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16 Sept 2003 : Column 703W—continued
Intangible Assets
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what specific assets are contained in the line item Intangible Assets on the MOD balance sheet for 31 March 2002. [129909]
Mr. Ingram: The specific assets included in Intangible Assets at 31 March 2002 can be classified into the following main headings:
- (i) Development expenditure incurred in respect of fighting equipment and other tangible fixed assets which are in use
(ii) Development expenditure incurred in respect of fighting equipment and other tangible fixed assets which are in the course of construction
(iii) Other intangible non-financial assets comprising mainly intellectual property rights.
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The detailed analysis of tangible and intangible fixed assets is produced every three years in the form of the National Asset Register, the current publication being in respect of 1999–2000. This publication does not require the break down of the development expenditure in respect of assets in use by individual assets, but the range and type of assets in use by the Department are identified. At 31 March 2002, development expenditure for fixed assets in use amounted to £11.4 billion. Similarly, development expenditure relating to assets in course of construction is not analysed by asset type, but the main projects under construction are identified in the 1999–2000 National Asset Register under Assets In Course of Construction. At 31 March 2002, this development expenditure totalled £8 billion. Other intangible assets amounted to some £80 million as at 31 March 2002.
Iraq
Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of British unexploded munitions in Iraq have been cleared; and when this work will be completed. [125698]
Mr. Ingram: United Kingdom and other coalition armed forces and non-Governmental organisation teams have been engaged in explosive ordnance disposal tasks since before the end of the conflict in Iraq. It is not yet possible to say either what percentage of British unexploded munitions have been cleared or when all the work will be completed. To date, UK and other coalition explosive ordnance disposal teams in the UK area of operation have completed over 1,500 tasks and destroyed over 500,000 individual munitions. Those munitions include not only those dropped or fired by coalition forces, but also many from the Iraq-Iran war as well as mines laid, ordnance fired or dropped, and stores of ammunition and other ordnance left by Iraqi military and paramilitary forces.
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how much ordnance was released by British aircraft over Iraq in (a) February and (b) 1 to 20 March; on how many occasions during these periods coalition aircraft were responding in self-defence; and if he will make a statement; [129147]
- (2) how much ordnance has been released in each month by coalition aircraft over Iraq since 21 March; and if he will make a statement. [129148]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 11 September 2003]: During February, five weapons were released by United Kingdom aircraft over Iraq. A further four weapons were released in the period 1–19 March. All of these weapons were released in self-defence. Warfighting commenced on 20 March. In the period 20–31 March, United Kingdom aircraft released 518 weapons over Iraq. A further 396 weapons were released from 1–30 April. UK aircraft dropped no ordnance after 30 April. Weapons released by other coalition partners' aircraft during the warfighting is a matter for them.
Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the duties of Dr. David Kelly were. [130515]
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Mr. Hoon: Dr. Kelly was a special adviser to the Director of Counter Proliferation and Arms Control within the Ministry of Defence. Dr. Kelly's duties have been described in both written and oral evidence to the Hutton Inquiry which has been published on its website at www.the-hutton-inquiry.org.uk.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 7 May, Official Report, column 724W, what the current usage of British medical assets in Iraq is. [119216]
Mr. Caplin: As at 1 September, 23 beds were occupied at MND (SE) field hospital by United Kingdom personnel and two beds were occupied at the UK medical facility in Al Amarah.
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of the Navy, Army and Air Force Institution in Iraq (a) during the recent conflict and (b) post-conflict. [120741]
Mr. Ingram: The NAAFI has played an important role both during, and after, the recent conflict in Iraq. The organisation entered Iraq soon after the fighting started, offering a range of products from mobile containers. Now, NAAFI stores are located in more permanent facilities, which will continue to be upgraded over time.
Joint Strike Fighter
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many joint strike fighter aircraft have been ordered. [128535]
Mr. Ingram: None. Our current planning assumption is for 150 of the Short Take Off and Vertical Landing variant of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft to meet our requirement for a Future Joint Combat Aircraft. In order to align with the US acquisition cycle, we do not expect to place orders for JSF aircraft before 2006.
Land Rovers
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armoured Land Rovers have been sold off as surplus since May 2003. [128807]
Mr. Ingram: No surplus armoured Land Rovers have been sold by the Ministry of Defence since May 2003.
Manning Control Review
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers subject to Manning Control review have been (a) discharged and (b) re-engaged in the last 12 months. [130003]
Mr. Caplin: No individuals have been discharged under Queens Regulations for the Army paragraph 9.413, 'Not required for a full Army career', in the last 12 months.
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether soldiers in Army units are being warned that they could be subject to Manning Control review after (a) nine and (b) 12 years. [130004]
Mr. Caplin: Each potential soldier, and the parent or guardian of a recruit under the age of 18, is given a copy of the Notice Paper, a statutory document which gives
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details of the soldier's Terms of Service. Within this paper it states that a soldier's future employability will be reviewed after six, nine and 12 years' Colour service and he or she may be discharged if their service is no longer required.
Additionally, soldiers being considered for discharge by Manning Control points are sent a letter up to 18 months beforehand. They are asked to sign a certificate to agree that they have been warned about this.
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to allow soldiers who were subject to Manning Control and then changed to S/Type contract, to sign back onto the open engagement. [130005]
Mr. Caplin: There are no plans to allow soldiers who were subject to Manning Control Point discharge, and subsequently employed on a Short Service Type S Engagement, to be engaged on the Open Engagement.
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers who were subject to Manning Control and were discharged or signed on to the S/Type contract and subsequently discharged since 1994 have been called up for service in UK operational deployments in the last seven years. [130006]
Mr. Caplin: Twelve individuals who had been subject to Manning Control since 1994 and then were discharged under Queen's Regulations for the Army 1975 Paragraph 9.413—'Not required for a full Army Career' or were signed on to an 'S'-Type engagement and subsequently discharged, have been called out for, and accepted into, military service in the last seven years.
MARS Project
Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if all vessels for the MARS Project will be classed as warships; and if he will make a statement. [127761]
Mr. Ingram: The Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) project is in its initial stages. Decisions have yet to be taken on the scope of the capability sought and on how best to deliver that requirement.
Offshore Patrol Vessels
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for (a) modernising the Royal Navy fishing protection fleet and (b) ordering further Tyne class offshore patrol vessels; for what reasons plans to transfer Anglesey, Lindisfarne and Guernsey have been delayed; and if he will make a statement. [127255]
Mr. Ingram: A programme of modernisation of the Royal Navy fishery protection fleet is currently under way. The capability provided by the five Island Class
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vessels is being replaced with three modern and more capable River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs). The first two, HMS Tyne and HMS Severn, have now entered service. The third, HMS Mersey, is currently scheduled to enter service early next year. Unsolicited proposals have been received from two companies; however, the Ministry of Defence currently has no plans to order additional OPVs.
The five surplus Island Class vessels have been sold to Bangladesh. Angelsey's transfer has been delayed by about two weeks due to problems with her gearbox. There has been no delay to the planned transfer of Lindisfarne and Guernsey.
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