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17 Jul 2003 : Column 485W—continued
Operation Telic
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when UORs for Operation Telic were first issued. [125567]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 15 July 2003]: The Ministry of Defence began to approve urgent operational requirements as part of contingency planning for possible operations in Iraq in mid-October 2002.
Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when all Army personnel based in (a) Iraq and (b) Kuwait for Operation Telic had been issued with full desert kit. [125963]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 15 July 2003]: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when underslung grenade launchers for Operation Telic were first issued; and to which battlegroups. [125964]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 15 July 2003]: Underslung Grenade Launchers were first issued in support of Operation Telic in early April 2003 to Battle Groups within 16 Air Assault Brigade which was part of one UK Armoured Division.
Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when Camel water bottles were first issued for Operation Telic; and what percentage of Army personnel have been issued with them. [125965]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 15 July 2003]: Army personnel are all issued water bottles as standard issue kit. In addition, 10,000 Personal Hydration Systems (PHS) were initially ordered for Operation Telic. One of the manufacturers uses "Camelbak" as the trade name for its product. The first receipt of the PHS in theatre was in early February 2003. A further 15,800 PHS have since been ordered. The majority of these have been sent to theatre, although it is not possible to determine what percentage of Army Personnel have received a personal issue of this item of equipment.
Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the operational period for the biological and chemical attack detectors on Challenger 2 tanks in Operation Telic. [125966]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 15 July 2003]: I assume the hon. Member is referring to the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank NEC filtration system. I am, however, withholding this information under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reservists served with (a) 1 Bn Black Watch, (b) 1 Bn Royal Irish Regiment, (c) 1 Bn The Duke of Wellington's Regiment and (d) 1 Bn Royal Regiment of Fusiliers during Operation Telic. [126099]
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Mr. Caplin: As at 14 July 2003, the following number of reservists have served on Operation Telic with each of the battalions:
| Battalion (Bn) | Number of reservists |
|---|---|
| 1 Bn Black Watch | 37 |
| 1 Bn Royal Irish Regiment | 74 |
| 1 Bn The Duke of Wellington's Regiment | 0 |
| 1 Bn Royal Regiment of Fusiliers | 35 |
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many sponsored reserves served on Operation Telic and with which units. [126100]
Mr. Caplin: As at 16 July, a total of 94 sponsored reserves (SRs) have served on Operation Telic. This figure is broken down as follows:
26 served with the RAFs Mobile Meteorological Unit (some have completed more than one deployment); and
The use of SRs for Op Telic depends on operational requirements and they will continue to be used in response to operational needs.
Joint Strike Fighter
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Joint Strike Fighter aircraft will be allocated to the (a) Fleet Air Arm and (b) RAF if the current requirement stands at 150 aircraft; and which squadrons will operate the aircraft. [125598]
Mr. Ingram: We intend that a joint force, comprising personnel from both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, will operate the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). The way in which this force will be configured will be determined closer to JSF's planned in-Service date, which is 2012.
Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control Programme
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make an initial gate announcement on the Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control programme. [125600]
Mr. Ingram: We are continuing to refine plans for the MASC programme. Further details will be released in due course.
Medical Records
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to make service personnel medical records fully accessible to the service person concerned and his or her medical advisors; and if he will make a statement. [120004]
Mr. Caplin:
Serving members of the Armed Forces and ex-Service personnel are entitled to access to their medical records in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. If serving or former members of the Armed Forces want their medical records to be
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made available to third parties, such as their civilian healthcare provider or solicitor, their explicit written consent to the release of their records is required.
Medical Treatment (Charging Arrangements)
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the charging arrangement between his Department and (a) the Department of Health and (b) NHS acute trusts for the treatment of armed forces personnel. [117884]
Mr. Caplin [holding answer 9 June 2003]: The Ministry of Defence has Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with the NHS Hospital Trusts which host the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine and the MOD Hospital Units (MDHUs). In accordance with each SLA, the host Trust pays MOD a proportion of the costs of military clinical personnel working within the Trust, and the MOD pays for the treatment of Service personnel by the Trust. The SLAs include financial incentives for the host Trust to meet waiting time targets set by my Department. A pilot scheme for fast-tracking orthopaedic cases is currently being run at MDHU Northallerton under the provisions of the SLA but at additional cost.
Separate charging arrangements apply in respect of the Ministry of Defence's reimbursement of costs incurred by the Department of Health in support of Operation TELIC.
Naval Air Defence
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his assessment is for the current requirements for naval anti-air warfare capabilities; and if he will make a statement. [125592]
Mr. Ingram: The Royal Navy's current anti-air warfare (AAW) capabilities are provided by the Seadart missile on the Type 42 Destroyers and the Seawolf missile on the Type 22 and Type 23 Frigates. We are currently considering a number of projects to maintain the capability of Seawolf. The Type 45 Destroyers are expected to begin replacing the Type 42s from 2007 and will be fitted with the Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS).
Northern Ireland
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which infantry regiments have served in Northern Ireland in each of the past five years. [125616]
Mr. Ingram:
The following Infantry Regiments have been committed to the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland to serve in Northern Ireland over the last five years. The list does not include those Infantry Battalions temporarily transferred from Land Command for the main marching season.
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The 1st Battalion, The Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment)
The 1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and the Ulster Defence Regiment)
As well as the Infantry Regiments listed above there are also the three Home Service Battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment permanently based in Northern Ireland.
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