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Departmental Travel
Mr. Brake: To ask the Attorney-General how many kilometres have been travelled on his Department's business in each of the last three years broken down by (a) foot, (b) bike, (c) bus, (d) train, (e) tram, (f) light-rail, (g) plane, (h) motorbike, (i) car, (j) taxi, (k) river-taxi and (l) other modes of transport; what plans and targets his Department has to reduce the kilometres travelled by private transport by his Department's employees; and if he will make a statement. [91023]
The Attorney-General: The information on business travel is not collected in the form requested and therefore cannot be provided. As published in the integrated transport White Paper in July 1998, the Government have set a target that all Government Department headquarters buildings and main buildings occupied by Executive Agencies and Government Offices for the Regions should have green transport plans by March 1999 and all other key buildings by March 2000.
My Departments have completed green transport plans for their headquarters buildings and are developing plans for all other key buildings in line with the target set in the White Paper. The plans include measures to reduce single occupancy car use by employees for commuting and business travel, including ensuring that journeys are necessary, by making available loans for the purchase of season tickets for public transport and bicycles, and by providing secure bicycle storage facilities and showers.
Racism (Disciplinary Action)
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Attorney-General if the remarks made by the Director of Public Prosecutions in early May 1999 to a Law Society meeting of ethnic minority lawyers, concerning disciplinary action against staff found to have committed racist behaviour or made racist comments, represent Government policy. [90381]
The Attorney-General:
Government policy is to deliver real change in race equality in Britain through policy formulation and implementation. The Government
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do not condone racist behaviour of any sort. This policy applies to the Crown Prosecution Service, and those who are found to display racist behaviour or attitudes will have action taken against them under the Service's disciplinary code.
Deployment
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force personnel are currently committed to active service operations; and what percentage are warned to deploy to such operations. [88124]
Mr. Doug Henderson [holding answer 24 June 1999]: (a) Of the Army, 28.6 per cent. actually deployed on operations. The total percentage of the Army committed to operations is 47 per cent. This includes not only the troops actually deployed, but those preparing for imminent deployment as well as those who are in the process of post-deployment recovery and recuperation.
(b) Of the Naval Service (including Royal Marines) around 45 per cent. are on operational sea service.
(c) Of the Royal Air Force, a total of 40 per cent. of personnel are currently deployed, ready to deploy or in immediate support of operations, based in UK and abroad.
Mr. Viggers:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the establishment for orthopaedic surgeons at the Royal Hospital, Haslar on the basis of the full implementation of Defence Cost Study 15. [88339]
Mr. Doug Henderson
[holding answer 25 June 1999]: Following Defence Cost Study 15, it was agreed that eight orthopaedic surgeons were required at the Royal Hospital Haslar.
Mr. Duncan Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of troops earmarked for Operation Joint Guardian are at present deployed in (a) Kosovo, (b) Macedonia and (c) Albania. [88781]
Mr. George Robertson
[holding answer 28 June 1999]: Of the forces we expect to deploy in support of Operation Joint Guardian, some 73 per cent. are deployed in Kosovo and 21 per cent. in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. None are deployed in Albania.
Mr. Menzies Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Army committed to operations in Northern Ireland were under 18 years of age on 23 June; and in which units. [89041]
Mr. Doug Henderson
[holding answer 30 June 1999]: A total of 28 UK Trained Army Personnel under the age of 18 years were serving in Northern Ireland as at 1 June 1999, the latest date for which information is held centrally. A breakdown by individual regiments is shown in the table.
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| Regiment/Unit | Number |
|---|---|
| Guards | 5 |
| Scots Guards | 2 |
| 1 Black Watch | 2 |
| Royal Regiment Fusiliers | 1 |
| Royal Anglian Regiment | 3 |
| Green Howards | 1 |
| Royal Irish (General Service) | 7 |
| Queen's Lancastrian Regiment | 3 |
| Royal Welch Fusiliers | 1 |
| Light Infantry | 2 |
| Royal Logistics Corps | 1 |
| Total | 28 |
Age is taken into account in selecting the types of duty in which under 18s can be employed. The Army does not, as a general rule, currently deploy those under 17¼ who are usually involved in initial training. The minimum ages currently applied for deployment on active service in Northern Ireland are 18 years for an Emergency Tour, and 17½ for Resident Units where they are confined to duties within the Barracks only.
Defence Evaluation and Research Agency
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the sites of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency visited by Defence Ministers since May 1997. [89621]
Mr. Spellar [holding answer 2 July 1999]: Since May 1997, Defence Ministers have visited the following DERA sites:
Farnborough
Malvern
Porton Down
Chertsey
Portsdown West.
Mr. Fallon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the meetings he and his Ministers have held with trade union representatives of staff employed by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency to discuss the Public Private Partnership proposals [90632]
Mr. Spellar [holding answer 12 July 1999]: In July 1998, the Strategic Defence Review--SDR--announced a Public Private partnership--PPP--for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency--DERA. Since then, there have been a number of meetings between Ministers and trade union representatives of DERA staff. Many of these meetings were intended to discuss a range of SDR issues, but the subject of DERA PPP often featured prominently.
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The formal method for consultation with the trade unions is through the DERA Consultative Committee, and regular meetings, attended by DERA senior management and MOD, have been held. On a less formal basis, DERA management has taken every opportunity to keep the trade unions informed of progress on the DERA PPP study and staff issues. DERA site managers have also met with local representatives. The MOD study team has a continuing dialogue with both local and national trade union representatives.
We intend this level of dialogue to continue throughout the project.
Mr. Fallon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are currently employed by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency; and how many at each site. [90559]
Mr. Spellar
[holding answer 12 July 1999]: This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.
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