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Nancekuke

Ms Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further progress has been made on the environmental survey at Nancekuke. [148907]

Dr. Moonie: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 27 November 2000, Official Report, column 620W. Work on the further land quality assessments is progressing

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well and I expect to receive the expert consultants report soon. Once we have considered the report we will discuss the way ahead with the Environment Agency and Kerrier district council, as we are obliged to do under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Military Discipline

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of (a) the Unit Folder entitled, 'Military Custody and Summary Dealing System', (b) the Provost Manuals, (c) the Army Commissioning Regulations 1999, (d) the Military Secretary's Guide to Officers' Confidential reports, (e) Army Form AF B9926 and (f) Army General and Administrative Instructions, Vol. 5, Instruction No. 6. [149339]

Mr. Spellar: Copies of the Military Custody and Summary Dealing System, The Provost manuals, the Army Commissioning Regulations 1999, the Military Secretary's Guide to Officers' Confidential Reports, Army Form AF B9926 and Army General and Administrative Instructions, Vol. 5, Instruction No. 6 will be placed in the Library of the House. It should, however, be borne in mind that these are all dynamic documents which are subject to frequent updates.

The Military Secretary's Guide to Officers Confidential Reports will be replaced by a tri-service Officers Joint Appraisal Report and it is hoped to issue a new guide to allow reports under the new system to be completed from September 2001.

AF B9926 is being redrafted and it is intended to try to separate the Removal from Appointment and the Termination of Service action into two separate forms, but this is still some way down the line.

Defence Medical Services

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the consultants who have left Defence Medical Services in the last three years have taken up employment abroad; and if he will make a statement. [146622]

Dr. Moonie: We do not routinely maintain information on the employment status of consultants who have left the Defence Medical Services to live overseas.

NHS Waiting Lists

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what impact financial incentives to fast track service personnel have had on NHS waiting lists. [146706]

Dr. Moonie: Service personnel, including those referred under the Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit (MDHU) contracts, are counted in overall NHS waiting lists. Those waiting lists are managed by NHS trusts. The MOD has not been made aware that financial incentives included in the MDHU contracts have had any impact on those overall NHS waiting lists.

Infantry Anti-structure Weapon

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department is seeking to source the

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procurement of an Infantry Anti-structure Weapon system in the UK; what the estimated total cost of the programme will be; and if he will make a statement. [148556]

Dr. Moonie: We have not made a decision to progress with the purchase of any infantry anti-structure weapon. At present, there is no funding allocated to this capability.

On 23 August 2000 we issued a contracts bulletin asking industry to consider how best to provide an anti-structure weapon for the infantry in the urban environment. The contracts bulletin informs potential suppliers world-wide and not just in the UK. We have yet to assess any potential solutions, or to estimate how much these may cost.

KFOR

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the cost of the British contribution to KFOR. [149056]

Mr. Spellar: The latest estimate of additional expenditure likely to be incurred on Operations in Kosovo in 2000-01 is approximately £220 million.

Defence Secondary Care Agency Unit

(Organ Parts)

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many organ parts are kept by the Defence Secondary Care Agency Unit; where they are kept; for what purpose; if informal consent was obtained in each case; and if he will make a statement. [149096]

Dr. Moonie: The Defence Secondary Care Agency holds 26 pathological specimens in total, all of which are located at the Royal Hospital Haslar. These are being kept both in case further investigation is required into the cause of death and for medical research purposes. Formal consent was obtained in each case.

Maritime Graves

Mr. Nicholls: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will publish his consultation paper on the protection of maritime graves. [149179]

Dr. Moonie: The consultation paper will be distributed shortly.

Kosovo (Troops)

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the role of the Royal Marines in MNB (C) in Kosovo. [148926]

Mr. Spellar [holding answer 6 February 2001]: All British forces who have served in Kosovo can be justly proud of their performance. British forces currently serving in KFOR have maintained this high standard of service. Currently, Headquarters 3 Commando Brigade are providing the headquarters for Multi-National Brigade (Centre) (MNB(C)) in Pristina, and 45 Commando Group and 1st Battalion of the Princess of Wales Regiment are providing two manoeuvre battle groups.

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to reduce the level of the UK commitment in Kosovo in terms of (a) troops and (b) equipment. [148930]

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Mr. Spellar [holding answer 6 February 2001]: The United Kingdom contribution to the NATO led peacekeeping force in Kosovo (KFOR) is based upon Alliance requirements and agreed with Allies. NATO has well established procedures for the review of forces required for both KFOR and the SFOR mission in Bosnia. Reviews of both are currently under way. The UK will be contributing fully to that review process, and the results will be presented to NATO Ministers in June.

RAF Lossiemouth

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 31 January 2001, Official Report, column 183W, how much the new barracks at RAF Lossiemouth will cost; how many single person places it will accommodate; and when it is scheduled for completion. [149215]

Dr. Moonie: Barrack accommodation includes any construction of communal living facilities. In the case of RAF Lossiemouth, it comprises the construction of a replacement Officers' Mess. It will accommodate 100 personnel but there will also be public rooms and other amenities. Its cost is estimated to be in the region of £6 million to £8 million and it is scheduled for completion about December 2002.

Service Widows' Pensions

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many (a) Service personnel died between 1973 and October 2000, (b) Service wives were widowed between 1973 and October 2000 and (c) Service widows whose husbands died between 1973 and October 2000 had their Service widows' pensions stopped as a result of remarriage or cohabitation; [147739]

(2) what estimate his Department has made of (a) the total sum saved by the stopping of Service widows' pensions between 1973 and October 2000 on the remarriage or cohabitation of those widows and (b) the annual cost which would be incurred by restoring Service widows' pensions to those who were widowed between 1973 and October 2000 but have since remarried or cohabitated. [147740]

Dr. Moonie: Our records show that 5,208 Regular Service Personnel died during the period 1 January 1982 to 31 December 2000, of whom 2,603 were married. This included attributable and non-attributable deaths. While information for the period prior to January 1982 exists, a manual search of records would be required and this would entail disproportionate cost. We are unable to provide the total numbers of Service widows who have had their pensions stopped as a result of remarriage or cohabitation for the entire period requested. However, in my reply to the hon. Member on 27 November 2000, Official Report, columns 422-43W, I provided figures for the number of widows remarrying in each of the last two years. Information for previous years could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

We do not have information on the actual sum saved by stopping Service widows' pensions between 1973 and October 2000 as a result of their remarriage or cohabitation. A broad actuarial estimate of the costs of reinstating attributable forces family pensions that ceased on remarriage or cohabitation between 1973 and

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31 October 2000 is between £22 million and £26 million (this estimate is based on reinstating the pensions for future but not providing backdating).

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