§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost in each of the last five years of his Department's search and rescue capability in the UK. [80713]
§ Mr. Doug Henderson[pursuant to his reply, 16 April 1999, c. 371]I regret to inform the hon. Member that the answer I gave was incorrect. The net cost of Search and Rescue (SAR) to my Department in the last five years is as follows:
Figures are not readily available for financial year 1994–95, although they are not expected to differ substantially from 1995–96 (appropriately reduced to take account of inflation). The figures include the cost of spares, personnel, fuel and other support costs for all primary SAR assets, that is, RAF SAR helicopters, the RAF Mountain Rescue Service and the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre. However, figures for assets 616W that perform SAR as part of their wider duties, such as RN helicopters and the RAF Nimrod, cannot be readily identified and are not included.
Year £ million 1995–96 47.349 1996–97 49.394 1997–98 51.683 1998–99 52.444