for this purpose during any of the tests, including Grapple Y in 1958. What they were provided for was primarily to measure the exposure of personnel who might have access to areas where the radiation levels were high after the detonation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the financial implications to the Trident programme following the delays incurred by the sonar suite component of the tactical weapon system.

There has been no increase in the budget for the Trident tactical weapon system associated with reported delays to the sonar suite.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his department has for celebrating the 40th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

The Ministry of Defence is marking the 40th anniversary of NATO in a variety of ways. The following events are planned:

1. an exhibition which will open in London and then tour a number of major centres throughout the country;

2. a flag-raising ceremony at Northwood;

3. a NATO item is proposed for the Royal Tournament;

4. a NATO postmark which will be used by the Post Office for two weeks from 28 March 1989.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of landscaping undertaken at the atomic energy research establishment Aldermaston during 1988.

During 1988 no landscaping work was carried out at AWE Aldermaston. However, some £61,000 has been spent to date in the current financial year on grass cutting and grounds maintenance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the planned target level for defence research and development spending, in terms of (a) expenditure and (b) proportion of gross domestic product over the next three years.

It is expected that defence expenditure on research and development will be £2,272 million in 1988–89. This is approximately 0·5 per cent. of GDP for that year, as estimated in the Autumn Statement. For expenditure in subsquent years to 1990–91 would refer the hon. Member to the statistical series in the "Annual Review of Government funded Research and Development for 1988." Table 2b to page 65, is however based on a somewhat different definition of R and D.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures are being introduced to encourage commercial military research and development to supplement Government spending in this area.

The Ministry continues to pay very close attention to the level of public expenditure on defence research and development and our commercial approach to defence procurement encourages companies to invest their own money in R and D in order to remain competitive. In addition, we are developing a closer alignment with industry so that it understands our anticipated future requirements and where best to commit its own R and D resources. We also encourage industry to consider the defence export and civil potential of both commercial and MOD-funded R and D.

The ask the Secretary of State for Defence, (1) what agreements or understandings exist between the United Kingdom and (i) Holland and (ii) West Germany to compensate for damage caused by British armed forces to the private property of citizens of these countries on or in their respective territorial waters, airspace and land area; (2) what agreements or understandings exist between the United Kingdom and other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member states for compensation for damage caused by the armed forces of the latter to the private property of British citizens in or on British territorial waters, airspace or land area.

I will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which officials of his Department were involved in press briefings given to journalists researching the SAS shooting in Gibraltar; and on what dates such briefings were given.

Defence public relations staff at all levels dealt with inquiries from journalists researching the Gibraltar shootings on many occasions from 6 March. In responding to these inquiries press officers drew on the Foreign Secretary's statement to the House of Commons 7 March 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which officials of his Department met representatives from Thames Television to discuss the programme "Death on the Rock"; and on what dates.

The chief of public relations and the director of public relations (Army) met one representative from Thames TV on 21 April 1988.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of providing transportation and accommodation facilities for the observers invited to attend Exercise Keystone in October 1987 under the terms of the Stockholm conference on disarmament in Europe.

The cost to the United Kingdom was some £16,000. Exercise Keystone was held in the Federal Republic of Germany, and under the terms of the 1986 Stockholm document the cost of transporting the observers from their point of arrival in the country to their accommodation was met by the Federal Republic.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of providing transportation and accommodation facilities for the foreign observers invited to attend Exercise Purple Warrior in November 1987 under the terms of the Stockholm conference on disarmament.

The cost to the United Kingdom was some £21,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Warsaw pact exercises British military personnel have observed at the invitation of Warsaw pact countries; and what was the cost of sending observers to these exercises.

Thirty British military personnel have observed 15 exercises at the invitation of Warsaw pact countries under the terms of the 1986 Stockholm document, at a cost to the United Kingdom of some £4,500.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of sending British military observers to the Soviet exercise in the German Democratic Republic in September 1987; whether those observers found that the exercise was not in breach of the agreement on confidence and security building measures reached at the Stockholm conference on disarmament in Europe in September 1986; and whether they reported difficulties with the arrangements for their inspection.

The cost of sending a British military inspection team to the Soviet exercise in the German Democratic Republic in September 1987 was some £12,000. The British inspection team was satisfied that the exercise was not in breach of the agreement on confidence and security building measures reached at the Stockholm conference on disarmament in Europe in September 1986. Some minor technical problems excepted, they reported no difficulties with the arrangements for their inspection.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the theatre nuclear force restructuring options currently being considered by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation include the deployment of additional United States air force aircraft that are capable of being armed with strategic air-launched cruise missiles.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether the deployment of nuclear weapons on board Royal Navy ships was discussed in any of his communications with the Maltese Government prior to the visit to Malta of a Royal Navy detachment in June; (2) whether any undertakings were given to the Maltese Government regarding the deployment of nuclear weapons on board Royal Navy vessels prior to the visit to Malta of a Royal Navy detachment in June.

It has been the invariable policy of successive British Governments neither to confirm nor to deny the presence of nuclear weapons in individual HM ships and no undertakings on this matter were given to the Maltese Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 15 December, whether he will state the number of written communications received by the Ministry of Defence from the British Nuclear Fuels plc team carrying out the programme audit at Aldermaston and Burghlield; and on what dates they were received.

One, which was received on 15 November 1985.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the responsibilities of the investigating officers employed by the procurement division of his Department.

The PE does not employ investigating officers as such. However, the Procurement Executive of my Department employs qualified accountants and technical cost estimators, whose principal tasks are to assist and advise in the pricing and post-costing of non-competitive contracts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has had any consultations with (a) Plessey, (b) GEC-Marconi, (c) British Aerospace or (d) Ferranti regarding the development of closer links between European defence contractors.

The Ministry has frequent informal discussions with United Kingdom industry on a wide range of topics, including links between defence contractors. Such links are also discussed within the independent European programme group and with the European defence industry group. Consultations between the Ministry and individual companies on matters of comercial sensitivity are treated as confidential.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to request all his grade 2 Crown servants and above to give their permission for their names to be revealed on a confidential basis to the Select Committee on Defence, it they apply for permission to accept an outside appointment.

The Select Committee asked to be provided with information of this nature in its ninth report in the Session 1987–88. The Government expect to publish their response to that report early in the new year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will outline the delays incurred in the Blue Vixen radar development programme since his answer to the hon. Member for Harrow, East of 26 January, Official Report, column 190; and if these delays will affect the in-service date of the Sea Harrier for the designated Royal Navy squadrons.

A delay of some three months occurred earlier this year in the commissioning of the Blue Vixen 'A' model radar in the trials aircraft. This will delay the in-service date by about two months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the implications for competition in defence procurement of GEC's proposed bid for the Plessey company.

The MOD is examining the implications for competition in defence procurement of the proposed bid by GEC and Siemens for the Plessey company, and I have no comment to make at this stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representation has been made to his Department by GEC in connection with their proposed bid for the Plessey company.

In examining the defence procurement implications for the proposed bid by GEC and Siemens for the Plessey company, we would, of course, listen to any representations from the parties involved. Any such discussions would be confidential to the parties concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to ensure that the independence of Plessey's defence operations will be effectively preserved under GEC/Siemens bid plans.

The MOD is considering all aspects of the proposed bid by GEC and Siemens for the Plessey company, and I have no comment to make at this stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what evidence is available to his Department about the amount of chemical warfare agents stockpiled by the Soviet Union; and if he will make a statement.

Prior to the Soviet statement on their chemical warfare (CW) stockpile made in December 1987, the only information available to us on the size of their CW capability were estimates based upon sensitive information.The Soviet Union claims to possess approximately 50,000 tonnes of CW weapons "in terms of toxic agent". The precise scope of its claims is unclear and the figure is substantially lower than our current classified estimates of the size of their stockpile. We have made it clear to the Soviet Union that it will have to give more information if we are to have any confidence in its claim.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the level of tank movements from Detmold depot near Paderborn in West Germany since November 1987.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Kettering (Mr. Freeman) on 19 November 1987 at column 461. The problems associated with the movement of tanks in the Detmold area have been considered in depth by the Detmold garrison Anglo-German co-ordinating committee. As a result it has proved possible to modify the route taken by armoured vehicles to avoid a local school and, where possible, temporary restrictions have been imposed on the movement of tanks at night. A total ban would be unrealistic given the lack of alternative routes and the shortage of daylight during winter months. Movements of armoured vehicles in the Detmold area are controlled by the Detmold garrison commander who notifies the stadt authorities of all such movements. These movements take account of all jointly agreed guidelines and are kept to the minimum level consistent with operational and training requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) in which year plutonium from Calder Hall was first sent to the United States of America under the 1958–59 United States-United Kingdom mutual defence agreement;(2) in what year plutonium from Chapel Cross was first sent to the United States under the 1958–59 United States-United Kingdom mutual defence agreement;(3) in what year plutonium from the Central Electricity Generating Board Magnox reactor was first sent to the United States under the 1958–59 United States-United Kingdom mutual defence agreement;(4) in what year plutonium from the South of Scotland electricity board Magnox reactors was

Details of transfers of nuclear materials under the United States-United Kingdom mutual defence agreement are classified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any plutonium originating in United Kingdom electricity board Magnox reactors has ever been used in a nuclear test explosion.

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's policy in respect of defence procurement with regard to security of supply and the maintenance of technology and employment in the United Kingdom.

[holding answer 21 December 1988]: We seek to obtain value for money from our procurement expenditure. We therefore use, wherever practicable, competitive tendering. This policy continues to bring significant benefit to the defence budget and to the taxpayer and has promoted the health and efficiency of the United Kingdom defence industry. Where appropriate we do take into account wider, relevant factors including security of supply and industrial implications.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what studies he has made of the views of consumers on proposed further restrictions on the use of imperial weights and measures at the point of sale.

Under the European Community's 1979 units of measurement directive, the Commission is obliged to make proposals to extend the use of metric units.The Government are therefore considering United Kingdom policy on metrication. A consultation paper inviting comments on proposals to phase out by the end of 1994 the use of the remaining imperial units for most trade purposes was circulated in October to some 700 organisations representing trade, industry, local authorities and consumers.The consultation period ended recently and the responses, including those from consumers, are now being studied.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement about any proposed collaborative programme for garsurm parenide chip development.

A national programme of collaborative research in gallium arsenide advanced technology has been supported by the Department of Trade and Industry since early 1987. Research into gallium arsenide analogue integrated circuits (chips) is included in this programme, for which £13 million of support is available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many business people who attended the action for cities presentations have expressed interest in supporting the Government's inner city initiatives.

More than 400 of the firms represented at the seven action for cities working breakfasts held during 1988 expressed an interest in suporting the Government's inner city initiatives.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the latest figures he has available for the profitability of manufacturing industry.

In 1987, the net real rate of return at current replacement cost for manufacturing companies was 9 per cent. This exceeds substantially the peak reached in the last economic cycle in 1978 and is the highest since 1969. Information on rates of return on capital employed for manufacturing companies in 1987, derived from the national accounts statistics, was published in "British Business" on 30 September.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will take stronger measures to restrict the sale of butane gas canisters to minors; and if he will make a statement.

The Intoxicating Substances (Supply) Act 1985 provides an adequate legal basis for combatting the problem of solvent abuse. It prohibits the sale of any sniffable product to anyone under the age of 18 who seems likely to want to inhale it for purposes of intoxication. The problem is to make retailers fully aware of the law and to ensure that they obey it. To this end, the Government are funding the distribution of guidance packs to all retailers. We have already helped to pay for a training video for retailers and their staff on how to recognise sniffers and refuse to sell to them. Warning notices for retailers on bulk packs of gas refills are also being introduced.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what were the quantities of fur and fur products imported from North and South Korea for each of the last five years.

No imports of fur or fur products have been consigned from North Korea in the period 1983 to 1987. Imports from South Korea were as follows:

	m/tonnes
1983	421
1984	198
1985	50
1986	46
1987	38

Source: Overseas Trade Statistics: SITC R2 Items 212.01–09, 613.0, 848.31.

Notes: Figures exclude headgear and footwear which are not separately identified.

1987 figures provisional.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will report on the Industry Council held on 13 December.

The Council considered three items concerning the Community steel industry. First it agreed to the extension for a further three-year period from 1 January 1989 of the present strict rules governing the payment of state aid to European Coal and Steel Community steel producers.Secondly, the Council reached provisional agreement, subject to the lifting of reserves by two member states, on a compromise solution to the Italian Government's request for Council agreement to its restructuring plan for the Italian public sector steel industry. The compromise would enable the Italian Government to grant only two thirds of the aid for which they had requested authority, in exchange for carrying out all the capacity closures foreseen in the restructuring plan. Discussion of the need for the balance of the aid would be postponed until September 1990, unless there were a rapid downturn in the steel market before then. The Council would take a decision on further Italian capacity closures at the same time. It was agreed that this item should be considered further at the 21 December Internal Market Council.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if he will arrange for standardisation of all procedures and paper work issued, by the agencies administering enterprise initiatives; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will list the various procedures and documentation required by agencies administering enterprise initiatives.

[holding answer 16 December 1988]: The scheme contractors responsible for administering the assisted consultancy schemes under the enterprise initiative are:

Initiative
The marketing initiative	The Institute of Marketing (through four sub-contractors)
The manufacturing systems initiative	Production Engineering Research Association (PERA)
The quality initiative	PERA (except in the North West which is covered by Salford University Business Services Ltd.)
The design initiative	The Design Council
The business planning initiative	3i Enterprise Support Ltd. (3iES)
The financial and information Systems initiative	3iES

The functions of the contractors are carried out in a comparable way, subject to local operational flexibility. These functions are to maintain lists of suitable consultants in their respective areas of expertise, to match the needs of applicants (as identified by a DTI enterprise counsellor) with an appropriately qualified consultant, to assess consultants' reports, and to pay them the part of the fee due from DTI.As regards the listing of consultants, the same approach is required of all scheme contractors. Each consultancy practice must either have had at least two years' experience as an independent consultancy practice, or one year's experience as an independent practice, plus five previous and consecutive years' relevant consultancy experience by the principals with another practice. In addition, a practice should be able to cite evidence of satisfaction by clients in respect of four assignments.My Department monitors the performance of the scheme contractors closely and is concerned to ensure that a standard, high-quality service is delivered. It stands ready to investigate evidence of difficulties experienced by applicant firms or consultancy practices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to obtain from the Swedish Government the full text of the report handed to the Swedish ambassador by the USSR in 1957 of the alleged death of Mr. Raoul Wallenberg; and if he will make a statement.

We have the full text of the report given to the Swedish Government by the Soviet Government in 1957 about the fate of Raoul Wallenberg. The report claims that Mr. Wallenberg died in prison in 1947 of natural causes. We have pressed the Soviet Government to give a more detailed account of Mr. Wallenberg's fate, but they have consistently declined to add to the substance of the 1957 report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to obtain from the Swedish Government as much information as is in their possession about the case of Mr. Raoul Wallenberg; and if he will make a statement.

We already have the limited information available to the Swedish Government on what befell Mr. Raoul Wallenberg. We have repeatedly pressed the Soviet authorities for a full account of Mr. Wallenberg's fate both bilaterally and in the CSCE.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the occasions when he discussed the case of Mr. Raoul Wallenberg with the Governments of (a) Sweden, (b) Israel and (c) the United States of America since 1983; and if he will make a statement.

We have discussed this case with Sweden regularly, most recently at the beginning of this year. We also keep in touch regularly with the United States Government, most recently when we both raised the issue in Vienna last month. We have not formally discussed the case with Israel in recent years as far as I can ascertain.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has requested the United States Government to raise the case of Mr. Raoul Wallenberg with the Soviet Government; and if he will make a statement.

Such a request would be primarily a matter for the Swedish Government. We do keep in regular touch with the United States authorities about this case and know that the United States Government have raised it with the Soviet Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has requested the Swedish Government to raise the case of Mr. Raoul Wallenberg with the Soviet Government; and if he will make a statement.

The Swedish Government naturally take the lead in efforts to establish Mr. Wallenberg's fate and already regularly raise his case with the Soviet authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the possible convening of an international conference on the resettlement of Vietnamese refugees now in Hong Kong.

The ASEAN countries have proposed the convening of an international conference in 1989 to address the general problem of boat people and Indo-Chinese refugees in south-east Asia. We support this idea and would attend any such conference.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Vietnamese refugees arrived in Hong Kong in 1988; and how many have been resettled elsewhere.

As at 20 December, 17,984 Vietnamese boat people had arrived in Hong Kong this year. Of these, 8,035 have so far been granted refugee status. A total of 2,745 refugees have been resettled elsewhere.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Colombia regarding political killings and disappearances in 1988; and if he will make a statement.

The human rights situation in Colombia is disturbing, and reflects an appalling level of violence in the country. The Colombian Government are deeply concerned and acknowledge that the problem is very serious. Political violence emanates from a range of sources—Right-wing death squads and Left-wing guerrillas as well as drugs traffickers. But I am not aware of any evidence that the Colombian Government are involved. I raised our concerns about human rights with President Barco and with Ministers during my visit to Colombia in August; and our embassy continues to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any assessment has been made of the cost of verifying (a) a world de chemcial weapons ban and (b) a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation/Warsaw Pact chemical weapons ban.

We remain committed to negotiating a global, effectively verifiable ban on CW, but until the verification regime has been further elaborated, it is not possible to make detailed estimates of the verification costs of any CW convention. A British Government paper presented to the conference on disarmament last year (Making the Chemical Weapons Ban Effective: CD 769) expressed the view that the costs of implementing a global CW convention were unlikely to be less than for the current IAEA budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to be able to reply to the points raised by Mr. C. J. M. McGovern and colleagues in their letter of 6 June concerning section 68 of the Education Act 1944.

I regret that the Department is unable to trace Mr. McGovern's letter. If he will write again I will ensure that he receives an early reply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will place in the Library copies of all reports on the Small School at Red House, Norwich under the 1944 and 1981 Education Acts.

The latest visit to the school was by Her Majesty's inspector of schools in November. His task was to consider the school's eligibility for final registration under the Education Act 1944 and advise on the timing of an application for approval under the Education Act 1981 as a school suitable for the admission of children with statements of special educational needs.Copies of Her Majesty's inspector's full inspection reports are sent as a matter of course to the Library. No full inspection reports have been made on this school.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish a table showing the cost of free school meals in each year from 1978–79 to 1990–91 in both cash and real terms.

Information is not available centrally in the form requested. The estimated figures contained in the table are based on the number of meals served to pupils on one day in each of the relevant years. More detailed statistics are included in the annual school meals census which is available in the Library of the House of Commons. Information for 1987–88 to 1990–91 is not yet available.

Estimated cost of providing free school meals to pupils
(£ million)
Year	In cash terms	In 1986–87 real terms
1978–79	118	230
1979–80	114	190
1980–81	125	176
1981–82	148	190
1982–83	175	210
1983–84	200	229
1984–85	215	234
1985–86	1—	1—
1986–87	250	250
1 A breakdown of the 1985–86 figures is not available

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is spent on a per capita basis for each child in primary and secondary education in (a) the maintained sector and (b) the voluntary sector of schools administered by Liverpool education authority.

The average net institutional expenditure in Liverpool education authority in 1986–87 was £980 per pupil in primary schools and £1,445 per pupil in secondary schools. No separate information is available for voluntary schools.