US Visiting Forces (Hansard, 8 March 1999)

§ Mr. Baker
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the UK bases which have needed clean-up operations after US visiting forces have vacated them, indicating the nature of the pollution, the costs, and who paid for these costs in each case. [75117]

§ Mr. Spellar
I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

§ Mr. Baker
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the existing arrangements, agreements and memoranda of understanding between UK and US Governments in respect of the US visiting forces at Menwith Hill. [75114]

§ Mr. Doug Henderson
The presence of the US Visiting Forces at RAF Menwith Hill is governed by the NATO Status of Forces Agreement 1951 and other arrangements appropriate to the relationship which exists between the governments of the United Kingdom and the United States for the purposes of our common defence.

§ Mr. Baker
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the Cost Sharing Agreement 1973 between the UK and US Governments in respect of the US visiting forces. [75115]

§ Mr. Doug Henderson
No. The 1973 Cost Sharing Arrangement is a confidential arrangement between the UK and US Governments and is being withheld under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

§ Mr. Baker
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the cost-sharing arrangements agreed between the US and UK Governments in respect of the US visiting forces. [75113]

§ Mr. Doug Henderson
The 1973 Cost Sharing Arrangement is the principal covering general costs sharing matters in relation to the presence of the United 45W States Visiting Forces in the UK. A number of other arrangements exist which may contain cost sharing provisions but a record of these is not held centrally.