RAF Menwith Hill (Hansard, 16 July 2001)

§ Norman Baker
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many(a) US and (b) UK (i) military and (ii) civilian personnel are deployed at RAF Menwith Hill. [4176]

§ Mr. Ingram
As at 13 June 2001, at RAF Menwith Hill there were 459 US military, 1,012 US civilian, five UK military and 404 UK civilian personnel (excluding GCHQ staff). I am withholding the numbers of GCHQ staff under exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

§ Norman Baker
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Space Based Infra-Red System radomes to come on line at RAF Menwith Hill. [4175]

§ Mr. Ingram
At present there is no firm date for when the European Relay Ground Station for the Space Based Infra-Red System located at RAF Menwith Hill will come on line.
7W

§ Norman Baker
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the legal status is of the United States personnel stationed at RAF Menwith Hill. [4180]

§ Mr. Ingram
The US personnel stationed at RAF Menwith Hill are there at the invitation of Her Majesty's Government, and are members (or dependants of members) of a visiting force or the civilian component of a visiting force to which Part 1 of the Visiting Forces Act 1952 applies.

§ Norman Baker
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason US Menwith Hill was renamed RAF Menwith Hill. [4173]

§ Mr. Ingram
The base was renamed RAF Menwith Hill in February 1996 bringing it into line with other sites made available to United States visiting forces in the UK.