§ Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.—[Mrs. McGuire.]
10.59 pm§ Ms Sandra Osborne (Ayr)I am grateful for the opportunity to raise a matter of great concern in my constituency—the future of HMS Gannet, which is based beside the small village of Monkton, near Prestwick.
I preface my remarks by stating that I support the strategic defence review and acknowledge that changes at HMS Gannet can be anticipated as a result of that important document. I recognise that, as do all those who currently work at HMS Gannet. The reason why I stand here tonight is that I strongly suspect why decisions are being made, behind closed doors and without ministerial authority, that have less to do with the strategic defence review than with the Royal Navy's overall budget position.
I believe that options are being considered that are different from the previously published intentions, which are public knowledge. They will be based not on what has been announced as part of the SDR, but purely on saving money. In the event of any doubt, I wish to make it clear that HMS Gannet is not expendable as an in-year savings measure, and I hope that my hon. Friend the Minister agrees. If I have anything to do with it, HMS Gannet will not go quietly or unnoticed.
My hon. Friend will be aware that the base at HMS Gannet is well established and fulfils two main functions, the first of which is the defence of the Clyde. The base is there to defend Trident with eight aircraft that assist with anti-submarine warfare operations. Secondly, HMS Gannet fulfils a search and rescue function by utilising two Sea King helicopters. The service is highly prized in Scotland and has saved many lives.
The search and rescue facility covers an area from Fort William down the middle of the country, including the Lake district, and extends as far down as the Isle of Man. It may also go 200 miles west out to sea, and further if refuelling is possible.
The three nearest alternative search and rescue stations are Stornoway, which is contracted to the Coastguard, RAF Lossiemouth in Morayshire and RAF Boulmer, north of Newcastle. This year, HMS Gannet has already carried out 230 search and rescue jobs, which is more than last year's total of 222.
Medical evacuation duties can involve picking up medical emergencies from fishing boats and transporting them to hospital, and airlifting medical teams to the islands and transporting casualties back to hospitals on the mainland. The public in Scotland are familiar with the search and rescue team's duty of transporting car crash victims and pregnant women to hospitals in emergencies. The support of mountain rescue teams is another vital role for HMS Gannet's search and rescue facility.
HMS Gannet personnel were the first to attend the tragic recent air crash at Glasgow airport, and were on hand quickly to assist RAF Boulmer at last week's Dunbar crash. In the role of military search and rescue, HMS Gannet provides 24-hour cover at 15 minutes' notice during the day and 45 minutes' notice at night, although in practice the response times are shorter. Air ambulances do not have a rescue capability and must land only on approved landing sites, unlike HMS Gannet.
591 About 450 people work at HMS Gannet, of whom 305 are Royal Navy personnel made up of 45 officers and 260 other ranks. In addition, there are about 130 civilian personnel made up of civil servants, Ministry of Defence police and guards and locally employed contractors. HMS Gannet provides a parenting facility, not only for those who work there but for RAF staff who work at the air traffic control centre at Atlantic house, Prestwick. All those people live locally, send their children to local schools and contribute greatly to the Ayrshire economy.
If you are familiar with Ayrshire, Mr. Deputy Speaker, you will not be surprised to learn that 95 per cent. of Royal Navy personnel based at HMS Gannet volunteer to go there. It is an area with an extremely high quality of life, and there is a proud tradition among those from the Royal Navy who have served at Prestwick over the years, and many fond memories. It is regarded as a significant area for people who wish to be employed in the Fleet Air Arm base and it is the only one of its kind north of Somerset.
The site of HMS Gannet is leased from the adjacent Prestwick airport. Both are situated on the coast, with an outstanding view of the Isle of Arran. It has also provided welcome job opportunities for generations of local people, as well as contributing in many other positive ways to the local community.
For quite some time it was known that a review of the impact of the SDR on HMS Gannet was being carried out. In July 1998, I was informed that search and rescue would not be affected by any changes, and that the Sea King helicopters would be replaced by Merlin in 2002. I was also told that a detailed technical study was being carried out in relation to the anti-submarine helicopters which protect Faslane, including where they would be based. No decisions had been taken, and any changes would be several years further down the line and subject to ministerial approval. The options for best fulfilling the requirements endorsed by the SDR would be considered, and, although no decisions have been announced, one crucial factor was clear—the decision not to purchase any more Merlin helicopters was bound to affect HMS Gannet in some way.
The supporting essay of the SDR concerned with naval aviation in relation to helicopters states:
The nature and scale of the submarine threat has changed since the end of the cold war with a corresponding change in the type of military response required. The Merlin helicopter remains a vital part of the Navy's future capability but we will be able to make a reduction in overall numbers compared to earlier plans. This means:I wonder whether Ministers were briefed that when, post-SDR, it was decided that a second batch of Merlin would not be bought, it would potentially lead to the closure of a base in Scotland and that there may no longer be a permanent presence to protect Trident on call at very short notice. I respectfully ask my hon. Friend to reconsider that.
- 1 We will not procure further Merlin anti-submarine helicopters beyond the 44 already on order and
- 2 Some amendment to the previous Merlin deployment plan, for example, the Sea King MK 6 helicopters at RNAS Prestwick will not be replaced when they go out of service at a date yet to be decided."
592 However, paragraph 68 of the SDR concerning the operating posture of Trident states:
current threat levels do not require large numbers of conventional forces permanently allocated to the protection of the deterrent. We will, however, ensure that we can restore a higher state of alert should this become necessary at any time".I have already stated that I support the SDR. It is very welcome that threat levels have diminished to such an extent, and, as my hon. Friend will agree, we all look forward to the day when nuclear disarmament becomes a reality and we no longer have Trident on the Clyde.I certainly agree, therefore, to the concept of reduced protection. The question is to what extent it should be reduced. Does my hon. Friend agree that it would be unthinkable, even in the present conditions of reduced threat, for there to be no effective defence of the Clyde? Will he recognise the concern that that would cause to people in the west of Scotland and elsewhere, including those who are opposed to Trident being based at Faslane but who would certainly wish to be confident that it is being properly protected? We are all aware that Trident can be inviolate only if we can be sure of its ability to go undetected. That requires the assistance of anti-submarine aircraft.
Will my hon. Friend confirm that, post-SDR, any decisions taken regarding the future of HMS Gannet will ensure that Trident can be deployed, as now, in complete safety?
To return to the review process of HMS Gannet, in about September 1998 the former Secretary of State for Defence was a welcome visitor to HMS Gannet when he presented the Wilkinson sword of peace to the squadron. At that time, the favoured option of Flag Officer, Naval Aviation, was that although all anti-submarine warfare aircraft would be based at royal naval air station Culdrose and that all future tasking would be met from there, search and rescue would be maintained at HMS Gannet with the presence of two Sea King aircraft, presumably to be replaced by Merlin in due course. What will happen when the Sea Kings go out of service in 2002? How will the search and rescue commitment be fulfilled, and what will replace Sea King?
Secondly, the defence of the Clyde would be fulfilled by detachments from Culdrose which would come up to the Clyde 10 times a year and receive infrastructure support from HMS Gannet. I am now aware, following my recent discussions with the trade union, that staff were informed that that was the preferred option, which would go to Ministers for approval.
By May of this year, however, I was still not aware of the outcome of the review, so I wrote to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, North (Mr. Henderson), the then Minister for the Armed Forces. We will all appreciate the uncertainty and worry caused to my constituents by the length of time that has been taken to carry out the review, with little or no definite information forthcoming with and with rumours abounding. My hon. Friend replied promptly and told me that the Navy was looking into the future provision of helicopter support in the Clyde area. He recognised my constituents' concerns about their future employment prospects and assured me that if any major changes were recommended as a result of the review they would be subject to full consultation in the normal manner and that all factors emerging from any consultation exercise would be taken into account.
593 Will my hon. Friend the Minister confirm that that remains the position? The current rumour is that other options are being considered that may differ from the previously published intention. Can he confirm that, at the very least, the option that I have outlined, which was published post-SDR, will be maintained, if there are to be any changes at all? Will he confirm whether any significant changes or alternative proposals are being investigated?
As well as the two main functions at HMS Gannet, there are various subsidiary but important aspects to the work of the base. It has a meteorological reporting station and is a nuclear-audited communications site, an alternative command and control centre for the Flag Officer, Scotland, a defence communications infrastructure site, a sea cadet school and a parent base for RAF personnel. Will my hon. Friend confirm that all those factors have been taken into account in the appraisal of options? He may not be surprised to learn that I have had some difficulty in accessing information about what is happening at HMS Gannet. Although Commander McNair and his predecessor, Commander Issit, have, as he would expect, treated me with great courtesy, neither has been in a position to inform me of anything I did not already know.
My hon. Friend will also acknowledge that the civilian staff and the trade union that represents them are concerned to get some definite information as soon as possible. Like any trade unionists worth their salt, the representatives of the Public and Commercial Services Union keep their ear close to the ground and are very much aware of the various possible options that have been considered. They have also noticed a fairly obvious rundown of the site. No building or maintenance work to speak of is taking place and civil servants are leaving as a result of the uncertainty. They are being replaced by people on fixed-term contracts.
The Commander-in-Chief, Fleet is sending someone up on30 November to discuss the future with individuals. Obviously people are asking themselves, "If no decisions have been taken regarding the future of HMS Gannet, why is it being run down?"—and I am asking myself the same question. I refer my hon. Friend to paragraph 193 of the SDR, on the impact on employment, and ask him whether he feels that the way staff are being treated is consistent with it.
Finally, I come to the issue that concerns me most and which was one of the main reasons for initiating the debate. The Friday before last, a visiting naval officer provided certain naval personnel with an informal, almost off-the-cuff briefing. He informed those present that HMS Gannet would not last until 2002 and that the green site would be bulldozed. My hon. Friend will understand in the light of that why I believe that the Royal Navy, without reference to Ministers, may be considering the option of total closure, including the search and rescue function. That cannot be put down to post-SDR requirements and would be totally unacceptable.
Closure of HMS Gannet would have a dramatic effect on the Ayrshire economy. As the 450-strong work force are mainly local, the loss of their spending power would equate to a further 40 lost jobs. Added to that would be the loss of services supplied by Ayrshire companies, estimated to be worth about £2 million per annum. Such a decision could lead to £15 million being withdrawn from the local and Ayrshire economies. A Government 594 decision to close the Prestwick facility would undermine substantial efforts of other arms of the Government and their agencies.
The Prestwick area is a recognised national priority for Scottish Enterprise, and it will benefit substantially from recent Government policy decisions on the liberalisation of air cargo movements at Prestwick airport by the granting of fifth freedom and the improved road access that the M77 will bring. Any decision on jobs at Prestwick should be seen in the context of Government efforts to build on the potential of Prestwick, and in particular the work of the Prestwick task force, which was successfully led by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Scotland Office, and the noble Lord MacDonald of Tradeston.
Will my hon. Friend reassure me by stating unequivocally that the proposition that HMS Gannet will be closed is totally without foundation? Will he come to HMS Gannet for a briefing on site to acquaint himself fully with the situation and meet the trade unions? Will he reiterate that any decision will be taken at ministerial level and in line with the requirements post-SDR, not with the internal budget or the internal politics of the Royal Navy?
I thank my hon. Friend for his attention, and I look forward to his reply.
§ The Minister for the Armed Forces (Mr. John Spellar)I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this debate on a subject that is understandably of great interest to her and her constituents, and in respect of which she is a robust champion, as she ably showed again tonight.
Before going on to talk about the future of HMS Gannet, to which my hon. Friend referred at the end of her remarks, I believe that it would first be appropriate to say a few words about the current role of that establishment, which is one of three royal naval air stations, the other two being at Yeovilton in Somerset and Culdrose in Cornwall.
The royal naval air station located at HMS Gannet in Prestwick is the home of 819 Naval Air Squadron. The squadron has been there since 1971, and has a long and happy association with the area, to which my hon. Friend rightly drew attention. The squadron are currently equipped with the Sea King Mark 6 helicopter, which is primarily used in an anti-submarine warfare role, and the Sea King Mark 5, which has a search and rescue function. The squadron's primary role is to provide anti-submarine warfare defence of the Clyde area, and in that it works very closely with the submarine base at Faslane.
The squadron also has a secondary but very important role in providing a peacetime search and rescue service across much of Scotland, northern England and sea areas out to the west. Indeed, 819 squadron has been conducting search and rescue operations from HMS Gannet since 1971.
Following my hon. Friend's favourable comments, I should like to pay tribute to all the members of the squadron who perform these vital duties with considerable professionalism and dedication, as we would expect. Over and above their military tasks, they have also shown an exceptional level of commitment to the local community through their support of local charities over the years. In recognition of their efforts, it was fitting that 595 819 squadron was awarded the Wilkinson sword of peace in 1997: an honour which they richly deserved, and which, as my hon. Friend rightly pointed out, was presented by the previous Secretary of State for Defence, now Lord Robertson.
HMS Gannet has a total work force of about 450, comprising service personnel, civil servants and contractors. The establishment occupies two sites: an operational site, where flying operations are conducted and technical support is provided, and a support site, which is for accommodation and administrative support.
As my hon. Friend said, we are considering the future of HMS Gannet following the strategic defence review. The SDR included a major examination of naval aviation, covering the use of aircraft carriers, fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, and the future organisations and commands needed to ensure that we make the most operationally effective use of our aircraft. Naval aviation is flexible, adaptable and able to contribute to a wide range of operations. The SDR confirmed that naval aircraft and helicopters will continue to play a key role in the new strategic environment that has developed since the cold war.
The SDR also confirmed that the new and highly capable Merlin anti-submarine helicopter would remain a vital part of the Navy's future capability. But, given the shift from large-scale open-ocean warfare and the decline in the scale of the submarine threat since the end of the cold war, it also became apparent during the SDR that we no longer needed the numbers immediately planned, and that the 44 Merlins already on order would now be enough to meet the reduced scale of anti-submarine warfare operations expected in the foreseeable future.
Against that background, and in the wake of the SDR, the Royal Navy has rightly looked carefully at the future provision of helicopter support in the Clyde area to meet our anti-submarine warfare requirements and other military tasks, notably the search and rescue role. It has proved to be a highly complex review, embracing a wide range of operational, financial, support and personnel issues.
As part of the review, we have been considering what the future role and structure of HMS Gannet will be when the new Merlins come into operational service. We have already announced, as part of the SDR, that the Sea King Mark 6 helicopters based at RNAS Prestwick will not be replaced when they go out of service early in the new millennium. From that time, the essential task currently carried out by Sea King Mark 6 will be performed by Merlins earmarked from other areas. As a result, HMS Gannet will be maintained, but will become a forward operating base for anti-submarine warfare operations, with aircraft deploying there for short periods as and when required.
I assure my hon. Friend that we will provide—as we obviously should—the necessary protection for our Trident submarine fleet. I also assure her that HMS Gannet will continue its vital search and rescue rule, with two Sea King Mark 5 helicopters based there for the foreseeable future. I thank her for her praise for the valued work of that group, and I stress, for the avoidance of doubt, that the search and rescue Sea King Mark 5 will not go out of service in 2002.
596 In recent months, the Royal Navy has been considering how to implement these complex changes, and what they mean for the future role, size and structure of HMS Gannet. A key element of that is ensuring the best possible use of the capabilities of the new Merlin helicopter, which is significantly more versatile than the generation of helicopters that it will replace, and which constitutes a quantum leap in terms of technology, operability and capability. It is vital that we exploit Merlin's extensive capabilities to the full, and to that end we must be sure that the decisions that we make now about its future basing, support and deployment are right.
The issue is not simple. Military helicopters are complex pieces of fighting equipment, and the operations that they carry out are complex. The way in which they conduct such operations from the west of Scotland in future deserves, and is receiving, careful consideration.
We are examining a range of options to ensure that in future our forces will be able to meet anti-submarine warfare and other military requirements in the Clyde area as effectively as possible. That will inevitably take time, not least because the Merlin helicopter is a brand new aircraft. Deliveries to the Royal Navy have begun, but the Merlin is not yet in operational service. The full extent of its potential is being evaluated. Detailed concepts of operations, to take full advantage of the abilities of this sophisticated aircraft, are still being developed; but, as my hon. Friend rightly says, the protection of the Clyde and the submarine base at Faslane should not be put at risk.
I fully understand the concerns my hon. Friend's constituents, which she has rightly raised, about their future employment prospects at HMS Gannet and the uncertainty that they are undergoing. We regret that we will not be able to end that uncertainty tonight, but I assure the House that the process is drawing to a close. I expect to receive proposals on the way forward shortly, enabling me to write to her and to initiate formal consultation early in the new year.
I recognise that the work that has to be undertaken to ensure that we get the right result can cause a period of concern and uncertainty not only at HMS Gannet, but at several other establishments. At the same time, we are trying not to extend that too far and we undertake full consultation with the work force after we have come to the initial proposals.
Furthermore, HMS Gannet will continue in its present role until 2002 and, thereafter, will continue to have an important role in the key search and rescue task that is carried out in west Scotland. Obviously, I cannot pretend that there will be no impact on people who work at HMS Gannet. After all, we are looking at a different way in which to conduct anti-submarine warfare operations. Until the current work is complete, I am not able to say exactly what the impact will be on the whole work force at HMS Gannet—obviously, with a knock-on effect on the local community. However, I hope to be able to do so very soon.
As I have said, before we can put forward firm proposals, we must be sure that we have it right. Our proposed way forward not only makes sense from an operational view—vital and significant as that is—but takes account of the many other factors, not least cost considerations, which have to be borne in mind as we look at achieving best value from our resources in the defence sector, and at the impact on service people and civilians alike.
597 The strategic defence review set out clear principles for the future operation and development of naval aviation. We are following those principles and have made real progress in implementing SDR decisions. The joint helicopter command is now a fact. Joint Force 2000 is progressing well. Our review of anti-submarine requirements in the Clyde area is nearing completion. We must ensure that we provide effective military anti-submarine warfare and make full use of the tremendous potential of the Merlin helicopter.
598 I am conscious of the need to take into account the impact of our decisions on those who work for us in and around HMS Gannet, whose case my hon. Friend ably presented. I am fully committed to the consultative process to ensure that her constituents' views and concerns will be recognised and understood.
§ Question put and agreed to.
§ Adjourned accordingly at twenty-eight minutes past Eleven o'clock.