HC Deb 14 January 1997 vol 288 cc229-31W
Dr. John Cunnignham

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been(a) the income and (b) the operating costs of the Eskmeals range in each of the last five financial years. [10155]

Mr. Arbuthnot

This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Dr. John Cunningham, dated 14 January 1997: I have been asked to reply to your question about the income and operating costs of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) range at Eskmeals in each of the last five financial years, since as Chief Executive of DERA this is a matter for which I am responsible. The income and operating costs of the Eskmeals range in 1995/96, together with the latest forecast for the current year is given in the Table below. Information on a comparable basis prior to the inclusion of Eskmeals in the Trading Agency in 1995 is not available.

£000
1995–96 1996–97 forecast
Income 5,365 4,355
Operating costs (8,450) (5,504)
Over/(under) recovery (3,085) (1,149)

1. Operating costs for 1995–96 include exceptional costs of £987,000.

2. Eskmeals budgeted for a loss of £ 1.329 million in 1995–96.

I hope this is helpful.

Dr. Cunningham

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how many days in each of the last five years the ranges at(a) Eskmeals and (b) Shoeburyness have been used for testing purposes. [10154]

Mr. Arbuthnot

This is a matter for the chief executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Dr. John Cunningham, dated 14 January 1997: I have been asked to reply to your question about the number of days in each of the last five years the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) ranges at Shoeburyness and Eskmeals have been used for testing, since as Chief Executive of DERA this is a matter for which I am responsible. The ranges at both Eskmeals and Shoeburyness have been in continuous use for testing purposes over the last five years. Each has a number of firing points or batteries and other test facilities and trials typically involve several days of preparation. The number of days in which firing took place somewhere on the ranges is as follows:

Days
Eskmeals
1992 237
1993 241
1994 206
1995 215
1996 228
Shoeburyness
1992 240
1993 243
1994 245
1995 246
1996 225
I hope this is helpful.

Dr. Cunningham

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the projected income of the Eskmeals range in the current year and for the next three years; [10156]

(2) what is the projected income of the Shoeburyness range in (a) the current year and (b) the next three years. [10157]

Mr. Arbuthnot

This is a matter for the chief executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Dr. John Cunningham, dated 14 January 1997: I have been asked to reply to your questions about the projected income of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) ranges at Eskmeals and Shoeburyness, since as Chief Executive of DERA this is a matter for which I am responsible. I will reply to both questions in this letter. The projected income of the Eskmeals range for the current financial year is £4.4 million and that of the Shoeburyness range is £18.4 million. The budget for 1997/98 has still to be finalised and projections by range for future years are not available. The latest planning figure for total income across all of the DTEO Land Ranges (including Eskmeals, Kirkcudbright, Pendine and Shoeburyness) for each of the next three years is as follows:

  • 1997/98: £29 million
  • 1998/99: £27 million
  • 1999/00: £22 million.
The equivalent figure for the current year is £32 million (against a budget of £44 million). I hope this is helpful.

Dr. Cunningham

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was(a) the income and (b) the operating costs of the Shoeburyness range in each of the last five financial years. [10144]

Mr. Arbuthnot

This is a matter for the chief executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Dr. John Cunningham, dated 14 January 1997: I have been asked to reply to your question about the income and operating costs of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) range at Shoeburyness in each of the last five financial years, since as Chief Executive of DERA this is a matter for which I am responsible. The income and operating costs of the Shoeburyness range in 1995/96, together with the latest forecast for the current year is given in the Table below. Information on a comparable basis prior to the inclusion of Shoeburyness in the Trading Agency in 1995 is not available.

£000s
1995–96 1996–97 forecast
Income 25,603 18,447
Operating costs (26,108) (22,582)
Over/under recovery (505) (4,135)
I hope this is helpful.