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20 Nov 2003 : Column 1262W—continued

Gripen Jets (Czech Republic)

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many meetings he has held with the Government of the Czech Republic regarding the possible sale of Gripen jets and the Czech decision to buy supersonic aircraft since 1 January 1999; when each of these meetings was held; where each of these meetings was held; and whom in the Government of the Czech Republic he met on each occasion. [123159]

Mr. Ingram: Defence Ministers are in frequent contact with members of the government of the Czech Republic and regularly meet in both bilateral and multilateral fora. A range of issues are routinely discussed.

The Defence Secretary held formal bilateral meetings at which the Czech requirement for supersonic aircraft was discussed on the following occasions:


Gulf Personnel

Mr. Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British personnel are in the Gulf. [125039]

Mr. Ingram: The precise number of personnel in the Gulf fluctuates daily. As at 19 November there were around 10,600 United Kingdom personnel in the Gulf area.

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Gulf War Syndrome

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of whether Gulf War Syndrome exists; what relevant studies of the issue he has recently assessed; and if he will make a statement on future expenditure on (a) research and (b) treatment for people suffering from Gulf War illnesses. [139405]

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

Hutton Inquiry

Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his comments before the Hutton Inquiry, what precedent the Permanent Secretary feared would be created in allowing Dr. Kelly to appear before the Foreign Affairs Committee. [129707]

Mr. Hoon: I assume that my right hon. Friend is referring to the oral evidence which I gave on 27 August at pages 81–84 of the transcript. The concern about creating a precedent in fact related to the Intelligence and Security Committee, not the Foreign Affairs Committee. This is clear from Sir Kevin Tebbit's minute of 10 July which has been published on the Hutton Inquiry website (reference MOD/1/0075).

Infantry Battalions

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) pursuant to his answer of 13 November 2003, Official Report, column 433W, on infantry battalions, which army battalions have made representations to his Department in relation to the forthcoming Defence White Paper; [139935]

Mr. Ingram: No discussions have been held with representatives of Army Infantry Battalions prior to producing the Defence White Paper; nor have discussions been held with representatives of Scottish Infantry Battalions. No assessment has been made of the financial benefits of restructuring Scottish Army Battalions. No Army Battalions have made direct representations to the Ministry of Defence in relation to the forthcoming Defence White Paper. Representations have, however, been received from representatives of Army Battalions, for instance, from individuals in regimental associations.

Information Technology

Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's (a) total managed expenditure, (b) total spending on information technology

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and (c) spending on information technology as a proportion of its total managed expenditure was in each financial year since 1997–98. [107179]

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

Joint Strike Fighters

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many joint strike fighters he intends to deploy on each future aircraft carrier; [139500]

Mr. Ingram: While no final decisions have been taken, our current planning assumption is that we will acquire up to 150 Short Take Off and Vertical Landing variants of the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft which is sufficient to meet our Future Joint Combat Aircraft (FJCA) requirements.

FJCA is not meant solely to be deployed on our future carrier. It will be a truly joint aircraft capable of operating from both land and sea. The precise number of FJCA we would deploy on future carriers would be dependent on the mission to be undertaken, other rotary wing and surveillance assets being deployed, and other operations being undertaken concurrently.

Kenya

Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Kenyan citizens paid compensation by the Department in July 2002 were paid at (a) Kenyan and (b) British compensation rates. [140001]

Mr. Ingram: When a claim from overseas is heard in the United Kingdom under both common law and Part III of the Private International Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1995 any aspect of damages to be regarded as quantitative will be governed by the law of the country where the case is heard. In the case of Kenyan tribespeople claiming compensation for injury allegedly caused by unexploded ordnance, the level of damages awarded were assessed according to English principles.

Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures were used by the Department to investigate the claims of the Kenyan citizens paid compensation in July 2002. [140002]

Mr. Ingram: The investigation of a claim is tailored to meet the specific circumstances of each case.

In the case of Kenyan tribespeople claiming compensation for injuries allegedly caused by unexploded ordnance, the Ministry of Defence appointed a recently retired Brigadier and a serving Major to investigate the claims in both Kenya and the UK. In addition, a British Army surgeon was instructed to examine the medical evidence. Although the Ministry

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of Defence disputed liability in a number of cases, evidence based on inquest reports, Kenyan magistrates courts records, post mortem reports, police investigation reports, police post incident reports, certificates of death and medical reports indicated that some limited liabilities rested with the Department. A settlement was reached through mediation in July 2002.

Life Insurance

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) of 27 October 2003, Official Report, column 6W, on life insurance, how many (a) regular and (b) reserve personnel serving in the Gulf have cover; and how many do not. [139236]

Mr. Ingram: Commercial life insurance is not part of the benefits the Ministry of Defence provides. For those who die in Service or leave the Service due to injury, the MOD's support is provided by the War Pension Scheme, the Armed Forces Pension Scheme and (for reservists) the Reserve Forces (Attributable Benefits Etc) Regulations. Moreover, as personal insurance is a complex area and one that is becoming increasingly regulated by the Financial Services Authority, it is MOD policy not to endorse, sponsor or recommend any commercial insurance scheme. Therefore, while MOD encourages regulars and reservists to ensure that they are appropriately insured for their particular circumstances, the decision whether to purchase cover, and which scheme to join, must be a matter for the individual, and as such is not monitored by the Ministry of Defence.

Market Research

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on (a) opinion polling and (b) market research in the last financial year; and if he will make a statement. [139989]

Mr. Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 28 April 2003, Official Report, columns 57–58W, by my hon. Friend the Member for Kirkcaldy (Dr. Moonie) to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow).

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