§ Mr. Menzies CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what steps have been taken to restore stocks of precision guided and non-precision guided munitions back to pre-operation levels following operation Allied Force; and if he will make a statement; [124207]
(2) what contracts have been placed to replace (a) Paveway II, (b) Paveway III, (c) RBL 755, (d) 1,000 lb bomb, (e) ALARM and (f) TLAM expended during operations in Kosovo, listing in each case the (i) company involved, (ii) estimated date of delivery, (iii) value of the contract and (iv) cost per unit; and if he will make a statement. [124221]
§ Mr. Spellar[holding answer 5 June 2000]Rather than simply replace all of the weapons used, we have evaluated the need to retain the capability provided by each weapon system and whether replenishment of that weapon represents the most cost effective means of restoring that capability. Where necessary, replacement weapons were ordered both during and immediately 559W after the conflict, with due consideration to previous stockholding and usage rates, to restore an appropriate level of War Reserve.
Munition Company Approximate value (£ million) Unit price (£) Delivery date Paveway II Portsmouth Aviation 18 8,000 August 2000 RBL 755 Hunting Engineering Ltd. 7 7,000 August 2000 TLAM Raytheon 23 1,100,000 — No further orders are currently required for Paveway III, 1,000 lb bombs or ALARM missiles.
Given TLAM's unique capability, knowledge of its delivery schedule could allow a potential adversary to assess the UK's stock level and operational capability; this information is, therefore, withheld in accordance with Exemption 1 (Defence, Security, and International Relations) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.