§ Mrs. Ray MichieTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the operation of the scheme under which the Royal Navy notifies details of planned activity by submerged submarines in the inner Clyde.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe Clyde submarine movements notification scheme was introduced on 17 December 1990. Under this scheme the Royal Navy gives notice of the sea areas and times of planned submerged submarine activity in the inner Clyde. The information is broadcast by the Clyde coastguard every four hours on VHF and is also available by telephone from the operations room a1 the Clyde submarine base. Local fishermen have also undertaken to inform the Navy in advance of those times and locations when fishing activity is expected to be heavier than usual. The scheme does not preclude fishing in notified areas, but alerts fishermen to those areas where dived submarine activity may occur. The operation or the scheme has been monitored closely since its introduction and I believe it is working well and has achieved a worth while improvement in fishing vessel and submarine safety in the areas covered. In the light of this, I have agreed that from 1 July the scheme will be expanded to cover all Clyde submarine exercise areas lying either wholly or partly within the United Kingdom 12-mile limit. The ranges at Rona and Raasay are also to be included in the notification arrangements.