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HMS Ambush

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when HMS Ambush's keel will be laid. [23615]

Dr. Moonie: HMS Ambush is currently expected to be laid down during the second half of 2002.

Base Dispositions

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what studies the NAO has made of the (a) closure, (b) partial sale and (c) move of military bases since 1997. [24055]

Dr. Moonie: On 17 June 1998, the National Audit Office published a report entitled "Identifying and Selling surplus Property" (HC 776), which considered (in Section 5), a number of individual property disposals of former Ministry of Defence (MOD) sites during the financial years 1995–96 and 1996–97, including that of the HM Naval Base, Rosyth. In addition, the National Audit Office in their report on "Training New Pilots" (HC 880 published on 14 September 2000) referred to the MOD's decision to concentrate flying training at fewer

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locations resulting in the closure and disposal of surplus sites, although the report did not directly consider the disposals themselves.

Casualty Ships

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to place an order for primary casualty receiving ships; and if he will make a statement. [23620]

Dr. Moonie: We are continuing to define the requirement for a new primary Casualty Receiving Capability, to enhance afloat medical support. A range of different procurement options are under consideration, ranging from modules embarked as and when required on existing host vessels, to an integrally fitted vessel. An initial study contract for Assessment Phase work was placed on 21 December.

HMS Triumph

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate has been made of the danger the (a) HMS Triumph and (b) crew of HMS Triumph were in as a result of the incident which led to the court martialling of Lieutenant Ian Tabberer and Lieutenant Ashley Philpott; and if he will make a statement. [23303]

Mr. Ingram: The damage to HMS Triumph was minor. She surfaced normally and proceeded to the nearest Naval Base without difficulty. Neither the ship's company nor HMS Triumph were at any risk as a result of the grounding.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what opportunities for service are left in the Royal Navy for Lieutenant Ian Tabberer and Lieutenant Ashley Philpott; and if he will make a statement. [23304]

Mr. Ingram: Depending on the findings and sentence of the court-martial it is perfectly possible to continue a career in the Royal Navy. Any sentence would be taken into account, along with any other relevant factors, when considering aspects such as future appointments.

Mrs. Ann Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the incident involving HMS Triumph which took place on 19 November 2000 and on the nature, time scale and cost of repair work required. [24914]

Mr. Ingram: On Sunday, 19 November 2000, HMS Triumph made glancing contact with soft sand and shells on a shelving seabed when under way submerged. An immediate inspection was undertaken following which the boat proceeded on the surface to Faslane, as programmed. The superficial damage identified was repaired in January 2001 during a period of planned maintenance, at a cost of approximately £6,000.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action will be taken in regard to the Commanding Officer of HMS Triumph in relation to the events leading to the court martialling of Lieutenant Ashley Philpott and Lieutenant Ian Tabberer; and if he will make a statement. [23301]

Mr. Ingram: The Naval Prosecuting Authority, which is independent of the Chain of Command, considered all of the evidence of the Board of Inquiry following the

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grounding and specified, after careful consideration, those officers that were found to have committed offences that should be dealt with by way of court martial.

Royal Ordnance Factories

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give guarantees on the security of supply of ammunition in the United Kingdom from Royal Ordnance factories. [23553]

Dr. Moonie: The Ministry of Defence entered an innovative partnering agreement with Royal Ordnance Defence (ROD) in December 1999 to ensure security of supply of ammunition and related services while at the same time achieving best value for the taxpayers' money. We remain confident that ROD will continue to be a major supplier of munitions to the Ministry of Defence.

Eurofighter

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what bids were submitted to provide maintenance and support services for the EJ200 engines for the Royal Air Force Eurofighters; what was the cost of these bids; what timescale was given; and if he will make a statement. [24155]

Mr. Hoon: The prime contract for initial maintenance and support of Royal Air Force EJ200 engines was awarded to Rolls-Royce in November 2001 following a non-competitive tender. The initial contract is valued at approximately £12 million and will run until December 2003. Long-term support will be the subject of a subsequent contract employing a number of 'Smart Acquisition' principles such as partnering and incentivisation to maximise through life value for money.

Cannabis

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings he has had with Army officials about the implications for the armed forces of cannabis being reclassified as a class C drug. [24412]

Mr. Ingram: The misuse of drugs (whether Class A, B or C) is incompatible with service in the armed forces. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has discussed this subject generally with officials, including the Chief of the General Staff. He will, of course, consider the implications of any recommendation on cannabis reclassification that may be made in due course by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

Tanks

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK tanks are based in each country (a) inside and (b) outside the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [24091]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 19 December 2001]: Of the 355 UK Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks currently in service, 107 are in England, 216 are in Germany and 32 are in Batus.

Recruitment

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) costs and (b) benefits are of recruiting soldiers from (i) Fiji and (ii) the British Isles. [24406]

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Mr. Ingram: The Army accepts applications from Commonwealth citizens, including those from Fiji, but does not actively recruit from these countries. However, in response to the large number of applications received from Fiji, the Army sent a selection team to that country in late 1999 at a cost of some £97,000. These costs are not directly comparable with those for recruiting in the UK. The total budget for the UK recruiting operation in 1999–2000 was some £56.5 million.

We believe that the addition of the Fijians to its strength increases the diversity of the force, provides a positive image to other Fijians and other potential applicants from the Commonwealth, and further demonstrates that the Army is an equal opportunities employer. The selection visit to Fiji had the advantage of reducing nugatory costs to the individuals ensuring that all aspirants had the opportunity to apply.

Operation Enduring Freedom

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what had been the cost on 31 December 2001 of Operation Enduring Freedom; and how much of the total cost has been met from pre-set departmental budgets. [24427]

Mr. Hoon: This information is not yet available. I will write to the hon. Member in due course. A copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Defence Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much outstanding offset there was for (a) the USA, (b) Germany and (c) France in each of the last 10 years. [25116]

Mr. Hoon: The current amount of outstanding offset (referred to in the UK as Industrial Participation) for the USA, Germany and France is, respectively: £2 billion, £137 million, and £314 million. German and French industries have had Industrial Participation obligations to UK Ministry of Defence only since 1996. Information relating to previous years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

QinetiQ

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been paid by his Department to (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers and UBS Warburg, (b) Simmonds & Simmonds, (c) Arthur Andersen and (d) Willis in connection with the proposed flotation of QinetiQ in each of the last two years. [24521]

Dr. Moonie: Payments to advisers in connection with the QinetiQ transaction are made under the terms of the relevant commercial contracts with these companies. I am withholding details of payments in accordance with Exemption 14 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much (1) QinetiQ has spent on advice with respect to its flotation in each of the last two years; [24520]

(2) his Department has spent on advice on the flotation of QinetiQ in each of the last two years. [24519]

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Dr. Moonie: The total cost of advice the Ministry of Defence received in respect of QinetiQ was some £1.4 million in 2000 and £3.6 million in 2001. The total cost of advice received by QinetiQ was some £1.5 million in 2000 and £6.2 million in 2001. These figures cover the cost of advice on all aspects of the DERA PPP, as it is not possible to separate out that spent on advice relating specifically to the transaction. These costs have been scrutinised to ensure that the services of advisers offer value for money.

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