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Mission Statement

Ms Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made towards a mission statement for his Department. [78854]

Mr. George Robertson: The objectives for the Ministry of Defence were included in the volume of Supporting Essays published as part of the Strategic Defence Review. I have since revised the language of these objectives to make them more simple and direct. The Mission Statement, which describes both the overall output and the main characteristics of the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces, is as follows:

The Defence Mission

Purpose

The purpose of the Ministry of Defence, and the Armed Forces, is to:

defend the United Kingdom, and Overseas Territories, our people and interest;

act as a force for good by strengthening international peace and security.

How we achieve it

To achieve this, we:

make a vital contribution to Britain's security policy and its promotion at home and abroad;

direct and provide a defence effort that meets the needs of the present, prepares for the future and insures against the unpredictable;

generate modern, battle-winning forces and other defence capabilities to help;

prevent conflicts and build stability;

resolve crisis and respond to emergencies;

protect and further UK interests;

meet our commitments and responsibilities;

work with Allies and partners to strengthen international security relationships.

Success depends, above all, on our people. We must:

recruit and retain the best people for the job from a diverse society;

train, motivate and quip them properly;

manage with care, ensuring that the demands on individuals and their families are reasonable;

develop careers in defence and skills for life.

In all this we must:

make every pound count for defence to ensure that the defence budget is used to best effect;

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develop a joint approach, harnessing the three Armed Services, defence civilians and all our resources to deliver the defence mission;

be open, flexible and creative in the way we work;

encourage British defence technology, science and industry;

help protect the natural environment;

be an active part of the wider community which we serve and in which we live.

This Defence Mission is implemented through a series of supporting objectives, which were set out in the Strategic Defence Review White Paper.

RAF Maintenance Group Defence Agency

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are currently employed by the RAF Maintenance Group Defence Agency; what was the figure at its inception; on what date the RAF Maintenance Group Defence Agency published its report for 1997-98; and what was the cost of production of the report. [76880]

Mr. Doug Henderson: This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the RAF Maintenance Group Defence Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from K. J. M. Procter to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 24 March 1999:

Parliamentary question--numbers of people employed by the RAF maintenance group defence agency and the 1997-98 report

1. I am replying to your Question to the Secretary of State for Defence concerning the numbers of people employed by the RAF Maintenance Group Defence Agency (MGDA) currently and at its inception, the date of publication of the MGDA's report for 1997-98 and the cost of production of the report. As Acting Chief Executive of the MGDA, these matters fall within my area of responsibility.

2. Currently, the MGDA employs some 6,750 people (2,200 Servicemen and 4,550 civilians). At its inception in 1991, the Agency employed some 13,600 people (7,800 Servicemen and 5,800 civilians). During this time, of course, the Agency had reduced substantially in size by transfers and closures from 12 RAF stations and a similar number of other aerosystems, supply and signals units in 1991 to just 3 RAF stations now.

3. The MGDA's Annual Report and Accounts for 1997-98 was published on 8 July 1998 and copies placed in the libraries of both Houses of Parliament. The cost of production of the report was about £8,000.

Armed Forces (Uniforms)

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information and guidance his Department gives to the United Kingdom textile industry when planning procurement of uniforms and textiles for the armed forces. [77464]

Mr. Doug Henderson [holding answer 18 March 1999]: The Defence Clothing & Textiles Agency (DCTA) is bound by EC Regulations which require all contracts with a potential value of more than £160,670 to be advertised in the "European Journal". Requirements to the value of £250,000 are also advertised in the MOD Contracts Bulletin. The Defence Suppliers Service publishes a booklet entitled "Selling to the MOD" to assist all companies considering my Department as a potential market for their goods. Seminars, exhibitions and "Meet the Buyer" events are also organised. The DCTA held two separate day conferences for Contractors during 1998 and

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more are planned--these attract predominately UK contractors. The DCTA also provides ad hoc advice on potential future purchases, and operates a system to debrief unsuccessful tenderers on why their bids were unsuccessful. These activities are designed to ensure that a competitive environment is maintained to meet our objective of achieving Value for Money in the procurement of textile goods.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what proportion of the expenditure by his Department on uniforms for the armed forces during the last three years went to companies in the United Kingdom; [77466]

(2) how much his Department has spent on procurement of uniforms for the armed forces in the last three years. [77465]

Mr. Doug Henderson [holding answer 18 March 1999]: Total expenditure on all items of clothing for the past three years was £159.092 million, 76 per cent. of which went to UK companies.

Iraq

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer on Iraq of 18 March 1999, Official Report, column 810, what threats to the coalition came from the area of the Syrian Christian community of Ainawa, near Erdbil. [78368]

Mr. George Robertson [holding answer 23 March 1999]: I am not aware of any threats to UK aircraft from the area of Erdbil.

Recruitment

Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the number of recruits to each of the armed services in each of the past three years for which figures are available; what the recruitment targets were; and whether current recruitment targets are being achieved. [77486]

Mr. Doug Henderson: The recruitment targets and achievements for each of the Armed Services over the last three completed financial years were:

	1995-96	1996-97	1997-98
Naval Service
Target	2,682	4,607	5,310
Achievement	(86%) 2,315	(85%) 3,909	(85%) 4,536
Army
Target	15,805	15,830	16,504
Achievement	(75%) 11,785	(91%) 14,366	(89%) 14,658
RAF
Target	2,814	3,283	4,163
Achievement	(92%) 2,601	(88%) 2,877	(92%) 3,839

For the current financial year, the recruitment achievement to date is:

	Target	Achievement (%)
Naval Service	5,088	93
Army	16,446	96
RAF	4,622	95

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Military Exports (Private Flights)

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the RAF airfields from which private companies have exported goods in the last five years. [77250]

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.

HM Customs and Excise does not keep records of such information.

HEALTH

Health Authority Debt

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the total debt (a) in cash terms and (b) as a percentage of income, of each trust and health authority at the end of each of the last five financial years. [76477]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 15 March 1999]: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by NHS region the bad debts and claims abandoned by each health authority, for each of the last five years. [76486]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 15 March 1999]: Detailed information on bad debts and claims abandoned is not held centrally, but copies of expenditure by each health authority on these items has been placed in the Library.

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