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MOD Police/Silver Command

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the arrangements are between MOD police and Silver Command under the responsibility of Gloucestershire Police, with particular reference to liaison between police officers and peace protesters at RAF Fairford. [108786]

Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) and Gloucestershire Constabulary are operating from a joint Silver Command Operation Room located at RAF Fairford. The Operation Room is manned by senior officers from MDP and Gloucestershire Constabulary and includes representatives from the United States Security Forces and the Royal Air Force Police. Liaison with protestors at RAF Fairford by officers from the Ministry of Defence Police and Gloucestershire Constabulary is undertaken as and when required.

RAF Fairford

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) under what circumstances use of deadly force will be sanctioned at RAF Fairford; [108785]

(2) if he will make a statement on the notices posted on the fences around RAF Fairford stating that use of deadly force is authorised. [108784]

Mr. Ingram: The notices are necessary to warn individuals that unauthorised entry into the inner area of the base is not permitted. They are displayed on a

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temporary internal security fence enclosing a much smaller area where aircraft are parked. The notices do not purport to be a statement of the law.

The reference to the authorisation of deadly force on the notice does not amount to a blanket pre-authorisation. It is US practice, in relation to specially sensitive areas, to draw attention to what is implicit whenever armed personnel (US or British) are deployed to guard military installations in the UK, namely that they are authorised to use lethal force in circumstances where it is lawful.

It is not our practice to disclose details of Rules of Engagement for reasons of operational security. I am therefore withholding the information in accordance with Exemption 1 (Defence, Security and International Relations) of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

UK Arms Industry

Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his guidelines are on sources of supply for (a) ammunition and (b) propellant in the United Kingdom arms industry. [107264]

Mr. Ingram: The guidelines used to determine which sources of supply provide ammunition to the Ministry of Defence are based on smart acquisition principles, which utilise competition to obtain best value for money in meeting the military requirement, whilst ensuring security of supply. The source of propellant is judged to be a matter for the supplier. However, potential suppliers are required to provide advice on the sources of the components in each bid and security of supply is taken into account during the tender process.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Affordable Housing

Chris Grayling: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the local authorities which will receive reduced Government support for affordable housing after the abolition of the local authority social housing grant. [107667]

Mr. McNulty: In my statement of 5 March, I announced increased provision for transitional arrangements for Local Authority Social Housing Grant (LASHG). Transitional funding will now support investment in social housing of up to £550 million in 2003–04—£50 million more than the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister provided in 2002–03 from LASHG, and higher than in any previous year. The local authority areas in which this investment will take place will not be known until after 30 June 2003, which is the deadline for new schemes for 2003–04 to be submitted to the Housing Corporation.

For future years, resources will be allocated between authorities in line with recommendations of the Regional Housing Boards, reflecting regionally-agreed priorities.

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Anti-social Behaviour

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what powers are available to (a) local authorities and (b) the police to tackle problems of anti-social behaviour in private properties. [108025]

Mr. McNulty: To supplement the full range of criminal law that the police may use, the Government have introduced a wide range of measures to help both local authorities and the police tackle anti-social behaviour, notably Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) and fixed penalty notices for disorder offences.

Additional powers are being introduced in the Anti-Social Behaviour Bill to give local authorities tools to deal with anti-social behaviour. The draft Housing Bill proposes powers to allow local authorities to license private landlords in areas of low housing demand or anti-social behaviour.

Civil Emergencies

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the key generic capabilities being developed for dealing with civil emergencies; what progress is being made with developing each of the key generic capabilities for civil emergency preparation; when he expects officials to report; when decisions will have been made on their practical implementation; which of the key areas do not have guidance suitable for dealing with a contemporary threat; and what the Government response will be in an emergency while the current programme of work on each of the 11 areas continues. [102926]

Mr. Blunkett: I have been asked to reply.

I am replying as the Minister responsible for work across Government to co-ordinate our counter-terrorist and resilience work.

I set out in my statement of 3 March 2003, Official Report, column 72WS, the 11 key generic capabilities that allow the United Kingdom to recover quickly from the most demanding emergencies. These are:

central response


essential services


local response


decontamination


site clearance


treatment of infectious diseases


treatment of mass casualties


mass evacuation


identification and assessment


warning, informing and alerting


dealing with mass fatalities

We already have the capacity to respond to emergency situations. What we are looking to do is to further enhance our capability in the areas set out. We will constantly strive to improve our ability to respond to emergencies in this most effective and efficient way possible. The capability programme we have set in place is one aspect of that work.

The Committee on Consequence Management and Resilience which I chair receives regular reports on progress in these areas, which includes implementation

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of recommendations. We are not going to wait until the capability programme is complete before implementing recommendations. If the programme highlights ways in which we can enhance our resilience in some areas by acting sooner we will take those decisions as soon as is practicable.

Yesterday I announced an additional £331 million of resources to fund a range of projects to enhance.

Councillors

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will undertake a review of the application of the law as it applies to qualified privilege for councillors; and if he will make a statement. [108384]

Mr. Leslie: There are currently no plans for such a review. I understand that the Law Commission will shortly be publishing their recommendations following a review of the publication of local authority reports, and that those recommendations are likely to include proposals on the law of defamation as it applies to local authorities. The Government will consider the Law Commission's report carefully.

Countryside Agency Report

Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the findings of the Countryside Agency Report, "The State of the Countryside 2020", on Cambridgeshire with regard to (a) long-term transport infrastructure, (b) planning to meet future demand for public services and (c) affordable housing for key public sector workers. [108524]

Mr. McNulty: "The State of the Countryside 2020" report is the Countryside Agency's contribution to the 'Tomorrow Project', which was launched in 1996 to encourage people and organisations to think about the future. 22 companies, charitable organisations, Government Departments and agencies currently support it. This report does not have specific implications for local or national policy, but will help inform the wide range of Government policies which bear on the future of the countryside and rural society. It does not bring to light entirely new issues, and the Government are already active on a wide front to tackle the problems which are discussed.

Departmental Catering Services

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost was of (a) the in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by the Department in 2002. [104256]

Mr. Leslie: The catering services within the buildings of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are contracted on a non-cost basis, with the contractor recovering their costs through income from the services. The only cost to the Office in 2002 was to cover basic kitchen equipment to the value of £20,000.

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