Naval Gunfire (Hansard, 4 May 1995)

§ Mr. Ian Bruce
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many incidents in the last 10 years in training exercises on the south coast there have been of naval gunfire landing where it was not supposed to. [21444]

§ Mr. Soames
There have been no recorded incidents in the period in question.

§ Mr. Matthew Taylor
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated extra cost of using helicopters for the spotters, at the proposed naval firing range at Dodman point, Cornwall, per annum. [22059]

§ Mr. Soames
Observation from helicopters during naval gunfire support would mostly be undertaken by the firing ship's own helicopter, in a dual role of range safety and fall of shot observation. There would, therefore, be no additional cost. However, for those Royal Navy ships which do not have their own helicopter, which we estimate to be approximately one fifth of the 70 or so firing serials each year, the cost to the Royal Navy would be in the region of £3,000 per two-hour serial. This would, however, be substantially less than the cost of continuing NGS training at Lulworth cove.

§ Mr. Matthew Taylor
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department will review the effectiveness and cost of the use of Dodman point for the proposed naval firing range after it has come into use. [22061]

§ Mr. Soames
Yes. The efficacy and cost-effectiveness of all aspects of naval training are kept under constant review.

§ Mr. Matthew Taylor
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department have assessed which other areas along the coast other than Dodman point which might be suitable for the proposed naval firing range. [22060]

§ Mr. Soames
The whole of the south coast area, from Start point to the Lizard, was considered in broad terms, and within this a number of specific sites were considered in details. Of these, only the site off Dodman point met the specific criteria required for naval gunfire support training. The viability of continuing training at Lulworth was also considered carefully, but would prove too costly in terms of both fuel consumption and manpower availability.