§ Mr. WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what information he has on the planned retirement date for the Poseidon missile-equipped submarines currently deployed at Holy Loch;
(2) what discussions have been held between his Department and the United States authorities concerning United States Navy use of the Holy Loch base after the retiral of the Poseidon missile from United States navy service.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonI refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett) on 20 March 1990 at column521.
§ Mr. WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what additional duties at the Holy Loch base will be performed by United States personnel to be accommodated in the new houses to be leased by the United States navy in the Dunoon-Sandbank areas.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonNone. The United States Navy's requirement for additional housing is to alleviate a longstanding shortfall.
§ Mr. WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current number of military and civilian personnel assigned to the United States navy base at Holy Loch; and what changes are planned in these levels over the next three years.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonApproximately 2,000 personnel work at the Holy Loch facility. No significant changes in numbers are currently envisaged by the United States navy.
§ Mr. WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision is made for(a) firefighting, (b) nuclear emergencies and (c) maintenance support of submarines at the Holy Loch facility during periods of absence of the USS Simon Lake.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonIn periods of absence of the submarine tender, the United States navy has alternative 199W arrangements to cover emergencies, of which Her Majesty's Government are aware. The provision of maintenance support for its submarines is solely a matter for the United States Government.