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Toyota
Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has made to the Bank of England in relation to Toyota. [103220]
Mr. Byers [holding answer 20 December 1999]: My Department routinely feeds information into the Bank of England.
Post Office Network (Benefits Payments)
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate the number of recipients of (a) family credit and (b) the working families tax credit who receive payment at a post office broken down to the smallest possible geographical level; and if he will estimate the value to the Post Office of that business in each case. [101609]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 6 December 1999]: I have been asked to reply.
| Family credit | WFTC | |
|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | 18,138 | 294,179 |
| Northern Ireland | 1,456 | 12,910 |
| Total | 19,594 | 307,089 |
A further geographical breakdown is not available.
The value to the Post Office of the business this represents is commercially confidential.
Royal Ordnance
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made with negotiating a partnering agreement between his Department and Royal Ordnance; and if he will make a statement. [104122]
Mr. Kilfoyle: I am pleased to announce that, following successful negotiations between the Ministry of Defence and BAe Systems, the Ministry of Defence intends to enter into a ten year partnering arrangement with Royal Ordnance for the supply of a wide range of ammunition products produced by Royal Ordnance Weapons and Munitions Ltd. and Royal Ordnance Radway Green. The partnering arrangement will provide Royal Ordnance with a stable work load worth some £100 million per year, and will involve the Ministry of Defence and Royal Ordnance in sharing the costs, risks and benefits over the period of the arrangement.
The agreement is the culmination of hard discussions over the last year. It represents value for money to the taxpayer, while preserving an indigenous ammunition manufacturing capability in the United Kingdom, which will enhance the future security of supply of ammunition for our armed forces. These advantages, which will be
21 Dec 1999 : Column: 468W
shared by both the Ministry of Defence and the company, are possible because partnering will provide Royal Ordnance with a stable basis from which it can invest, restructure, and reduce prices.
Mrs. Gilroy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the BOWMAN project. [104129]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
We have been reviewing the BOWMAN Tactical Communications System project. In accordance with Smart Procurement principles, it is now planned to deliver the system incrementally. As a consequence, initial deliveries of the stand-alone, Personal Role Radio element of BOWMAN should now be possible earlier than previously planned.
The MOD's preferred supplier for BOWMAN is Archer Communications Systems Ltd. (ACSL). Management of ACSL is now vested in BAe Systems who have committed to a radical reinvigoration of the company. ACSL is working under a risk of reduction contract to deliver a viable solution to the BOWMAN requirement. The company's original proposal was too expensive and carried too much risk. Since June, we have, therefore, been working with ACSL to produce an acceptable solution. This will depend in part on efficiencies being achieved by the company.
We now hope to place an implementation contract in late 2000. We cannot yet set a revised in service date, but would expect it to be in late 2003/early 2004.
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the undertaking given by his predecessor concerning the number of civilian staff to be employed at Imphal Barracks following the transfer of the tri-Service Defence Vetting Agency to York and the removal of the 2 Division Headquarters from York to Scotland. [99469]
Mr. Spellar:
In his answer of 26 March 1999, Official Report, column 434W, my predecessor stated that the strength of the Defence Vetting Agency would be 310 when the Agency collocates at York. The revised position is that the Agency strength immediately following collocation (in early 2001) will be 311.
Of those 311, a total of 130 will be Investigating Officers who currently work from their homes, and will continue to do so. Thus, the number of Defence Vetting Agency staff who will actually be working in Imphal Barracks immediately after collocation is 181.
The total number of civilian staff (including those of the DVA) who will be working at Imphal Barracks in early 2001 will be 430. The balance of 249 are Imphal Barracks staff, employed in various (mainly Army) units.
The Agency is introducing new vetting processes and IT systems at Imphal Barracks. It is therefore likely that the numbers of staff will vary slightly as these are tested and proved.
21 Dec 1999 : Column: 469W
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the cost of (a) a Hornet radar sensor and (b) the future anti-surface guided weapon. [103031]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
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 Sir Robert Walmsley to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 21 December 1999:
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost is of the Royal Navy's Type 45 frigate project; and if he will make a statement. [103057]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
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 Sir Robert Walmsley to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 21 December 1999:
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the near miss involving an RAF Tornado and a British Midland plane near Edinburgh Airport earlier in December. [103545]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
Two aircraft proximity incidents (or airproxes) involving British Midland SAAB 340 aircraft and RAF Tornados were reported during the first week of December. One of these occurred in the Aberdeen area, the other, 12 nautical miles north east of St. Abb's Head. A further incident was reported by an Edinburgh air traffic controller and involved a Tornado and a British Airways
21 Dec 1999 : Column: 470W
Embraer aircraft. All these reports are being investigated through the United Kingdom Airprox Board who will publish their findings next year.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the occasions between 1987 and 1993 in which deceased aircrew were found guilty of gross negligence in accidents involving military aircraft which were not fitted with cockpit voice recorders or flight data recorders. [103546]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
There were none.
I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the cost of a Hornet radar sensor and the Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon. This matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency.
The United Kingdom does not operate, nor has plans to procure, a sensor system called Hornet. You may be referring to the sensor system for the US F/A18 aircraft called the Hornet, but as you will appreciate, we have no visibility of the costs associated with this programme.
The requirement for the Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon has yet to be fully defined and it is therefore too early to indicate the cost.
I am sorry that I cannot be more helpful.
I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the estimated cost of the UK Royal Navy's Type 45 Project. This matter falls to me to answer within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency.
As I wrote in my letter to you of 15 December, the total programme cost for the 12 currently planned Type 45 warships (actually designated Destroyers rather than Frigates) including their missiles is approximately £6bn. This includes approximately £1.2bn for the development, design and build of the first of class ship and £1bn for the development and initial production of the Principal Anti Air Missile System (PAAMS). The balance of £3.8bn contains funding for further missile procurement, and allows for the incremental acquisition of the combat system. The ship design will incorporate significant growth margins to allow for this incremental capability development.
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