HC Deb 22 June 1978 vol 952 cc310-1W
Mr. Churchill

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details of all major movements or exercises undertaken by Soviet naval vessels in the seas around the United Kingdom in each of the past five years; and if he will place in the Library a diagram indicating Soviet naval activity around the United Kingdom in 1977.

Mr. Duffy

The Soviet Navy does not generally conduct major exercises close to the mainland coasts of the United Kingdom. Its usual exercise area is the Norwegian Sea, although there has been a major exercise in the North Sea.

The following table gives details of major Soviet naval exercises in the seas around the United Kingdom for the past

1973—
April … … 6 days … … … Norwegian Sea
May … … 9 days … … … Norwegian Sea
July … … 15 days … … … North East Atlantic
1974—
May/June … … 7 days … … … Norwegian Sea
September … … 10 days … … … Iceland/Faroes/Shetlands/Norwegian Gaps
1975—
April … … 14–20 days … … Norwegian Sea and North East Atlantic
November … … 7 days … … … Norwegian Sea (NATO exercise)
1976—
May … … 14 days … … … Norwegian Sea
June … … 4 days … … … East North Sea
1977—
April … … 5 days … … … Norwegian Sea
June … … 3 days … … … Norwegian Sea
October … … 5 days … … … Norwegian Sea (NATO exercise)

The only major movements have been those of the aircraft carier "Kiev" in August 1976, December 1977 and March/April 1978. Other routine movements consist of ships using the Atlantic access routes to and from the Northern and Baltic Fleet bases.

Soviet naval activity could not conveniently be represented in the form of a diagram, but I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 13th April to a Question from the hon. Member for Louth (Mr. Brotherton) for further information.

Mr. Brotherton

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many Russian ships and submarines have been sighted within 50 miles of the coast of the United Kingdom in each year since 1974.

Mr. Duffy

Almost continuously, there is a Soviet rescue tug at anchor within 20 miles of the Shetlands. For approximately eight months in the year there is an intelligence collector—AGI—off the Clyde Approaches. In addition and sometimes simultaneously, a second AGI may spend a total of some three months a year on station off the East Coast—or, less frequently, the South Coast.

Statistics on sightings of other Soviet ships are not readily available in the form requested, but in 1977 some 27 Soviet warships including submarines were sighted within 50 miles of the United Kingdom.