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Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the expenditure incurred by his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies on (a) the setting up and (b) the operation of web sites, indicating the cases in which the expenditure has been above that budgeted; and if he will list for each web site (i) the topics covered, (ii) the current average number of hits per month and (iii) the estimated expenditure on each web site for each of the next three years. [70975]
Mr. Doug Henderson: It is the policy of the MOD to make information widely available to the public in an accessible form, subject to necessary security restrictions. As part of this policy, the Ministry of Defence maintain a number of publicly accessible internet web sites. Topics covered range across the full business activities of the Department, including defence policy and operations, defence research, meteorological and hydrographic information, defence standards, and Service recruitment. We do not hold figures for the average monthly number of accesses, or "hits", to MOD web sites. However, the most recent month's figures are given for each site for which this information is available centrally. Unless otherwise stated, these figures cover the period 1 January 1999 to 31 January 1999.
- The main sites currently available are:
- Ministry of Defence(http://www.mod.uk): 845,615
- Royal Navy (http://www.roval-navy.mod.uk): 425,397
- Army (http://www.army.mod.uk): 3,090,270 1
- Royal Air Force (http://www.raf.mod.uk): 1,049,812
15 Feb 1999 : Column: 494
- Royal Auxiliary Air Force (http://www.rauxaf.mod.uk)
- DERA (http://www.dra.hmg.gb)
- Atomic Weapons Establishment (http://www.awe.co.uk)
- Met Office (http://www.meto.gov.uk)
- Hydrographic Office (http://www.hydro.gov.uk)
- MOD Directorate of Standardisation (Http://www.dstan.mod.uk)
- Joint Air Transport Evaluation Unit
- (http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/avenue/xjy87/index.htm)
- 1 Covers period from 1 January 1999 to 7 February 1999
In addition, some Non Departmental Public Bodies, such as Service museums, maintain their own web sites, independent of the MOD.
The costs of setting up and operating these sites, and of individual future budgets, are not held centrally or in the form requested, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Gale:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) military and (b) civilian aircraft movements there were at RAF Manston in each of the past five years for which figures are available; how many of the civilian movements related to gliders and light aircraft; and if he will make a statement. [70810]
15 Feb 1999 : Column: 495
Mr. Doug Henderson:
Details of aircraft movements at RAF Manston have been collated since August 1994. The figures are as follows:
| Civil | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Military | Light a/c | Heavy a/c | Total |
| 1994 (August to December) | 5,061 | 19,819 | 656 | 25,536 |
| 1995 | 17,450 | 45,071 | 1,332 | 63,853 |
| 1996 | 10,680 | 42,528 | 848 | 54,056 |
| 1997 | 7,598 | 33,921 | 1,177 | 42,696 |
| 1998 | 6,760 | 29,108 | 2,110 | 37,976 |
With the exception of a gliding squadron whose movement figures are not recorded, no military aircraft are based at RAF Manston. The number of military movements reflects principally the use made of the station by air experience flights and visiting detachments from the University Air Squadron.
Royal Navy Ships (Personal Mail)
Mr. Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what delays have occurred over the last two months in delivering personal mail to the crews of Royal Navy ships stationed in the Gulf. [71185]
Mr. Doug Henderson: There is no record, in the quality of service checks carried out by the Defence Postal and Courier Service Agency, of any delay in the last two months to personal mails to the crews of Royal Navy ships stationed in the Gulf.
Once received from the Post Office, all personal mail addressed to the crews of Royal Navy ships stationed in the Gulf is dispatched via scheduled commercial aircraft to British Forces Post Offices established at Kuwait and Bahrain and to accredited shipping agents at Dubai.
During the last two months, all mail on hand in the UK for the Gulf area has been dispatched six days a week to Kuwait, five days a week to Bahrain, and three days a week to Dubai. Over the Christmas and New Year holidays there were no mails on hand to dispatch on 25, 26 and 27 December 1998 and on 1 January 1999.
The Defence Postal and Courier Services Agency, which has responsibility for the dispatch of forces' mail worldwide, has a Customer Care Unit that investigates individual inquiries regarding the delivery of mails. During working hours, any inquiry may be made on the Customer Care Helpline, which offers a Freephone service.
I am aware that The Sun newspaper published an article on this matter on 12 February, and I would like to clarify the position. HMS Cumberland arrived in Durban, South Africa on 21 December and sailed on 7 January 1999. All Christmas mail was dispatched to the Ship in Durban safely and on time. HMS Cumberland then docked in Mombasa on 16 January and sailed on 22 January 1999. Unfortunately 15 bags of mail, dispatched to the Ship via Nairobi failed to arrive before she sailed from Mombasa, due to security problems in Nairobi and transport problems between Nairobi and Mombasa. The mail caught up with the ship in Bahrain when she docked there on 1 February.
15 Feb 1999 : Column: 496
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much land held by his Department he estimates would fall within the definition of open country as set out in the consultation document "Access to the Open Countryside" of February 1998. [71638]
Mr. Spellar:
I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
17. Mr. Geraint Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action is being taken to prevent illegal asylum seekers attempting to enter the United Kingdom hidden in vehicles. [69123]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
We will tackle the problem of illegal immigration. We are developing increased European and international co-operation to crack down on traffickers. Increased liaison between British and French border authorities is already paying dividends in preventing 2,000 illegal immigrants in the last six months from embarking for Dover. Seven traffickers are being prosecuted by the French as a direct result of information provided by the Immigration Service. The Immigration and Asylum Bill contains several important provisions, including a civil penalty which will apply to drivers of vehicles found transporting clandestine entrants to Britain.
29. Mr. Prosser:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to relieve the pressure on accommodation for asylum seekers in London and the south-east. [69136]
35. Mr. Beard:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to relieve the pressure on accommodation for asylum seekers in London and the south-east. [69142]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
As a result of court decisions arising out of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, Local Councils have faced an unacceptable burden in dealing with asylum seekers. Councils like Dover and Kent deserve great praise for their handling of these issues. Next year, the new Immigration and Asylum Bill will place responsibility on a Government Agency to provide for asylum seekers and to end the disproportionate pressure on Dover and other areas of Kent, as well as London. In the meantime, the Local Government Association is setting up a non-statutory dispersal scheme and the Government have provided extra funding for it.
18. Mr. Illsley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to announce changes to the UK licensing laws, with particular reference to the law relating to Sunday dancing. [69124]
Mr. George Howarth:
We are considering industry proposals to relax the restrictions on commercially organised dancing on Sundays. I hope to be able to announce our conclusions soon.
15 Feb 1999 : Column: 497
19. Mrs. Butler:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action the Government have taken to support the work of voluntary organisations. [69125]
Kate Hoey:
The Government have developed a new spirit of partnership with the voluntary sector. The published Compacts on relations between Government and the voluntary and community sector have put this relationship on a formal footing for the first time. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 21 January that the Voluntary and Community Unit of the Home Office will be expanded and strengthened into the Active Community Unit to reflect our growing relationship with the sector.
25. Mr. Quinn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken to support and promote the work of voluntary organisations in relation to crime prevention in local neighbourhoods. [69131]
Mr. Boateng:
Voluntary organisations have an important role to play in crime prevention and reduction work. That is why the Order under section 5 of the Crime and Disorder 1998 Act requires that a wide range of voluntary bodies be invited to participate in the work of the crime and disorder reduction partnerships. Additionally, my Department funded the work of Crime Concern to produce and publish "Reducing Neighbourhood Crime--A Manual for Action".
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