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7 Nov 2002 : Column 493W—continued

Official Photographers

Mr. Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions during the last 12 months an official photographer has accompanied (a) him and (b) other Ministers in his Department on official visits (i) overseas and (ii) within the UK; what (A) travel expenses, (B) costs of equipment and processing, (C) staff payment and (D) other costs were incurred; what publications official photographs have appeared in during the last 12 months and what terms and conditions were attached to the publication of such photographs; and whether photographs taken on official visits are available for use in non-governmental literature. [62831]

Dr. Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Competitive Tendering

Mr. Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions in the last 12 months the requirement to engage in a competitive tendering process has been waived by his Department due to national security obligations under paragraph 6(h) of the supply regulations. [62815]

Dr. Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Statutory Instruments

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many statutory instruments have been (a) introduced, (b) removed and (c) amended by his Department since 1st January; and what the (i) cost and (ii) saving has been in each case. [64612]

Dr. Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Energy Costs

Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated (a) level and (b) cost of energy use in his Department and associated agencies was in each year since 1997; what proportion of energy was generated from renewable sources; and if he will make a statement. [65950]

Dr. Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

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Public Inquiries (Phone Lines)

Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on using 0870 telephone numbers for inquiries by the public to the Department and its agencies. [66199]

Dr. Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Buildings Insurance

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of buildings insurance to his Department was (a) before and (b) after 11 September 2001. [66923]

Dr. Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Public Service Agreements

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of the public service agreements of his Department set out in the document Public Services for the Future 1998 have been met; and if he will make a statement. [68711]

Dr. Moonie [holding answer 10 July 2002]: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Empty Properties

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the empty residential properties in each London borough in the ownership of his Department and its agencies, giving (a) the type of accommodation, (b) how long each property has been vacant and (c) what the intended future use is of the property. [69494]

Dr. Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Aircraft Carriers

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many jobs will be created in Portsmouth by making it the home for new aircraft carriers; and if he will make a statement. [70758]

Dr. Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Sustainable Development

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the interdepartmental discussions on Criterion 8 of the Consolidated Criteria relating to sustainable development. [71539]

Mr. Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

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Education and Training

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the annual cost of education and training in each service in each year since 1997. [71662]

Mr. Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Employment Costs

Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the employment costs, including benefits, of (a) all ministers representing his Department and (b) special advisers and their support staff retained by his Department. [80159]

Dr. Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Anglo-French Discussions

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what recent discussions ministers and officials have had with the French Government about French participation in the United Kingdom aircraft carrier programme; [76568]

Dr. Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

SA80 Rifles

Mr. Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if SA80 rifles have been withdrawn from his Department's stocks for export. [77371]

Mr. Ingram: No. However, we are currently considering options for dealing with the expected excess of SA80 A1 weapons that do not require upgrading to the A2 version.

HMS Albion

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what technical difficulties have been encountered in the construction of HMS Albion; and if he will make a statement. [78660]

Dr. Moonie: HMS Albion is the first of a new class of Landing Platform Dock vessels. She is being constructed by BAE Systems Marine Ltd at their Barrow in Furness shipyard. Technical difficulties encountered during her construction have been largely due to the use of a computer aided design tool that was new to the shipyard, immature design information being released for production, the use of modern build techniques and some novel warship design features such as the diesel/electric propulsion system. It is not unusual for technical issues to arise during the design and construction of the first of such a complex warship class and BAE Systems are working hard to overcome each of the issues. A revised programme for Albion has been agreed with BAE Systems Marine and she is expected to

7 Nov 2002 : Column 496W

enter service in July 2003. The company is making stringent efforts to recover up to seven weeks of that slippage.

Bullying

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Army indicated when last questioned that they believe that (a) harassment, (b) discrimination and (c) bullying are problems in (i) their immediate area of work and (ii) the Army as a whole; what percentage of those responding this represents; what percentage of actual strength this represents; and if he will make a statement. [78634]

Mr. Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Medical Specialists

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many medical specialists, and in which specialisations, there are in the Reserves; [78319]

Mr. Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Military Equipment (Gifts)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what items of military equipment have been given as a gift to another state, and when, since June 1997; and what the estimated value of the gift was in each case. [78650]

Dr. Moonie: I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.


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