29 Oct 2003 : Column 227W

Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 29 October 2003

DEFENCE

Armed Forces Pensions

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what pension entitlements are available for members of (a) the reserve forces and (b) the regular forces; and if he will make a statement. [134916]

Mr. Caplin: Pension entitlement for reservists is determined by the type of Reserve Service undertaken. Members entering Full-Time Reserve Service (FTRS), and those undertaking part-time reserve service on an Additional Duties Commitment (ADC), may be entitled to pension benefits under the reservists' section of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme. Members of the Volunteer Reserve Forces are not entitled to membership of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme, except when they are called-out or mobilised for permanent service; in these circumstances, the Department will alternatively, if they so wish, pay the employer contribution to their civilian pension arrangement. Members of the regular forces are entitled to membership of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme. All members of the armed forces, whether regular, FTRS, ADC or volunteer reserve, may be entitled to benefits for an injury, illness or death that is due to military service; in these circumstances, arrangements are designed to provide that there is, at least, a broadly comparable level of benefit.

Breast Implants

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to his Department of providing female soldiers with breast implants was in each of the last five years. [131913]

Mr. Caplin: The numbers of breast implant operations undertaken on female Service personnel, in Ministry of Defence Hospital Units, in each of the last five calendar years is detailed in the table.

Number of operations undertaken
19997
20007
20016
200216
20034

The costs of providing each operation was not recorded separately. Such operations would be carried out for clinical reasons, such as breast reconstruction following accident or cancer treatment, and not for purely cosmetic reasons.

The numbers and costs of female Service personnel receiving breast implants in the NHS but outside of MOD Hospital Unit arrangements are not held centrally.

29 Oct 2003 : Column 228W

Cadet Forces

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department will spend in 2003–04 on cadet forces; and what percentage of the overall budget of his Department that represents. [133752]

Mr. Caplin: The funding for the financial year 2003–04 is £80.5 million. This is less than one per cent. of the overall defence budget.

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department will spend in 2003–04 in wages for those that help out with the cadet forces; and what percentage of the overall budget of his Department that represented. [133753]

Mr. Caplin: The funding for financial year 2003–04 is £36 million. This is less than one per cent. of the overall budget.

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has ever ceased to offer payment to those that assist in running the cadet forces. [133755]

Mr. Caplin: This information is not held centrally, but indications are that any cases for ceasing to offer payment are few and would have been sanctioned for sound reasons in accordance with appropriate regulations.

Call Centres

Mr. Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department plans to outsource call centre work to premises outside the United Kingdom. [132110]

Mr. Caplin: The Defence Communication Services Agency manages the provision of a substantial portion of call-centre type services across the Ministry of Defence and has no plans to outsource call centre premises outside the United Kingdom.

There are some small helpdesk facilities operated within Ministry of Defence establishments in Cyprus, Germany and the Falkland Islands; these are all managed from the UK.

Defence White Paper

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to publish the Defence White Paper. [134956]

Mr. Hoon: As I said in the Defence Policy Debate on 16 October 2003, Official Report, column 275, I intend to publish a Defence White Paper later this year.

Ministry of Defence Police

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 11 September 2003, Official Report, column 375W, on military police, when the last formal inspection by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary into the MOD police investigation branch

29 Oct 2003 : Column 229W

and CID was carried out; and if he will give a copy of the report to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South. [132489]

Mr. Caplin: The last formal inspection of the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) took place in late 2001-early 2002. The inspection process included the work of the MDP Criminal Investigation Department. The report was published in April 2002.

I will send the hon. Member a copy of the HMIC Report and place a copy in the Library of the House.

Overseas Facilities

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list his Department's permanent facilities overseas, what the cost was in each of the last five years, of maintaining each of them, to what use each facility is put; what the estimated value of each facility is; and if he will make a statement. [134648]

Mr. Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

29 Oct 2003 : Column 230W

Parliamentary Questions

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will answer the question tabled by the hon. Member for East Carmarthen and Dinefwr, on 15 September 2003, reference 129531. [135217]

Mr. Hoon: I replied to the hon. Member on 27 October 2003, Official Report, column 6W.

Recruitment

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 10 September 2003, Official Report, column 754W, on recruitment, if he will list the monthly recruitment numbers from January 1997 to January 2003 for (a) each of the recruitment posts in Scotland, (b) England as a whole, (c) Wales as a whole and (d) Northern Ireland as a whole; and if he will make a statement. [133654]

Mr. Caplin: The numbers of other rank enlistments for all three Services in each month from April 1997 to December 2002 are detailed in the following tables. Figures prior to April 1997 are not held centrally. Statistics for officer recruitment are not broken down by region.

1997

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
RN/RM
Scotland:
Aberdeenn/an/an/a521607152
Dundeen/an/an/a413607465
Edinburghn/an/an/a10264012943
Glasgown/an/an/a144816021212410
Invernessn/an/an/a51511010421
Englandn/an/an/a2811882583004596421355124
Walesn/an/an/a2111181904025308
N Irelandn/an/an/a326407253
ARMY
Scotland:
Aberdeenn/an/an/a106154910733
Dundeen/an/an/a152322152347302117
Edinburghn/an/an/a33282192216201816
Glasgown/an/an/a678249447976748035
Invernessn/an/an/a2139781410145
Englandn/an/an/a7159388346061,0549701,0561,007649
Walesn/an/an/a10971866283601137626
N Irelandn/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/a
RAF
Scotland:
Aberdeenn/an/an/a651123231
Dundeen/an/an/a93211444102
Edinburghn/an/an/a442854473
Glasgown/an/an/a7876322895
Invernessn/an/an/a846214161
Englandn/an/an/a23123913123216726616429089
Walesn/an/an/a27281531202721189
N Irelandn/an/an/a773939593

1998

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
RN/RM
Scotland:
Aberdeen4343241233100
Dundee402714322312
Edinburgh14191031515521516150
Glasgow201513918291241915231
Inverness556126322480
England44539445917331036629018241943252018
Wales3921361324182682525501
N Ireland89712198 581260
Army
Scotland:
Aberdeen157631699615271
Dundee50362517322614384426348
Edinburgh421721194014243859172518
Glasgow13969102461034674821516611622
Inverness20911817861026972
England1,2131,0848287541,1467599001,1181,7959851,214353
Wales1188062791035390878610010131
N Irelandn/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/a
RAF
Scotland:
Aberdeen8510224611416
Dundee58105721114352
Edinburgh333362854632
Glasgow15916121213216419129
Inverness454372455784
England289180256246269176289106275321283172
Wales22921192023881836203614
N Ireland2951596623859

29 Oct 2003 : Column 231W

1999

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
RN/RM
Scotland:
Aberdeen355134315490
Dundee555334326080
Edinburgh21141242015951712202
Glasgow3019202918171162021232
Inverness465042708640
England43436132028243032833712546236452656
Wales26303020241928152331258
N Ireland9261351918890
Army
Scotland:
Aberdeen15107616631325963
Dundee572025384626192735222514
Edinburgh361326172825203945101113
Glasgow12261768411863407391565850
Inverness14512815734251054
England1,6078877837411,1687236898841,6107781,262443
Wales12262615410068891171157410843
N Irelandn/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/a11
RAF
Scotland:
Aberdeen660177506332
Dundee566855625666
Edinburgh131363109281574
Glasgow11161310101615519141012
Inverness371354517748
England235246238205168280263151250303197167
Wales22212015131631925321523
N Ireland13166511121421113108

2000

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
RN/RM
Scotland:
Aberdeen263144403582
Dundee366165413831
Edinburgh41812417171231418244
Glasgow151718515141411413226
Inverness322231802531
England331352391654173133541385481346126
Wales271834320212502632289
N Ireland659016580510 62
Army
Scotland:
Aberdeen23112312213722962
Dundee4036199231919105130229
Edinburgh3923145952235525101
Glasgow12073423570345145130584516
Inverness17165643116301183
England1,6269338103878865338346851,8141,115763429
Wales1281067430797658781281064956
N Ireland2161691411315418629
RAF
Scotland:
Aberdeen731753425451
Dundee64736733127144
Edinburgh11697323960141
Glasgow19725131110139223153
Inverness334352545221
England31611432116623416621015632810534471
Wales501835132627212623124022
N Ireland982293966125162

29 Oct 2003 : Column 233W

2001

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
RN/RM
Scotland:
Aberdeen7370466061190
Dundee203000802652
Edinburgh111128313161501625236
Glasgow16162478141601820168
Inverness624023402550
England335349333953623224333416541403139
Wales282938622282703839257
N Ireland78721123041274
Army
Scotland:
Aberdeen126815332117112
Dundee59102112171023144229148
Edinburgh4772110211211144228819
Glasgow17525442967315555123836123
Inverness3058112063211673
England1,6007518475877835707657062,061913752428
Wales13384847775548573155876625
N Ireland1418201591014134210124
RAF
Scotland:
Aberdeen520233141722
Dundee10061772568212
Edinburgh1445553747553
Glasgow1132216131371751214
Inverness643374664163
England335161138242208185221205211350239159
Wales412211302727342921302722
N Ireland114584371012385

2002

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
RN/RM
Scotland:
Aberdeen8123274111063
Dundee453276825044
Edinburgh1487131416125210114
Glasgow818771171001101511
Inverness963116503051
England40436728725231634136345477181350217
Wales4428152421262333215236
N Ireland38103342113078
Army
Scotland:
Aberdeen115634291224453
Dundee42143181382018619148
Edinburgh63172421301720297516154
Glasgow13053675849619391130405315
Inverness171435451123444
England1,6487538316796626338751,0042,460668820414
Wales16465984754436660143494422
N Ireland12825858213516481053
RAF
Scotland:
Aberdeen822242636620
Dundee61558568511117
Edinburgh565533114101061
Glasgow6130121793061226146
Inverness2242609861056
England270147175157240158344248215358268142
Wales352624173725363422512112
N Ireland788553931741

29 Oct 2003 : Column 235W


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