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Imber
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many uniformed staff were on duty in the village of Imber on Sunday on 31 March; for what purpose; and what equipment they used. [48625]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 10 April 2002]: On 31 March, four uniformed Land Wardens were on duty in Imber in order to ensure the safety of members of the general public. All the Land Wardens drive quarter tonne Land Rovers with radio communication equipment.
Medical Discharges
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many persons have been discharged from the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force for medical reasons in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [46667]
Dr. Moonie: There have been 10,067 medical discharges from the Naval Services (Royal Navy and Royal Marines), the Army and the Royal Air Force between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2001. These are broken down by service and year in the table.
| Year | Army | Navy | RAF | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1,189 | 339 | 200 | 1,728 |
| 1997 | 1,067 | 354 | 223 | 1,644 |
| 1998 | 1,060 | 448 | 155 | 1,663 |
| 1999 | 1,099 | 456 | 189 | 1,744 |
| 2000 | 1,023 | 484 | 201 | 1,708 |
| 2001 | 973 | 413 | 194 | 1,580 |
| Total | 6,411 | 2,494 | 1,162 | 10,067 |
Further information on medical discharges can be found in the National Statistics publication entitled "Medical Discharges in the Armed Forces 2001" which was published on 27 March 2002. This publication can be found on the world wide web at http://www.dasa.mod.uk/ medstats/discharge/ns—initframe.htm.
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United Nations Missions
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK service personnel have been deployed working on UN missions in each of the last five years; what the missions are; how many personnel have been involved in each mission; what the cost has been to the MOD; and if he will make a statement. [46674]
Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence does not hold information centrally in the form requested and this could be provided only at disproportionate cost. I can, however, provide details of involvement by service personnel in current UN missions, these details being a snapshot only, as numbers vary during the course of a year. The details, including estimated costs for financial year 2001–02, are set out in the table. Costs for UN missions are reimbursed to the MOD from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, who in turn are allocated funds from the Global Conflict Prevention Fund.
| Mission | Country | Number of UK personnel | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNOMIG | Georgia | 7 | 0.5 |
| UNAMSIL | Sierra Leone | 22 | 2 |
| MONUC | D. R. Congo | 6 | 0.6 |
| UNIFICYP | Cyprus | (1)12 | 15.9 |
| UNIKOM | Kuwait | (2)26 | 1 |
| UNTAET | East Timor | (3)382 | 0.4 |
(1) UNIFICYP headquarters
(2) British headquarters
(3) Roulement regiment
Deployments
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what personnel in (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) RAF have been involved in deployments to the Falkland Islands in the last five years; how many of those deployments have been for six months; what the total cost has been to the MOD for the Falkland Islands garrison in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement; [46666]
- (2) what (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) RAF personnel have been involved in deployments to (i) Gibraltar, (ii) Cyprus, (iii) Bosnia and (iv) Kosovo in the last five years; how many of those deployments have been for six months; what the cost has been to the MOD; and if he will make a statement. [46665]
Mr. Ingram: Information regarding the number of deployments undertaken by UK regular forces is not available in the format requested.
As regards lengths of tours, tours in Bosnia, Kosovo and the Falkland Islands are considered as operational deployments. In the main, Royal Air Force operational deployments are four months in duration, whereas Army and Navy operational deployments are usually for six months. There are exceptions, however, such as those posts identified as continuity posts that require a deployment of 12 months duration. For service personnel posted to Cyprus and Gibraltar, which are garrison deployments, a tour length of 24 months is the norm.
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The costs for operational deployments are recorded differently from those for garrison deployments. For costing purposes, the Falkland Islands are treated as a garrison.
The additional expenditure incurred by the Ministry of Defence in Bosnia and Kosovo, beyond normal defence activity, over the last five years is shown in the following table.
| Financial year | Bosnia | Kosovo |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 247 | — |
| 1997–98 | 196 | — |
| 1998–99 | 147 | 14 |
| 1999–2000 | 108 | 325 |
| 2000–01 | 120 | 220 |
The costs incurred by the Commanders British Forces Cyprus, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands over the same period are as follows:
| Financial year | Cyprus | Gibraltar | Falklands garrison |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 170 | 63 | 81 |
| 1997–98 | 165 | 61 | 76 |
| 1998–99 | 170 | 52 | 72 |
| 1999–2000 | 159 | 54 | 71 |
| 2000–01 | 160 | 60 | 64 |
Senior Armed Forces
Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 25 March 2002, Official Report, column 552W, on senior armed forces, how many officers there are of the rank of General and equivalent or above for each service; what steps the Ministry of Defence takes to ensure that its objective of reflecting the diversity of British society is monitored and implemented; and if he will make a statement on how the Government plan to ensure that senior officers are drawn from the whole range of society. [48701]
Mr. Ingram: There are 12 officers of the rank of full General or equivalent and above currently appointed in the armed forces (Naval Service five; Army four; RAF three). The armed forces are committed to creating an organisational culture that welcomes diversity in which all have equal opportunity and encouragement to realise their full potential, regardless of race, ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or social/educational background. Promotion in the armed forces is based on merit.
Saville Inquiry
Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has received on instances of information on the identities of British soldiers or former soldiers who may be called upon to testify to the Saville Inquiry falling into unauthorised hands; and if he will make a statement. [47059]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 11 April 2002]: I understand that the names of 76 soldiers (some of whom are deceased) have been disclosed in advertently by the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, mainly in historical documents
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passed by the inquiry to the interested parties. Two names have been disclosed inadvertently by the team of lawyers representing the majority of soldiers. The name of one soldier has been compromised as a result of a security breach in the Treasury Solicitor's Department; this is the subject of a continuing investigation.
Many soldiers' names have become publicly associated with Bloody Sunday. Senior officers were not granted anonymity in 1972, while other soldiers have made statements or given interviews in which they name themselves or colleagues.
The soldiers whose names have been compromised have been, or will be, provided with security advice and additional protective measures where appropriate.
Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has recently reviewed the security arrangements for the handling of information relating to British soldiers and former soldiers by Treasury Counsel and others concerned with the Saville Inquiry; and if he will make a statement. [47125]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 11 April 2002]: Security arrangements in Government Departments, and for those acting on their behalf, are reviewed regularly.
The Bloody Sunday Inquiry is independent of government and its security arrangements are a matter for the inquiry itself. My understanding is that in safeguarding sensitive or personal information the inquiry aims to follows normal public sector procedures and standards.
Strategic Defence Review
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what establishment strength of the Army was set under the Strategic Defence Review. [49746]
Mr. Ingram: The Strategic Defence Review did not set a figure for the size of the Army. A decision was made, however, to increase the Army's manpower requirement by some 3,300 posts to reflect the inclusion of a sixth deployable brigade and a second line of communication. It remains our intention to man the Army to achieve this, although the overall manpower requirement is dynamic and subject to continuing review in light of evolving doctrine, new technology and equipment and possible changes to the operating environment.
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