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14 Jul 2003 : Column 64W—continued
Iraq
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements have been made in respect of partners and orphans of Service men and women killed in action in Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [125642]
Mr. Caplin: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer which my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence gave on 1 May 2003, Official Report, columns 452–53W to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Redcar (Vera Baird).
MOD Police (School Anti-drugs Projects)
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Ministry of Defence Police's support for DARE anti-drug projects in schools. [124789]
Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence Police continue to provide support for the Drugs Awareness Resistance Education projects at schools attended by the dependants of Service personnel and at some locations utilised by United States visiting forces.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the hon. Member for Fareham will receive an answer to questions 117883 and 117884, tabled for answer on 5 June 2003 and questions 118799, 118800, 118801 and 118802, tabled on 9 June 2003. [125773]
Mr. Caplin: The information requested is not held centrally and needs to be collated from a number of sources. This is still being worked on.
I expect to reply to the hon. Member before the summer recess.
Pay 2000 Computer System
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the effectiveness and performance of the PAY 2000 computer system. [118284]
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Mr. Caplin [holding answer 12 June 2003]: The Pay 2000 computer system has generally performed well for both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. Some programming problems have been identified affecting some Army personnel, which are being addressed with a package of work entitled "Pay 2000 Follow on Work". In the meantime, Regimental Administrative Officers at all army units have the facility to arrange manual payment in any cases where problems are found.
Queen's Birthday Flypast
Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at what height RAF aircraft flew over the coast of Suffolk on 10 June 2003 in practising for the Queen's Birthday flypast; and at what distance they flew from the Sizewell nuclear power station. [125167]
Mr. Caplin: The aircraft flew between 2,300 and 3,000 feet above mean sea level. It is not possible to determine the precise distance that aircraft flew from the Sizewell nuclear power station but I am able to confirm that no aircraft breached the restricted area around the power station, which is a zone extending to a height of 2,000 feet high by a radius of two nautical miles
Royal Irish Regiment
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the delay experienced by members of the home battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment in receiving their annual bounty; and when the annual bounty will be paid. [116964]
Mr. Caplin: Some part-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment have experienced a delay in receiving their annual bounty for the training year 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003. In some instances this was due to a computer programming error that has now been rectified.
Out of a total strength of some 1,300 part-time personnel, only a handful of bounties remain unpaid. For those that remain outstanding, payment has, in some instances, been delayed due to the soldiers training year being extended, or as a consequence of processing delays due to soldiers leaving the Regiment.
Service Accommodation (Colchester)
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether the terms of the sale to Annington Homes of Ministry of Defence dwellings at Colchester Garrison provide for their re-purchase if required by his Department; [124933]
- (2) if he will re-purchase the remaining stock of former Ministry of Defence dwellings at Colchester Garrison, occupied by military personnel, which were sold to Annington Homes. [124931]
Mr. Caplin: The 1996 sale to Annington Homes Ltd. of Service families accommodation in England and Wales was on the basis of a 999 year lease. The Ministry of Defence immediately leased back some 55,000 houses, initially for 200 years.
There is no provision in the sale agreement for MOD to re-purchase any of the properties subject to these arrangements.
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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Arson
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of all fires were started deliberately in each year since 1997. [125532]
Phil Hope: The information requested is shown in the following table:
| All primary fires | Malicious | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | Number | ||
| 1997 | 200,564 | 41 | 82,613 |
| 1998 | 199,928 | 43 | 86,208 |
| 1999 | 218,404 | 47 | 103,006 |
| 2000 | 219,663 | 51 | 111,174 |
| 2001 | 228,229 | 54 | 123,184 |
Notes:
1. Malicious fires are those where deliberate ignition is proved or suspected.
2. Primary fires are those which cause damage to property or involve casualties.
3. Data for 2001 are provisional and the most recent year for which data are available.
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of fires in the construction industry were attributed to arson in each year since 1997. [125742]
Phil Hope: The information requested is shown in the following table:
| All primary fires | Malicious | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | Number | ||
| 1997 | 459 | 57 | 261 |
| 1998 | 393 | 64 | 253 |
| 1999 | 386 | 57 | 222 |
| 2000 | 488 | 70 | 341 |
| 2001 | 372 | 73 | 270 |
Notes:
1. Malicious fires are those where deliberate ignition is proved or suspected.
2. Primary fires are those which cause damage to property or involve casualties.
3. Data for 2001 are provisional and the most recent year for which data are available.
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much arson has cost retailers in each year since 1997. [125764]
Phil Hope: Information is available only for total commercial fires which includes fires in retail and non-retail premises. Information is available only for 1999 and 2000; that for 2001 will be published in due course.
In England and Wales, the estimated cost of arson to the commercial sector, as measured by damage to property and loss of business, was £220 million in 1999 and £190 million in 2000.
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Council Tax (South-West)
Andrew George: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much council tax was collected in each of the last three years in the south-west of England. [124675]
Phil Hope: Tabled are the figures showing how much council tax was collected in each of the last three financial years in the south-west of England.
| £ billion | |
|---|---|
| South-west | |
| 2000–01 | 1.312 |
| 2001–02 | 1.406 |
| 2002–03 | 1.576 |
Ethical Procurement
Linda Perham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he has given to local authorities on ethical procurement. [120158]
Keith Hill: Local authorities are independent and autonomous and responsible within the law for making their own decisions on procurement matters. In doing so, they will no doubt consider the case for ethical procurement on its merits, consistent with the EU Procurement Directives, domestic law including the duty of best value. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister set out views on the use of social clauses in contracting in Annex C of Circular 03/2003, "Local Government Act 1999: Part 1—Best Value and Performance Improvement".
Fire Service
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to announce regulations to replace the current Fire Service (a) appointment and promotion regulations and (b) discipline regulations; and if he will make a statement. [125430]
Mr. Raynsford: The White Paper, "Our Fire and Rescue Service", presented to Parliament by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on 30 June 2003, announced that the Fire Services (Appointments and Promotion Regulations) 1978 would be amended to allow multi-level entry to the fire and rescue service and to support development and promotion opportunities for all fire and rescue service staff through the implementation of the Integrated Personal Development System. It also announced that the Fire Services (Discipline) Regulations 1985 would be repealed and replaced with framework regulations based on the most up to date ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) best practice guidance.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects to be able to announce the changes to be made to the appointments and promotion regulations by the end of October this year. The final content and promulgation of the regulations will, of course, be subject to parliamentary approval. The replacement of the discipline regulations is expected to be subject to the same timetable.
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