§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate has been made of the cost of transferring the military emergency diversion airfield facility for RAF Lossiemouth to RAF Kinloss.
§ Mr. NeubertIt is estimated that the transfer of military emergency diversion airfield (MEDA) responsibility from RAF Lossiemouth to RAF Kinloss will result in a net saving of some £3 million over 10 years.
§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current cost of fitting rotary hydraulic arrester gear at an emergency diversion airfield.
§ Mr. NeubertThe cost of installing rotary hydraulic arrester gear (RHAG) varies from site to site dependent upon the works services required. It is estimated that the cost of installing rotary hydraulic arrester gear (RHAG) at RAF Kinloss will be some £400,000.
§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate has been made of likely civilian job losses at RAF Lossiemouth when its military emergency diversion airfield facility is transferred to RAF Kinloss; and what will be the total cost of paying voluntary redundancy payments.
§ Mr. SainsburyEleven civilian firemen posts will be lost; of the 11 posts lost, eight will be made redundant all on voluntary terms. The total cost of voluntary redundancy payments is estimated at £168,000.
§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions in the past five years RAF Lossiemouth has been used as a military emergency diversion airfield, showing these figures for(a) civilian and (b) military aircraft.
§ Mr. NeubertIn the last five years RAF Lossiemouth has been used as an emergency diversion airfield on 311 occasions. Fifty-one of these diversions were by civil aircraft and 260 by military aircraft.
§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate has been made of jobs likely to be created for civilians following upon the establishment of RAF Kinloss as a military emergency diversion airfield; and if these can be shown according to support tasks.
§ Mr. SainsburyNo additional posts, military or civilian, will be created at RAF Kinloss following the transfer of the military emergency diversion airfield task from RAF Lossiemouth.
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§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions have been held between his Department and representatives of local authority fire services to ensure that the brigade can meet required response times, including during silent hours, for the proposed military emergency diversion airfield facility at RAF Kinloss.
§ Mr. NeubertThe proposed military emergency diversion airfield facility at RAF Kinloss will not alter required response times for the local authority fire services. The need for discussions does not therefore arise.
The Royal Air Force has a standing requirement for liaison between RAF and local authority fire services and joint exercises are carried out at regular intervals.
§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what training facilities will be offered to civilians recruited to RAF Kinloss prior to, and following upon, its establishment as a military emergency diversion airfield.
§ Mr. NeubertThere will be no civilians recruited to RAF Kinloss specifically as a result of its designation as a military emergency diversion airfield. The question of training does not therefore arise.
§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what will be the official category of RAF Lossiemouth following upon the transfer of its military emergency diversion airfield facility to RAF Kinloss in June 1989.
§ Mr. NeubertWhen RAF Lossiemouth ceases to be designated a military emergency diversion airfield in June 1989, it will continue as an operational flying station within 18 Group of Strike Command.