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DEFENCE

Single Living Accommodation

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to improve single living accommodation for Service personnel. [154041]

Mr. Hoon: Much of the living accommodation provided for Service personnel and their families is of good quality. But it is not consistently so. We have in hand a major upgrade programme for Service families' accommodation in Great Britain, with the aim of bringing core stock to modern standards by late 2005. The quality of the accommodation provided for single Service personnel also leaves much to be desired. This Government are determined that all those who serve their country are provided with good accommodation. So a significant proportion of the new money provided to the Defence budget in Spending Review 2000 will be devoted to a major and sustained upgrade programme for single living accommodation. Together, existing and new projects, including PFI, will see investment in this area reaching around £200 million per year. We intend to apply the principles of "Smart Construction" to this programme, achieving greater efficiency and economies of scale through prime contracting and close collaboration with the building industry.

Defence Procurement Agency

Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what targets he sets the Defence Procurement Agency in respect of delivering a percentage capability within a particular time scale. [153453]

Dr. Moonie [holding answer 13 March 2001]: The current Key Targets for the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) are as follows:

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	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04
Predicted achievement of projects' core requirements (percentage)	91	97	97	97
Average cumulative slippage of In Service Dates not to exceed (months)	23.8	13.8	13.5	11.8
Average cumulative cost variation not to exceed (percentage)	4.9	3.6	3.5	0
Customer satisfaction rating (percentage)	65	70	75	78
Reduce operating costs in relation to 1997-98 Procurement Executive costs by (percentage)	19	22	26	26

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The DPA's targets are published annually in its Corporate Plan and reported against in its Annual Report.

Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed by the Defence Procurement Agency. [153447]

Dr. Moonie [holding answer 13 March 2001]: As at 9 March 2001 the number of staff employed in the Defence Procurement Agency stands at 4,601.

Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what have been the total running costs of the Defence Procurement Agency and its predecessor since 1971. [153448]

Dr. Moonie [holding answer 13 March 2001]: Central records for running costs do not exist. However, the operating costs of the Defence Procurement Agency (and before that the Procurement Executive), including the nuclear and fissile material programme, have been as follows since 1995-96:

Year	£ million (cash outturn)
1995-96	776
1996-97	763
1997-98	711
1998-99	699
1999-2000	656

These figures, and those since 1971, have been published in successive annual Appropriation Accounts for the Ministry of Defence.

Balkans

Mrs. Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on future UK force levels in the Balkans. [154042]

Mr. Spellar: Following a review by NATO of the Statement of Requirement for aircraft in the Balkans theatre we have agreed new burden-sharing arrangements with the US Air Force. This agreement means that for three months in 12, we will meet the requirement for four strike aircraft, and the US for the remainder of the year. We have now completed our first three-month commitment, allowing us to withdraw four RAF Harriers and some 150 support personnel from Gioia del Colle from 1 April. The RAF will next deploy four aircraft again in early 2002.

Devonport Dockyard

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to store used nuclear reactor containers at the Devonport dockyard. [152859]

Dr. Moonie: As the Minister for the Armed Forces made clear to the hon. Member during the Westminster Hall Adjournment debate on Radioactive Discharges (River Tamar) on 17 January 2001, Official Report, columns 121-24WH, we currently have no plans to store used nuclear reactor compartments from decommissioned nuclear submarines at Devonport Dockyard. Later this year we shall be inviting industry to put forward their land storage proposals and, although these are likely to include the storage of intact reactor compartments, other options could be proposed. We expect potential storage sites to

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emerge from this further work. Decisions on the land store method and site will not be taken for some two to three years, and then not until after full consultation with the UK's independent regulators and the public.

Saville Inquiry

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many public interest immunity certificates have been requested by his Department; how many have been granted; and what subjects they covered, in relation to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. [153225]

Mr. Spellar: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has signed four certificates claiming public interest immunity in respect of intelligence material which is relevant to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. The Tribunal has approved two of the claims; rulings on the other two are awaited.

Procurement

Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what have been the estimated savings to date as a result of the smart procurement initiative. [153451]

Dr. Moonie [holding answer 13 March 2001]: Over the three successive annual planning rounds since the inception of the smart procurement initiative, we have identified costing reductions attributable to smart procurement which total £2 billion over the ten-year period 1998 to 2008. We expect to improve on this in the current and future planning rounds.

Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he has put in place to ensure that contractor past performance is given sufficient weighting in the MOD's procurement decisions. [153452]

Dr. Moonie [holding answer 13 March 2001]: In assessing the eligibility of suppliers to fulfil its requirements, the MOD takes account, where appropriate, of a number of factors, including company capacity, capability and past performance. Companies may be required to complete a pre-qualification to provide information on, among other things, delivery and performance history for similar projects. The Department recognises the importance of learning from, and building on, past experience, and to that end it is looking to implement a further series of measures designed to better capture past performance, including a supplier self- assessment scheme, joint industry/Ministry of Defence reviews aimed at improving future performance and closer vendor management initiatives.

Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the total over-spend on defence procurement projects since 1971. [153449]

Dr. Moonie [holding answer 13 March 2001]: Figures for cost performance of the largest projects have been published in the Major Projects Report since 1993 and copies are available in the Library of the House. Complete historic data for all projects are not held centrally.

Foot and Mouth

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food concerning the use of

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trucks for the slaughter and disposal of stock affected by the current foot and mouth outbreak; and if he will make a statement. [153503]

Mr. Spellar [holding answer 13 March 2001]: Officials from the Ministry of Defence are in close touch with their opposite numbers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, discussing the impact of the foot and mouth outbreak and possible requests for military support. All requests for support are treated urgently and sympathetically. Trucks for the slaughter and disposal of stock affected by the outbreak require sealed containers which do not form part of the military inventory.

Maverick

Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the Maverick anti-armour missiles procured from Raytheon Corporation are in active service; and if he will make a statement. [152904]

Dr. Moonie: Maverick entered service with the Royal Air Force on 15 February 2001.

Civil Servants (Salary Increases)

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average percentage increase in salaries of non-industrial civil servants, excluding members of the Senior Civil Service, was in his Department for 2000-01. [152798R]

Dr. Moonie: For staff covered by the main departmental pay system, the basic headline settlement added 2.5 per cent. to the paybill. A further 0.2 per cent. represented restructuring costs, including 0.1 per cent. for bonus payments in line with the civil service reform agenda. Together with funds released by staff turnover, staff in post received performance related increases averaging 4.7 per cent.

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