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Service Men
(Commonwealth and Republic of Ireland)
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service men are from (a) Commonwealth countries and (b) the Republic of Ireland. [10394]
Mr. Ingram: The table details the current nationality of those serving in the Army at 1 September 2001 from Commonwealth countries and the Republic of Ireland.
| Commonwealth countries | Republic of Ireland | |
|---|---|---|
| Officers | 160 | 22 |
| Soldiers | 1,535 | 195 |
| Total | 1,695 | 217 |
Data for the Royal Navy and the RAF could be provided only at disproportionate cost as details on nationality are not held centrally.
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Chemical and Biological Weapons
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he has put in place to protect his Department's and armed services personnel from mail that may be contaminated with chemical or biological weapons. [10601]
Mr. Ingram: In common with other Government Departments, the Ministry of Defence has for many years had guidance in place on how to recognise and deal with suspect letters and parcels containing explosive devices. In the wake of current events in the United States, the Cabinet Office has prepared additional guidance on the handling of suspect CB-contaminated mail. This guidance has been widely disseminated within MOD to civilian and service personnel. The potential threat, and the guidance and other precautionary measures required, are being kept under constant review, and full account is being taken of the developing situation in the United States.
RAF Pilots
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the fully trained and operational requirement is for (a) RAF pilots to fly Sea Harriers and (b) Fleet Air Arm pilots to fly Harrier GR7; and how many there are at present in each case. [10598]
Mr. Ingram: Joint Force Harrier (JFH) operates Harrier GR7 flown by RAF pilots and Sea Harrier FA2 flown by RN pilots. GR7 is a ground attack aircraft, whereas FA2 is predominantly air defence. Each complements the other so that JFH has a rounded operational capability. Both RN and RAF aircrew are capable of operating from aircraft carriers in their own aircraft type, and both work closely together when embarked in carriers and when ashore. There is, though, no operational requirement for pilots of one Harrier aircraft type to fly the other. If there was a requirement for GR7 pilots to fly the FA2 or vice versa this could be achieved once operational conversion training had been completed. However, there exists an RAF/RN-wide pilot exchange programme which shares operational experience by providing flying tours with the other service. On this programme, currently there are (a) two RAF pilots flying the Sea Harrier, both from the Tornado F3, and (b) one RN (but non-Sea Harrier) pilot training to fly the Tornado GR4.
Defence Logistics Organisation
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the sum provided was for the Defence Logistics Organisation at the start of the current financial year; and what the latest projected outturn figure is. [10602]
Mr. Ingram: Under Resource Accounting and Budgeting, the Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO) was issued with two Expenditure Limits at the start of the current financial year: for Current Expenditure and Capital Expenditure. Together they amount to Estimates
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provision of £4,033 million for the logistic support of the armed forces. In the normal course of business there are adjustments to these limits as the year unfolds, which will be finalised in time for inclusion in the spring Supplementary Estimates. We would expect the DLO expenditure to be within the Estimates provision at the year end.
Gulf War Veterans (Pensions)
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many former service men who served in the Gulf are in receipt of war pensions; and if he will indicate the rank of the pensioner and the number in receipt of pensions who were injured by enemy action. [7101]
Dr. Moonie: As at 31 August, 4,111 awards of disablement pension had been made to Gulf War Veterans, although of these, only 1,038 were awarded for Gulf-related illnesses. The remaining 3,073 were for conditions that either occurred during the Gulf veterans' service career elsewhere than the Gulf or were for conditions not particular to the Gulf.
Statistics are not held on either the former rank of the war disablement pensioner or whether the award of the pension was as a result of enemy action.
Apache Helicopter
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 22 October 2001, Official Report, column 4W, on the Apache helicopter programme, (a) how many personnel are being trained in the US, (b) what training is being provided and (c) what the cost is to the defence budget. [10483]
Mr. Ingram: Sixteen army helicopter pilots are undergoing what is known as conversion training in the US at a cost of £3.15 million. This training, including the use of simulators, will qualify them to fly the US Apache AH-64A model; they will then undertake a short conversion in the UK to the UK's Apache AH Mk1 model. The cost of this US training is being met from liquidated damages the Department has received from its training contractor and from existing funds that would otherwise have been paid to that contractor for training courses which it cannot yet produce (as a result of the delay to the Full Mission Simulator).
Army (Light-armoured Capability)
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will identify the components which make up the Future Rapid Effects System; [10225]
- (2) if he will make a statement on the Army's future light armoured capability. [10158]
Dr. Moonie: The Army's light-armoured vehicle capability will be provided within the Future Rapid Effects System (FRES). The exact components of FRES have yet to be decided, but it is likely to include such platforms as an armoured personnel carrier, guided weapons platform, command vehicle, reconnaissance platform, ambulance and repair and recovery vehicle. FRES will draw heavily on a number of technologies developed through the TRACER programme.
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CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will provide a substantive reply to the question from the hon. Member for South-East Cornwall, to which a holding reply was sent on 9 July. [9689]
Dr. Howells: The Department did not issue any holding replies to the hon. Member on 9 July. The only named day question tabled by the hon. Member for answer on 9 July was to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs about the artificial reef project off Whitsand Bay. That question was answered by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 10 July 2001, Official Report, column 485W.
Marconi Transmission Centenary
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans her Department has made to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first successful wireless transmission across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. [8713]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 23 October 2001]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for E-Commerce and Competitiveness on 24 October 2001, Official Report, columns 250–51W.
Gambling Review
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many responses she has received following publication of Sir Alan Budd's gambling review; and how many of these refer to recommendation 70. [9968]
Dr. Howells: The consultation period for the report of the Gambling Review Body closes on 31 October. We have so far received about 1,500 responses, the great majority relating to recommendation 70.
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the likely impact of implementing recommendation 70 in Sir Alan Budd's gambling review. [9969]
Dr. Howells: We shall make such an assessment following the closure, on 31 October, of the consultation period on the report of the Gambling Review Body.
Millennium Dome
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what dates (a) she and (b) other Ministers in her Department have visited the Millennium Dome since 8 June. [10621]
Dr. Howells: Neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State nor any other DCMS Minister has visited the Millennium Dome since 8 June 2001. Responsibility for the Dome passed from the New Millennium Experience Company to English Partnerships on 1 July 2001.
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