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Joint Services Command and Staff College
19. Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about progress on the Joint Services Command and Staff College. [6525]
Dr. Reid: Since the Joint Services' Command and Staff College came into being on 1 January this year in interim accommodation, some 16 Junior Division Courses and one Higher Command and Staff Course have been run under its auspices. Good progress has been made on the augmentation of the temporary Bracknell site, where the new joint Advanced Command and Staff Course (ACSC) and the next Navy Junior Division Course will start in the autumn. The beginning of the ACSC, for some 327 students including 90 from overseas, will be marked by an inauguration ceremony at Bracknell in early September. Bracknell will remain the primary interim site until a permanent facility is available, when it will be offered for disposal. Since their selection as preferred bidder in February, negotiations have continued with Defence management regarding their proposals for a permanent JSCSC at Shrivenham. A contract will be placed when negotiations have been satisfactorily completed.
Deceased Pilots (Fatal Accidents)
20. Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the Royal Air Force has correctly been applying its rule in respect of a deceased pilot not being found guilty of negligence unless there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever of his responsibility for a fatal accident.[6526]
Mr. Spellar: I am content that the RAF has correctly adhered to the procedures governing the allocation of blame as set out in AP 3207, which contains the relevant instructions governing the conduct of RAF boards of inquiry.
Armed Forces (Retention)
21. Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action his Department is taking to improve the rate of retention in the armed forces. [6527]
Dr. Reid:
The Government are fully aware of the need to recruit and then retain sufficient numbers of the personnel of the right quality to meet the armed forces' requirements. My Department has taken several initiatives to improve the retention of trained personnel in all three services. In particular it has implemented the recommendation made by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body, in its 1997 Report to the Prime Minister, that the Commitment Bonus for Other Ranks, which is payable at the 4½ or 5 year service points, should be raised from £2,000 to £3,000. It has also targeted bonuses at specific groups of service personnel where retention problems have been identified; for example Sea Harrier pilots and
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Marine Engineering mechanics in the Royal Navy, Army Private soldiers where skill shortages exist and junior ranks in the Royal Marines. The Government are also actively considering what other measures might be appropriate to improve retention in all three services.
22. Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of proposals to allow women to serve in a front-line role in the infantry. [6528]
Dr. Reid:
My Department is currently considering proposals for extending employment opportunities for women in the Army. No decision has yet been reached.
24. Mr. Bennett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent he expects his Department's landholding in the United Kingdom to change in the next 12 months. [6530]
Mr. Spellar:
The size and shape of the Defence Estate is kept under continual review to ensure that it is no larger than is required for operational purposes. There is an on-going disposal process from which, for example, the MOD budget benefited last year by some £100 million. The Strategic Defence Review now in progress will address the extent of the Defence Estate and I will report on the outcome in due course.
25. Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where and when he will publish factual material on the activities of his Department and the armed services which is usually contained in the "Statement on the Defence Estimates". [6531]
Dr. Reid:
Factual material on the activities of the Department and the armed forces in 1996-97, which would usually be contained in the Statement on the Defence Estimates, will appear in an expanded Ministry of Defence Performance Report which the Department plans to publish in the autumn.
26. Mr. Tony Colman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on funding for the Territorial Army and Voluntary Reserve. [6532]
Dr. Reid:
We are confident that the funding of the Territorial Army is commensurate with its current role and the tasks placed upon it. The future role of the Territorial Army is being considered as part of the strategic defence review.
29. Mr. Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received concerning procurement of aircraft for the Royal Air Force. [6535]
Mr. Spellar:
A number of representations has been received on this subject.
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30. Mr. Godman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last met representatives of commercial fishermen's organisations to discuss matters relating to the passage of NATO submarines through traditional fishing grounds. [6536]
Dr. Reid:
My Department maintains regular contact with fishermen's organisations to discuss Royal Navy and other NATO submarine activity in areas frequented by fishing vessels. These discussions cover, amongst other things, the Code of Practice governing dived submarine operations in such areas, which has been agreed with fishermen's organisations and is applicable to Royal Navy and NATO submarines operating around UK waters. The Flag Officer Submarines has a Fisheries Liaison Officer who keeps in close touch with the fishing community, and my officials meet formally with fishermen's representatives once a year to discuss matters of mutual interest. We value all these contacts with the fishing community.
31. Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the final in-service date for the Trident fleet to be announced. [6537]
Mr. Spellar:
There has been no change to the previously announced plan that the fourth and final Trident submarine will enter service early in the next century.
32. Mr. Sutcliffe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress towards NATO enlargement. [6538]
Dr. Reid:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my right hon. Friend gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Erewash (Ms Blackman).
33. Mr. Viggers:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action he has taken to improve the efficiency of the defence medical services. [6539]
Dr. Reid:
The Defence Medical Services (DMS) is an efficient organisation staffed ny dedicated personnel who provide a high standard of medical care. I am well aware that there are, however, serious shortages in manpower and we are looking urgently at measures to improve recruitment and retention. In this context, I hope very soon to be in a position to respond to the recent report by the House of Commons Defence Select Committee.
The Government have recently accepted the recommendations of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB) which bring medical and dental officers' pay more closely into line with that of their NHS colleagues. In addition, pensions will, from April 1997, be based on the new medical and dental pay scales rather than combatant pay. We hope that these changes will improve the attractiveness of a career in the DMS. The future structure and organisation of the DMS, will of course, need to reflect the outcome of the Strategic Defence Review.
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34. Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current training capacity of the British armed forces. [6540]
Mr. Reid:
The three services compile their training data in different ways and comprehensive and comparable figures are, therefore, not available. However, the following is a guide to the current training capacity for Financial Year 1997-98:
The figures given are for individual training to ensure that our people are fully equipped to meet the tasks placed upon them. They do not include collective continuation training, which is an ongoing requirement to maintain operational effectiveness. The training requirement is carefully planned to allow for flexibility without wastage and is being met through the single service training agencies and by some tri-service defence schools.
Royal Navy and Royal Marines
3,428,000 student training days;
Army
4,040,298 student training days;
Royal Air Force
(a) Flying Training--aircrew (all types) 2,129 student places on a variety of different courses.
(b) Ground Training--Around 35,000 student places on some 700 different types of course.
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