| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
5 Feb 2003 : Column 289W—continued
Ocean Class Commando Carrier
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he plans to build a second Ocean class commando carrier. [94548]
Mr. Ingram: At present there are no plans to build a second Ocean class ship. HMS Ocean is due to leave service in 2018. We are beginning to investigate how to replace the capability she provides as well as that of the CVS carriers (when tasked in a landing platform helicopter role). No decisions have yet been taken on what form this replacement capability will take.
SA80
Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) troops and (b) front line troops being sent to the Gulf are equipped with SA80 Mark 1 unmodified assault rifles. [94617]
Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 January 2003, Official Report, column 958W, to the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Howarth).
Support Vehicle Programme
Patrick Mercer : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the Ministry of Defence's Support Vehicle Programme. [95188]
Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 January 2003, Official Report, column 646W to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock).
5 Feb 2003 : Column 290W
Theatre Missile Defence
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what submissions his Department has made to NATO as part of its feasibility study on theatre missile defence; and if he will place them in the Library. [94287]
Mr. Hoon: The Ministry of Defence has been fully engaged in the NATO Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence Feasibility Studies that are about to be completed. We have contributed information gained from our Technology Readiness and Risk Assessment Programme (TRRAP), an unclassified summary of which was placed in the House of Commons Library in February 2002.
Type 45 Destroyers
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the air defence Type 45 Destroyer will have the ability to hit targets on land. [95542]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 4 February 2003]: The Type 45 Anti-Air Warfare Destroyer, fitted with the 4.5 inch Mk8 Mod 1 gun, will provide the same Naval gunfire support as the current surface fleet capability. However, it is designed and built with significant space and weight margins to enable incremental acquisition should an emerging requirement necessitate a different equipment fit. Under such circumstances, the design could be modified to incorporate improved land attack capabilities including a larger calibre gun or a land attack missile system.
UK Forces (Sierra Leone)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the UK armed forces are serving in Sierra Leone. [95233]
Mr. Ingram: On 31 July 2002 the security situation in Sierra Leone was judged to be benign enough to end Operation Silkman (the overarching operation for United Kingdom forces in Sierra Leone) leaving a self-sustaining UK-led International Military Advisory and Training Team (EVLATT).
The IMATT currently involves some 114 personnel, of which around 100 are members of the UK armed forces. The UK also provides the Chief of Staff, six HQ staff officers and 15 military observers to the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL).
SCOTLAND
Ministerial Travel
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what her estimate is of the total expenditure by her Department on ministerial travel (a) in the UK and (b) abroad in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (estimated); and if she will make a statement. [92482]
Mrs. Liddell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State, Cabinet Office, on 22 January 2003, Official Report, column 334W.
5 Feb 2003 : Column 291W
Sewel Convention
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make a statement on the way in which Sewel motions work. [94096]
Mrs. Liddell: The 'Sewel Convention' is a commitment made by the Government during the passage of the Scotland Bill that "the UK Parliament would not normally legislate with regard to devolved matters except with the agreement of the devolved legislature. The Devolved Administrations will be responsible for seeking such agreement as may be required for this purpose on an approach from the UK Government". Proposals for the inclusion of provisions relating to devolved matters in a UK Bill, and therefore the need to invoke the Sewel Convention, arise at the initiative of either the UK Government or the Executive, but in every case, require a process of discussion and agreement between the two Administrations. That process normally involves an exchange of correspondence between the UK Minister who is in charge of the Bill and the First Minister, or the relevant portfolio Minister.
My Department recently provided written evidence to the Scottish Parliament's Procedures Committee on the way in which Sewel motions work. Further information on Sewel motions is provided in Devolution Guidance Note 10, "Post-Devolution Primary Legislation Affecting Scotland", which is published on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Afghanistan
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what evidence has been collated by the Government on the education of women in western Afghanistan. [95280]
Clare Short: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Salisbury (Mr. Key) on 27 January 2003, Official Report, column 573W.
Central Africa
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress is being made towards an evaluation of the humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic. [95279]
Clare Short: Until now, inter-agency missions to assess the humanitarian situation in rebel-controlled areas have not been able to take place due to security concerns. Where assessments of the humanitarian situation have taken place outside of the capital, Bangui, they have been by plane to government-controlled areas in the north-west of CAR. Reports from agencies have stated that in these areas there is not a humanitarian crisis but that there is a shortage of medical supplies.
Recent reports from the UN, however, state that rebels in the north and centre of the CAR have now given approval to a humanitarian assessment mission in the zones under their control this month. Eight UN agencies will assess the humanitarian, health, nutritional, economic and agricultural situation in
5 Feb 2003 : Column 292W
rebel-held areas, as well as looking at issues relating to education, food security, water facilities, sanitation and human rights.
Food Aid (Africa)
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the levels of theft of food aid stocks in (a) Malawi, (b) Zimbabwe and (c) Zambia. [95282]
Clare Short: The distribution of food aid stocks have been well monitored and policed with very low levels of theft:
No significant reports of theft of food aid stocks from either the World Food Programme (WFP) or NGOs involved in the distribution of food aid.
Theft from food aid stocks, since the start of the relief operation, has mainly been confined to isolated, infrequent, and extremely small-scale incidents of pilfering from remote warehouses, and remains well below the world food programme's 2 per cent. threshold for "loss acceptability". One slightly more significant incident did occur in January, in Sinazongwe district, when 84 MT of transiting WFP food-aid was seized by local villagers who were mistakenly concerned that they would be denied their January ration if the food left their district. The perpetrators have been arrested, some of the food has already been recovered, and the matter remains in the hands of the Zambian police authorities.
The level of losses in Zimbabwe remains very low, and low by comparison with very many other humanitarian operations worldwide.
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on food aid requirements in (a) Zimbabwe, (b) Zambia, (c) Swaziland, (d) Lesotho, (e) Mozambique and (f) Malawi. [95283]
Clare Short: The current food aid requirements as detailed in the December 2002—Regional Emergency Food Security Assessment Report from the Southern African Development Community are as follows.
Some 7,180,000 people, who represent 52 per cent. of the population, will require an estimated 345,000 tonnes of emergency cereal food assistance through March 2003.
Some 2,770,000 people, who represent 28 per cent. of the population, will require an estimated 133,000 tonnes of emergency cereal food assistance through March 2003.
Some 300,000 people, who represent 31 per cent. of the population, will require an estimated 173,000 tonnes of emergency cereal food assistance through March 2003.
5 Feb 2003 : Column 293W
Lesotho:
Some 760,000 people, who represent 34 per cent. of the population, will require an estimated 36,000 tonnes of emergency cereal food assistance through March 2003.
Some 650,000 people, who represent 3 per cent. of the population, will require an estimated 31,000 tonnes of emergency cereal food assistance through March 2003.
Some 3,590,000 people, who represent 31 per cent. of the population, will require an estimated 173,000 tonnes of emergency cereal food assistance through March 2003.
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate she has made of the number of hunger related deaths in southern Africa since November 2002; and if she will make a statement. [95285]
Clare Short: While there has been some deterioration in the food security situation in southern Africa, global acute malnutrition levels have not been found to be alarming. This may be due to a number of factors indicating that the crisis goes beyond food alone. There have been few recorded deaths that can be attributed directly to starvation. However, mortality among those already sick, particularly people suffering from AIDS, have increased as a result of poor nutrition.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |