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Armoured Vehicles (Gulf Deployment)
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) armoured fighting vehicles and (b) main battle tanks will be taken by 19 Mechanised Brigade to the Gulf. [113960]
Mr. Ingram: The final complement of vehicles being deployed with 19 Mechanised Brigade is still being confirmed. It will include 14 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks and the following, approximate, numbers of other armoured vehicles: 56 Warrior; 120 Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) including Scimitar, Samaritan, Sultan and Spartan variants; 80 Saxon and a significant number of FV432.
Chinook Helicopter
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Chinook fleet was last upgraded. [115610]
Mr. Ingram: A mid-life upgrade programme to convert the Chinook Mkl helicopter fleet to Mk 2 standard was completed in 1995. This was the last major fleet upgrade programme.
Subsequent to this conversion the Chinook Mk2 has been subject to a number of changes to enhance the capability of the aircraft, most recently in response to operations in Afghanistan and the Gulf. In common with other military aircraft, modifications designed to maintain airworthiness and reliability are also incorporated into the fleet from time to time.
Defence White Paper
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to publish the Defence White Paper 2003 between 8 and 18 September. [115298]
Mr. Hoon: As previously indicated, it remains my intention to publish a Defence White Paper in the autumn.
Equipment Supply
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the adequacy of equipment supply to the armed forces. [114809]
Mr. Ingram: We have the mechanisms in place to supply the equipment that our armed forces need. Equipment is held to meet the requirements of a range of possible scenarios. Additional equipment and supplies for specific operational needs can be obtained direct from our commercial partners, where necessary through the Ministry of Defence's tried and tested urgent operational requirement process. The recent operation in Iraq, for which an equivalent quantity of material to that supplied for the first Gulf conflict was deployed in half the time, demonstrated the overall adequacy of supply. However, action is in hand to identify lessons from this operation and we will publish the results in due course, subject to the usual constraints on force protection and security.
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Arms Exports
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from defence contractors regarding restrictions on moving armaments between EU countries; and if he will make a statement. [109084]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 1 May 2003]: The Ministry of Defence has received a number of representations from defence contractors concerning secondary legislation to be enacted under the Export Control Act 2002.
The Government remain committed to ensuring that the new controls under the Act are brought into force with the minimum administrative burden, and to work with the defence industry to achieve this.
The Department of Trade and Industry has recently led a consultation exercise on the draft secondary legislation, and full consideration will be given to all replies.
Eurofighter
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the UK for Eurofighter will be in 2003–04; what percentage of the defence budget this represents; and if he will make a statement. [115108]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 22 May 2003]: The cost to the United Kingdom for the Eurofighter Typhoon in 2003–04 is currently forecast to be £1,465 million; this represents just under 4.0 per cent. of the total defence budget for this financial year. This figure includes procurement of the aircraft, the associated Aircrew Synthetic Training Aids system and in-service support equipment and facilities.
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the recently departed Chief of the Defence Staff regarding Her Majesty's Government's order for 232 Typhoon aircraft. [113904]
Mr. Ingram: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence had regular discussions with the 'recently departed' Chief of the Defence Staff about a wide range of important enhancements to the capability of our Armed Forces including Typhoon.
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many technology access agreements have been signed by Her Majesty's Government and the United States in respect of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter; and what areas of technology they covered. [114890]
Mr. Ingram: To date, 10 Technical Assistance Agreements have been signed by representatives of Her Majesty Government that have applicability to the current JSF System Development and Demonstration
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phase. Technology addressed can be both classified and unclassified and covers the areas of the fuel system; flight controls; air vehicle; Electronic Warfare; mission systems; vehicle management systems; software and the propulsion system.
Foreign Military Units
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many foreign military units have visited the UK and overseas territories since 2001; what the purpose of their visits was; what joint training was undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the value of (a) small and (b) large scale interaction between British and foreign militaries. [115160]
Mr. Ingram: During the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2003, 8,037 overseas military personnel from 115 countries visited the United Kingdom to undertake training at UK military establishments. This serves a range of specific purposes in pursuit of British interests, linked to various Memoranda of Understanding. More generally, however, it has helped to foster good relations between the UK military and many Foreign and Commonwealth armed forces and has assisted in achieving a higher degree of interoperability and influence than may otherwise have been possible. The principal objective of this activity is to use British Defence assets in peacetime to discourage hostility abroad, build and maintain trust between states, and assist in the development of democratically accountable armed forces; thereby helping to make a significant contribution to conflict prevention and resolution. A full breakdown of the numbers trained by country is set out in the following tables.
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