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Defence Medical Services
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his plans to develop the military ethos of Defence Medical Services. [146705]
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Dr. Moonie: The Defence Medical Services have a strong military ethos as an integral part of the armed forces. Those employed in MOD hospital units (MDHUs), working in a predominantly civilian medical environment, continue to undertake military training and have opportunities to participate in service sport and adventure training. Where appropriate, additional facilities may be provided, as in the case of the fitness centre for DMS personnel at the Frimley Park MDHU, which is due to be completed in spring this year.
Kosovo
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what level of medical support was available to ground troops preparing for a possible intervention in Kosovo; and what assessment he has made of the level of medical support available to service the UK's commitment to (a) NATO and (b) the rapid reaction force. [146707]
Dr. Moonie: Medical support for UK troops deploying to Kosovo was provided at sufficient levels to meet the specified requirements. The level of medical support required for UK forces committed to a NATO or European rapid reaction force deployment would similarly depend on the operational circumstances at the time and would be drawn from the available resources of the UK Defence Medical Services.
Royal Army Medical College, Millbank
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in respect of the sale of the Royal Army Medical College at Millbank. [146887]
Dr. Moonie [holding answer 23 January 2001]: The Ministry of Defence consulted a number of other Government Departments, including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, before a final decision was taken on the preferred bidder for the purchase of the site of the former Royal Army Medial College at Millbank.
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the agreed selling price of the Royal Army Medical College at Millbank. [146882]
Dr. Moonie [holding answer 23 January 2001]: I am withholding details of the agreed selling price under exemption 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the contract to sell the Royal Army Medical College at Millbank has been signed. [146885]
Dr. Moonie [holding answer 23 January 2001]: The proposed date for exchange of contracts is 14 February, with completion due on 28 February.
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings Ministers in his Department have had with bidders for the purchase of the Royal Army Medical College at Millbank. [146886]
Dr. Moonie [holding answer 23 January 2001]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I, accompanied by the Minister for Education and
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Employment and the Minister for the Arts, received a presentation from each of the short-listed bidders on 21 September 2000.
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make a statement on the reasons for the elimination of each of the unsuccessful bids for the Royal Army Medical College at Millbank; [146884]
- (2) if the Royal Army Medical College at Millbank is to be sold to the highest bidder. [146883]
Dr. Moonie [holding answer 23 January 2001]: The Ministry of Defence selected the bid which best served the public interest, taking into account the presence of listed buildings on the Millbank site, its prominent location and proximity to Tate Britain.
The guidelines for the disposal of heritage sites and listed buildings give Departments discretion to accept a lower bid where there are non-financial or wider environmental or cultural benefits.
Departmental Property
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the sale of surplus MOD property; and if he will make a statement. [146888]
Dr. Moonie [holding answer 23 January 2001]: Surplus Ministry of Defence property is disposed of in line with the overall economic objectives of the Government and within Treasury guidelines. This dictates that property is disposed of in a timely (usually within three years) and transparent manner (usually through open market testing) so that the interest of the tax payer is protected.
Condoms
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is in respect of the supply of condoms to UK service personnel; when the policy was last reviewed; and if he will make a statement. [146450]
Mr. Spellar: I will write to my hon. Friend.
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Adult Education
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if he will set out the basis on which the sums being held back from local education authorities funding in relation to adult education in 2001-02 have been calculated; [145226]
- (2) if he will set out for each local education authority their spending on adult education this year and the sum being top-sliced from their funding for adult education in 2001-02. [145227]
Mr. Wicks [holding answer 15 January 2001]: No sums are being held back or top sliced from local education authorities' funding. For 2001-02 the Government are allocating up to £142 million to local education authorities, via the Learning and Skills Council, for Adult and Community Learning--an increase of 5.7 per cent. on what authorities are spending in 2000-01. To help pay for this,
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£127 million was removed at national level from Education Standard Spending for 2000-01, before the addition of over £1 billion for 2001-02.
The following table sets out, for each local education authority, their estimated spending on adult education in 2000-01, and the maximum provisional allocation they would receive for this activity in 2001-02 from the Learning and Skills Council, as notified to LEAs on 29 November 2000.
Final figures for the maximum allocations from the Learning and Skills Council are under discussion between my Department and a number of authorities.
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