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National Minimum Wage

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Barnsley, East and Mexborough received the recent increase in the national minimum wage. [30525]

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter to Jeff Ennis from Len Cook, dated 28 January 2002:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question about the number of people in Barnsley East and Mexborough who have received the increase in the national minimum wage. (30525)

Estimates for Parliamentary Constituencies are not available.

Estimates for the United Kingdom and Government Office Regions are posted on the National Statistics website at: http:// www.statistics.gov.uk/themes/labour_market/pay_and_earnings/ measuring_low_pay.asp

Mr. Roy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Motherwell and Wishaw received the recent increase in the national minimum wage. [30860]

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Frank Roy, dated 28 January 2002:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question about the number of people in Motherwell and Wishaw who have received the increase in the national minimum wage (NMW). (30860)

Estimates for Parliamentary Constituencies are not available.

Estimates for the United Kingdom and Government Office Regions are posted on the National Statistics website at: http:// www.statistics.gov.uk/themes/labour_market/pay_and_earnings/ measuring_low_pay.asp.

Ministerial Transport

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last used the railway service in connection with his official duties; what station he left from and what was the destination; and whether it is his intention to make greater use of the railways in future. [28092]

Mr. Gordon Brown: I use railway services for both official duties and in a private capacity.

I last used the railway service for official duties on 5 July 2001 to travel to Brighton for the Transport and General Workers Union Conference. All arrangements for official travel are made in line with the guidance set out in Chapter 7 of the "Ministerial Code", and the accompanying guidance document "Travel by Ministers", using the most efficient and cost effective mode of transport, and bearing in mind security considerations.

I will continue to use the railway for official and private travel as appropriate.

Employment Statistics

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 8 January 2002, Official Report, columns 797–98W, on employment in the Buckingham

28 Jan 2002 : Column 13W

constituency, what the average figures for working age employment in the UK were in each year from 1997 to 2001. [30126]

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Bercow, dated 28 January 2002:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the proportion of working age people in employment in the United Kingdom. (30126)

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides estimates of the employment rate of working age people (ie men aged 16–64 and women aged 16–59). The annual estimates for the United Kingdom for each year from 1997/8 to 2000/1 are given in the table overleaf.

Working age⁽⁶⁾ employment rates⁽⁷⁾: United Kingdom 1997–98 to 2000–01Not seasonally adjusted

	Percentage
March 1997 to February 1998	72.8
March 1998 to February 1999	73.5
March 1999 to February 2000	73.8
March 2000 to February 2001	74.1

⁽⁶⁾ Men aged 16–64 and women aged 16–59

⁽⁷⁾ Total employed of working age as a percentage of all persons of working age

Source:

ONS Labour Force Survey (annual LADB dataset)

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many C130Ks are being used in the deployment in Afghanistan; how many flying hours per week they are flying; and whether that can be increased. [26349]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 11 January 2002]: The number of C130Ks deployed to support operations in Afghanistan has varied with time, depending on operational requirements. As of 20 January, eight C130Ks were deployed. Flying hours vary depending on the operational requirement; between 13 and 19 January the deployed aircraft averaged 30 hours per week. There is no operational reason at present to increase the numbers of hours flown by each aircraft but, if it were necessary, the deployment of additional crews would allow us to do so.

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements he has made to enable parcels to be sent to forces in Afghanistan. [30823]

Mr. Ingram: We consider delivery of mail to all overseas personnel, including parcels, to be a high priority. Accordingly, a BFPO number has been assigned to Afghanistan, and parcels can be sent at reduced rates. Mail is delivered as frequently as possible using the military aircraft deploying and sustaining the UK armed forces personnel in country, within the constraints of operational imperatives.

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Fixed-wing Aircraft

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence further to his answer of 5 December 2001, Official Report, column 359W, on fixed wing aircraft, how many and what type of fixed wing aircraft there were in the Royal Air Force in each year from 1985 to 2000; and if he will make a statement. [22387]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 13 December 2001]: The best available set of centrally held figures denoting the size of the RAF's fixed wing aircraft fleet for the period from 1985 to 1991 inclusive, is the 'RAF Form STATS 1003'. I will place a copy of these figures in the Library of the House.

Ministry of Defence annually published figures for the years 1992–2000 are contained in either the Statement on Defence Estimates or the MOD Performance report, copies of which are in the Library of the House. Specific references are as follows:

1992: The Statement on the Defence Estimates—pages 90–92 inclusive


1993: The Statement on the Defence Estimates—pages 99–101 inclusive


1994: The Statement on the Defence Estimates—pages 102–104 inclusive


1995: The Statement on the Defence Estimates—pages 131–133 inclusive


1996: The Statement on the Defence Estimates—Annexe D D1-D5


1997: MOD Performance Report—pages 63–67 inclusive


1998: MOD Performance Report—pages 63–67


1999: MOD Performance Report—Annexe B B8-B13


2000: MOD Performance Report—Annexe B, pages 69–72.

Combatants (Minimum Age)

Matthew Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the youngest age is at which someone can (a) join the armed forces and (b) take part in operations. [29466]

Mr. Ingram: The lowest age at which people are able to join the armed forces is 16 years. Applicants under the age of 18 years require the formal consent of their parents or guardians before they are permitted to join.

No service personnel under the age of 17 are deployed on operations. No personnel under the age of 18 carry out operational patrols in Northern Ireland, although 17-year-olds can be based in the Province. Under-18s are not deployed as aircrew or in submarines.

In line with United Nations (UN) policy, we do not deploy personnel under the age of 18 on UN peacekeeping operations.

We are currently finalising detailed administrative procedures and guidelines for the armed forces to give concrete form to the United Kingdom's commitment made on signing Optional Protocol II of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to take all feasible measures to ensure that personnel under the age of 18 do not take a direct part in hostilities.

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Army Complement

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) the official complement and (b) the actual numbers in post in the Army are, broken down by regiment and other section headings. [29468]

28 Jan 2002 : Column 16W

Mr. Ingram: The information is not centrally held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However details on the current United Kingdom Trained Adult Personnel (UKTAP) manning state by arm/service as at 1 December 2001 are in the table.

Current UKTAP manning state by arm/service at 1 December 2001 (including Gurkhas and full-time reserve service)

	Officers		Soldiers
Arm/service	Liability	Strength	Liability	Strength
Staff	715	758	—	—
Household Cavalry/Royal Armoured Corps	861	815	5,011	4,915
Royal Artillery	1,062	1,020	7,439	6,947
Royal Engineers	1,139	1,107	7,662	7,417
Royal Signals	952	875	7,586	7,111
Infantry	2,766	2,786	23,971	22,675
Army Air Corps	459	411	1,309	1,319
Royal Army Chaplains Department	148	144	—	—
Royal Logistic Corps	1,653	1,583	15,022	13,152
Royal Army Medical Corps	882	661	2,040	1,869
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers	875	817	9,856	8,360
Adjutant General Corps (Provost)	214	178	1,895	1,895
Adjutant General Corps (Staff Personnel Support)	488	441	4,345	4,036
Adjutant General Corps (Education and Training Corps)	335	315	—	—
Adjutant General Corps (Army Legal Service)	90	88	—	—
Royal Army Veterinary Corps	23	21	146	126
Small Arms Service Corps	31	30	112	122
Royal Army Dental Corps	149	127	271	240
Intelligence Corps	258	245	1,011	1,005
Army Physical Training Corps	50	50	354	362
General List	—	1	—	—
Queen Alexandra Royal Army Nursing Corps	343	284	610	404
Corps of Army Music	35	36	1,120	993
Long Service List	—	—	638	577
Unallocated	—	2	—	—
UKTAP total	13,528	12,795	90,398	83,525
Gurkhas	116	128	2,931	3,455
Full-time Reserve Service	—	339	—	562
Whole Army total	13,644	13,262	93,329	87,542
Whole Army trained strength				100,804

Notes:

1. The officer strength figures exclude 105 mobilised reservists.

2. The soldier strength figures exclude 646 mobilised reservists.

3. The liability figures are based on the Manpower Planning Targets (MPT) for 2001.

4. Gurkha liability does not include an addback against UKTAP undermanning of 409 or 22 non-established posts (two officers and 20 soldiers).

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