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DEFENCE
Defence Secondary Care Agency Unit
(Organ Parts)
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 7 February 2001, Official Report, column 523W, on organ parts, if he will list the specimens held; and for what purposes they are kept. [150814]
Dr. Moonie: Pursuant to my answer of 7 February 2001, Official Report, column 523W, further investigation has revealed that the Defence Secondary Care Agency holds approximately 60 pathological specimens relating to 26 patients, rather than "26 specimens". These specimens are all held at the Royal Hospital Haslar and for each, patient consent has been given for organ retention for both diagnostic and medical research purposes. In total there are 14 organs and approximately 46 tissue samples:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Brain | 4 |
| Heart | 0 |
| Lungs | 4 |
| Other organs(8) | 5 |
| Body Parts | 0 |
| Stillbirths or pre-viable foetuses | 1 |
| Tissues(9) | 46 |
| Total | 60 |
(8) Not include above
(9) Approximate
Note:
The data are recorded in the format provided to the Chief Medical Officer for his report in 2000 entitled "Retention of Organs at Post-Mortem: Census of Hospitals in England".
Definition of terms:
Tissues: samples of organs or body parts
Organs: whole organs
Body parts: limbs, heads or the entire contents of either the thorax or abdomen.
1 Mar 2001 : Column: 726W
Armed Forces (Death in Service)
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) men and (b) women serving in (i) the Army, (ii) the Royal Navy and (iii) the Royal Air Force have died in active service in each month over the past 10 years; and how many of those listed were married at the time of death. [151011]
Dr. Moonie [holding answer 26 February 2001]: The term "active service" is used wildly in connection with the Services, with various meanings in different contexts. However the Service Discipline Act contains specific definitions for the purposes of that legislation. In order to avoid a more restrictive interpretation than may be intended by the question, we set out figures based on a wide range of deaths on duty. The circumstances covered by the figures are explained more fully immediately after the table.
Between 1 January 1991 and 31 December 2000 there have been 394 service personnel who have died of injuries sustained on duty. Out of this total, 132 were married at the time of death. The table provides details of these deaths for each service:
1 Mar 2001 : Column: 725W
| Navy deaths | Navy married | Army total | Army married | RAF total | RAF married | Tri-service total | Tri-service married | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5 | 3 | 64 | 23 | 14 | 1 | 83 | 27 |
| 1992 | 3 | 2 | 35 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 47 | 13 |
| 1993 | 13 | 6 | 22 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 46 | 14 |
| 1994 | 5 | 2 | 39 | 19 | 9 | 2 | 53 | 23 |
| 1995 | 7 | 1 | 20 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 39 | 14 |
| 1996 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 8 |
| 1997 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 4 |
| 1998 | 4 | 1 | 30 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 40 | 10 |
| 1999 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 31 | 9 |
| 2000 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 10 |
Note:
Deaths on duty are defined as those personnel who have died as a result of injuries categorised as: Battle wounds or injuries; injuries inflicted internationally during peacekeeping and similar operations (e.g. Kosovo and Northern Ireland); injuries sustained from terrorist activity, and accidental injuries sustained while on duty.
1 Mar 2001 : Column: 725W
Royal Ordnance
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the terrorist threat to the Royal Ordnance sites at (a) Bridgwater, (b) Chorley, (c) Glascoed, (d) Nottingham and (e) Radway Green; and if he will make a statement. [151589]
1 Mar 2001 : Column: 726W
Dr. Moonie: A comprehensive assessment of the threat to security at the Royal Ordnance sites was undertaken. It is not the practice to discuss threat assessments publicly for reasons of national security, but the threat assessment was taken fully into account in reaching the decision to withdraw Ministry of Defence police officers from Royal Ordnance sites.
1 Mar 2001 : Column: 727W
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost per annum to Royal Ordnance is of employing Ministry of Defence Police at (a) Bridgwater, (b) Chorley, (c) Glascoed, (d) Nottingham and (e) Radway Green; and if he will make a statement. [151590]
Dr. Moonie: I am withholding details of the sums paid by Royal Ordnance to the Ministry of Defence for the services of the MOD police under Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information as they are a matter of commercial confidentiality.
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Ministry of Defence Police are deployed at the Royal Ordnance sites in (a) Bridgwater, (b) Chorley, (c) Glascoed, (d) Nottingham and (e) Radway Green; what plans there are to withdraw cover and on what dates; and if he will make a statement. [151591]
Dr. Moonie: There are 15 Ministry of Defence police (MDP) posts complemented at each of the five RO sites. MDP officers will be withdrawn from RO Bridgwater, Chorley, Glascoed and Radway Green on 31 May 2001. MDP officers will be withdrawn from RO Nottingham when the MOD weapons have been removed from the Pattern Room, which is currently expected to take place in February 2002.
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the proposed withdrawal of Ministry of Defence police at Royal Ordnance sites will result in (a) compulsory and (b) voluntary redundancies within the Ministry of Defence police; and if he will make a statement. [151592]
Dr. Moonie: It is very unlikely that the withdrawal of the Ministry of Defence police (MDP) from the five RO sites will lead to any compulsory redundancies, unless officers substantiate a case for a Limited Mobility Waiver, and there are no other employment opportunities with the MDP in the local area. We anticipate that all will be offered alternative postings.
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what powers private security companies will have to (a) patrol beyond perimeters and (b) carry weaponry at Royal Ordnance sites once Ministry of Defence police protection is withdrawn; and if he will make a statement. [151593]
Dr. Moonie: Once Ministry of Defence police protection is withdrawn, the deployment of company guards will be the responsibility of the Royal Ordnance. The guards will not have constabulary powers.
Private security company guards will not be armed. Section 54 of the Firearms Act 1968 limits the authority to carry firearms on duty to Crown Servants (which includes Service personnel and the Ministry of Defence police). The Firearms Act Amendment 1997 lists pistols as prohibited items, the carriage of which requires a personal licence issued by the local Chief Constable; no such licences are issued to private security companies. Home Department police will provide an armed response force, as required, at the RO sites.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what obligations service units have to implement Child
1 Mar 2001 : Column: 728W
Support Agency instructions for attachment of earnings in relation to Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel. [149480]
Mr. Spellar [holding answer 8 February 2001]: Under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations, the Ministry of Defence will, at the request of the Child Support Agency, make appropriate deductions from pay to meet the maintenance obligations of Service personnel. Deductions are made in full, except in less than 1 per cent. of cases where this would breach minimum rates of pay set in Ministry of Defence legislation.
Operation Palliser
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many members of the armed forces deployed on Operation Palliser are in a medically downgraded category; what percentage of forces deployed on Operation Palliser this represents; and if he will make a statement; [147562]
- (2) how many members of the armed forces who serviced on Operation Palliser are categorised as medically downgraded; and if he will make a statement. [148377]
Dr. Moonie [holding answer 2 February 2001]: Some 4,500 armed forces personnel deployed to Sierra Leone on Operation Palliser. It is not possible to identify, from the information currently available, the number of Royal Navy personnel who deployed on any operation to Sierra Leone who are currently medically downgraded. However, of the approximate 2,100 Army and RAF personnel who deployed to Sierra Leone at the time of Operation Palliser, 54 are currently medically downgraded. This represents 2.5 per cent. of the Army/RAF personnel who deployed.
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