HC Deb 24 January 1984 vol 52 cc453-7W
Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the contract with ITM Offshore Ltd. for a port in the Falklands; and at what estimated cost the work will be carried out.

Mr. Lee

The contract with ITM Offshore Ltd. for the Falklands Intermediate Port and Storage System is progressing satisfactorily and is expected to be fully operational by March 1984. The estimated cost of the work, including the maintenance of the system for a three-year period will be of the order of £25 million.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will name the foreign flag ships on charter in December 1983 to supply the Falklands garrison.

Mr. Stanley

On 15 December 1983 the foreign ships on charter were the Bickersgracht, Hans Maersk and Sandshore.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost to public funds of the transport to and from the Falkland Islands of a Scottish Television reporter, cameraman, and their colleagues in December 1983.

Mr. Stanley

A notional cost to public funds of about £8,000 was incurred.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost to public funds of helicopters provided to the Scottish Television team to photograph penguins.

Mr. Stanley

No significant additional costs were incurred for the use of helicopters in the Falklands as these were made available on an opportunity basis.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost to public funds of the visit of the Scottish Television team in the Falkland Islands.

Mr. Stanley

The team was responsible for its own accommodation and messing costs during its stay in the Falkland Islands.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many convector heaters his Department has bought from EITA products for use in the Falklands.

Mr. Stanley

I shall write to the hon. Member.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total value of convector heaters bought for troops in the Falklands.

Mr. Stanley

Defence accommodation stores are purchased by the Property Services Agency to meet overall MoD requirements. The total value of convector heaters issued to date by the central defence accommodation stores depot to the Falklands task force and to the Falklands garrison is £72,528.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what action is taken to acclimatise troops before they are sent to South Georgia.

Mr. Stanley

All troops going to the south Atlantic by sea from Ascension receive gradual acclimatisation during the journey there. In addition to this, all personnel going to South Georgia receive training in winter warfare and medical briefings.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his discussions with the Falkland Islands Government over the sale of land for the Falklands airport.

Mr. Stanley

Discussions over the sale of land have largely been between the Property Services Agency, acting on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, and the Falkland Islands Company. The Attorney-General of the Falkland Islands Government has, however, been involved in the drawing-up of the contract of sale.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set up a board of inquiry into the death of Sapper David Mead, RE, in South Georgia.

Mr. Stanley

Not at this stage, since a coroner's inquest has been opened into the death of Sapper Mead. A decision on whether a board of inquiry needs to be convened will be taken after he inquest has been completed.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why he authorised the Scottish Television camera team to show on television a nuclear submarine in Stanley harbour.

Mr. Stanley

The fact that RN submarines may be operating in the area of the Falkland Islands is not classified information.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost to public funds of the help given to CBTV's special unit on location in the Falkland Islands for the programme, "Fortress Falklands — A Child's Eye View", screened on Friday 30 December 1983.

Mr. Stanley

The CBTV special unit was responsible for its own accommodation and messing costs during its stay in the Falkland Islands. No significant additional costs were incurred for the use of helicopters as they were made available on an opportunity basis.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost to public funds of transporting Thames Television staff to and from the Falklands in December 1983.

Mr. Stanley

None.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he now makes of the dangers of unexploded explosive ordnance in the Falkland Islands.

Mr. Stanley

There is great danger within the areas that have not been cleared of unexploded ordnance. The possibility of finding unexploded ordnance elsewhere cannot be ruled out but the EOD teams of the Royal Engineers have done outstanding work in removing approximately 2.4 million potentially dangerous items since the Falklands conflict.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what figures he has available for the number of number four shoe box mines made in Israel, or of Israeli design, which have so far been found in the Falkland Islands.

Mr. Stanley

190.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what was the operating cost of the vessel Norland in 1983, providing a link between Ascension Island and the Falklands; and what was the payment to North Sea Ferries for the use of the Norland;

(2) what was the cost of the vessel St. Edmunds Falklands-related work during 1983; and how much has been paid to Sealink for the use of the St. Edmunds;

(3) what was the cost of the Falklands-related work of the vessel Cunard Countess, operating between Ascension and the Falklands; and how much was paid to Cunard in 1983 for the use of the Cunard Countess;

(4) for what purposes and what cost he has chartered the vessel Ailsa Princess;

(5) how much he paid the Norwegian owners for the charter of the cargo vessel Sand Shore for Falklands work in 1983;

(6) how much he paid the Danish owners of the vessel Annette S for Falklands-related work in 1983;

(7) how much he paid the owners of the Baltic Ferry for work in and around the Falklands in 1983;

(8) what was the cost of operating the vessel Rangetira in and around the Falklands in 1983;

(9) for what Falkland-related purposes the Scottish Eagle has been used in 1983; and at what cost;

(10) for what purposes the vessel Stenor Inspector was used in the South Atlantic in 1983; and what was the payment made to her owners for the use of the vessel.

Mr. Stanley

I shall answer shortly.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how much he paid the Swedish owners of the offshore accommodation barge Safe Dominia in 1983 for work in the Falklands.

Mr. Stanley

It is not the practice to disclose the cost of individual contracts for reasons of commercial confidentiality.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what action he is taking as a result of representations from the Falkland Islands foundation, and the World Wildlife Fund, on threats to the wildlife and nautical heritage of the Falklands.

Mr. Stanley

We work in very close collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund, the Falkland Islands foundation and the Falkland Islands trust on conservation matters in the Falkland Islands.

In addition, a firm of consultants has been engaged to carry out a full environmental impact assessment of the airfield project and as part of this assessment the consultants have commissioned the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology in conjunction with the Scottish Nature Conservancy Council to prepare an ecological assessment of the area that will be affected. This will allow the PSA, which is managing the airfield project, and the contractor, to take into account, as far as is practicable, the needs of nature conservation. Papers forwarded to us, the PSA and the consultants on behalf of the Falkland Islands foundation are being taken into account in this assessment.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent by his Department on conservation and education work in the Falklands.

Mr. Stanley

No record is kept centrally on the amount of money spent by the Department on conservation and education work in the Falklands, and such information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to protect the colony of 400 gentoo penguins, five miles from the new airport site in the Falklands.

Mr. Stanley

Such steps have already been taken.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost to public funds of taking a journalist, Mrs. Susan Crosland, by helicopter, to West Falkland.

Mr. Stanley

No significant additional costs were incurred for the use of the helicopter as this was made available on an opportunity basis.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost to public funds of flying Mrs. Susan Crosland to and from the Falkland Islands in the autumn of 1983.

Mr. Stanley

None.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what guidelines are given to the 27 military police in the Falklands in dealing with off-duty violence between service men of different units in the Falklands.

Mr. Stanley

The 20 service police currently in the Falklands have been given no special instructions other than those governing the work of all service police as set out in Queen's Regulations.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how much has been paid by Her Majesty's Government to the Government of Senegal for landing rights for aircraft travelling to and from the Falkland Islands between April 1982 and December 1983;

(2) what landing rights the United Kingdom Government have for military aircraft at Dakar, Senegal.

Mr. Stanley

It is not necessary to negotiate landing rights for the use of Dakar airport: normal clearance procedures are followed as with all other states. Landing charges amounting to approximately £750,000 have been paid to the airport authority for the period in question.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence on what authority Lieut-Col. Patrick Cardwell Moore, Commander Officer, 1st Battalion, the Royal Scots, has stated that it was the appreciation of the Ministry of Defence that the Argentinians would probably not have the capability to mount a full-scale assault on the Falkland Islands for five years or so while they made good deficiencies but there was a much greater likelihood of some sort of commando landing, probably by submarine.

Mr. Stanley

Lieut-Col. Cardwell Moore made these remarks in the course of a routine press briefing given to local journalists prior to the posting of the 1st Battalion Royal Scots to the Falklands. Clearance is not required for routine briefings of this kind.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Defence why he considers it inconvenient for the United Kingdom to continue maintaining a large military force in the Falkland Islands; and if he will make statement.

Mr. Stanley

It is not easy to supply and to rotate a garrison over a distance of 8,000 miles. However, the distance factor in no way diminishes our commitment to discharge our defence responsibilities towards the Falkland Islands.