Mr. Alan WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many nights the royal family spent on the royal yacht in 1995–96 and when; and where the yacht was at the time. [13402]
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§ Mr. SoamesThe information requested is as follows:
Date Location Number of nights 1995 19–21 March Simons Town and Capetown 2 24–25 March Durban 1 31 May to 2 June Falmouth, Pembroke Dock and Avonmouth 2 12–13 June Portsmouth 1 28 July to 2 August Cowes 5 4–13 August Western Isles 10 18–19 August London 2 Total 21 1996 15 March Palm Beach 1 24–27 June Douglas, Belfast Portrush and Londonderry 1 5–8 July Marchwood Falmouth and Portsmouth 3 11–12 July Amsterdam 1 2–17 August Cowes Western Isles 15 Total 23
Mr. WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how many days the royal yacht has been used for inward investment seminars since 1989. [13400]
§ Mr. SoamesHMY Britannia has been used around the world to promote British exports and attract inward investment to the United Kingdom on 63 days since 1989. The figure does not include the transit times to and from the UK. On some days, however, more than one event was held.
§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what defects have been found in the(a) hull, (b) main and auxiliary machinery, (c) superstructure and (d) major items of marine equipment of the royal yacht Britannia requiring replacement or major repairs in order to maintain its sea going condition; [13586]
(2) what personnel and maintenance costs are required by the royal yacht Britannia which would not be incurred by its planned replacement. [13587]
§ Mr. SoamesBritannia is now a very elderly ship, built with 1940s technology, including steam-powered engines. She takes a great deal of manpower to maintain, with a ship's complement larger than that of the latest generation of Royal Navy frigates, and would have needed a refit this year costing £17 million in order to remain seaworthy for a further five years. Necessary work, much of it age related, would have included reappraisal and repair of around 80 frame connections between the frame, deck and shell; survey and replacement where required of lined surfaces; replacement of a significant portion of the main electrical cabling; and replacement of radar and communications equipment. Her running costs would not reduce from their average of about £10 million per annum.
The new yacht will incorporate the latest technology and her design will reflect the fact that she will not be required to sail long distances with the Queen abroad. The precise size of her crew has yet to be determined, but it will be substantially smaller than that required by Britannia. We expect average annual running costs to be not much more than half of those of Britannia.
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§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many days in each year since 1967 Her Majesty the Queen has been on board Her Majesty's yacht Britannia. [13699]
§ Mr. SoamesSince 1967, Her Majesty the Queen has spent the following number of days on board HMY Britannia:
Year Days 1967 12 1968 21 1969 27 1970 62 1971 26 1972 53 1973 8 1974 41 1975 13 1976 44 1977 84 1978 16 1979 36 1980 14 1981 26 1982 23 1983 35 1984 21 1985 38 1986 36 1987 10 1988 30 1989 28 1990 15 1991 16 1992 22 1993 20 1994 21 1995 20 1996 11 1 Major refit year. These figures do not reflect the often considerable transit times to and from the UK. Britannia is, of course, also used by other members of the royal family, and used to promote British exports and attract inward investment to the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on(a) refitting, (b) refurbishing and (c) maintaining the royal yacht since 1967. [13694]
§ Mr. SoamesThe information is not available in the breakdown requested. However, total expenditure on repair and refit is:
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Year £ thousand1 1967–68 258 1968–69 63 1969–70 481 1970–71 152 1971–72 172 1972–73 1,213 1973–74 758 1974–75 430 1975–76 1,286 1976–77 390 1977–78 1,299 1978–79 164 1979–80 4,568 1980–81 988
Year £ thousand1 1981–82 1,315 1982–83 199 1983–84 5,506 1984–85 1,161 1985–86 1,660 1986–87 2,402 1987–88 17,052 1988–89 3,811 1989–90 1,204 1990–91 2,593 1991–92 7,053 1992–93 2,292 1993–94 1,593 1994–95 4,189 1995–96 1,277 1996–972 2,227 1 Figures are outturn unless otherwise stated. 2 Estimate.
§ Mr. PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements he proposes to make in respect of provision of transport by sea for Her Majesty the Queen after Her Majesty's yacht Britannia is decommissioned and before the proposed replacement yacht is brought into service. [13700]
Date of journey Passenger Route Cost reimbursed £ 1 January 1996 Prince of Wales Mildenhall to Zurich 1,232 16 March 1996 Duke of Edinburgh Nassau to Rock Sound (Caribbean) 890 3 May 1996 Duke of Edinburgh Hereford to Stanmer Park 1,793.33 1 September 1996 HM the Queen Aberdeen to Teesside 1,186.67 3 September 1996 HM the Queen Teesside to Aberdeen 1,483.33 8 December 1996 HM the Queen Blackpool to Northolt 1,216.67 13 December 1996 Duke of Edinburgh Aberdeen to Lydd1 1,064.38 31 December 1996 Prince of Wales Stansted to Zurich Bill not yet submitted 1 Only the London to Lydd distance represented private use.
§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence which persons other than members of the royal family are entitled to make official use of the royal flight. [13671]
§ Mr. SoamesNo. 32 (The Royal) Squadron is established to fulfil communications, VIP and royal flying tasks. In addition to the royal family, squadron aircraft are used by Government Ministers, senior officers and officials of the MOD in fulfilment of their official duties, as well as meeting operational, exercise and flying training requirements. Visiting foreign dignitaries may also be flown, when appropriate. Such additional use contributes to overall cost-effectiveness.
§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many flights have been made in each of the last five years by members of the royal family for(a) official use and (b) personal use. [13673]
§ Mr. SoamesThe information is available in the format requested only for financial years 1995–96 and 1996–97 and is set out in the table. Prior to April 1995 only total figures are available.
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§ Mr. SoamesThe royal yacht is a national asset, which projects the image of Britain, provides a platform for state and official occasions, assists in promoting British economic interests and provides a suitable royal residence overseas. It is not a primary means of royal transport. Should Her Majesty have a requirement for sea travel before the new yacht enters service, this will be addressed at the appropriate time.
§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many days HMY Britannia was at sea in 1996; what functions were carried out; what was the total cost to his Department of the royal yacht in 1995–96; and what estimate he has made of the costs up to the date of decommissioning. [12391]
§ Mr. Soames[pursuant to his reply, 23 January 1997, Official Report, column 688–89]: I regret that the figure given for the running costs of HMY Britannia in the year 1995–96 was incorrect. The correct figure is £8,423,000.