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Armed Forces (Women)
6. Mrs. Bridget Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many women are currently serving in the armed forces. [16842]
7. Ms Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received about the number of women serving in the armed forces. [16844]
Mr. Soames: As at 1 January this year, there were 16,078 women serving in the armed forces. That represents approximately 7 per cent. of the total strength.
Mrs. Prentice: Is the Minister aware that it is International Women's Week? Will he join me and my right hon. and hon. Friends in celebrating the work of women in the armed services, particularly their front line peacekeeping work in Bosnia? On behalf of the House, will he send a message of support to those women this week?
Mr. Soames: I was not aware that it is International Women's Week. My right hon. and hon. Friends and I feel a tremendous surge of pleasure when we hear that happy news: we salute all women everywhere.
The hon. Lady makes a very good point and I have great pleasure in endorsing all that she has said. It is clear that women make an enormous contribution to the armed forces. I know that most Labour Members believe that it is a miracle if a woman is capable of licking an envelope, yet women fill some of the most important and responsible jobs in the armed forces. That is a matter of course to those who serve alongside them and we value their contribution enormously. We want to see more women, not fewer, in the armed forces.
Ms Coffey:
Will the Minister confirm whether his Department is a member of Opportunity 2000? If it is, what progress has he made towards achieving the objectives of Opportunity 2000, which aims to promote more women to leadership positions?
Mr. Soames:
It is my experience that the Ministry of Defence is a member of practically everything, so I am sure that we are a member of Opportunity 2000. The fact is that we do not need to be a member of that scheme to promote women into positions of responsibility: they get there under their own steam because they are very good at what they do. There are women at every rank of the armed forces and in every service. They undertake the most responsible, difficult and often dangerous work. I recently met a company commander in the sappers who is leading the company that is undertaking most of the mine clearance operations in Bosnia. We do not need that kind of politically correct nonsense in the armed forces: women succeed on their own account.
Mr. Marlow:
Does my hon. Friend agree that the standards, the qualities and the ability of Her Majesty's forces are unequalled and envied throughout the world? Will he give the House an undertaking to provide whatever legislation is necessary to prevent our standing from being undermined or tampered with by the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Commission for Racial Equality or any stupid, anti-democratic and unaccountable European court?
Mr. Soames:
My hon. Friend, as a former sapper, speaks with genuine passion on that subject, and he is correct. The armed forces have a distinction and a quality that are unmatched in any institution in British life. They are a golden asset to the country and we shall never do anything that will undermine their fighting effectiveness or fighting power.
It is a great compliment to the British armed forces that President Chirac should make it plain to a wider public in France that he intends the French forces to be restructured along the lines of our existing British forces. No greater compliment could be paid to the British armed forces.
Lady Olga Maitland:
As a new recruit to the parliamentary armed services scheme, may I say how much I appreciate the opportunity that the armed forces give women? Will my hon. Friend confirm that the opportunities that have been given to women are shown by the fact that we now have two fully qualified fast-jet pilots and 17 fully qualified pilots in the other services, and that women are doing immensely important work in
Mr. Soames:
My hon. Friend certainly gives value for money and I am grateful for her extremely generous tribute. She has done sterling work on behalf of all three services, and they and I are grateful to her.
Obviously, women have made giant strides in employment in the armed forces. They are now in significant new areas of opportunity. I agree with my hon. Friend that we should do whatever we can to recruit more women, and she has my assurance that we shall do so.
Mr. Murphy:
It is good to hear that the Minister has heard about the Government's policies from the Opposition today.
The Minister spoke of women in the armed forces being in important jobs. Will he therefore tell the House why, of 509 one-star and above posts in all three armed services, only two are held by women?
Mr. Soames:
I am not sure what point the hon. Gentleman is making. The two most senior women now serving in the armed forces hold the rank of air commodore--the equivalent of brigadier. As he says, there are two of them. No rank is not open to women. The great surge of women through the armed forces and through the rank structure is starting to be felt. Unlike the Labour party, we do not have to have all-women lists to ensure that women get to where they should be--the top.
Mr. Jenkin:
On what basis does my hon. Friend suppose that the provisions of the EC equal treatment directive do not apply to the armed forces?
Mr. Soames:
I am sorry, but this EC nonsense is way beyond me. I do not understand. [Laughter]
Madam Speaker:
Order. That remark closes that question.
8. Mr. Berry:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action he has taken to investigate the overrun on the construction of the new MOD building at Abbey Wood, Bristol; and if he will make a statement. [16845]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
Requirements for the buildings at Abbey Wood are being met; costs and risks are being controlled; collocation of procurement executive HQ staff has started and is expected to be complete by this autumn; overruns are not on our agenda. We are committed to achieving the running cost savings that will result.
Mr. Berry:
Will the Minister confirm that the construction contractors have lodged a claim with the MOD for an additional £60 million, which corresponds to a staggering 30 per cent. of construction costs? Is the Minister aware that many subcontractors are suffering from late payment from the contractor because of the contractor's cash-flow problems?
Mr. Arbuthnot:
The hon. Gentleman has got the wrong end of the stick. There is a perfectly constructive and amicable dialogue between the core and shell contractor and the Ministry of Defence, as would occur on any project of this size. This is the largest office building project in Europe, and it is a dramatic success. The question of the health of the relationship between the contractor and the sub-contractors is interesting, and we believe that it is very good. In every contract that we sign, a requirement is placed on our contractors to ensure that they pay their sub-contractors within 30 days of a valid invoice being submitted. We have no reason to believe that there is anything other than a healthy relationship between the contractors and the sub-contractors.
Mr. Brazier:
Does my hon. Friend agree that there has been a remarkable transformation in procurement practices under the Government? I am referring to the new headquarters for the Procurement Executive. Does he also agree that we are able to afford more equipment and more bangs per buck because the procurement executive has been reorganised and redeployed on much more efficient lines?
Mr. Arbuthnot:
My hon. Friend has hit the nail on the head. Once the building of the Procurement Executive is completed, it will save approximately £105 million a year. It is an astonishing success story, and I am sorry that Labour Members do not recognise that. For example, approximately 1,000 local jobs will be created in the Kingswood area; approximately 200 local firms will be involved in contracting; approximately £200 million will be spent on construction; and approximately £90 million of extra spending power will be realised. The Abbey Wood procurement is a dramatic success story, and I am grateful to my hon. Friend for giving me the opportunity to discuss it.
Dr. David Clark:
Will the Minister confirm that this was a fixed-price contract? Will he give the House an assurance that, in the event of a cost overrun, not a penny will be spent out of the public purse?
Mr. Arbuthnot:
I regret to put it like this: that is a fatuous comment. The contract will be finished on time and within budget--that is what we intend to achieve, that is what we are negotiating to achieve and, so far, it has been a major success story.
Mr. Ian Bruce:
Does my hon. Friend agree that the carping from a Labour Member in relation to these additional jobs is reprehensible? Does he agree that, if there is any problem with the people of Bristol wanting to have the jobs, we would be only too pleased to keep the Southwell site open a bit longer on Portland? We are very proud of working for the Royal Navy. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for announcing that one of the new frigates will be called HMS Portland, in honour of the excellent work that has been done by my constituents over the decades.
Mr. Arbuthnot:
I can confirm that. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his suggestion, which we have taken up, that we call the new frigate HMS Portland. It is a pity that the good news that is coming to Bristol as a result of the Abbey Wood procurement has not been brought out
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