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Hotel Accommodation

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the amount spent by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies on hotel accommodation (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad for (A) Ministers, (B) staff and (C) others; and if he will list the average cost per hotel room, in each year since 1997. [117560]

Mr. Caplin: This information is not held centrally in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the Ministry of Defence operates a central hotel booking service and management information routinely provided by the contractor for the purposes of contract management enables a partial response to be given.

Although bookings made through this contract represent the majority of all UK temporary overnight hotel requirements, a significant amount of overnight accommodation—particularly short notice requirements —is still booked outside of the contract and no centrally held information is available. The figures shown in the table reflect military and civilian personnel regardless of their employing management group but exclude non-departmental public bodies which do not use the contract. The average cost per room per night is for bed and breakfast:

	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03
Total UK costs (£ million)	14.35	20.04	22.66	25.24	25.62	32.63
Average cost per room per night (B&B)	43.44	54.28	59.11	61.21	63.92	65.91
Total overseas costs (£ million)	n/a	n/a	n/a	3.29	3.53	4.62
Average cost per room per night (B&B)	n/a	n/a	n/a	75.09	70.25	70.02

Note:

Figures are shown for contract years of May to April.

Increasing costs reflect an increase in the usage of the hotel booking contract from around 330,000 room-nights in 1997–98 to just over 495,000 in the last full year.

The Government publishes an annual report of Ministerial travel overseas. The total cost of Ministerial travel provided in the annual report includes the costs of accommodation. The information sought in respect of

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accommodation within the UK is not held centrally. All travel is conducted in line with the requirements of the Ministerial Code.

Mr. Tony Geraghty

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with (a) Ministry of Defence Police and (b) the Director of Public Prosecutions about the publication of a report by the Police Complaints Authority concerning the arrest of Mr.Tony Geraghty, a constituent, in December 1998; and if he will make a statement. [119383]

Mr. Caplin: None. However, Defence Ministers have been briefed on the outcome of an independent investigation that the Chief Constable of Essex Police carried out, at the request of the MOD Police Committee, into complaints made by Mr. Geraghty and others, following his arrest in 1998. The Investigating Officer's report was passed to the Director of Public Prosecutions, in view of the previous involvement of the Crown Prosecution Service. Mr. Geraghty has been formally notified that his complaints have not been substantiated. Investigating Officer Reports into complaint allegations against Ministry of Defence Police officers are not published.

Pay Audits

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on completing a pay audit in his Department and its non-departmental public bodies to measure any disadvantage in terms of remuneration for (a) women, (b) ethnic minorities and (c) people with disabilities; and if he will publish the results of such an audit. [117441]

Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence, in common with all other Government Departments, has conducted an equal pay audit following the publication of the report by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) Equal Pay Task Force, Just Pay, in March 2001. The outcome of the audit, including an action plan, has been submitted to the Cabinet Office. Although initial audit focused on gender, the Ministry of Defence action plan includes provision for a similar audit to be carried out on ethnic minorities and people with disabilities. A copy of its action plan will be placed in the Library of the House as soon as discussions have concluded with the Cabinet Office.

Race Relations

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in his Department and non-departmental public bodies on implementing the requirements of the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000; and if he will publish the results of the monitoring required by the Act. [117474]

Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence's Race Equality Scheme was published in May 2002 and sets out plans for complying with the general and specific duties under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 to promote race relations in the armed forces, the MOD Police and the MOD civil service. Copies of the Scheme are available in the Library of the House. The Department

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is now actively engaged in implementation of the Scheme and the first progress report will be published in the autumn.

RAF Bases

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role the Ministry of Defence Police Agency have at (a) RAF Lakenheath, (b) RAF Mildenhall, (c) RAF Fairford and (d) RAF Molesworth. [119501]

Mr. Caplin: To combat the principle risks of crime and disorder, the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) provides a civilian policing service to RAF Lakenheath and RAF Fairford from permanent complements stationed at those locations. MDP will, where appropriate and practical, provide a policing service at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Molesworth.

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF apprentices are on secondment and in training at RAF Menwith Hill; what the nature of that training is; and who is funding this training. [119503]

Mr. Caplin: There are no RAF apprentices at RAF Menwith Hill.

RAF Manoeuvres

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the fighter aircraft flying in formation in the vicinity of Sizewell nuclear power stations on 10 June were from the Royal Air Force. [119096]

Mr. Caplin: Yes.

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what notification was given to the managers of the nuclear power stations at Sizewell with regard to the Royal Air Force manoeuvres in their vicinity on 10 June. [119099]

Mr. Caplin: None. The RAF aircraft did not breach the Restricted Area around the Sizewell Nuclear Power Station.

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason fighter jets flew over Sizewell nuclear power station on 10 June. [119100]

Mr. Caplin: The RAF aircraft which flew close to the Sizewell Nuclear Power Station on 10 June 2003 were flying in a formation holding pattern for a practice run of the Queen's Birthday Flypast. There is a Restricted Area centred on the Power Station; the RAF aircraft remained clear of this area.

War Pensioners

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the war pensioners, suffering from a wholly psychiatric illness, who lost incapacity benefit during the three years to 31 August 2002 appealed against the ending of their benefit; how many lost their appeal; and what the average change in net annual income was for each individual affected. [116589]

Mr. Browne: I have been asked to reply.

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The number of people receiving a War Pension because of a psychiatric disorder, whose claims to incapacity benefit ceased and who subsequently appealed was nil or negligible in each of the last three years.

The available information is in the table.

Incapacity benefit (IB) claims ceasing for recipients also claiming War Pension because of a psychiatric disorder, and the average amount of IB in payment at the date that the claims ceased

	IB claims ceasing for recipients also claiming War Pension because of a psychiatric disorder	Average amount of IB payable at the date that the claims ceased (£)
1 September 1999 to 31 August 2000	200	63.13
1 September 2000 to 31 August 2001	100	72.17
1 September 2001 to 31 August 2002	100	72.63

Notes:

1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.

2. Figures are based on a very few sample cases and are therefore subject to a high degree of sampling error and should be used as a guide to the current situation only.

3. Figures exclude IB claims ceasing due to award of Retirement Pension.

Source:

Merges of 5 per cent. samples of the Incapacity Benefit and War Pensions computer systems.

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