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10 Nov 2003 : Column 44W—continued
Euro
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent in each year by his Department in preparing for UK entry to the euro; how much his Department plans to spend on preparations for UK entry to the euro for each year from the current financial year up to and including 2005–06; and what estimates he has made of the total costs to his Department of changeover to the European Single Currency. [131590]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the response given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, on 14 October 2003, Official Report, column 142W.
Museums and Galleries
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the review of Museums and Galleries Northern Ireland's business management strategy. [137670]
Angela Smith: A report on the way the Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland (MAGNI) conducts its business is currently with the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure for consideration. It would not be appropriate for me to make a statement about the outcome of the Review at this time.
Pensioners
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average time taken in the last 12 months was to process assessments on low income pensioners' entitlements to an alternative to coal fired heating; and what plans he has to introduce targets to speed up the assessment process. [137663]
Mr. Spellar: The Warm Homes Plus Scheme provides the free installation of an oil or natural gas central heating system for low-income people over 60 years of age, living in owner occupied or privately rented accommodation, and who are entitled to certain passport benefits. In the last 12 months, the assessment process (from initial referral, to survey of the property) has taken, on average 31 days. This process is continually kept under review to ensure the optimum response time to the large number of applications for assistance from the Scheme.
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The Housing Executive's heating replacement programme for its housing stock does not involve an assessment of the tenants' entitlements; work is carried out on the basis of the age and condition of the appliance which is to be upgraded.
Performance Targets
Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost was of (a) setting, (b) monitoring and (c) measuring the performance targets for his Department in 2002–03; and how many and what grades of civil servants monitor these targets. [137954]
Jane Kennedy: Performance targets for the department were agreed as part of Spending Review 2002. The monitoring and measurement of PS A targets forms part of departmental performance management. Performance management is an integral part of the day to day running of the department, and as such it is not possible to separate the specific costs out. The monitoring of progress towards, and performance against, the department's PS A targets is undertaken by a wide variety of staff at all levels of the organisation.
Scottish Television
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to introduce more Scottish television in Northern Ireland on the same basis as his commitment to help introduce greater availability in Northern Ireland of Irish language programmes. [134270]
Estelle Morris: I have been asked to reply.
The BBC Scotland television service and ITV Scottish, Grampian and Border services are already available to those consumers in Northern Ireland with digital satellite receiving equipment. The extension of Scottish region television services to other areas in the UK is not possible on terrestrial television because of technical and licensing constraints.
DEFENCE
Allenby Private Finance Initiative Project
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what requirements he proposes setting for the energy efficiency standards of homes to be constructed within the Allenby Private Finance Initiative project; and what penalties will be incurred by contractors should there be non-compliance with these standards. [136985]
Mr. Caplin: Project Allenby/Connaught will deliver major redevelopment of the Army estate on Salisbury Plain and at Aldershot, and includes the provision of around 11,000 single en-suite bed spaces for personnel living in barracks. These bed spaces will be provided through new and converted accommodation. The contract requires assessment of this accommodation in accordance with the Building Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). This system scores a building against a wide range of sustainability criteria, including those relating to energy efficiency and results in a BREEAM grading for the
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building. The contract will require the highest grading, 'Excellent', for new accommodation and the next highest grading, 'Very Good', for the converted buildings. If these grades are not achieved the contractor's monthly payments for the accommodation will be abated throughout the life of the contract.
Armed Forces
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many women officers there are in the (a) Army, (b) Navy and (c) Royal Air Force, broken down by rank; [137340]
- (2) how many women other ranks there are in the (a) Army, (b) Navy and (c) Royal Air Force, broken down by rank. [137341]
Mr. Caplin: I refer my hon. Friend to the Tri-Service Publication 9 'UK Regular Forces Rank Structure', a copy of which is held in the Library of the House.
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last published the armed forces monthly manning state; and when it will next be published. [137729]
Mr. Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 1: "UK Regular Forces Strengths and Changes", and Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 3: "UK Armed Forces Strengths and Requirements".
These are both available in the House of Commons Library and are updated on a monthly basis.
TSP 1 and 3 for 1 September 2003 were published on 10 October 2003. The 1 October 2003 issues are due for publication between 6 and 20 November 2003.
Breathalyser Tests
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what breathalyser equipment is issued to military police in Scotland; when the adequacy of this equipment was last reviewed; and if he will make a statement. [135799]
Mr. Caplin: Breathalyser equipment is not issued to the Service police in Scotland.
Chinook
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to relocate the Chinook helicopter fleet away from RAF Odiham. [137003]
Mr. Ingram: There are currently no plans to relocate the Chinook helicopter fleet away from RAF Odiham.
Colombia
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) of 16 October 2003, Official Report, column 322W, what the mechanisms are for checking that UK military units are not implicated in human rights violations, internal repression or collusion with paramilitary organisations. [136306]
Mr. Ingram: The Government use the best information available at the time to assure themselves that Colombian military units benefiting from United
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Kingdom assistance are not engaged in activities that violate human rights, in internal repression or in collusion with paramilitary organisations.
Commonwealth Recruits
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were recruited from Commonwealth countries into each of the three services in each year since 1999; and if he will make a statement. [136733]
Mr. Caplin: For the last five years, the intake of personnel from Commonwealth countries (excluding United Kingdom and UK dependent territories) into the Army was as follows:
| Financial year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 140 |
| 1999–2000 | 445 |
| 2000–01 | 715 |
| 2001–02 | 1,115 |
| 2002–03 | 1,960 |
Figures for the Naval Service and Royal Air Force are not available, as this information is not held centrally.
Conventional Weapons
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what his Department's aims are at the Convention on Conventional Weapons negotiations in November; and if he will make a statement; [135859]
- (2) whether his Department's representatives at the Convention on Conventional Weapons negotiations in November will seek agreement on a mandate for future negotiations on cluster munitions. [135860]
Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 4 November 2003, Official Report, columns 541–42W, by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
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