HC Deb 16 May 1988 vol 133 cc352-3W
Mr. Macdonald

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what activities will be carried out at Stornoway airport during Exercise Elder Joust;

(2) when the next air defence exercise in the Priory series is due to take place.

Mr. Freeman

The Exercise Priory series is to be replaced by the Exercise Elder Joust series, the first of which is scheduled to take place in October. Planning for this exercise is in its early stages. If RAF Stornoway is to be utilised the appropriate authorities will be notified in accordance with standing arrangements.

Mr. Macdonald

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what activities will be carried out at Stornoway airport during Exercise Teamwork.

Mr. Freeman

Plans for this exercise have yet to be finalised. If RAF Stornoway is to be utilised the appropriate authorities will be notified in accordance with standing arrangements.

Mr. Macdonald

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what deficiencies were identified in fighter reaction times to air threats to the north-west of the United Kingdom during the recent Exercise Elder Forest.

Mr. Freeman

An evaluation of this exercise is still under way, but preliminary indications are that it successfully achieved the aim of testing certain of the United Kingdom's air defence forces. It is not, however, the practice to reveal in detail operational lessons learnt from such exercises.