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16 Sept 2003 : Column 700W—continued

Post Office Card Accounts

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 15 July 2003, Official Report, column 160W, what the current indication of the final number of Post Office card accounts is, rounded to the nearest 100,000; on what data his statement that the final number would be significantly above 3 million was based; if he will place the data in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [127584]

Mr. Pond: It is impossible to predict accurately how many customers will eventually choose to open a Post Office card account as this will be based on customer choice. But based on current take-up, with around a million having said they want to open a Post Office card account, the card account is proving very popular and we now expect the total number of card accounts to exceed our operating assumption of 3 million.

Winter Fuel Payment

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Wales, (b) Cardiff and (c) Cardiff, West will be eligible for Winter Fuel Payments in 2003–04. [129522]

Mr. Pond: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is shown in the table.

The number of people who received a 2002–03 Winter Fuel Payment was:

	All	Men	Women
Wales	629,025	279,860	349,170
Cardiff West Constituency	14,135	6,135	8,000
Cardiff Local Authority	54,115	23,555	30,560

Notes:

1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.

2. Figures taken from the Matching Intelligence Data Analysis Service Winter Fuels

Payment 2002–03 exercise.

Source:

IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. sample.

We would expect the figures for 2003–04 to be similar.

DEFENCE

Aircraft Carriers

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress on the CVF

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programme; and how work will be shared between Thales and BAe Systems. [127121]

Mr. Ingram: The CVF Programme is still in the Assessment Phase and we expect to award the Demonstration and Manufacture (D&M) contract in spring 2004, as planned. Discussions on how work will be shared between the companies are progressing well as part of the negotiations on the alliance arrangements. Final arrangements will be confirmed with the award of the D&M contract next year.

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions with the defence manufacturers have taken place on reducing the (a) size of the aircraft carriers and (b) number of aircraft carried; and if he will make a statement on how such changes affect power projection. [128075]

Mr. Ingram: Regular discussions occur between the future carrier (CVF) project team, BAeSystems and Thales United Kingdom as part of the routine business of the Assessment Phase. This phase is intended to reduce risk in emerging design solutions and balance the key parameters of performance, time and cost in order to best meet our developing capability requirements, both in terms of the ships themselves and in the aircraft they will operate. Power projection is a fundamental part of this capability requirement.

The CVF programme is currently midway through this assessment phase. The key specifications in capability terms will be determined prior to the award of the Demonstration and Manufacture contract, currently planned for spring 2004.

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy that the full sized carriers will be procured for the Royal Navy as originally intended; and what plans he has to ensure that the in-service date is kept. [128076]

Mr. Ingram: In the Strategic Defence Review published in 1998, it was envisaged that the two new Future Aircraft Carriers would be in the order of 30,000 to 40,000 tonnes and be capable of carrying up to 50 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. The intention, as with any other new equipment project, has always been to refine the design during the Assessment Phase in order to best meet our developing capability requirements. The Carrier programme is currently in this assessment phase. The key specifications in capability terms will be determined prior to the award of the Demonstration and Manufacture (D&M) contract, currently planned for spring 2004.

Our target in-service dates for the two carriers remain 2012 and 2015 respectively.

Army Personnel (Self-Harm)

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 9 September 2003, ref. 127070, if he will make it his policy to collate data centrally concerning incidents of self harm in army barracks; and if he will make a statement. [130223]

Mr. Caplin: I take the issue of self-harm in the armed forces extremely seriously. The collation of data in this area is complex, due to the number of agencies involved and the sensitivity of the information. However, I have

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commissioned work to trial the collection and analysis of the existing information for the Army. This work is due to report back later this year.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in the arrangements for the EU to assume the NATO peacekeeping mandate in Bosnia; and whether (a) NATO and (b) the United States has accepted the EU decision of December 2002. [130030]

Mr. Hoon: At its meeting in December 2002 the European Council indicated the European Union's willingness to lead a military operation in Bosnia following the NATO SFOR mission. No decisions have been taken, however, on the end date of the SFOR operation or on the arrangements for any follow-on mission. Discussions continue and no decision will be taken without full consultation between all interested parties.

Charmaine Maeer

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what investigations his Department carried out into the allegations made by Charmaine Maeer; on what basis she was discharged from the Army; what pension or benefit she received as a result of her discharge; and if he will make a statement. [128809]

Mr. Caplin: No investigation has been carried out as no complaint has been received. I am unable to make public any personal details concerning Charmaine Maeer's discharge and pension without her explicit written consent.

Chatham Dockyard (Radiation Records)

Jonathan Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many former Chatham Dockyard workers who received estimated radiation dose records were advised that their estimated records were (a) above and (b) below the recommended level of exposure. [130314]

Mr. Caplin: There was no statutory or MOD requirement to record numbers of former Chatham Dockyard workers for whom estimated doses were entered in their radiation dose records and therefore it is not possible to supply the numbers requested. However, those individuals who were involved in incidents at the dockyard, such as exceeding a statutory dose limit, would have been involved in the investigation and therefore would have been aware of the outcome.

Deepcut and Catterick Barracks

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will order a public inquiry into the way that unnatural deaths at (a) Deepcut and (b) Catterick barracks have been investigated; [128810]

(2) if he will order an inquiry into the way that unnatural deaths at Deepcut Barracks have been investigated. [128811]

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Mr. Ingram: The civilian police have primacy in investigating such deaths within the armed forces. Given that investigations are yet to conclude, calls for a public or other inquiry into the way that unnatural deaths have been investigated are premature.

Defence Fire Service

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Defence Fire Service. [129073]

Mr. Ingram: The Defence Fire Service continues to provide excellent support to the Ministry of Defence.

Over the last year in addition to its normal duties, the Service successfully provided vital assistance during the fire fighters dispute, including training those members of the armed forces deployed on emergency fire fighting duties. Members of the Defence Fire Service were also deployed to the Gulf in February this year and continue to be engaged in support of operations in Iraq.

Destroyers

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to change the number of type 42 destroyers in service; and if he will make a statement. [127276]

Mr. Ingram: There are at present no plans to change the number of Royal Navy type 42 destroyers in service.

Export Controls

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department made of the impact of the proposed secondary orders for the Export Control Act 2002 on the security of UK military personnel deployed abroad. [130189]

Mr. Ingram: Proposals are being considered on measures to ensure that the efficiency of our armed forces is maintained when the Act is implemented.

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