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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 29 November 1999
DEFENCE
Procurement
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (i) the original in-service date, (ii) the current in-service date, (iii) the estimated and actual costs, (iv) the years of expected peak expenditure and (v) the prime contractor for all the endorsed staff requirements. [98583]
Mr. Kilfoyle: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Indonesia
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the use of equipment supplied to Indonesia's armed forces by United Kingdom suppliers; and if he will make a statement. [99297]
Mr. Kilfoyle: We are in regular contact with our Embassy in Jakarta about the use of such equipment. We have made it clear to Indonesia that UK-supplied defence equipment should not be used in East Timor or against civilians in violation of human rights standards.
Target Setting
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many targets have been agreed between his Department and (i) local authorities and (ii) other bodies apart from his own agencies and non-departmental bodies since May 1997. [99478]
Mr. Kilfoyle [holding answer 24 November 1999]: With the exception of the Public Service Agreement with HM Treasury my Department has no targets agreed with other bodies at the Departmental level. However the Public Service Agreement is consistent with the wider goals of the Government. At a lower level some elements of the Department and the Armed Forces will share goals with outside bodies. It would not be possible to provide a comprehensive list of such shared goals without disproportionate cost.
Falkland Islands
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces are currently committed to the defence of the Falkland Islands. [100018]
Mr. Spellar:
There are currently approximately 1,650 Service personnel in the Falkland Islands.
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Sir Teddy Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the tender documents for the site at the Old Ranges, Shoeburyness, have to be lodged with Donaldsons of 70 Jermyn Street, London SW1; and when the tender documents will be available to possible bidders. [100055]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
The sales brochure specified that the extra site would be sold by means of Best Offer bids, and that proposals should be received by 12 noon on Friday 10 December 1999, at the agents, Donaldsons, 70 Jermyn street, London. Donaldsons wrote to all prospective purchasers on 24 November 1999, explaining the basis upon which offers should be made. There is no requirement for formal tender documentation given that the site is not being sold by Formal Tender.
Mr. Keetch:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information on (a) costs and (b) time scales of IT projects currently being undertaken by his Department is held centrally; if he will list the (i) start date, (ii) planned completion date, (iii) expected completion date, (iv) planned cost and (v) current estimated cost of these projects where available; and if he will make a statement. [99666]
Mr. Kilfoyle
[holding answer 26 November 1999]: The information requested is not readily available; however, I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Stinchcombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the impact of the Army Terms of Service (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 1999 on the ability of young people in the armed forces to leave after enlistment; and what is the minimum period of service for which such young persons will have to enlist. [100193]
Mr. Spellar:
All recruits to non-commissioned service in the Army enter on an Open Engagement of 22 years reckonable service from age 18 or the date of joining, whichever is the later. The Army Terms of Service (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 1999, which came into effect on 1 November 1999, increased the minimum commitment period for newly recruited soldiers from three to four years. Those enlisted after this date will, therefore, serve for an additional year before they have the right to discharge to the reserve.
The Army Terms of Service (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 1999 have no effect on the statutory right to discharge provisions. A recruit under the age of 18 can leave the Army free as of right within the first six months of service (having served at least 28 days and having given 14 days notice); for those aged over 18, the statutory right to discharge ends three months after joining for duty.
New recruits who do not exercise this right are committed to serve for four years from their 18th birthday or 4.25 years after attestation, whichever is the later. Provision does, however, exist for personnel of any age to be discharged from the service at any time for a number of reasons, including compassionate.
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Mr. Blunt:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what date war widows will be able to keep their armed forces pension on remarriage. [99094]
Mr. Spellar:
The payment of widows' pensions is being examined as part of the review of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme which is currently under way. We hope it will be concluded by next summer. It is not possible at this stage to comment on the outcome.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions Ministers or his officials have held with the Department of Social Security in respect of war pensions for widows; and if he will make a statement. [100310]
Mr. Spellar:
MOD and DSS officials have worked closely on the joint MOD-DSS review of compensation for members of the armed forces who suffer illness, injury, and death for reasons attributable to service. The MOD and DSS routinely discuss war pensions issues, including arrangements for war widows. There are also day-to-day contacts between DSS War Pensions Agency and the MOD Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency about the handling of individual cases.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what would be the cost of war widows retaining for life attributable pensions awarded under his Department's armed forces pension scheme. [100313]
Mr. Spellar:
We estimate that the cost of war widows retaining for life their attributable pensions would be between £2 million and £3 million per annum.
Mr. Keetch:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of (a) the Army, (b) the Royal Air Force and (c) the Royal Navy have changed from Maristat One in each year between and including 1989 and the current financial year; into which marital category they have changed; what proportion of each service this represents for each year; and if he will make a statement. [99928]
Mr. Spellar:
I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if, for the RAF, the Royal Navy and the Army, he will list (a) the number of aircraft crashed in each of the past five years to November 1999, (b) their value, (c) the age and type of each aircraft, (d) the fate of the pilots and (e) the attributed cause of each accident. [100311]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
The information requested is not readily available; however I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) the budget for the National Employers
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Liaison Committee for the reserves of the armed forces and (b) the Territorial Army Recruiting Budget for each year from 1994. [99930]
Mr. Spellar:
I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out the current pay scales for (a) non-regular permanent staff staff sergeants and (b) MOD civil service executive officers. [99932]
Mr. Spellar:
The current pay scale for a non-regular permanent staff (NRPS) staff sergeant, effective from 1 April 1999, is £20,613 per annum on appointment, rising to £20,723 after nine years.
With effect from 1 August 1999, the maximum point on the executive officer pay scale was increased from £18,264 to £22,727. The minimum was also increased, from £11,914 to £12,523.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the value of redundancy payments made to non-regular permanent staff replaced by Executive Officers as Territorial Army financial systems administrators; and how many NRPS FSAs over 50 years of age have been pensioned off. [99934]
Mr. Spellar:
To date there have been no redundancy payments made to non-regular permanent staff (NRPS) financial systems administrator (FSA) personnel, including those over age 50, who are being replaced by civilian Executive Officers (EOs). It is not currently possible to provide the value of redundancy payments which will be made because such payments will be determined individually and will be calculated on the basis of length of NRPS service and rate of pay on discharge.
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