HC Deb 04 February 1988 vol 126 c714W
Mr. Macdonald

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what use will be made of RAF Stornoway in Exercise ASWEX 1–88.

Mr. Ian Stewart

Routine use, amounting to a small number of daylight transfers of stores and personnel by military helicopters, will be made of the civil facilities at Stornoway airport during Exercise ASWEX 1–88.

Mr. Macdonald

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what use will be made of Benbecula airport during Exercise ASWEX 1–88.

Mr. Ian Stewart

During Exercise ASWEX 1–88 Benbecula airport will perform its usual functon as an air traffic control point. In addition, there may be one daylight transfer of personnel, involving military aircraft.

Mr. Macdonald

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what naval activity will be conducted in the Minch and the waters around the Western Isles during Exercise ASWEX 1–88; and what consultations have taken place with fishermen's organisations.

Mr. Ian Stewart

ASWEX 1–88 is a routine naval exercise involving a small number of units. There will be little activity in the Minches and the waters around the Western Isles during the exercise. It is not our normal practice to consult fishermen's organisations about relatively minor exercises of this nature, and we did not do so on this occasion.