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22 May 2003 : Column 909W—continued
Secondments
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 14 April 2003, Official Report, column 488W, on departmental secondees, if she will list (a) private sector companies, (b) NGOs and (c) other, to which civil servants have
22 May 2003 : Column 910W
been seconded from her Department, in each case giving (i) the dates of secondment and (ii) the grade of the civil servant seconded, in each year since 1997–98. [114172]
Ms Hewitt: From records held centrally in my Department, the information requested is contained in a table which has been placed in the Library.
Sickness Absence
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent estimate her Department has made of the cost to industry and business in the UK of sickness absence; and what plans have been made to tackle abuse of sickness absence by employees. [113496]
Alan Johnson: According to latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive, the cost to employers in the UK of work-related illness was around £1.1 billion in 1995–96. The Government believe employers themselves are best placed to tackle the problem of sick leave in those cases where it is being abused. Acas publishes some guidance on how employers might deal with absences, including sickness absences.
ADVOCATE-GENERAL
Departmental Creche Facilities
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Advocate General what creche facilities are provided by her Department; and at what cost. [104294]
The Advocate-General for Scotland: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given below by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.
Staff Union Duties
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Advocate General how many staff in her Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies receive paid leave to undertake union duties; how many days they are allocated; and what has been the cost to public funds in 2002. [106776]
The Advocate-General for Scotland: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland at column 911W.
SCOTLAND
Departmental Creche Facilities
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what créche facilities are provided by her Department; and at what cost. [104292]
Mrs. Liddell: My Department does not provide créche facilities. Staff on loan from the Scottish Executive or other departments can access facilities or support provided by their parent organisation.
Dover House
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many functions have been held in Dover House in each of the last six years. [115812]
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Mrs. Liddell: The Scotland Office was established in its present form on 1 July 1999. The following number of events have been held in Dover House in the three full years since then:
| Number of events | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 22 |
| 2001–02 | 20 |
| 2002–03 | 27 |
The majority of the above have been events sponsored by third parties, often charities, using Dover House as a venue to support work they are doing in Scotland. For example, in 2000–01 and 2001–02, 14 of the events held were third party receptions and in 2002–03, 20 of the events held were third party receptions (with no costs accruing to the Department). The hon. Member himself was instrumental in Dover House being used as a venue to promote tourism as a spin off from the production of a television programme which was filmed in his constituency.
Entertainment Costs
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when she has entertained Labour hon. Members at public expense in the last 12 months; and at what cost. [106395]
Mrs. Liddell: No separate functions or entertainment have been provided solely for Labour MPs at departmental expense.
Staff Union Duties
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff in her Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies receive paid leave to undertake union duties; how many days they are allocated; and what has been the cost to public funds in 2002. [106775]
Mrs. Liddell: No staff in my Department receive paid facility time on a full time basis to undertake trade union activities.
DEFENCE
Armed Forces (Undermanning)
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the extent of undermanning in the armed forces this year; and if he will make a statement. [113249]
Dr. Moonie: As at 1 April 2003 the shortfall against the current trained requirement of the armed forces stood at 6,510. This is an improvement on the same time last year with an increase in the overall trained strength and a decrease in the deficit.
All three Services are working hard to address the shortfalls so that the targets set out in the current Public Service Agreements can be met.
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Details of undermanning by individual Service as at 1 April 2003 are shown as follows:
| Naval Service | Army | RAF | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trained requirement | 38,510 | 106,980 | 49,640 |
| Trained strength | 37,600 | 102,120 | 48,900 |
| Shortfall | -910 | -4,850 | -750 |
EU Defence Ministers Meeting
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which US officials were invited to attend the EU Defence Ministers' meeting in Brussels on 19 May. [115459]
Mr. Hoon: None: the United States is not a member of the European Union.
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Defence Ministers' Meeting in Brussels on 19 May. [115460]
Mr. Hoon: European Union Defence Ministers at the General Affairs and External Relations Council focused mainly on military capabilities, noting that
"the EU now has operational capability across the full range of Petersberg tasks, limited and constrained by recognised shortfalls." These shortfalls particularly affect speed of deployment and level of risk for larger scale, higher-intensity tasks. Ministers endorsed the launch of ECAP Project Groups, in which participating member states will work on implementing selected solutions identified by the ECAP Panels. Ministers welcomed the first meeting of the EU-NATO Capability Group, which will help to ensure that EU efforts on military capabilities are coherent and mutually reinforcing with the work in NATO, as well as proposals in the context of the Convention for an EU defence capabilities development and acquisition agency. Ministers also noted the significant progress on ESDP since their last formal meeting in November 2002, and in particular, agreement on the Berlin Plus arrangements with NATO and the launch of the first military ESDP operation in Macedonia. The full Conclusions from the General Affairs and External Relations Council will be placed in the Library in the House shortly.
European Security and Defence Policy
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the conditions under which the UK Government would approve a military operation under the European Security and Defence Policy without (a) the express approval of all NATO allies and (b) NATO support and involvement. [115461]
Mr. Hoon: All European Union member states have agreed to develop a European Security and Defence Policy to give the European Union
"an autonomous capacity to take decisions, and, where NATO as a whole is not engaged, to launch and conduct EU-led military operations" within the scope of the Petersberg tasks. NATO and the EU are independent international organisations. ESDP operations would be considered only where NATO is not engaged.
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The United Kingdom will decide its position on any proposed ESDP operation on a case by case basis. Considerations would include the objective of the proposed operation as well as the views of partners and allies.
Iraq
Mr. Austin Mitchell To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures have been taken by British forces in Iraq to remove and make safe (a) unexploded cluster bomblets, (b) landmines and (c) depleted uranium. [111841]
Mr. Hoon: Providing a safe, secure and risk free environment for the Iraqi people is a key aspect of restoration activity for the Coalition. When any unexploded munitions—including cluster bomblets and mines—are discovered, United Kingdom and other Coalition forces mark the site and inform those in the vicinity. Their normal practice is then to destroy the munitions in situ. Those that present the greatest threat to human life and coalition operations are destroyed first.
Increasing amounts of independent research by eminent scientists within groups such as the Royal Society Depleted Uranium Working Group and the United Nations Environment Programme support the view that DU levels will only necessitate precautions to prevent or reduce possible intakes in highly localised areas. As many defeated tanks as possible within the British area of operations are being cordoned off and kept undisturbed, awaiting scientific examination.
In support of the United Nations Environment Programme environmental survey of Iraq, the Ministry of Defence has released information on DU used by UK Forces in the Iraq conflict and will be making available details of where that usage occurred. The UK Government will be considering carefully any scientific data which may emerge concerning environmental issues in Iraq.
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will announce plans for a march past or other event of the UK Armed Forces to mark the role of the UK Armed Forces in the recent conflict in Iraq. [115448]
Dr. Moonie: I refer the hon Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces gave on 6 May 2003, Official Report, column 573W, to the hon. Member for Romford (Mr. Rosindell).
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