§ Mr. LetwinTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what incidents have involved RAF Chinooks in the last two weeks of November; and if he will make a statement. [102565]
§ Mr. Spellar[holding answer 13 December 1999]: Between 14 and 30 November there have been 12 reported incidents involving RAF Chinooks. Eleven of these were minor day-to-day occurrences but one incident, which occurred during a training exercise on 25 November 1999 and involved damage to the rear of the aircraft, is being investigated by a RAF Board of Inquiry. Nobody was injured. After carrying out a preliminary assessment the Board reported that they had no urgent recommendations to make affecting the Chinook fleet as a whole. Their investigation is continuing and a summary of the Board's final report will be placed in the Library of the House in the normal way.
256W
§ Mr. SpellarI am placing in the Library of the House a list of visits to overseas ports made by Royal Navy vessels between 1 January and 13 December 1999. In addition ships deployed under the Atlantic Patrol Task (South) and the ice patrol vessel HMS Endurance make frequent visits to the UK South Atlantic Overseas Territories.
§ Mr. OttawayTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 8 December 1999,Official Report, column 560W, concerning the withdrawal of naval vessels from planned exercises, if he will list (a) the exercises the vessels were withdrawn from and (b) the reasons for withdrawal. [102714]
§ Mr. SpellarThe RN withdrew ships from the following exercises for the reasons stated: