HC Deb 21 July 2000 vol 354 c342W
Mr. Drew

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on proposed future uses for RAF Fairford. [131532]

Mr. Spellar

[holding answer 20 July 2000]: There are no plans to change the current status of RAF Fairford.

Mr. Drew

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the proposal to introduce US airforce stealth bombers to RAF Fairford. [131561]

Mr. Spellar

[holding answer 20 July 2000]: The US are examining an operational concept in which in a crisis aircraft would be deployed to forward operating locations. This concept would not involve any permanent stationing of aircraft at these locations, but some equipment would be pre-positioned. However, the concept is still being studied and no request to use RAF Fairford, or any other UK base, has yet been made. RAF Fairford has of course been used as a standby operating location in the past, most recently during the Kosovo campaign.