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War Graves Commission
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the grave sites the War Grave Commission maintains in Egypt; how much money is allocated to their upkeep; and how many are buried there, broken down by military personnel who fought in the (a) Suez Canal zone emergency 1951 to 1954 and (b) Suez crisis 1956. [40457]
Dr. Moonie: The graves sites maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in Egypt are:
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Alexandria (Chatby) Jewish Cemetery No.3
Alexandria (Chatby) Military and War Memorial Cemetery
Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery
Aswan Bandar British Cemetery
Cairo New British Protestant Cemetery
Cairo War Memorial Cemetery
El Alamein War Cemetery
Fayid War Cemetery
Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery
Heliopolis War Cemetery
Ismailia War Memorial Cemetery
Kantara War Memorial Cemetery
Manara Indian Muhammadan Cemetery
Moascar War Cemetery
Old Cairo New Latin Cemetery
Port Said British Protestant Cemetery
Port Said Muhammadan Civil Cemetery
Port Said War Memorial Cemetery
Suez African and Indian Army War Cemetery
Suez War Memorial Cemetery
Tel El Kebir War Memorial Cemetery.
The total number of graves in the twenty four cemeteries is 32,144. This figure includes world war graves, non-world war graves, service dependants, civilians and foreign nationals.
Detailed figures for the two periods are not readily available. I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Macedonia
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many members of the British Armed Forces are stationed in Macedonia; what activities they are involved in; and if he will make a statement; [40611]
- (2) how much longer he expects there to be a UK military presence in Macedonia; and if he will make a statement. [40610]
Mr. Ingram: At any one time there are approximately 12 UK Armed Forces personnel working in Macedonia as part of the headquarters of NATO's Task Force Fox and in support of KFOR. Some may be allocated to both. So long as there is a requirement for these or successor forces provided by NATO, we expect to contribute a number of British Armed Forces personnel to them.
In addition, three UK Armed Forces Personnel are providing advice to the Macedonian Ministry of Defence as part of a bilateral Outreach programme; we expect them to remain until the programme is complete.
One UK Army officer has been seconded to the British Embassy in Skopje as Defence Attaché.
Afghanistan
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimates he has made as to the total extra cost to
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his Department in relation to Afghanistan in the financial year 2001–02; and from where these funds are being made available. [40422]
Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 February 2002, Official Report, columns 1133–34W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Worcester (Mr. Foster). This sum has been made available from the reserve and the conflict prevention budget.
Secondments
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff in his Department have been seconded to jobs in the (a) private and (b) public sector in each of the last four years. [31780]
Dr. Moonie: Secondments form a valuable part of the Ministry of Defence's Interchange programme, which promotes the exchange of individuals and best practice between the civil service and other sectors of the economy.
The information requested is as shown.
| Private sector | Private sector (DESG)(9) | Public | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 28 | 128 | 8 |
| 1998–99 | 8 | 155 | 26 |
| 1999–2000 | 22 | 130 | 16 |
| 2000–01 | 13 | 104 | 6 |
(9) The MOD's Defence Engineering and Science Group (DESG) arranges industrial placements for graduate trainees and students in engineering and science disciplines. These short-term secondments are recorded separately to distinguish them from those longer-term secondments from the Department to the private sector.
Television Sets
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) integrated digital and (b) analogue television sets have been bought by his Department in each of the last 24 months; and if he will publish the guidance given to officials making decisions on television purchases. [33238]
Dr. Moonie [holding answer 4 February 2002]: There is no central point within the Ministry of Defence that purchases televisions and the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
As with the purchase of all of the Ministry of Defence's goods and services, the normal rules and principles of good public procurement apply. Budget holders must ensure that the purchase represents value for money and is supported by a sound business case.
Legal Costs
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what legal costs have been incurred by his Department in each of the last four years. [34284]
Dr. Moonie: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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Industrial Action
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many days have been lost owing to industrial action by staff in his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last four years. [36177]
Dr. Moonie: 771 man days were lost as a result of strike action in the Ministry of Defence, its agencies and non-departmental bodies in the past four years. This arose from an industrial dispute in July and August 2000 involving Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel who were members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers. Industrial action short of a strike is not recorded in terms of man days lost.
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Strategic Lift Transport Ships
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the dates are for (a) lay-down, (b) launch and (c) delivery of each of the strategic lift transport ships. [40316]
Dr. Moonie [holding answer 4 March 2002]: As announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 26 October 2001, Official Report, column 413–14W, the UK's future strategic sealift capability is due to be provided under a PFI contract between the Ministry of Defence and AWSR Shipping Ltd., to come into full effect from June 2003. The lay down, launch and delivery dates for the six vessels involved are as follows:
| Keel lay | Launch | Delivery to AWSR | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st vessel—Hurst Point | 21 January 2002 | 19 April 2002 | 16 August 2002 |
| 2nd vessel—Hartland Point | 8 October 2001 | 11 April 2002 | 21 October 2002 |
| 3rd vessel—Eddystone | 22 April 2002 | 16 August 2002 | 1 November 2002 |
| 4th vessel—Anvil Point | 1 March 2002 | 23 July 2002 | 21 January 2003 |
| 5th vessel—Longstone | 19 August 2002 | 8 November 2002 | 31 January 2003 |
| 6th vessel—Beachy Head | 31 January 2003 | 14 February 2003 | 30 April 2003 |
Airlift/Sealift Capability
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to improve the (a) airlift and (b) sealift capability of the Armed Forces; and if he will make a statement. [40615]
Mr. Ingram: We have already improved our strategic airlift and sealift capabilities in the short term, by leasing four C-17 aircraft, which provide a new outsized airlift capability, and by introducing the provisional strategic sealift service, so that there are now three rather than two ships available for this task. In the medium to longer term, we are in the process of procuring a PFI strategic sealift service (which will ensure that the MOD can call upon six roll on/roll off vessels when required, with four permanently available), and 25 A400M aircraft.
Departmental Expenditure Limit
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what projects are being scaled back as a result of the transfer from capital to resource DEL announced in the supplementary estimates 2001–02; and if he will make a statement. [40423]
Mr. Ingram: Budgetary allocations are regularly revised in year to reflect actual progress on capital projects as well as changing priorities and requirements. The transfer from capital to resource DEL is within the Treasury authorised flexibility for the current year. Even after the transfer, there has been an overall net increase to the Ministry of Defence's capital DEL since the main estimates published in April 2001.
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