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Retired Officers
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will review his Department's policy on offering Golden Jubilee medals to retired officers. [48327]
Dr. Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 February 2002, Official Report, column 569W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Colchester (Bob Russell).
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many retired officers have been offered a financial enhancement to remain in post in the last 12 months. [48329]
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Dr. Moonie: Retired officers are employed as civil servants within the Ministry of Defence. Like other civil servants, circumstances may occasionally arise when they will be invited to extend their service. Retired officers are not offered financial enhancement in such circumstances.
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers aged 60 years and above have applied for, and been accepted for, continued service in this Army in the last 12 months. [48328]
Dr. Moonie: The total number of officers aged 60 years and above that have applied and been accepted for continued service in the last 12 months is six.
Balkans
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops are serving in (a) Bosnia, (b) Kosovo and (c) Macedonia; and in what role. [47359]
Mr. Ingram: The United Kingdom currently contributes some 1,900 personnel to SFOR operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina as the co-ordinating nation in Multinational Division (South-West). UK forces make a vital contribution to all of the tasks undertaken by SFOR in building peace and stability in Bosnia. SFOR continue to provide a background security presence, ensuring a peaceful and safe environment while the Bosnian people reconstruct their lives and reform their civilian and military institutions.
The UK currently contributes some 3,000 personnel to KFOR operations in Kosovo as framework nation of Multinational Brigade (Centre). UK forces take part in the full range of tasks carried out by KFOR. KFOR's main focus is the provision of a safe and secure environment in Kosovo, including the protection of minority communities and the countering of threats from extremist groups.
At any one time there are a dozen or so 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 double-hatted to both. In addition, three UK armed forces personnel are providing advice to the Macedonian Ministry of Defence as part of a bilateral Outreach programme. One UK Army officer has been seconded to the British embassy in Skopje as Defence Attaché.
Market Research
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what expenditure has been incurred by his (a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in each of the last four years on (i) opinion polling, (ii) focus groups and (iii) other forms of market research; and if he will list the surveys commissioned and the purpose of each. [27940]
Dr. Moonie: As the Modernising Government White Paper set out, it is important to this Government that we listen to what people have to say about new proposals and policies. Quantitative and qualitative surveys by focus groups, public opinion research and other forms of market research are an integral and important part of Ministry of Defence work. Public research spending, however is subject to the usual strict rules that spending must represent good value for money for the taxpayer and must not be used for party political purposes.
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Information on the totality of quantitative and qualitative surveys carried out by the Ministry of Defence and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However, our central corporate communications division, which carries out public opinion research relating to the Ministry of Defence as a whole, does have a record of research initiated by them. From the information available, the following surveys have been carried out in each of the last four years (the 2001–02 figure includes money committed, but not yet spent). Costs are inclusive of VAT:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99(1) | |
| Royal Tournament exit questionnaire | |
| Strategic Defence Review research | 77,396.86 |
| Media evaluation | |
| 1999–2000(1) | |
| Public Attitudes to Defence surveys (quarterly) | |
| NATO Strategy Development research | 96,211.56 |
| Media evaluation | |
| 2000–01(1) | |
| Public Attitudes to Defence surveys (quarterly) | 33,884.65 |
| Public Attitudes to Defence focus groups | |
| 2001–02(1) | |
| Public Attitudes to Defence surveys (quarterly) | |
| Public Attitudes to Defence focus groups | 100,570.27 |
| SDR New Chapter focus groups |
(1) Financial year
Explosives
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will ensure that the negotiations between his Department and BAE Systems over explosive manufacture include the true cost of overseas production; [45100]
- (2) what state negotiations between his Department and BAE over explosive manufacture are at; [45099]
(3) when the negotiations between his Department and BAE Systems on the requirements for explosives are due to be completed. [45101]
Dr. Moonie: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) maintains a continuous dialogue with Royal Ordnance Defence (ROD) about the supply of explosives under the 10-year MOD/ROD Framework Partnering Agreement (FPA). In accordance with the provisions of the FPA, the Department is required to maintain a schedule of business. This details current contracts with ROD and provides visibility of MOD's potential future requirements. The schedule of business is reviewed on a quarterly basis with ROD.
The sourcing of component parts for individual munitions is a matter for ROD. The company will source these parts as necessary to ensure that the requirements of the MOD for safe and reliable munitions will continue to be met in the most cost-effective way. Enshrined in the FPA is the principle of open book accounting, which ensures that the MOD has full visibility of ROD costs.
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Service Accommodation
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average waiting time is for (a) single living accommodation and (b) married quarters; what the average wait was in 1992; and if he will make a statement. [45438]
Dr. Moonie: Normally there is no such waiting time. When a single Service person is posted to a unit, he or she will be accommodated upon arrival under their terms and conditions of service. In the rare event when no appropriate single accommodation is available, he or she will either be accommodated exceptionally in Service Family Accommodation (SFA), or in privately rented accommodation obtained through an accommodation agency appointed by the Ministry of Defence, with the Service person receiving Substitute Single Service Accommodation Allowance. For married accompanied personnel, the Defence Housing Executive (DHE) is tasked to provide SFA with 28 days of a Service applicant's required date. If DHE accommodation is unavailable, DHE pays for Substitute Service Family Accommodation (SSFA) to be provided from the private rental market. During 2000–01, DHE housed more than 97 per cent. of entitled Service families in SFA or SSFA within 28 days of their required date. Comparable figures for 1992 are not available: there are also no centrally-held records of waiting times for single accommodation in 1992.
Warship Maintenance
Syd Rapson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the timing of the decision on warship maintenance and support. [44803]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 21 March 2002]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence gave on 25 March 2002, Official Report, column 562W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew).
Aircraft (India)
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what steps she is taking to ensure that Jaguar aircraft (a) supplied directly from the UK to India and (b) produced under licence in India will not be modified to make them capable of carrying a nuclear payload; [45799]
- (2) whether the Jaguar combat aircraft (a) supplied directly from the UK to India and (b) produced under licence in India (i) is capable and (ii) will be modified to become capable of carrying nuclear payloads. [45800]
Dr. Moonie: Any aircraft capable of delivering a bomb is capable of modification to enable it to deliver a nuclear weapon. For the Government's policy in respect of controls on exports to nuclear or nuclear related end-users I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by my hon. Friend the then Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Lloyd) on 10 July 1998, Official Report, column 687W, to my hon. Friend the Member of South Thanet, (Dr. Ladyman) and by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Europe (Mr. Hain) to my hon. Friend the Member for Dartford, (Dr. Stoate) on 3 July 2000, Official Report, column 3W, and by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for
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Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Bradshaw) to my hon. Friend the Member for Edmonton, (Mr. Love) on 15 March 2002, Official Report, columns 1297W-98W.
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what undertakings the Government have received from the Indian Government regarding the end use of Jaguar combat aircraft (a) sold directly to the Indian Government and (b) produced under licence in India. [45797]
Dr. Moonie: Information on end use documentation provided in support of an export licence application is confidential and I am withholding it in accordance with Exemptions 1, 13 and 14 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Jaguar combat aircraft (a) have been produced under licence in India and (b) are contracted to be produced under licence in India. [45798]
Dr. Moonie: This information is confidential between the company (BAE Systems) and the Government of India.
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Hawk trainer aircraft under negotiation for sale to India are (a) capable of being modified to perform ground attack functions and (b) are suitable for training pilots to fly Jaguar combat aircraft. [45801]
Dr. Moonie: The Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer has a limited ground attack capability. It is designed for operational combat training as well as to train pilots to fly fast jets, including Jaguar.
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