§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether any plans exist to alter his Department's commitment to limit the peacetime use of RAF Stornoway for military exercises to six weeks per year; and if he will make a statement;
(2) how many weeks of military air exercises it is planned to conduct at RAF Stornoway in 1988.
§ Mr. Ian StewartI refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces on 24 July 1987 at column595. There are no plans to alter my Department's commitment to limit the peacetime use of RAF Stornoway for military exercises to six weeks per year.
§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what use will be made of RAF Stornoway in Exercise JMC 88–1.
§ Mr. Ian StewartNone is planned.
§ Mr. MacdonaldTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if flying operations from RAF Stornoway by Falcon aircraft of Flight Refuelling Ltd. and Hunter aircraft from the fleet requirements and air direction unit will count towards the permitted maximum six weeks of military exercises each year at RAF Stornoway.
§ Mr. Ian StewartNo.
714Wsafety net proposals. I have repeatedly pointed out that the estimates of the impact of our proposals are based on a sample survey and are subject to sampling errors. The confidence intervals attaching to these estimates will vary with each estimate. The estimates of the relative contributions of those in the top and bottom deciles of household income to local services were not produced from the tax benefit model. The note of 25 January could be produced from the model on a decile basis only at disproportionate cost.