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Service Pensions
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces pension scheme retired in (a) 1975, (b) 1976 and (c) 1977. [33620]
Dr. Moonie [holding answer 11 February 2002]: This information is not available for Army retirements and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The figures for the Royal Navy and RAF are as follows.
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Retirements
1975—21,663
1976—20,328
1977—12,690.
Aerospace Industry (Assistance)
Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received, since 11 September 2001, on helping the aerospace industry by advancing military orders; and if he will make a statement. [38200]
Dr. Moonie: We have received several representations from hon. Members and industry. The Government have a close interest in the success of the aerospace industry, with whom we maintain regular dialogue. We have examined ways in which it may be possible to bring orders forward, and we are always happy to discuss any specific proposals. At this time we have not identified any orders which could be brought forward within our available resources and industrial capacity but the UK aerospace industry already benefits from a large programme of work on Ministry of Defence projects including JSF, Eurofighter, A400M, Nimrod, and Apache.
Rail Journeys (Staff)
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy that rail journeys undertaken by staff in his Department should ordinarily be on standard class tickets. [40450]
Dr. Moonie: No. Where Ministry of Defence civil servants are required to travel on official business they are expected to do so in the most effective and economic way. When journeys are made by rail then the class is determined by reference to the individual's grade. There are no plans to change the current entitlements, which form part of the terms of employment and cannot unilaterally be altered.
Tomahawk Missiles
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors were considered in awarding Raytheon the contract to remanufacture Tomahawk missiles for the armed forces; if he plans to publish the results of the tests performed; and if he will make a statement. [40614]
Dr. Moonie: The contract to remanufacture Tomahawk missiles is between the United States Department of Defense and Raytheon, which is the only manufacturer of this equipment. The Ministry of Defence requirement has been added to the US purchase under a Foreign Military Sales agreement with the US DoD. The performance of the remanufactured missiles will match that of the Tomahawk Block IIIC missiles already in service with the Royal Navy.
Apache Helicopter
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are for the new Apache
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helicopters to use the combined laser designator rangefinder; what safety assessment has been conducted; and if he will make a statement. [40609]
Dr. Moonie: The WAH64 Apache helicopter is fitted with a combined laser rangefinder and designator supplied by Lockheed Martin. A full safety assessment is being undertaken, and will be subject to clearance by the appropriate Ministry of Defence Safety Committee.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Apache attack helicopters are in service; and how many are due to become operational. [41379]
Mr. Ingram: 14 Apache attack helicopters have been accepted into service by the Army. A further three aircraft are engaged in trial work. The balance of 50 aircraft have yet to be delivered. We expect a maximum of 58 to be in use at any one time: 48 will be allocated to operational squadrons and 10 to the School of Army Aviation.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which operations the Apache helicopter has been used. [41381]
Mr. Ingram: There have not been any United Kingdom Apache attack helicopters used in operations to date.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the armaments of the Apache helicopter and on how much each helicopter is worth. [41380]
Mr. Ingram: The UK Apache helicopter will be armed with a combination of Hellfire Missiles, CRV7 rockets and a 30mm gun. The aircraft is being acquired through a combined development and production contract for the aircraft, support equipment and spares. As such, the contract does not specify a unit price. However, for internal resources accounting purposes, we have estimated the attribution of the contract price and this gives a value of some £27.5 million per aircraft. This estimate is based on necessarily subjective assessments and should not be regarded as an accurate replacement cost for the aircraft.
Accommodation Costs
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of hotel accommodation for departmental staff working away from home in each of the last four years. [41070]
Dr. Moonie: The cost of hotel accommodation used by Ministry of Defence civil servants working away from home in each of the last four years is as follows:
| Year | £ million |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 14.3 |
| 1999–2000 | 16.0 |
| 2000–01 | 16.1 |
| 2001–02 | 13.9 |
These figures are based upon annual statistics covering the period May to April. The final year's total is based on actual figures for May 2001 to January 2002 and projected to give a 12-month total.
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Relocation Expenses
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the payment of relocation expenses to staff in his Department. [41024]
Dr. Moonie: The Ministry of Defence's policies on the payment to its civil servants of relocation expenses follow the general principles set out in the Civil Service Management Code and are detailed in the MOD Civilian Transfer Manual.
Staff who are transferred in the public interest are entitled to a range of financial assistance to enable them to take up their new duties. Depending upon the circumstances, the individual may be entitled to support for a move of home or, where a move of home is not justified, assistance with additional commuting costs. In order to qualify for reimbursement, expenses must be reasonable, necessarily incurred and result in no overall "betterment" in the standard of housing. In order to facilitate house moves, the Department operates a contractor-run Relocation Company Scheme, which offers Guaranteed Sale Prices to vendors as well as estate agency, survey, removals and legal services.
Snagge Report
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 28 February 2002, ref. 38529, on the Snagge report, for what reason he will not publish Colonel Snagge's report "The Command Structure in the United Kingdom"; and if he will discuss this with the Open Government Task Force. [40971]
Mr. Ingram: The "Snagge Report" was an unsolicited piece of work by the Chief of Staff of the Division then based in York. It argued for keeping the headquarters of 2 Division in York and, as such, provided a very one- sided opinion. It did not represent a balanced Army view, and its publication would be highly misleading. For these reasons, I decided not to release it.
The Code of Practice on Access to Government Information makes no requirement to consult before making a decision to withhold information under an exemption.
Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will announce the preferred bidder for the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft; and when he expects final contracts to be signed. [40885]
Dr. Moonie: Our current aim is to decide later this year whether PFI will provide the best value money procurement solution for the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft project and, if so, which consortium is our preferred bidder. Contract signature is currently scheduled for 2003. However, the precise timing will depend on a range of factors, including the satisfactory conclusion of complex contract negotiations.
Surinder Nath Saggar
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 19 November 2001, Official Report, column 14W, on sovereign bases, when he will give a substantive reply concerning Surinder Nath Saggar
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of Brompton on Swale; and what plans he has to revise the (a) Race Relations Act 1976 and (b) Sex Discrimination Act 1975 to make them applicable to service personnel working on sovereign bases outside the European Union. [41140]
Mr. Ingram: Lieutenant Colonel Saggar has been granted leave to appeal the decision of the Employment Tribunal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal. A preliminary hearing has been listed for 1 July 2002. It would therefore be inappropriate for me to comment further on matters relating to this case in view of the on-going proceedings.
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