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Small Businesses

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many members of her Department have been seconded to small businesses in the past five years; and what proportion of total placements these secondments account for. [61309]

Ms Hewitt: In recording information on the secondment of DTI staff to the private sector we have not, historically, included an indication of the size of the companies involved. It is not therefore possible to give the information requested. However, I have placed in the Library of both Houses information on the number of secondments commenced in each of the past five years and the companies involved. The total number of secondments to the private sector since 1997 has been 112.

We have recently introduced a new system for recording information on secondments and in future, where it is available, we will be recording within three ranges the size of the companies to which we send staff.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government have taken to reduce the level of regulations affecting small businesses in the last three years; and what further plans she has in this respect. [61160]

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Nigel Griffiths: The Government has put in place a number of measures to reduce the burden of regulations on small businesses, including:

Announced in January 2000 that employers with over four or fewer employees will be exempt from the requirements to provide access to stakeholder pensions and deduct pension contributions.


Announced in April 2000 an increase in the statutory audit threshold for companies from £350,000 to £1 million. This measure will relieve up to 150,000 small firms from the burden of a statutory audit, saving small companies up to £180 million a year.


We have exempted small shops from the new EU unit pricing requirements.


We have exempted employers with 20 or fewer employees from the trade union recognition procedures in the Employment Relations Act.


The Small Business Service has produced clear guidance on a number of complex regulations.


The Business Link Website is now attracting 80,000 users per month—and businesses can register to receive alerts about regulations automatically.


A 12 weeks period between regulations has been agreed and implemented allowing owner managers time to adapt to the new regulations.


Ensured that the view of small business influenced Patrick Carter's review of payroll administration, a copy of which is in the Libraries of the House.


In February we published the regulatory Reform Action Plan—setting out over 250 proposals for better regulation and reform.

Further to these measures:

An estimated 900,000 SMEs benefit from measures announced in Budget 2002, including 485,000 businesses whose corporation tax bill has been cut or abolished, and 700,000 small businesses who will be able to benefit from our flat rate VAT scheme.


Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) have to be produced for all regulations setting out clearly the costs and benefits with full recognition of small business concerns. The Department's policy is to 'think small first': the Small Business Service has to be consulted on all RIAs to ensure that the impact on small firms is not disproportionate.


Following the recent review of the DTL, the regulatory challenge function within the Department has been strengthened. A new team has been created specifically to consider how the Department should challenge existing and future legislation as well as to how to ensure all policy makers fully consider alternatives to regulation at the outset of the policy making process.

DEFENCE

Courts Martial

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of HM armed forces have been brought before courts martial in each of the past eight years charged with violent offences against (a) male and (b) female (i) members of HM armed forces and (ii) civilians. [61388]

Mr. Ingram: The information is not held in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 18 March 2002, Official Report, column 61W, on courts martial, if he will

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break down the cases involving violent crime by (a) severity of offence, (b) sex of victim and (c) whether the victim was a member of HM armed forces. [61387]

Mr. Ingram: Available information on cases in the three services presented to courts martial during the year 2000 involving violent crime are as follows. The services do not employ a formal ranking of severity for violent offences, and so the offences are presented by type.

Royal Navy

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm—11 charges. All victims were members of the armed forces and consisted of 10 males and one female.

Assault—23 charges. 21 victims belonged to the armed forces and two were civilians and consisted of 18 males and five females.

Fighting—2 charges. Both were naval personnel.

Army

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm—101 charges

Common assault/battery—33 charges

Grievous bodily harm/wounding—32 charges

Grievous bodily harm/wounding with intent—9 charges

Affray—7 charges

Protection from harassment—4 charges

Fighting/violence against a superior—3 charges

Threatening/abusive behaviour—1 charge

Other violent offences—2 charges.

The Army statistics presented show individual cases that may include the individual being charged with more than one charge. In such cases, the more severe charge is listed—e.g, cases involving GBH and AOABH have been listed under GBH.

The sex of the victim, or whether they were members of the armed forces or civilians is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Royal Air Force

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm—12 charges

Battery—12 charges

Common assault—2 charges

Grievous bodily harm—1 charge

Unlawful wounding—1 charge.

The sex of the victim, or whether they were members of the armed forces or civilians is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Service Personnel

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the net loss of people per month was for the (a) Army, (b) RAF and (c) Navy in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [62245]

Mr. Ingram: The information requested is set out in the table.

Month of flow		Naval service	Army	RAF
April 2001	Officers	24	92	14
	Other ranks	121	445	96
May 2001	Officers	92	70	20
	Other ranks	475	119	116
June 2001	Officers	46	20	27
	Other ranks	17	450	35
July 2001	Officers	28	20	80
	Other ranks	116	91	44
August 2001	Officers	42	67	15
	Other ranks	298	85	33
September 2001	Officers	133	189	0
	Other ranks	13	1,406	46
October 2001	Officers	42	32	3
	Other ranks	143	0	5
November 2001	Officers	47	52	1
	Other ranks	4	202	31
December 2001	Officers	24	49	46
	Other ranks	82	251	75
January 2002	Officers	109	250	49
	Other ranks	86	810	27
February 2002	Officers	36	21	79
	Other ranks	34	194	154
March 2002	Officers	25	16	7
	Other ranks	49	3	58

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Naval service includes both Royal Navy and Royal Marines.

Figures are for UK regular forces (including both trained and untrained personnel) and therefore exclude Gurkhas, full-time reserve personnel, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, mobilised reservists and activated reservists.

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the manning targets for the three services have been redefined since the publication of the Strategic Defence Review; and if he will make a statement. [62243]

Mr. Ingram: Manpower targets for each of the three services reflect the outcome of the strategic defence review and are set out in the current public service agreements. The target for each service is as follows:

The Naval Service to reach full manning within a tolerance band +1–2 per cent. in 2004;


The Army to reach 97 per cent. of its manning requirement in 2004;


The Royal Air Force to reach full manning against the requirement within a tolerance band of +1–2 per cent. by 2004.


The manpower requirement for each service reflects the necessity to deliver the capabilities and meet the commitments that were identified in the strategic defence review. The requirements, and the performance in meeting them, are reported by the Defence Analytical Services Agency both annually in UK defence statistics and quarterly under national statistics arrangements. Copies of these publications can be found in the Library of the House.


The Services' manpower requirements are dynamic and subject to annual review in light of evolving doctrine, new technology and equipment, and possible changes to the operating environment. For example, a review of the Army's future manpower requirement has recently been concluded, resulting in a revised manning target of 106,978.

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many servicemen and servicewomen applied for premature voluntary retirement in (a) 1997, (b) 1999, (c) 2000 and (d) 2001; and if he will make a statement. [62246]

Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to Tri-Service Publication 5: UK Regular Forces Premature Voluntary Release. This publication is available in the Library of the House and is updated on a quarterly basis.

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Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the manpower shortages against trained establishment were in (a) 1998, (b) 1999, (c) 2000 and (d) 2001; and if he will make a statement. [62241]

Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to Table 1 of the Quarterly Press Release on Services Manpower (TSP 4), a copy of which is held in the Library of the House.

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the manning targets are for the (a) Army, (b) Navy and (c) RAF; and if he will make a statement. [62242]

Mr. Ingram: Manning targets can be found in the monthly publication; 'UK Armed Forces Strengths and Requirements' (TSP 3), a copy of which will be placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the outflow was of Regular Serving Personnel for (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99 and (c) 2000–01; and if he will make a statement. [62244]

Mr. Ingram: Outflow from trained strength of the UK Regular Forces is as follows:

	Financial Year
	1997–98	1998–99	2000–01
Total	19,030	19.750	18,430
Naval Service	4,140	4,140	3,620
Army	10,620	11,250	10,640
RAF	4,270	4,360	4,180

Note:

Due to rounding methods used totals may not always equal the exact sum of the parts.

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