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3 Nov 2003 : Column 435W—continued

Piracy

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the contribution that his Department is making to tackling piracy on the high seas. [134954]

Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence acts in concert with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Transport in seeking to tackle both piracy on the high seas, and maritime armed crime, which takes place in states' territorial waters. The Defence Intelligence Staff is actively engaged with national and international defence intelligence and maritime security communities, as well as commercial shipping and other organisations, to promote wider awareness, understanding, and co-operation in dealing with this growing world wide problem. The Defence Intelligence Staff also produces reports and analyses, including the "Worldwide Threat To Shipping", published on the World Wide Web at http://www. rnreference.mod.uk.

In addition, under international law, the Royal Navy, like all other navies, is obliged to render assistance to other mariners. The RN deploys ships worldwide on a range of tasks, and in the event that a RN ship encounters a clearly defined case of piracy on the high seas, RN policy is to counter the incident and arrest those responsible in accordance with the appropriate rules of engagement. Commanding Officers on all RN ships are given guidance on the threat, and on recommended courses of action. Responses to individual incidents of maritime armed crime in territorial waters are a matter for the State which holds jurisdiction.

Private Alison Croft

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the principal recommendations of the Board of Inquiry Report on the death of Private Alison Croft at Dalton Barracks in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, on 28 September 2002 were; when the Board was convened; when it was completed; and for how many hours it sat. [132190]

Mr. Ingram: The Board of Inquiry will not be convened until the Oxfordshire Coroner's inquest has ruled.

Private William Graham

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the rank and regiment of officers provided

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legal representation for Private William Graham following the fatal shooting of Private Anthony Green. [132196]

Mr. Ingram: A civilian lawyer provided legal representation.

Procurement

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on which occasions since 1997 procurement decisions have been taken on the basis of criteria other than value for money; and if he will make a statement; [134132]

Mr. Ingram: Information derived from all individual procurement decisions taken throughout the Department, of which there are many thousands each year, is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

However, value for money is a fundamental factor in all our procurement decisions . In assessing value for money we take account of the long term implications of decisions, including their industrial and wider economic impact. As set out in the Government's Defence Industrial Policy we seek to maximise the economic benefit to the UK from our defence expenditure, a healthy and globally competitive defence industry and the development of a high value technologically-skilled industrial base, consistent with the Governments wider manufacturing strategy.

QinetiQ

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans QinetiQ has for its future operations at Defford in Worcestershire. [135466]

Mr. Caplin [holding answer 30 October 2003]:The Ministry of Defence retains a business interest in the Defford site and is discussing the future of the facilities there with QinetiQ.

Saudi Arabia

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the (a) role and (b) activities of his Department's Saudi Arabian project office. [132896]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 20 October 2003]: The Director General of the Saudi Armed Forces Project (DGSAP) and his staff are responsible for fulfilling the Ministry of Defence's obligations under Government-to-Government arrangements with Saudi Arabia covering the supply of military aircraft, naval vessels, weapons and associated support services, commonly known as the Al Yamamah Programme (AY). In this role, DGSAP officials are involved in the negotiation of the AY contracts, the monitoring of the programme, prime contractor performance in respect of the delivery of goods and services to the Saudi Armed Forces, and, when satisfied, the endorsement of claims made in accordance with the terms of the AY contracts for

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payment by the Saudi Government. In pursuit of these activities DGSAP staff are based both in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what reports he received regarding improper practices in relation to BAE Systems' (a) operations in, and (b) contracts with, Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement; [133098]

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when the Permanent Secretary or other officials (a) first received and (b) first read the papers sent by the Serious Fraud Office on 8 March 2001 in respect of allegations against British Aerospace/BAE Systems and Robert Lee International; [132916]

Mr. Ingram: The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) wrote to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence in March 2001 about allegations of fraud in connection with a sub-contractor to BAE Systems. The SFO informed the Permanent Secretary that there was insufficient evidence to support a criminal investigation of the fraud allegations, but wished to bring it to his attention in case Government money might be involved. The Permanent Secretary established that the allegations were not of direct relevance to the Ministry of Defence, as they related to the role of a sub-contractor (Robert Lee International) to BAE Systems, and Government money had not been involved. Having been informed, however, that the Chairman of BAE Systems was already aware of this matter, the Permanent Secretary raised it with the Chairman, in the context of the Government's robust anti-fraud policy, for any further inquiries he deemed appropriate.

Since the allegations of fraud were not a matter for the Ministry of Defence, it was not considered necessary to bring them to the attention of the Secretary of State. Ministers and officials at the Ministry of Defence have discussed issues related to Saudi Arabia with representatives of BAE Systems on numerous occasions since 1997.

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Service Accommodation

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Defence Housing Executive and (b) Defence Estates concerning the future of the married quarters estate. [133377]

Mr. Caplin: I have had discussions with the Chief Executives of both agencies on a range of topics. These have included the married quarters estate.

Shoeburyness Firing Range

Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the new range in Shoeburyness. [134094]

Mr. Caplin: The Shoeburyness ranges are included in the Long Term Partnering Agreement that has been negotiated with QinetiQ for the delivery of a long-term test and evaluation capability to the Ministry of Defence. This agreement came into effect on 1 April 2003.

Trafalgar Class Submarines

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Trafalgar Class submarines are available for operational tasking. [134463]

Mr. Ingram: There are four Trafalgar Class submarines available for operational tasking:

HMS Turbulent, HMS Tireless, HMS Torbay, HMS Triumph.

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