HC Deb 18 July 1988 vol 137 cc489-93W
Dr. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what geographical area, expressed(a) by county and (b) by parliamentary constituency, is covered by low flying area 8.

Mr. Freeman

Low-flying area 8 covers(a)the counties of Cheshire, Derbyshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, and parts of the counties of Lancashire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Staffordshire and (b) the parliamentary constituencies of Blackpool, South, Preston, South Ribble, Blackburn, Hyndburn, Burnley, Calder Valley, Halifax, Shipley, Bradford, West, contract extant in his Department as at 1 January 1987, giving in each case the name of the consultancy firm and the subject of the assignment.

Mr. Sainsbury

Details of the management and computer consultancy contracts extant in the Ministry of Defence as at 1 January 1987 are set out in the table. The contracts listed include all those consultancies handled centrally by the management services division.

Bradford, North, Bradford, South, Pudsey, Leeds, North-West, Leeds, West, Leeds, Central, Morley a nd Leeds, South, Batley and Spen, Huddersfield, Southport, Lancashire, West, Chorley, Rossendale and Darwen, Crosby, Wigan, Makerfield, Leigh, Bolton, West. Bury, North, Bolton, North-East, Bolton, South-East, Heywood and Middleton, Rochdale, Bury, South, Littleborough and Saddleworth, Colne Valley, Dewsbury, Bootle, Wirral, West, Wirral, South, Wallasey, Birkenhead, Liverpool, Riverside, Liverpool, Walton, Liverpool, West Derby, Liverpool, Broadgreen, Liverpool, Mossley Hill, Liverpool, Garston, Knowsley, North, Knowsley, South, St. Helens, North, St. Helens, South, Warrington, North, Warrington, South, Worsley, Eccles, Oldham, West, Oldham, Central and Royton, Manchester, Blackley, Manchester, Central, Manchester, Gorton, Manchester, Withington, Manchester, Wythenshawe, Stretford, Davyhulme, Altrincham and Sale, Ashton-under-Lyne, Stalybridge and Hyde, Denton and Reddish, Stockport, Salford, East, Hazel Grove, High Peak, Barnsley, West and Penistone, Sheffield, Hillsborough, Sheffield, Hallam, Rotherham, Sheffield, Brightside, Sheffield, Central, Sheffield, Heeley, Sheffield, Attercliffe, Wentworth, Rother Valley, Ellesmere Port and Neston, City of Chester, Eddisbury, Tatton, Crewe and Nantwich, Congleton, Macclesfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent, North, Stoke-on-Trent, Central, Stoke-on-Trent, South, Staffordshire, Moorlands, Mid-Staffordshire, Burton, Derbyshire, West, Derbyshire, North-East, Derby, North, Derby, South, Derbyshire South, Bolsover, Mansfield, Amber Valley, Ashfield, Erewash, Broxstowe, Nottingham North, Nottingham, East, Nottingham, South, Leicestershire, North-West, Staffordshire, South-East, Meriden, Warwickshire, North, Cannock and Burntwood, Wolverhampton, North-East, Wolverhampton, South-West, Wolverhampton, South-East, Aldridge-Brownhills, Walsall, North, Walsall, South, Dudley, West, Dudley, East, Halesowen and Stourbridge, West Bromwich, West, West Bromwich, East, Warley, West, Warley, East, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, Perry Barr, Birmingham, Erdington, Birmingham, Ladywood, Birmingham, Small Heath, Birmingham, Hodge Hill, Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, Sparkbrook, Birmingham, Yardley, Birmingham, Northfield, Birmingham, Selly Oak, Birmingham, Hall Green, Solihull, Coventry, North-West, Coventry, North-East, Coventry, South-West, Coventry, South-East, Halton, Barnsley, East, Chesterfield and South Ribble and parts of the parliamentary constituencies of Blackpool, North, Fylde, Wyre, Lancaster, Ribble Valley, Pendle, Keighley, Skipton and Ripon, Leeds, North-East, Leeds, East, Normanton, Hemsworth, Wakefield, Barnsley, Central, Don Valley, Doncaster, North, Bassetlaw, Sherwood, Gedling, Rushcliffe, Loughborough, Bosworth, Nuneaton, Rugby and Kenilworth, Warwick and Leamington, Stratford-on-Avon, Bromsgrove, Staffordshire, South, Ludlow, The Wrekin, Shropshire, North, Stafford and Alyn and Deeside.

Dr. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what geographical area, expressed(a) by county or region and (b) by parliamentary constituency, is covered by low flying area 14.

Mr. Freeman

Low-flying Area 14 covers(a) the regions of Grampian, Highland, Orkney, Shetland, Tayside and the Western Isles and parts of the counties of Central, Fife and Strathclyde and (b) the parliamentary constituencies of Orkney and Shetland, Western Isles, Caithness and Sutherland, Ross, Cromarty and Skye, Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber, Moray, Aberdeen, North, Aberdeen, South, Tayside, North, Dundee, North, Dundee, East, Banff and Buchan, Gordon, Kincardine and Deeside, Argyll and Bute, Perth and Kinross, Angus East, Fife, Central, Fife, North-East and parts of the parliamentary constituencies of Cunninghame, North, Renfrew, West and Inverclyde, Greenock and Port Glasgow, Dumbarton, Stirling, Clackmannan, Dunfermline, West, Dunfermline, East and Kirkcaldy.

Dr. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what geographical area, expressed(a) by county and (b)by parliamentary constituency, is covered by low flying area 19.

Mr. Freeman

Low-flying area 19 covers(a) the counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone and (b) the parliamentary constituencies of Antrim, East, Antrim, North, Antrim, South, Belfast, East, Belfast, North, Belfast, South, Belfast, West, North Down, South Down, Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Foyle, Lagan Valley, Londonderry, East, Newry and Armagh, Strangford, Mid-Ulster and Upper Bann.

Dr. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the minimum height for fixed-wing military aircraft operating in the Wash area of intense aerial activity.

Mr. Freeman

The minimum authorised height for flying in the Wash area of intense aerial activity overland is 250 ft; within the confines of the range danger area aircraft may descend to 100 ft, and in respect of Harrier aircraft only, 85 ft on their final approaches to target; senior commanders may authorise flying below 250 ft beyond 3 nautical miles of the coast for specialised operational training.

Dr. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the minimum permitted height for fixed-wing military aircraft operating in the Cultybraggan danger area, D 602;

(2)what is the minimum permitted height for fixed-wing military aircraft operating over the landward portion of the Foulness danger area, D 128;

(3)what is the minimum permitted height for fixed-wing military aircraft operating over the landward portion of the Hythe danger area, D 141.

Mr. Freeman: The information requested is as follows:

  1. (a)at the Cultybraggan danger area D 602, the minimum operating height when the area is activated is 4,000 ft. At other times a 250 ft minimum separation distance (MSD) is operated;
  2. (b)with regard to the landward portion of the Foulness danger area, I assume that the hon. Member is referring to danger area 138—Shoeburyness—which incorporates Foulness island. When the danger area is activated the minimum permitted heights vary from 4,000 ft to 60,000 ft dependent on the type of trial. When inactive normal United Kingdom low flying restrictions apply;
  3. (c)at the Hythe danger area D 141, when activated between 0800 and 2359 hours daily, the minimum permitted height is 2,000 ft; when inactive 250 ft MSD is followed;
  4. (d)at Cultybraggan and Hythe aircraft may transmit with prior approval from the danger area co-ordinating authority.

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the minimum height at which military aircraft are permitted to fly while conducting attacks in the Spadeadam range danger area;

(2)what is the minimum height at which military aircraft are permitted to fly while conducting attacks in the Otterburn range danger area;

(3)what is the minimum height and maximum speed at which military aircraft are permitted to fly in the run-up to simulated targets in the Spadeadam area of intense aerial activity.

Mr. Freeman

Further to my answer of 1 July 1988 to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Dr. Thomas) at column399 of the Official Report, fixed wing aircraft are permitted to fly at 100 ft minimum separation distance (MSD) and at 550 knots during their final approach to target when within the centres of Spadeadam and Otterburn range danger areas. In addition, Harrier aircraft undertaking live firings may fly at 85 ft MSD within these areas. The overwhelming majority of approaches to these ranges are undertaken at heights of 250 ft MSD and above: however, on the few occasions when the border tactical training area is activated, aircraft in their approach to these ranges from that area may fly through the Spadeadam area of intense aerial activity at heights of 100 ft MSD.

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