HC Deb 26 February 1975 vol 887 cc170-4W
Mr. MacFarquhar

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what will be the total amount of the fuel expended by the Royal yacht during the current Royal visit to the Americas;

(2) how often and under what circumstances the Royal yacht has performed those rôles assigned it, unconnected with the travels of the Royal Family, during the period 1970 to 1974;

(3) on how many days per year on average the Royal yacht has been used in connection with Royal visits by the Queen during the five years 1970 to 1974;

(4) what places the Royal yacht will be visiting; and how many nautical miles it will probably cover during the current Royal visit to the Americas;

(5) what places the Royal yacht has visited; and how many nautical miles it has journeyed during the period 1970 to 1974 in connection with duties unrelated to activities official or private, of the Royal Family;

(6) what places the Royal yacht has visited; and how many nautical miles it has journeyed during the period 1970 to 1974 in connection with private use by the Royal Family.

(7) what places the Royal yacht has visited; and how many nautical miles it has journeyed during the period 1970 to 1974 in connection with Royal visits by members of the Royal Family other than the Queen;

(8) what places the Royal yacht has visited; and how many nautical miles it has journeyed during the period 1970 to 1974 in connection with Royal visits by the Queen;

(9) for how many days the Royal yacht will be engaged on the current Royal visit to the Americas from the date of departure from home base to the date of return; and for what proportion of that time the Queen will be based on the yacht;

(10) how many days per year during the period 1970 to 1974 the Royal yacht has been used for purely private purposes by members of the Royal Family; at whose expense; and at what cost;

(11) what has been the annual cost of the fuel and the amount of the fuel expended by the Royal yacht in connection with private use by the Royal Family in the period 1970 to 1974;

(12) what has been the annual cost of the fuel and the amount of the fuel expended

ANNEX B
H.M. YACHT "BRITANNIA'S" ROYAL DUTIES
1971 (remainder) Miles
3rd August-6th August Cowes Week 13
9th August-19th August Cruise to Western Isles by Her Majesty The Queen and members of the Royal Family 2,100
4th October-2nd November Royal Tour of Turkey by Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. Her Royal Highness The Princess Anne was also embarked 6,940
1972
1st January-1st May Royal Tour of South East Asia by Her Majesty The Queen, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh and Her Royal Highness The Princess Anne 27,158
17th May-26th May Passage to and from Rouen to embark Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh and Royal Tour of the Channel Islands by Her Royal Highness The Princess Anne 710
28th July-30th July Cowes Week 13
30th July-11th August Cruise to Dartmouth, the Isle of Man and Western Isles by Her Majesty The Queen and members of the Royal Family 1,608

by the Royal yacht on Royal visits in the period 1970 to 1974;

(13) what has been the annual cost of the fuel and the amount of the fuel expended by the Royal yacht in connection with uses unconnected with the Royal Family in the period 1970 to 1974;

(14) how many days per year on average the Royal yacht has been used in connection with Royal visits by a member of the Royal Family other than the Queen during the five years 1970 to 1974.

(15) during those periods when the Royal yacht has been used for Royal visits by the Queen in the years 1970 to 1974, what proportion of the time the Queen herself has been based on the yacht; and what proportion of the time was spent getting to the place being visited without the Queen on board;

(16) during those periods when the Royal yacht has been used for Royal visits by members of the Royal Family other than the Queen in the years 1970 to 1974, what proportion of the time those members of the Royal Family have been based on the yacht; and what proportion of the time was spent getting to the place being visited without a member of the Royal Family on board.

Mr. Judd

These Questions can best be answered by bringing up to date the information given in Appendix 8 to the Minutes of Evidence taken before the Select Committee on the Civil List in 1971.

1973
3rd August-8th August Cowes Week 12
8th August-20th August Cruise to Avonmouth and Western Isles by Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh and members of the Royal Family 1,743
30th October-4th December Tour of the West Indies and Galapagos by Her Royal Highness The Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips 7,326
5th December-31st December Passage to New Zealand 6,535
1974
1st January-2nd May Royal Tour of New Zealand, Australia and the Far East by Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh 17,743
2nd August-6th August Cowes Week 15
7th August-19th August Cruise to Western Isles by Her Majesty The Queen and members of the Royal Family 2,100
1975
28th January-1st March Royal Tour of Mexico by Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh 6,160

After taking part in a tour of Central America with His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh in March, HMY "Britannia" is expected to undertake naval duties including self-maintenance until she visits Jamaica for the Commonwealth

ANNEX C
H.M. YACHT "BRITANNIA'S" PARTICIPATION IN NAVAL EXERCISES
1972
24th April-29th April NATO Exercise NIGHTSEARCH. Simulating a Naval Auxiliary.
Note: This Annex should be read in conjunction with Annex B. The "Britannia" underwent her first major refit from September 1972 to July 1973. Since then she has been heavily engaged in the Royal service.
ANNEX D
ROYAL YACHT "BRITANNIA"
Annual Running Costs
Year Pay and allowances Maintenance including refits Petrol, oil and lubricants Stores Total
£ £ £ £ £
1970–71 490,985 152,177 42,550 89,956 775,668
1971–72 549,924 172,108 82,574 90,306 894,912
1972–73 603,606 1,213,000 16,000 49,728 1,882,334
1973–74 777,300 757,548 74,000 44,890 1,653,738
1974–75* 915,000 429,500 112,000 53,200 1,509,700
* The figures against this year are estimates.

It is not the practice to cost individual tours.

Heads of Government Meeting in April when Her Majesty The Queen will be on board. Mileages cannot be estimated accurately at the present stage of planning.