32 (The Royal) Squadron

HC Deb 07 November 2002 vol 392 cc484-5W

Mr. Prisk

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much per hour the RAF charges other Government departments for flying with 32 (The Royal) Squadron; and what proportion of this charge represents the operational costs of the Squadron at Northolt. [79464]

Dr. Moonie

The hourly charge for 32 (The Royal) Squadron aircraft for the current financial year is:

BAe 146	£1,574 (VAT not applicable)
BAe 125	£740 (plus VAT for United Kingdom internal flights)
Twin Squirrel	£988 (plus VAT for United Kingdom internal flights)

It has been assumed that by "operational costs" the hon. Member is referring to the operating cost of 32 (The Royal) Squadron. As such I can confirm that the charges quoted comprise entirely of the variable cost of operating the aircraft and no fixed operating costs of the Squadron are included. The charges include engineering and airframe support costs, costs incurred for handling and landing at civil airports, fuel and travel and

Departments	1997–1998	1998–1999	1999–2000	2000–2001	2001–2002	2002–2003*
FCO	2	6	10	34	35	2
Treasury	0	0	2	0	0	2
Ministry of Defence	2,317	1,991	1,602	1,831	2,006	881
Home Office	0	0	8	6	0	0
Culture Media and Sport	0	1	2	6	0	0
Total	2,319	1,998	1,624	1,877	2,041	885

Notes:

1. Government Department figures do not include Ministers travel.

2. Ministry of Defence use reflects the fact that MOD personnel of all ranks/grades (as necessary) utilise these aircraft in times of crisis and war for operational purposes. Additionally, in peacetime, when not engaged in these tasks, MOD personnel use the resultant irreducible spare capacity for other communication flying tasks.

^*Figures to 30 September.