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Trident
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what is the total cost of procurement for the Trident system in (a) the current financial year and (b) the financial year 1995 96; and from which subheads of which votes this expenditure is taken; [18130] (2) what is the total cost of running the strategic weapons system in (a) the current financial year and (b) the financial year 1995 96; and from which subheads of which votes this expenditure is taken; [18128]
(3) what is the total cost of construction in support of the Trident programme at Faslane and Coulport in (a) the current financial year and (b) the financial year 1995 96; and from which subheads of which votes this expenditure is taken. [18131]
Mr. Freeman: Estimated expenditure in 1994 95 and 1995 96, where available, is as follows:
|1994-95 |1995-96 |Subhead vote
|£ million |£ million
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trident System<1> |696.0 |456.0 |<2>n/a
Strategic Weapon System Running Costs (Polaris and Trident missiles) |<3>86.5 |<4>n/a |2A1, 2A2, 3C2, 3D2
Trident Construction Programme (Faslane and Coulport) |42.0 |6.2 |3D1
Notes:
<1> As well as all costs associated with the submarine and its weapons and other systems, the figures include the shore construction costs which
are also shown separately in the table.
<2> Details of the vote subheads of all acquisition costs attributable to the Trident system are not held centrally and could be provided only
at disproportionate cost.
<3> This figure includes the cost of repairs, spares and technical, storage and engineering services provided by contractors and MOD at various
locations in support of the UK's Polaris and Trident missiles.
<4> Estimated costs for 1995-96 are not yet available.
Mutual Defence Co-operation Agreement
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total cost to his Department of the administrative expenses of the mutual defence co-operation agreement with the United States of America. [18124]
Mr. Freeman: Administrative tasks associated with business conducted under the aegis of the 1958 UK/US mutual defence agreement are mostly handled by the atomic control office, London and the atomic co-ordinating offices at Aldermaston and Washington. The costs of these tasks are not calculated separately.
Nuclear Submarine Decommissioning Costs
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total cost of provision for nuclear submarine decommissioning costs in (a) the current financial year and (b) the financial year 1995 96; and from which subheads of which votes this expenditure is taken. [18132]
Mr. Freeman: The estimated cost of decommissioning nuclear submarines in 1994 95 was £4.3 million and the provision for 1995 96 is £9.2 million. These costs are attributed to class I vote 2, subhead 2A21.
Departmental Budget
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the variation in expenditure from Class I, Vote 1, Subhead B4 of his Department's budget for the last three years. [18125]
Mr. Soames: There is no such subhead. There is, however, a subhead B4 in class I vote 3.
The year-on-year variations against this subhead reflect the progress of this programme, which peaked in 1994 95 and is now nearing completion.
Nuclear Equipment Exports
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the timetable for delivery of nuclear warhead containers and transport equipment to Russia. [18127]
Mr. Freeman: To date, 155 super-containers have been delivered. The remaining 95 will be delivered in two shipments which will be made in April and June of this year.
Production of the transport equipment has been completed. Delivery of the truck cargo heavy duty (Russia) (TCHD(R))s has slipped from the original schedule, due to difficulties of siting support staff in Russia. These have now been resolved and deliveries are expected to commence in the middle of this year, completion being by early March 1996.
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Nuclear Tests
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department has an on-going requirement for carrying out nuclear tests in relation to the safety and reliability of the nuclear stockpile. [18121]
Mr. Freeman: We have a responsibility to ensure the safety and reliability of our nuclear weapons and we are currently studying how best to meet this requirement.
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's policy in relation to hydro-nuclear experiments and the proposed comprehensive test ban treaty. [18147]
Mr. Freeman: We are negotiating in good faith a comprehensive test ban treaty with an effective verification regime. We are studying how best to meet our responsibility to ensure the safety and reliability of our nuclear weapons under such a treaty.
Atomic Weapons Establishment
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total cost of running the Atomic Weapons Establishment in (a) the current financial year and (b) the financial year 1995 96; and from which subheads of which votes this expenditure is taken. [18129]
Mr. Freeman: The costs of the defence nuclear programme have been regarded by successive Governments as inappropriate for public disclosure. With contractorisation, AWE operating costs have also become commercially sensitive.
Police National Computer
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who, within his Department, is to be authorised to have direct access to the police national computer; and what procedures are being established for ensuring that information gained from this source is handled correctly. [18133]
Mr. Soames: As a fully constituted and recognised police force, the Ministry of Defence police have for some time had direct access to the police national computer. The procedures in place to ensure that information is handled correctly are those issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers.
Direct access to the specific transaction for security vetting has also been approved for the Department's security vetting organisations. The service, which has not yet been implemented, will be subject to a memorandum of agreement with the Home Office which will set out
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the operating procedures and the purposes for which the information will be used.British Meat
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what percentage by value of meat purchasing contracts placed by his Department is the origin of the meat specified; what percentage is specified as British meat; what percentage is specified only as imported meat; and what percentage is specified as British or imported meat. [18347]
Mr. Freeman: Since 1 October 1994, the supply of food to the armed forces has been the responsibility of the Navy, Army and Air Force Institute. My Department does not specify the source from which meat should be obtained.
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by his Department in the last year for which figures are available on British meat; and how much was spent on imported meat. [18346]
Mr. Freeman: Contract specifications for the supply of meat to the armed forces are concerned with quality and price and do not stipulate the source from which meat should be obtained. The information requested is therefore not available.
Transport (Royal Family)
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the costs for the last two years and what are the estimated costs for the current year and the next two years of (a) the royal yacht, (b) the Queen's flight, (c) royal flights in civil aircraft and (d) equerries. [18049]
Mr. Soames: Actual and estimated expenditure in support of the royal family borne by my Department on class I votes is as follows:
£ thousands
|1992-93 |1993-94 |1994-95<1>|1995-96<2>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Royal yacht |8,361 |8,397 |11,090 |8,411
Queen's Flight<3> |7,590 |9,105 |8,893 |n/a
Royal flights in civil aircraft |9 |140 |160 |480
Equerries |170 |316 |319 |292
Notes:
<1> Current forecast of outturn.
<2> Amount included within the Class I 1995-96 Supply Estimates presented to the House
on 23 March 1995.
<3> Total operating cost. The Queen's Flight has not been used exclusively by the Royal
Family, and it would not therefore be possible to allocate expenditure to users without
disproportionate cost. On 1 April the Queen's Flight was merged with 32 Squadron to
become No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron. A disaggregated element of the cost of royal flying
is being established.
We do not publish detailed future plans, as approval to commit expenditure is subject to formal endorsement through Ministers and the parliamentary supply system. Figures for 1996 97 are therefore not yet available.
Disabled People (Access)
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will outline the measures taken, facilities offered and adjustments made in his Department and agencies for which he is responsible to facilitate access for disabled people; what plans he has to improve access; and if he
Column 1150
will make a statement. [18597]Mr. Freeman: Because my Department does not deal with the public direct, the main thrust of our initiatives aimed at providing access and facilities for disabled people relates to our role as an employer of civilian staff. These initiatives form part of my Department's programme for action on disability called "Ability not Disability", which aims to achieve equality of opportunity for disabled people in recruitment, training and career development. One specific action within the programme is a survey of all buildings housing 100 or more staff to identify what needs to be done to make them accessible to disabled people, and to fund the necessary modifications by 1999.
Green Policy
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will name the green minister for his Department and list (a) the green initiatives taken by that Minister in respect of the Department's functions, (b) the representations made by the Minister in respect of functions carried out by other Departments and (c) the input made by the Minister into consultations on the Environment Bill. [18656]
Mr. Freeman: My noble friend Lord Henley, the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, is the Department's green Minister. He chairs the ministerial steering group which provides policy direction and determines appropriate environmental and energy efficiency strategies to ensure compliance with relevant United Kingdom legislation, EC directives and wider Government policy. The ministerial steering group has initiated a programme of environmental reviews of defence activities which have the potential to harm the environment. These include reviews of land contamination and the defence estate; pollution prevention procedures; the use of particularly hazardous substances and my Department's aqueous discharge and water abstraction arrangements.
Army Vehicles
Sir Nicholas Bonsor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the outcome of the trial for a replacement of the Army's Land Rover 1 tonne and three-quarter tonne ambulances. [18792]
Mr. Freeman: The competitive evaluation trial has been completed, and the technical reports are now in preparation. It is anticipated that a final decision on the outcome of the competition will be made in late summer with contract placement expected by early October this year.
Executive Agencies
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the jobs that have been lost to agencies in his Department in the past two years that have (a) been taken over by contractors and (b) disappeared. [18321]
Mr. Freeman [holding answer 4 April 1995]: I have asked the chief executives of the agencies to write to the hon. Member. Letter from Jim Drew to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 5 April 1995: I have been asked to reply, as Chief Executive of the Army Base Repair Organisation (ABRO), to your recent Parliamentary Question
Column 1151
asking the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the jobs that have been lost to agencies in his Department in the past two years that have a) been taken over by contractors and b) disappeared.Since ABRO was launched as a Defence Agency on 1 April 1993, no jobs have been lost as a result of being taken over by contractors. The number of staff in the Organisation has however reduced from 3800 to 3379. A significant proportion of the reduction has been in military posts--the result of a combination of efficiency savings and a policy of transferring military posts to units providing first and second line support to Army field units. The remaining reduction is attributable to efficiency measures undertaken at the Agency's workshops.
I hope that you find this information useful.
Letter from Peter Trevelyan to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 3 April 1995:
Minister (DP) has asked me to write to you on behalf of the Defence Accounts Agency in reply to your Parliamentary Question, number 7171G, in which you asked for a list of the jobs that have been lost to Agencies in the Ministry of Defence in the past two years that have (a) been taken over by contractors and (b) disappeared.
The Defence Accounts Agency was formed four years ago with a staff of about 2,000. Since its formation no further jobs have been transferred to it by the Ministry of Defence. The Defence Accounts Agency has neither been taken over by a contractor nor disappeared. I hope that this reply is satisfactory.
Letter from Paul Altobell to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 5 April 1995:
PQ NO 7171G
The Secretary of State for Defence has asked me to reply to your question about jobs lost to agencies in the past two years.
Taking the individual parts of your question, the Defence Analytical Services Agency has:
a. had no jobs taken over by contractors
b. disestablished 29 posts as part of the Department wide PROSPECT initiative.
Letter from Andrew Roache to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 5 April 1995:
The Secretary of State for Defence has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question No 7171G, where you ask to list the jobs that have been lost to agencies in his Department in the past two years that have a) been taken over by contractors and b) disappeared. I have interpreted your question to mean jobs lost from the agency during this period. Since the Defence Animal Centre (DAC) was launched as a Defence Agency in June 1993, no jobs have been lost as a result of being taken over by contractors.
As a result of the MOD-wide Options for Change initiative and Defence Costs Study measures 46 military posts have been lost with effect 1 April 1995.
I hope you find this information useful.
Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 5 April 1995:
1. In today's written answer the Minister for State for Defence Procurement informed you that I would be replying to your question concerning job losses in the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). DERA was formed on 1 April 1995 to bring together most of the MOD's non-nuclear science and technology resources and it includes three former MOD agencies, the Defence Research Agency (DRA), the Defence Operational Analysis Centre (DOAC), and the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment (CBDE).
2. As Chief Executive of DERA I now have responsibility for all these areas. All three agencies have undergone some structural changes as a result of their incorporation into DERA and there may be some reduction in numbers resulting from the formation of the new agency. Specific figures are not yet available.
3. Between April 1993 and March 1995 there were 62 job losses at DOAC and 17 job losses at CBDE, none of which were contractorised; the savings have been achieved through efficiencies.
4. The reduction in posts in the Defence Research Agency between April 1993 and March 1995 amount to 1600 of which 390
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were redeployed, the majority within DRA. These reductions have arisen from a combination of a reduction in demand for services as the disciplines of hard charging for services have led to more critical scrutiny of real need by customers, and, efficiency improvements achieved through rationalisation and streamlined processes aimed at reduced cost and improved quality. These reductions have been primarily in the support services area and comprise around 1595 full time posts whose functions have been discontinued and 5 posts which have been transferred to contractors. 5. I hope you will find this information useful.Letter from Richard Kirby to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 4 April 1995:
I have been asked by the Minister for Defence Procurement to reply to your Parliamentary Question about Defence Agency job losses. As the Chief Executive of the Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency (DCTA) I can brief you on the aspects affecting this area of business.
I am pleased to say that the formation of the DCTA, on 22 November 1994, has not generated any job losses, either internally or in the private sector. Planned future re-structuring of the Agency, collocating to a single site in early 1996, together with the requirements of Defence Cost Study exercises will however undoubtedly lead to a streamlining of the business structure which in time will lead to a number of posts being lost within the organisation. We would expect these changes to be achieved through natural processes, without redundancy.
Letter from Tweedie M. Brown to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 5 April 1995:
The Secretary of State for Defence has asked me to reply to your question about jobs transferred to agencies in the past 2 years. As of 1 March 1995, the Defence Postal and Courier Services Defence Agency had 487 military and civilian personnel in post. This is a reduction, in the past 2 years, of 33 of which 23 were taken over by contractors.
Letter from Keith Ellender to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 5 April 1995:
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION: AGENCIES AND JOB lOSSES
I have been asked to reply to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence as to the number of jobs that have been lost to agencies in his Department in the past two years that have (a) been taken over by contractors and (b) disappeared, as it affects my Agency.
There has been a reduction of nine posts--5 UK based Civilians and 4 locally engaged employees in the Disposal Sales Agency as a result of contractorisation of the sales disposal function in Germany.
Letter from G. H. Wilson to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 3 April 1995: I have been asked to reply to your PQ 7171G.
In response to your request to list the jobs that have been lost to agencies in the Ministry of Defence in the past two years, the Duke of York's Royal Military School has lost the following: (a) 0.5 (Steward). Taken over by contractor.
(b) 1.5 (Housemaids). Disappeared.
(c) 1.0 (Instructor Officer). Disappeared.
Letter from S. Parnell to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 5 April 1995: PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION--PQ 7171G
You recently asked The Secretary of State for Defence to list the jobs that have been lost to agencies in his Department in the past two years that have (a) been taken over by contractors and (b) disappeared.
During the period 1 April 1993 to 31 March 1995 the number of staff directly employed by the Hydrographic Office Defence Agency has reduced by 29. No jobs were lost to contractors. All reductions are ascribed to efficiency improvements.
Letter from Alan Pollard to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 5 April 1995: PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION--AGENCIES AND JOB LOSSES
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The Logistic Information System Agency was formed on 21 November 1994. No jobs were lost or transferred to a contractor upon formation.In accordance with the Government's Competing for Quality programme we are considering how best to carry out our "non-core" activities. Current proposals envisage the transfer of these activities to a civilian partner. If this is followed through we see about 150 posts being transferred. The final numbers are not yet firm. Following transfer all transferred staff will continue to work on our sites under a "Government Owned Contractor Operated" (GOCO) arrangement, although the GOCO status will be reviewed at an appropriate time. We have no plans to cut the remaining staff in the Agency.
Letter from Martyn Bittleston to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 5 April 1995:
On behalf of the Chief Executive, who is out of the country at the moment, I have been asked to amplify the Minister's response to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning contractorisation. In the Meteorological Office
a. No jobs have been taken over by contractors in the past 2 years.
b. The total number of jobs has fallen from 2526 to 2299 in the 2 years to 31 March 1995. A net loss of 227.
Letter from Brigadier A. J. Hoon to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 3 April 1994:
I understand that you have asked the Secretary of State for Defence to list the jobs that have been lost to agencies in his Department in the past two years. Acting on behalf of the Chief Executive of Military Survey I have been asked to reply with regard to this Agency.
As a Defence Agency, remaining in the defence chain of command, I can identify no job losses to Military Survey in the past two years.
Letter from W. S. Graham to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 4 April 1995: 1. The Secretary of State for Defence has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question concerning jobs that have been lost to Agencies in his Department for the past 2 years.
2. My response to your 2 part question is as follows:
a. There are no jobs in the NARO Defence Agency that have been taken over by contractors.
b. The size of workforce of this Agency is task related and is therefore subject to minor fluctuations, but has however increased overall in the past 3 years.
Letter from Brian Raine to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 4 April 1995: The Secretary of State for Defence has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question No. 7171G about Agencies and Job Losses. At Queen Victoria School no jobs have been taken over by contractors or lost in the past 2 years.
I hope this answers your question satisfactorily but if there is anything on which you would like me to elaborate please do not hesitate to contact me.
Letter from Air Vice-Marshall R. H. Kyle to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 5 April 1995:
You asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he would list the jobs that have been lost to agencies in his Department in the past two years that have (a) been taken over by contractors and (b) disappeared.
The Maintenance Group Defence Agency manpower figures have reduced progressively for several years. The average figures for each year are reported in the Agency's Annual Report and Accounts. Figures taken from the last three reports, together with the latest available figures, are:
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|1 February
|1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94 |1995
------------------------------------------------------------------
Service |7,500 |6,800 |6,634 |4,760
Civilian |6,100 |6,000 |5,679 |4,575
Total |13,600 |12,800 |12,313 |9,335
A major reorganisation within the Ministry of Defence took place on 1 April 1994. As part of this process, 1,978 Service and 947 civilian posts were transferred from the Maintenance Group Defence Agency to another area.
There have been no jobs within the Agency that have been lost to contractors in the past 2 years. The other reductions in jobs that have occurred have been as a result of efficiency savings and the effects of the ending of the Cold War.
Letter from David Rennison to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 4 April 1995:
I write on behalf of the Chief Executive of the Royal Air Force Signals Engineering Establishment (RAFSEE) in response to your Parliamentary Question No. 7171G to the Secretary of State for Defence.
Since becoming a Defence Agency on 22 November 1994 no jobs have disappeared or been taken over by contractors.
Letter from I. S. Mitchelson to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 5 April 1995:
1. I have been asked to reply to your question concerning the jobs that have been lost from Agencies in the past two years--in this instance with particular regard to Children's Schools (North West Europe) Defence Agency.
2. This Agency has:--
(a) had no jobs taken over by Contractors; and
(b) lost 492 teaching posts (inclusive of UK based/locally enrolled, full time equivalent) in the last two years as a result of the Drawdown of British Forces in Germany and the subsequent closure of schools and falling rolls at those remaining. Additionally there has been a loss of 311 locally employed non-teaching staff. These figures reflect the last two years, beginning 1 April 1993. Letter from Air Vice-Marshal J. A. G. May to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 5 April 1995:
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION No. PQ7171G
--TRAINING GROUP DEFENCE AGENCY REPLY
The Minister of State for Defence Procurement has asked me to reply to the question you asked of him in respect of Defence Agencies and Job Losses.
I am able to tell you that no Training Group jobs have been transferred to contractors since the launch of Training Group Defence Agency on 1 April 1994. I am able to tell you, too, that no Training Group jobs have "disappeared" since the same date.
I am copying this letter to the Agency's owner, the Air Officer Commanding- in-Chief Personnel & Training Command.
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