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Defence Equipment

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Government-to-Government agreements governing the sale, supply and transfer of defence equipment were agreed between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2002; on what date each agreement was signed; and with which country each agreement was reached. [123158]

Mr. Caplin: The following government to government agreements governing the supply of defence equipment were agreed between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2002:

Date	Country
12 February	Czech Republic
21 March	Canada
22 March	Australia
22 May	Austria
23 June	Bangladesh
24 July	Jordan
18 October	Thailand

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Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether British Aerospace (a) sought and (b) obtained clearance from his Department for the payment of agency commission in connection with the sale of defence equipment to Qatar. [115148]

Mr. Caplin: There is no requirement for United Kingdom companies to seek permission of the Defence Export Services Organisation to make commission payments; commercial arrangements are a matter for the companies involved, which are required to operate within the law.

Defence Projects (Israel)

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Israeli Government concerning the purchase of stinger missiles. [121678]

Mr. Caplin: My right hon. Friend has had no such discussions.

Depleted Uranium

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are being taken to evaluate whether depleted uranium dust arising from the use of depleted uranium munitions by Coalition forces in Iraq has been blown into urban areas of Iraq; and what assistance is being given to the current evaluation by the United Nations Environment Programme of the environmental impact of the invasion of Iraq. [111241]

Mr. Caplin: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will assess depleted uranium (DU) levels in the environment as part of its post-conflict environmental survey of Iraq later this year.

In support of the UNEP survey, the Ministry of Defence has provided UNEP with details of United Kingdom DU firing locations and has offered to provide advice on carrying out risk assessments on DU within urban areas and on long-term monitoring of DU in the environment, including water. In June 2003, MOD scientists completed a preliminary technical assessment of some Iraqi equipment and sites thought to have been struck by DU rounds. MOD officials presented their findings to UNEP on 10 July 2003. UNEP welcomed the MOD presentation and agreed that future surveys should be coordinated with MOD to avoid duplication and obtain maximum scientific benefit.

The Department for International Development has, in principle, agreed to part-fund the UNEP assessment of post-conflict environmental issues in Iraq. In her 11 June letter to the Executive Director of UNEP, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, made clear that Government officials would continue to share information with UNEP's Post Conflict Assessment Unit and also indicated that UK civil servants seconded to the Coalition Provisional Authority, and our Armed Forces, could provide the UNEP assessment team with information and practical assistance on technical, operational and sustainable development issues. My right hon. Friend and UK Government officials have since met UNEP representatives to discuss their work programme.

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Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much depleted uranium, by weight, has been recovered in Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [119451]

Mr. Caplin [holding answer 19 June 2003]: No depleted uranium has been recovered in Iraq. Surface lying depleted uranium (DU) ammunition will be cleared from the battlefield along with dangerous remnants of war. Since DU strikes do not pose an immediate threat to health and safety we will not be undertaking any recovery of DU buried in the ground, except where required in small quantities for scientific purposes to support the Ministry of Defence corporate DU programme.

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reporting was undertaken by Challenger 2 tank crews in respect of recording the firing of depleted uranium ammunition during the recent Gulf conflict; and whether similar measures were undertaken during the 1991 Gulf conflict. [119199]

Mr. Ingram: The tonnage of Depleted Uranium ammunition fired by Challenger 2 tanks in the recent Gulf conflict and of the location of the Challenger tanks when engagements took place has been recorded by the Ministry of Defence and this information has been made available to the UNEP. Similar measures were not undertaken during the 1991 Gulf War.

Disease Prevention

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what action he has taken to prevent the spread of disease among troops in the Gulf; [123599]

(2) what plans he has to improve prevention of the spread of disease among troops in battle. [123598]

Mr. Caplin: Preventing transmission of disease is an important element of force health protection for troops participating in military action, including those who deployed to the Gulf. We seek to achieve this through a combination of medical intelligence to identify threats from endemic diseases and potential biological warfare agents; appropriate medical countermeasures, such as vaccination and antimalarial drugs; and physical protection measures, such as insecticide impregnation of uniforms and use of mosquito nets and appropriate insect repellents. In addition, educating personnel in the use of good hygiene and sanitation practices and enforcement of appropriate Health and Safety regulations play an important part.

Medical personnel deployed to the Gulf included infection control and environmental health specialists and Service personnel were given briefings on health issues covering prevalent diseases, hazards arising from potential environmental exposures, personal hygiene, sexual health, stress, and acclimatisation to living in arduous environments.

The armed forces will continue to develop best practice to prevent the spread of disease among deployed troops, taking account of any lessons identified from current and future military operations.

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Environmental Appraisals

Mr. Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the Department's policies have been screened for their environmental impact since June 2001; how many environmental appraisals have been conducted, and on what policy issues; and what information has been published about these screenings and appraisals. [124716]

Mr. Caplin: Three environmental appraisals of policy work are currently under way. These are: RAF Strategic Review of RAF Brize Norton and RAF Lyneham, Defence Training Review and the Defence Estates Core Sites Strategy.

To address the requirements for policy level environmental appraisal the Department is trialling an Integrated Policy Appraisal (IPA) tool in conjunction with other Government Departments. Work has commenced on two pilot appraisals: The New Chapter of the Strategic Defence Review and the UK Military Flying and Training System (UKMFTS).

A number of environmental appraisals and more detailed assessments have been carried out on a programmes and projects brought about as a result of policy decisions arising from the Strategic Environmental Appraisal (SEA) of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) in July 2000. Appraisals and, when required, more detailed assessments are carried out for site re-organisation, training exercises and the deployment of specific equipment. This work is supported by the Ministry of Defence's Sustainability Appraisal Handbook (2002).

Information regarding individual appraisals and assessments are not held centrally at present. However, when appraisal tools are more fully integrated into business processes, MOD will be able to report on numbers of appraisals carried out and also, depending on the subject area, results of the appraisal.

European Constitution

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with (a) colleagues in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and (b) counterparts in the European Union about the legislative competencies covered by the draft European Constitution. [124786]

Mr. Caplin: As part of the normal Whitehall process, I and my officials have had regular correspondence with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to discuss all aspects of the Convention. We have also had regular contact with Member and Accession States to discuss issues arising in the Convention. In line with exemptions 1 and 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, it is not the normal practice of Governments to disclose details about internal discussions, or information whose disclosure would harm the conduct of international relations or affairs.

Fleet Air Arm

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when Fleet Air Arm squadrons will equip with Harrier GR7/9; and how many aircraft will be allocated to each squadron. [126148]

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Mr. Caplin: Two Front Line Fleet Air Arm squadrons will be equipped with the Harrier GR7/GR9 in 2006. Each squadron will comprise nine aircraft.

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