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Winter Olympics
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when (a) UK assets and forces and (b) NATO assets and forces have been used in supplying security for the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and have replaced US forces in other theatres to allow for deployment to the US in order to undertake security for the Winter Olympics; in what roles they have been deployed; and if he will make a statement. [38322]
Mr. Ingram: As part of NATO Allies' contribution to combating terrorism, NATO has deployed Airborne Warning and Control Aircraft to help patrol American airspace including over Salt Lake City.
Legal Action
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 12 February 2001, Official Report, column 178W, on legal action, how many cases (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have defended in (i) industrial tribunals and (ii) the courts, in each year since 1997; how many were concluded in their favour; and what the total cost was to his Department of litigation in each year. [38043]
Dr. Moonie: Due to the volume of information required to answer this question, I refer the hon. Member to the Ministry of Defence's Claims Annual Report, a copy of which is placed in the Library of the House each year. The report sets out the numbers and costs of those cases handled centrally such as Employer's Liability, Public Liability and Employment Tribunals brought by service personnel.
RN Officers Corps
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action has been taken in regard to the job evaluation results of RN Officers Corps conducted in 2001; whether the evaluations have been published; and if he will make a statement. [38290]
Mr. Ingram: The results of the job evaluations of RN Officer posts completed in 2001 have been passed to the Office of Manpower Economics, which provides the secretariat to the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB). Job evaluation data are used by the AFPRB in carrying out its remit to ensure pay within the armed forces is comparable with that of external groups undertaking jobs of similar weight. While copies of the job descriptions generated as part of the evaluation
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process are made available, the final evaluation scores are not released. This is common practice in the wider evaluation industry and is followed throughout the armed forces regardless of rank or service. The evaluation system and its use are periodically scrutinised by independent consultants.
MOD Police
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sites have been provided with MOD police since September 2001; on what basis these have been provided; and if he will make a statement. [38065]
Dr. Moonie: Since 11 September, Ministry of Defence police have continued to secure key sites, and additional officers have been detached.
Royal Navy (Pay Banding)
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when he expects the Officer Corps to move to Pay 2000 pay banding in the higher and lower tiers; and if he will make a statement; [38292]
- (2) when the Officer Corps of the Royal Navy is to be upgraded to Pay 2000 JE pay banding; and if he will make a statement. [38288]
Mr. Ingram: There are currently no plans to introduce differential pay banding for officers. Any changes to the current pay arrangements would firstly require the support of job evaluation data. A concerted programme to evaluate a wide sample of officer posts has recently been initiated. this is primarily to enable the Armed Forces Pay Review Body to fulfil their remit to ensure pay levels are broadly comparable with those in civilian life.
SCOTLAND
Friends of Scotland
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what expenditure has been budgeted for by the Scotland Office to support the Friends of Scotland initiative during (a) financial year 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03. [23600]
Mrs. Liddell: Expenditure relating to the Friends of Scotland initiative in 2001–02 was absorbed within the Department's budget. No budget has been set yet for 2002–03.
Clyde Shipyards Taskforce
Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make a statement on the work of the Clyde Shipyards Taskforce. [35315]
Mrs. Liddell: The work of the Clyde Shipyards Task Force is embodied in the published report which was handed over on 4 February. The Task Force was established in response to the announcement by BAE Systems that around 1,000 redundancies would be required to be spread between both of its yards on the Clyde. The remit was to consider the immediate and longer-term strategic issues facing the Clyde shipbuilding
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industry, particularly naval, and to identify the changes necessary to ensure a competitive industry and to exploit future opportunities.
Key successes include reducing the required number of redundancies to 450, the establishment of two Employee Support Centres, the planned investment by BAE Systems Marine of £75 million on Clydeside and the establishment of heating installation and engineer opportunities for redundant employees.
The report identified a total of 29 recommendations to be taken forward by Task Force Partners and for consideration by those outwith the Task Force. The report must be considered as a starting point, not an end in itself. Partners must deliver on their recommendations. Also there is the opportunity for BAE Systems to deliver a sound order book, based on the MoD contracts for Landing Craft (utility), Alternative Landing Ships Logistic and the Type 45 programme on which, for the first time in generations, the Clyde yards can plan and build for success. The work of the Task Force was part of that process.
As part of the continuing process, the redundancy sub-group will continue to meet each month to develop activity and review progress towards its targets. The Task Force Partners have also agreed to meet twice more over the next six months to maintain the momentum and focus on implementing their commitments.
A75
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations she has received regarding the level of speed limit in place along the A75 for heavy goods vehicles. [35738]
Mrs. Liddell [holding answer 12 February 2002]: Neither I nor my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions have received any representations on this matter.
Industrial Action
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many days have been lost owing to industrial action by staff in her Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last four years. [36189]
Mrs. Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999. Since that date, no days have been lost owing to industrial action by staff.
Asthma
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many local education authorities in Scotland are implementing an asthma policy. [36874]
Mr. Foulkes: As part of its responsibilities for health and education, this matter is devolved to the Scottish Executive.
Foot and Mouth
Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if the Scotland Office will (a) co-operate with and (b)
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give evidence to the temporary committee of the European Parliament set up to look into the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Scotland in 2001. [36731]
Mrs. Liddell: The remit of the EP Temporary Committee on Foot and Mouth disease is:
- To assess EU policy and the control of meat imports from third countries in the context of the epidemic;
To analyse the management and implementation of community law in relation to outbreaks of foot and mouth disease so far and to invite the Commission, Governments and public officials to attend hearings of the Committee;
To analyse the total impact on Community funds of the foot and mouth epidemic so far;
Based on the above, to make proposals to look into vaccination policy in particular and for political and legislative initiatives, with regard to the prevention and fighting of diseases in the agricultural sector in general.
The Government are ready to co-operate with the Committee but have not so far been invited to give evidence to the Committee. If and when an invitation is received, the Government will consult closely with the devolved Administrations, including the Scottish Executive, in considering their response.
Advertising
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much the Scotland Office spent on advertising in each year since 1997. [37575]
Mrs. Liddell: The Scottish Office was established in its present from on 1 July 1999. Since that date the Department has spent the following amounts on advertising:—
| £ | |
|---|---|
| July 1999-March 2000 | 26,861 |
| April 2000-March 2001 | 317,831 |
| March 2001 to date | 231,862 |
Most of the expenditure related to electoral registration matters.
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