§ Mr. PriskTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much per hour the RAF charges other Government departments for flying with 32 (The Royal) Squadron; 485W and what proportion of this charge represents the operational costs of the Squadron at Northolt. [79464]
§ Dr. MoonieThe 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.