§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the dates in 1996 when aircraft of the Queen's flight were used by members of the royal family for private journeys indicating in each case the member of the royal family concerned, the starting point and destination and the amount re-imbursed to public funds in 1996. [13891]
§ Mr. SoamesThe information is as follows:
Year Official Private Total 1991–92 — — 1,088 1992–93 — — 1,066 1993–94 — — 966 1994–95 — — 870 1995–96 871 9 880 1996–971 589 7 596 1 To 31 December 1996.
§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the rules on the use of the royal flight aircraft for the personal use of members of the royal family. [13674]
§ Mr. SoamesNo. 32 (The Royal) Squadron may be used for private purposes only by HM the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and HRH the Prince of Wales: such use is at the personal discretion of HM the Queen. In accordance with the wishes of Her Majesty the Queen, since 1 April 1995 the costs of private flights in aircraft of No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron by members of the royal family have been reimbursed to the MOD.
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§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those members of the royal family entitled to use the royal flight. [13675]
§ Mr. SoamesNo. 32 (The Royal) Squadron may be used by any member of the royal family on official business, subject to HM the Queen's permission. In addition to HM the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and HRH the Prince of Wales may use the Squadron for private travel at their own expense, subject to HM the Queen's permission.
§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service and civilian staff are employed(a) full time and (b) part time by the royal flight by numbers and rank; and at what annual cost to public funds. [13676]
§ Mr. SoamesNo. 32 (The Royal) Squadron consists of the personnel set out in the table. Costs of these personnel amount to some £3.7 million per year. The squadron is supported by service, civilian and contractor personnel at RAF Northolt.
- Wing commander: 1
- Squadron leader: 4
- Lieutenant commander (Royal Navy): 3
- Flight lieutenant: 38
- Master aircrew: 1
- Flight sergeant: 1
- Chief technician: 2
- Sergeant: 12
- Corporal: 17
- Senior aircraftsman: 18
- Typist: 1
- Retired officer 3: 1
§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the cost to public funds of journeys made by royal passengers using the royal flight in each of the past three years if they had been undertaken by commercial services. [13677]
§ Mr. SoamesIt would not be possible to determine a relevant estimate of this nature without disproportionate effort. The majority of royal tasks undertaken by No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron could not readily be provided by commercial services and would have required special charter arrangements.
§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the aggregated cost per passenger mile of a royal flight aircraft.[13678]
§ Mr. SoamesAn average cost per passenger mile flown could not be provided without disproportionate effort.
§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many aircraft make up the royal flight, listed by aircraft type, seating capacity and date of introduction to the flight. [13680]
§ Mr. SoamesThe information is as follows:
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Aircraft number and type Seating Remarks 3 ×BAe 146 18 bought between 1986 and 1991 8 ×BAe 1251 7 bought between 1983 and 1984 2 ×Wessex 5–7 1969
Aircraft number and type Seating Remarks 2 × leased Twin Squirrels 5 1996 1 Seven plus one in-use reserve.
§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the annual cost of the royal flight broken down by(a) aircraft depreciation, (b) running and maintenance costs, (c) airport charges and (d) personnel costs. [13681]
§ Mr. SoamesThe information is not immediately available in the form requested. I will write to the hon. Member.