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Special Investigations Branch

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many investigations have been conducted by the Special Investigations Branch of the Royal Military Police in the past two years; how many and what percentage of investigations have led to disciplinary charges being laid against (a) serving and (b) discharged soldiers; what was the breakdown of those cases by outcome; what was the average time taken to conduct an investigation from complaint to report; who is tasked with responding to a report of the Special Investigations Branch; and what options are available for further action to be taken. [123886]

Mr. Spellar: The information requested is as detailed:

(a) In the calendar years 1998 and 1999, the Special Investigations Branch began investigating a total of 3,002 cases world-wide of which 264 are ongoing.

(b) A total of 1,175 persons have been reported for offences to date. Of these:

(i) 1,150 were serving soldiers (records are not held centrally on how many were discharged at the time of the investigation); and

(ii) 25 were civilians subject to military law.

(c) Of the total number of cases investigated:

(i) 876 were resolved;

(ii) in 543 cases, no crime was established;

(iii) 216 remain unsolved;

(iv) 264 are ongoing; and

(v) 1,103 were inquiries in assistance to Home Department Forces.

(d) The average time taken to conduct an investigation from complaint to Report is 62 days.

(e) It is a matter for the Commanding Officer of the reported person to act upon the findings of the SIB investigation, having taken advice from the appropriate Legal adviser.

(f) A Commanding Officer may dismiss charges, deal with them summarily, refer the matter to higher authority, or remand the accused for trial by Court Martial. A Regimental Board Of Inquiry may also be ordered.

5 Jun 2000 : Column: 14W

Property Disposals

Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance he gives to the Defence Housing Executive and Defence Estates concerning the disposal of surplus housing stock. [123873]

Dr. Moonie: The Defence Housing Executive is required to dispose of as much surplus housing stock as is compatible with meeting its principle function of providing housing for entitled and eligible Service personnel and their families at their place of work.

The bulk of Service families accommodation (SFA) in England and Wales was sold to Annington Homes Ltd. (AHL) in 1996. The Ministry of Defence leases back those properties it needs to house Service families. Properties which become surplus to military requirements are handed back to AHL for disposal.

Surplus housing which does not form part of the underlease with AHL, including all that in Scotland, is dealt with by Defence Estates (DE) in accordance with Chapter 32 of Government Accounting.

Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many MOD properties in Scotland are used for civilian and irregular occupancies; and how many such properties he expects to be disposed of in the next three years. [123914]

Dr. Moonie: Of the total number of 5,728 Service Families Accommodation (SFA) held by the Ministry of Defence in Scotland, 51 are occupied by Irregular Occupants and 136 are let to MOD and other non-entitled civilians. There is no intention to dispose of these properties at present although plans continue to evolve in the light of developing demand and it is possible that such properties may be included in those identified for disposal during the next three years.

A further 173 properties are let to housing associations. Negotiations are continuing for the disposal of 118 let properties at Helensburgh and it is hoped these will be completed within three months. The remaining 55 let properties at Forres have been handed over to Defence Estates for disposal.

MODDEC

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to place the MODDEC contract via the Buying Agency. [123587]

Mr. Spellar [holding answer 25 May 2000]: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

HMS Kent

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate HMS Kent's annual cost for (a) fuel, (b) wages, (c) maintenance, (d) general supplies and (e) other outlays; and if he will make a statement. [123960]

Mr. Spellar: The Type 23 Frigate HMS Kent, becomes fully operational at the end of the year; her annual operating costs will depend on her future tasking and the

5 Jun 2000 : Column: 15W

maintenance she requires. The indicative annual cost for a Type 23 Frigate, including manpower, fuel, stores and routine maintenance is in the region of £17 million.

Forms

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the net change in each year since May 1997 in the number of forms issued by his Department which (a) charities and (b) other voluntary organisations are required to complete. [123951]

Dr. Moonie: To the best of my knowledge, the Ministry of Defence has no requirement to issue any forms for completion by charities and other voluntary organisations in relation to their charitable functions. However, the Department purchases services from a number of charities, and some forms may need to be completed, for example for invoicing purposes.

Northern Ireland

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the most recent mission statement is of the Army in Northern Ireland. [124101]

Mr. Hoon: The Army's mission in Northern Ireland is

to support the Royal Ulster Constabulary in the defeat of terrorism in order to assist Her Majesty's Government's objective of restoring normality.

AWE Llanishen

Ms Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 18 May 2000, Official Report, column 204W, on AWE Llanishen, if, when the site is free from contamination, it will be suitable for (a) housing and (b) light industry development; and on what basis he expects the site to be free from contamination by autumn next year. [123781]

Mr. Spellar [holding answer 25 May 2000]: Further advice indicates that, while the decommissioning and demolition of buildings is expected to be completed by October 2001, further remedial action will be required on the land. A decision has yet to be made on the future development of the site and it is this which will determine the level of remediation which will be required. The site is expected to be available for redevelopment by the middle of 2002.

Laptops

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many laptop computers used by Ministers, officials and special advisers in his Department have been (a) lost and (b) stolen since May 1997. [123733]

Dr. Moonie [holding answer 25 May 2000]: Eight laptop computers belonging to the Ministry of Defence (including the armed forces) are recorded as having been lost since May 1997, and 59 as having been stolen.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will reply to the question tabled by the hon. Member for Ludlow on 16 May concerning warships (Ref. 122821). [124484]

5 Jun 2000 : Column: 16W

Dr. Moonie: This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Robert Walmsley to Mr. Christopher Gill, dated 5 June 2000:

I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence which asked when he would answer your question (Ref. 122821) about warship construction. This matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency.

I have written to you today in answer to your earlier question.--Official Report, columns 9-10W.

Northern Ireland Troops

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many troops there were at each garrison in Northern Ireland in (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001. [123964]

Mr. Spellar: The information required is set out in the table. In addition, we have also included Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel based in Northern Ireland.

	Strength as at (5)
	30 April 1999	30 April 2000
Belfast Garrison(6)	6,591	5,812
Northern Garrison	3,390	3,406
Southern Garrison	3,537	3,437
Royal Air Force	1,150	1,144
Royal Navy	182	179
Total	14,850	13,978

(5) Excludes those forces fully committed to Northern Ireland but rear based in GB.

(6) A number of Force Troop units reside within the Belfast Garrison geographical area but are often called upon to support units within the other garrison areas.

The number of Armed Forces deployed in Northern Ireland in 2001 will depend on the security situation. While we hope the recent momentum in the peace process will be sustained, it is not possible to predict the numbers of Armed Forces that will be stationed in Northern Ireland next year.

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