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21 Jan 2002 : Column 549W

Written Answers to Questions

Monday 21 January 2002

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Lost/Stolen Property

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list those items valued at more than £50 which have been stolen or lost from her Department in each of the last four years. [28000]

The Solicitor-General: I am not aware of any departmental property being stolen from or lost by the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers during the years 1998–2001.

The details of the other Departments for which the Attorney-General is responsible are as follows:




























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DEFENCE

Victoria Cross

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about (a) the criteria and (b) the procedure for awarding the Victoria Cross. [28214]

Dr. Moonie: The Victoria Cross is awarded for most conspicuous gallantry of the highest order during active operations 1 . As such it is the highest award available for operational gallantry. Lesser degrees of operational gallantry are recognised by awards of the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, Distinguished Service Cross, Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross and a Mention in Despatches. Recommendations for any of these awards are initiated by the service man's or service woman's Commanding Officer and considered by Committees at various levels in the Ministry of Defence. The Committees consist mainly of senior officers of all three services who will have had considerable operational experience. Successful recommendations are passed to the Queen for her approval. The awards are then published and recipients invited to a State Investiture where they are invested by the Queen or her representative.

The Victoria Cross along with the other awards for operational gallantry may be awarded to all ranks of the naval, military and air forces of the United Kingdom, all members of the Merchant Navy and civilians serving under the orders of any of the above forces. All these awards may be made posthumously.


Tanzania

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of benefits there are going to be to Tanzania from the deal to supply a military air traffic control system. [26045]

Dr. Moonie: Export licensing decisions are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary for Trade and Industry. The Ministry of Defence provides advice to the DTI, together with the other advisory Departments, as appropriate. Following the policy set out by previous Governments, the Government do not comment on individual export licence applications for reasons of commercial confidentiality. Details of export licensing decisions will continue to be published in the Government's annual report on strategic export controls and will be subject to retrospective scrutiny by the all-party Quadripartite Committee.

A400M/C130J

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the projected noise footprint of the A400M; and what is the noise footprint of the Hercules C130J. [26346]

Dr. Moonie: The A400M aircraft will meet all current international noise regulations, but exact noise characteristics will not be known until the aircraft's development and flight tests have been completed. The C130J aircraft meets all relevant US Federal Aviation

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Authority civil noise regulations. The Ministry of Defence does not hold noise information on the C130J in the form requested. We expect the noise characteristics of the A400M and the C130J will be similar. But their overall noise impact should be less than that of the C130K aircraft they are replacing, because significantly greater usage of ground simulators for training will reduce the overall number of flights.

A400M

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the RAF will take delivery of the A400M; and if he will make a statement. [27165]

Dr. Moonie: The in-service date of the A400M, defined as acceptance into service of the seventh aircraft, is 2010. We expect delivery of the final (25th) aircraft to be in 2014.

Vehicles

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to increase the use of British-built vehicles by the MOD Police. [27415]

Dr. Moonie [holding answer 15 January 2002]: Purchases of vehicle for the Ministry of Defence Police are made on the basis of best value for money. We are pleased to procure British-built vehicles where they meet our requirements and offer best value for money. We have no plans designed to increase the proportion of British-built vehicles at the expense of these key criteria.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the benefits are of operating one Toyota and one Mitsubishi for the MOD Police; and what competition there was for this requirement. [27501]

Dr. Moonie [holding answer 15 January 2002]: The Toyota and Mitsubishi are used for specialist police operation and were selected primarily on the basis of operational requirements. As such the requirement was not subject to competition.

Territorial Army (Pay Awards)

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what targets exist for settling arrears of pay for Territorial Army service men and women. [28217R]

Dr. Moonie: Arrears of pay claims for Territorial Army soldiers are actioned within a 10 day target of receipt of all supporting documentation.

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about delays in paying Territorial Army soldiers. [28216R]

Dr. Moonie: I am unaware of any current delays existing with payments to Territorial Army soldiers.

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army service men and women have arrears of pay outstanding in excess of (a) two months and (b) three months. [28218R]

Dr. Moonie: There are currently no cases recorded centrally for arrears of pay being outstanding in excess of two and three months.

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Operation Veritas

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the procedure for considering gallantry awards in Operation Veritas. [28213]

Dr. Moonie: The procedure for considering gallantry awards for Operation Veritas will be identical to that used for all other operations. Recommendations for awards, whether they be for gallantry or meritorious service, are initiated by an individual's commanding officer and passed to the Ministry of Defence where they are considered by various Committees. Successful recommendations are then submitted to the Queen for her approval prior to publication. Lists of operational awards are published biannually each spring and autumn and notified to the press. The names of certain recipients may have to be withheld in the interests of personal security.

Ministry of Defence Police

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the complement, gender and ethnic balance of the Operational Support Unit of the Ministry of Defence Police is; what the OSU's annual running costs are for the current financial year; if he plans to increase the budget for running costs for 2002–03; if he will make a statement on the base of the OSU; and what changes are planned in these arrangements. [28587]

Dr. Moonie: The complement (as at 1 January 2002) of the Operational Support Unit was 50 and the strength 45, which included six female officers and one member of an ethnic minority. The budget allocated for the OSU, for the current financial year, is £2.651 million. While there are no plans to relocate the OSU based at MDP Wethersfield, approval has been given to form a second OSU (of 50 personnel) based at a location in the north of England.

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