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Cash Limits
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she plans changes to cash limits and running cost limits on votes within her responsibility for 1996-97. [14254]
Mr. Robin Squire
[pursuant to his reply, 31 January 1997, c. 397-98]: The cash limit for class I, vote 3: Employment Service will now be decreased by £19,553,000 rather than £20,303,000. Therefore, the new cash limit will be £1,269,42,000 not £1,268,674,000. This change has arisen because the funding of annual compensation payments for early departures between the Employment Service and the Cabinet Office will now be made by direct payment rather than a departmental transfer between votes.
27 Feb 1997 : Column: 370
The running costs provision for class IX, vote 3 will therefore be decreased by £2,243,000 rather than £2,993,000 to £907,908,000 and not £907,158,000. The gross running costs limit for the Department for Education and Employment is increased by £4,402,000 to £1,281,816,000.
Married Quarters (Rent)
Mr. Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current average rent per week in service married quarters; and what was the average in each of the last five years. [17935]
Mr. Soames:
The average weekly charges for service family quarters are given in the table, and are based on furnished accommodation in England, Scotland and Wales and of the most commonly occupied type of accommodation.
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| 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Officers | 41.30 | 43.12 | 47.04 | 53.48 | 56.07 |
| Other ranks | 26.46 | 27.74 | 29.68 | 34.02 | 35.93 |
27 Feb 1997 : Column: 369
Additionally, all service personnel pay a contribution in lieu of council tax. Some of the quarters are occupied by civilians and these charges are based on market rents which are assessed by local defence lands service offices.
Mr. Jamieson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what have been the percentage increases per annum in rents for service family quarters in each of the past five years; what are the planned increases in each year of the planning period; and if he will make a statement. [17936]
Mr. Soames:
The average percentage increases recommended by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body and accepted by the Government for service family quarters are as follows:
Charges are recommended annually by the AFPRB, which has always followed the principle that charges levied on service personnel should compare fairly with the costs civilians have to incur for comparable housing. The higher percentage increases this year are for the largest, best-quality officer housing.
Mr. Jamieson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the current version of the admissible schools list showing the number of pupils supported by his Department at each school. [17934]
Mr. Soames:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 November 1996, Official Report, column 196.
27 Feb 1997 : Column: 370
Dr. John Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on proof and experimental work carried out overseas, broken down by the countries in which this work takes place, in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of this work which could be carried out at range facilities in the United Kingdom. [17673]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
The detailed information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. A preliminary survey, however, indicates that in the past five years more than £8 million has been spent on proof and experimental work in a range of overseas countries. Such work is conducted overseas when it provides better value for money, or when no suitable range is available in the UK, or when extreme climate conditions are required.
Dr. John Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to receive the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency study on the future of the Eskmeals and Shoeburyness ranges; and if he will make arrangements for the report to be made publicly available. [17674]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
An interim report was completed by DERA at the end of January. It did not make firm recommendations for the closure of either Eskmeals or Shoeburyness but suggested further detailed work into how the costs of the Defence Test and Evaluation Organisation land ranges might be reduced. Given the report's interim nature, I do not believe it appropriate for publication at present, but as soon as DERA has completed consultations with its MOD customers on the implications of the proposals, DERA intends to publish a
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consultative document setting out the options and proposing a way ahead. This will be circulated to DERA staff, trade unions and those with an interest. I expect to approve the release of this document within the next few weeks.
Mr. Jamieson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent changes his Department has made to the hours and shifts worked by service personnel acting as guards on (a) HMS Raleigh, (b) HMS Drake and (c) Stonehouse barracks. [17939]
Mr. Soames
: There have been no recent changes to the hours and shifts for service personnel on guard duty at Stonehouse barracks or HMS Drake. At HMS Raleigh, the usual five-week shift pattern was replaced on 2 January 1997 by a four-week pattern to overcome a temporary manpower shortage. This will not increase the length of the normal 12-hour shifts--including stand-by time--and personnel will receive approximately two weeks' leave in every four weeks.
Dr. David Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 20 February (Official Report column 715, if he will list the BSE-related material which (a) is and (b) has been stored at RAF Quedgely. [17835]
Mr. Soames:
There is currently no BSE-related material stored at RAF Quedgely. BSE pelleted material was stored between May and August 1996 until removed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
Mr. Ian McCartney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the cost and number of items of equipment and furniture that (a) have been stolen and (b) are otherwise unaccounted for from his Department and its agencies during the past 12 months, listing by name any such items valued at £5,000 or more, and showing information technology material separately. [17073]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
A central record is not kept of individual items unaccounted for. All such cases are thoroughly investigated with a view to establishing the facts and preventing a recurrence. Where a loss has occurred and recovery proves impracticable, the items in question are written off, and the relevant appropriation account noted accordingly. Items over £100,000 value are reported and noted individually.
Twenty items of equipment have been reported as stolen in the past 12 months, with an estimated value of £75,300. Two thermal imagers and related items valued together at £69,589 were the only items valued at more than £5,000.
In addition, 29 items of information technology equipment have been reported as stolen in the past 12 months, with an estimated value of £31,043. None of these had an individual value of £5,000 or more.
No thefts of furniture have been reported.
27 Feb 1997 : Column: 372
This information does not include any losses from defence agencies, I have asked the chief executives to write direct to the hon. Member with relevant information.
Letter from J. A. Trewby to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
1993-94: 1.5 per cent.
1994-95: 5 per cent.
1995-96: 5-8 per cent.
1996-97: 10-25 per cent.
1997-98: 2.7-9.1 per cent.
| Item description | Value £ (VAT inclusive) |
|---|---|
| Fixed probe assembly | 9,839.45 |
| Gyro and card set kit | 14,414.90 |
| Rudder servo (quantity 2) | 20,201.77 |
| Fan centrifugal (quantity 2) | 11,376.35 |
| Filter module | 5,254.60 |
| Actuator rotary | 9,770.13 |
| Regulator assembly | 8,328.40 |
| Lifting/load | 7,032.38 |
| Vector voltmeter | 5,876.18 |
| Transmitter | 10,250.00 |
| Radar platform | 6,164.69 |
27 Feb 1997 : Column: 373
Letter from W. E. E. Boreham to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
Letter from P. R. Wildman to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
Letter from A. J. Stables to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the cost and number of items of equipment and furniture that have been stolen or otherwise unaccounted for during the past 12 months, as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the Royal Air Force Training Group Defence Agency.
27 Feb 1997 : Column: 374
Letter from W. H. J. Kelly to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
Letter from David G. Wadsworth to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
Letter from M. I. Laurie to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
27 Feb 1997 : Column: 375
Letter from R. V. Babington to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about stolen and unaccounted equipment and furniture, as this falls into my area of responsibility as Chief Constable/Chief Executive of the Ministry of Defence police Agency.
During the last twelve months I have identified the theft of one laptop computer, ten expandable batons, and one pair of handcuffs complete with pouch. The total value of the stolen equipment was some £2,290,00.
I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about items of equipment and furniture that have been stolen or otherwise unaccounted for by his Department and its agencies as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of Military Survey Defence Agency.
One item of IT equipment has been stolen in the past twelve months with an estimated value of £500. No IT equipment was lost.
A small number of miscellaneous items were lost during the past twelve months. All cases were investigated and where recovery was impracticable the items were written off. No item was valued at £5,000 or more.
No thefts of furniture have been reported.
This information is exclusive to Military Survey Defence Agency.
There have been 30 items of equipment and furniture stolen during the period, for which the total estimated value was £20,048. This includes a vehicle and its contents valued at £14,851.
Four items of information technology material valued at a total of £993 were unaccounted for, as were 378 other items of equipment and furniture valued at a total of £13,610. In addition, a number of low cost cutlery items with a total estimated value of £1,032 were also unaccounted for.
The Secretary of State for Defence has asked the Chief Executive of the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency (NRTA) to reply to your Parliamentary Question, about the cost and number of items of equipment and furniture stolen or otherwise unaccounted for during the past 12 months within the NRTA. I am replying on behalf of the Chief Executive in his absence.
18 items of equipment have been reported as stolen in the past 12 months with an estimated total value of £2,896.84. Two of these items were furniture and one item was IT equipment. 101 items of equipment with an estimated value of £67,169.83 are unaccounted for, however, none of these had an individual value of £5,000 or more.
I hope that this is helpful.
I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence seeking information about the cost and number of items of equipment and furniture that (a) have been stolen and (b) are otherwise unaccounted for during the past 12 months, insofar as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of Service Children's Schools Agency.
During the past 12 months there have been 3 separate reported incidents of theft of equipment from schools within British Forces Germany. The stolen equipment comprised of 8 individual items of classroom based Information Technology equipment at a total estimated value of £5,400 and 3 individual items of classroom based audio visual aids at a total estimated value of £500. These incidents were investigated by the Royal Military Police; however none of these items have since been recovered.
There has been no unaccounted losses to report against your point (b).
I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence concerning lost or stolen equipment as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as the Chief Executive of the Defence Intelligence and Security Centre.
During the previous 12 months, three items of equipment have been stolen, with a total value of £3670. Two of these items were laptop computers valued at £1736 each.
Letter from G. Jones to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence concerning the cost and numbers of items of equipment and furniture that have been stolen or otherwise unaccounted for from his Department and agencies during the past 12 months, as these matters fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of the Royal Air Force Signals Engineering Establishment Defence Agency. Specifically, you asked for a listing, by name, of any such items valued at £5000 or more, with information technology material shown separately.
During the last 12 months, 7 items, with a total value of £2848.10, have been unaccounted for at the Royal Air Force Signals Engineering Establishment. None of the items were information technology material.
I am replying in part to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence about equipment and furniture that has been stolen or unaccounted for, in relation to my area of responsibility as the Chief Executive of the Ships Support Agency.
In the last twelve months there have been four items of information technology material stolen, at a value of £800. Two items of information technology material have also been lost or damaged during an attempted theft, at a value of £900.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 1 video camera | 1,000 |
| 1 notebook computer | 1,000 |
These are currently the subject of Ministry of Defence Police investigations. The asset base excludes furniture, which we do not generally account for as it tends to be of low value.
Letter from P. D. Foxton to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence on office equipment and furniture that has been stolen or otherwise unaccounted for during the last twelve months, for those areas that fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of the Army Base Storage and Distribution Agency (ABSDA).
Letter from J. R. Drew to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
You asked the Secretary of State for Defence about the cost and number of items of equipment and furniture stolen from, or unaccounted for by, his department and its agencies over the past 12 months. As this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the Army Base Repair Organisation (ABRO), I am replying in respect of this agency.
27 Feb 1997 : Column: 376
Letter from C. A. Gordon to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
To the best of my knowledge, following enquiries throughout the whole of ABSDA, office equipment to the value of £305 remains unaccounted for, made up in the main of minor items such as calculators and mains adapters. There is no proof of theft and there have therefore, been no criminal prosecutions. There have been no instances of information technology material going missing.
As a whole, office equipment in ABSDA, including information technology material, is well documented, highly visible and as a result, appropriately safeguarded.
I hope this fully answers your query.
Thirteen items of IT equipment valued at £14,595 were written off in FY96/97. These were stolen in one incident at one of our Contract Repair Offices. This included a PC Server which originally cost £9,178. A full investigation by the police failed to shed any light on the burglary or the perpetrators and gave no prospect of recovery.
There is no consolidated figure yet available for all stores losses in FY 96/97. The total amount written off in FY 95/96 for all reasons was £24,545 covering 211 individual items.
I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence about losses and thefts of equipment and furniture form this Agency over the last 12 months, as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Deputy Chief Executive of the Army Individual Training Organisation.
Records are maintained of all equipment and furniture stolen, irreparably damaged or unaccounted for, but they do no invariably distinguish between these losses where the sums involved are small. Within these limits, the information you have requested is shown below. You may, however, like to note that a large number of the items included in the Damaged or Unaccounted For column are small items of cutlery etc of little intrinsic value.
Numbers of items: TotalIndividual items valued at
| Stolen | Damaged or unaccounted for | value | over £5000
| 79 | 1,960 | 149,448 | (1) Victaulic pipe (£41,049) (2) 110v power tools (£10,143) (3) Night vision Goggles (£13,438 (4) Digital master unit (£9,151)
| | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Letter from I. G. McIntyre to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
27 Feb 1997 : Column: 377
Letter from Ron Smith to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
Letter from W. E. Speadbury to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
Letter from F. A. Bush to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence, about stolen and unaccounted for equipment and furniture, as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Acting Chief Executive of the Defence Transport and Movements Executive Agency.
Letter from B. E. Nimick to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the cost and number of items of equipment and furniture that have either been stolen or otherwise unaccounted for as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the Medical Supplies Agency.
Letter from J. C. R. Hunt to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 27 February 1997:
27 Feb 1997 : Column: 378
Included in the above are three items of IT equipment with a total value of £5243, which have all been stolen.
I hope this is helpful.
I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence/Her Majesty's Government about the cost and number of items of equipment and furniture that have been stolen or are otherwise unaccounted for during the last 12 months, as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the Defence Dental Agency.
Equipment and furniture lost or unaccounted for with the Defence Dental Agency is listed below:
(a) Miscellaneous Medical/Dental Equipment items x 32 = £2561.87
(b) Information Technology Material = £ NIL
I hope this is of help.
I have been asked to reply, on behalf of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA), to your question asking for information about property stolen or otherwise unaccounted for during the last twelve months.
DERA procedures identify two categories of equipment, items valued at more than £10,000 and items valued at less than £10,000. The responsibility for maintaining registers, safeguarding equipment and investigating any losses relating to items valued at less than £10,000 is devolved to a working level. There are more than 600 such registers kept within DERA. Items valued at more than £10,000 are recorded centrally, are routinely checked and any loss or damage investigation is notified centrally.
No items valued at £10,000 or more have been reported centrally as lost, stolen or damaged during the past twelve months. Because of the devolved nature of the records held on equipment valued at less than £10,000 it has not been possible to collect this information in the time available.
I am sorry that I cannot be more helpful on this occasion.
I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the loss of equipment and furniture by Defence Agencies as this matter, in respect of the Defence Secondary Care Agency (DSCA), falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the DSCA.
In the DSCA there were, in the last twelve months, 355 items unaccounted for to a total value of £11,644; of these, it is believed none were stolen. In addition, there were three items of IT equipment unaccounted for (total value £2,200) and six IT items which we believe were individually valued at £5K or over.
In the absence on duty of the Chief Executive, I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence concerning the cost and number of items of equipment and furniture that have been stolen and are otherwise unaccounted for during the past 12 months.
I am pleased to report that during this period no equipment or furniture has been stolen or is otherwise unaccounted for.
During the last 12 months, we have identified the loss of 97 International Standards Organisation (ISO) containers, which are missing following operations over the past 4 years in the former Republic of Yugoslavia. Their value is approximately £174K and within this total there are 7 refrigerated containers, each valued at £5000 or more.
No such equipment or furniture has been reported stolen or unaccounted for over the past 12 months.
I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the cost and number of items of equipment and furniture that have been stolen or unaccounted for during the last 12 months, as this falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the Meteorological Office.
The type and value of equipment and furniture stolen from the Meteorological Office in the last year is as follows:
Dell Pentium PC and network card valued at £2,000
HP Laserjet 5 printer valued at £3,000
Dell PC valued at £1,500
Laptop stolen from employees' care valued at £2,000.
No other items are unaccounted for.
I hope this gives you the information you need.
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