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9 Jul 2003 : Column 809W—continued

RAF Halton

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has submitted to Aylesbury Vale district council under regulation 48(2) of the Conservation (Natural Habitats) Regulations 1994 about his plans to redevelop the Princess Mary hospital site, RAF Halton. [124243]

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Mr. Caplin: Full consultation with the relevant authorities has identified no European designated sites within two km of the Princess Mary hospital site, RAF Halton. It is therefore not considered necessary for Aylesbury Vale district council, as the competent authority, to undertake an appropriate assessment as outlined under Regulation 48(2) of the Conservation (Natural Habitats) Regulations 1994.

Bats are a European protected species. A full bat survey and comprehensive mitigation strategy will be submitted to Aylesbury Vale district council and English Nature for their consideration in due course.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact on plans to redevelop the Princess Mary hospital site, RAF Halton, of the discovery that bats are roosting in the hospital building. [124245]

Mr. Caplin: Defence Estates has commissioned a detailed bat survey at Princess Mary hospital site, RAF Halton, to determine the location of roosting bats, identify species type, estimate population size and provide recommendations for their protection with respect to the potential redevelopment of the hospital site. This survey is currently being undertaken by WSP Environmental, licensed bat ecologists, in consultation with relevant officers at Aylesbury Vale district council and English Nature. There should be no delay to the disposal as this work can run concurrently with the outline planning application.

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Services Training

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures have been put in place to ensure that those selected for instructional duties in each of the three services are temperamentally suitable. [123949]

Mr. Caplin: A number of measures have been put in place to ensure suitable personnel are selected for instructional duties. These include closer definition of competences in the selection process and better training

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of instructors after selection.

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of recruits dropped out of initial training in each of the last 10 years. [123951]

Mr. Caplin: Figures for the last 10 years are not available. However, the number and percentage of recruits who left the untrained strength of the armed forces and returned to civilian life in each year since 1998–99 are as follows:

	1998–99		1999–2000		2000–01		2001–02		2002–03
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
	Naval Service
Officers	80	8	70	6	80	7	80	6	120	10
Other Ranks	1,390	42	1,610	46	1,430	45	1,690	50	1,620	46
Total	1,470	34	1,680	36	1,500	35	1,770	38	1,740	36
Army
Officers	260	26	220	22	260	25	190	18	180	16
Other Ranks	6,060	51	5,990	48	4,920	41	4,230	35	4,720	35
Total	6,320	49	6,210	46	5,180	40	4,410	33	4,900	37
RAF
Officers	50	5	40	4	40	3	50	4	50	4
Other Ranks	640	27	640	26	640	24	570	21	580	19
Total	690	21	680	19	680	17	620	15	630	15
All Services
Officers	390	13	330	10	380	11	320	9	350	9
Other Ranks	8,080	46	8,240	45	6,990	39	6,480	35	6,910	36
Total	8,470	41	8,580	40	7,370	35	6,810	31	7,260	32

Note:

All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Due to the rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts.

Stevens Inquiry

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the investigation of allegations concerning the destruction of documents and evidence that may be required by Sir John Stevens. [124330]

Mr. Ingram: No allegations concerning the destruction of documents and evidence have been put to the Ministry of Defence. If, however, such allegations were made it would be for the police to investigate the matter in the first instance and consider whether charges should be brought. The Department would, as is its policy and practice, co-operate fully with any such investigation.

Suez Medal

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Suez veterans will be awarded a medal for their service in the Canal Zone; and when medals will be issued to veterans. [123985]

Mr. Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 July 2003, Official Report, column 453W, to the hon. Members for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis) and for Castle Point (Bob Spink).

Troop Deployments

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops are deployed in (a) Kosovo, (b) Bosnia and (c) Afghanistan. [124466]

Mr. Ingram: There are some 300 British troops deployed in Kosovo, a further 1,250 in Bosnia and around 330 deployed in Afghanistan.

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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he held with the Afghan authorities about reconstruction on his recent visit to Afghanistan. [123685]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed reconstruction in the context of security sector reform with President Karzai and Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah during his recent visit. Without improved security, wider reconstruction efforts will not be possible. The UK is contributing £16.6 million this year to security sector reform; and has spent more than £170 million on development assistance to Afghanistan since September 2001.

African Great Lakes

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department will give to proposals for a regional peace conference in the African Great Lakes area. [124009]

Mr. Mullin: The UK fully supports proposals for a regional peace conference in the Great Lakes area, when conditions in the region are stable.

Cyprus

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the UN on promoting the re-opening of Nicosia airport; and if he will make this his policy. [R] [123412]

Mr. MacShane: None. This is an issue for the two sides to discuss within the context of the measures introduced in response to the partial lifting of the restrictions on freedom of movement. We welcome all efforts to improve relations between the two communities, which have demonstrated that Greek and Turkish Cypriots can live together peacefully. However, confidence building measures cannot be a substitute for a comprehensive settlement on the basis of the UN plan.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department will be taking to support the newly created Transitional National Government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and if he will make a statement. [124006]

Mr. Mullin: We warmly welcome the announcement on 30 June 2003 of the proposed new Transitional National Government (TNG) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We are encouraging the parties to ensure that inauguration of the TNG happens soon, as the next step on the road to peace and democracy.

The Department for International Development is preparing a strategy to support the DRC during the transition and beyond. We are working closely with them on this.

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the leaders of the

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(a) Democratic Republic of the Congo, (b) Rwanda and (c) Uganda on preventing the supplying, training and arming of rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [124008]

Mr. Mullin: We are in regular contact with the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Uganda. We continue to call on them to stop all support to all armed groups throughout the DRC. UN Security Council Resolution 1484 of 30 May demanded that all states in the Great Lakes region refrain from any activity which could further destabilise the situation in Ituri, and

"the cessation of all support, in particular weapons and any other military materiel, to the armed groups and militias".

It further demanded that all Congolese parties and all states in the region actively prevent the supply of such support.

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received regarding the conflict in the east and north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [124010]

Mr. Mullin: The UN-mandated Interim Emergency Multinational Force has reached operational capacity and has made good progress. The situation in Bunia is reported to be much calmer since demilitarisation of the town. The UK has contributed five staff officers to the Force Headquarters and an engineer detachment (around 76 strong).

There have been a series of military confrontations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's other troubled eastern provinces, the Kivus, between the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD-Goma) and various other groups. A ceasefire agreement was signed in the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, on 19 June by the RCD-Goma, the Rally for Congolese Democracy-Liberation Movement and the FAC (DRC Government forces), which we welcome. We hope that the inauguration of the Transitional National Government in Kinshasa—anticipated later this month—will reduce tension in the Kivus.

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