---

6 Jan 2004 : Column 232W—continued

Wind Turbines

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact on wildlife of wind turbines. [145002]

Mr. Timms: Studies of the impact of wind farms on wildlife, in particular birds, suggests that there is only a small risk of bird strikes from the operation of wind turbines which have been properly sited.

6 Jan 2004 : Column 233W

Under the normal planning regime and for consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 or the Transport and Works Act 1992 wind farm developers are required to consider all environmental aspects of wind energy projects and produce an Environmental Impact Assessment. These assessments are available to the public.

DEFENCE

Attitude Surveys

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of respondents to the last assessed Royal Navy/Royal Marine Continuous Attitude Survey responded (a) yes and (b) no to (i) question 26 and (ii) question 27; and if he will make a statement. [143621]

Mr. Caplin: The information requested is drawn from the May 2003 edition of the Continuous Attitude Survey.

I should point out that questions 26 and 27 in the September 2002 survey relating to the reporting of incidents of unwelcome behaviour and satisfaction with the reporting process, have been replaced by questions 30 and 31 in the current survey.

Royal Navy

Q30. Do you know where to get information about the RN/RM complaints procedure for unfair treatment, discrimination, harassment or bullying?

	Royal Navy		Royal Marines
	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage
Yes	691	74.70	43	52.40
No	98	10.60	23	28.00
Unsure	127	13.70	15	18.30
Total	916	99	81	99

Q31. Satisfied/Dissatisfied with complaints procedure.

Percentage

	Objectivity and fairness with which your complaint was handled	Time taken to resolve your complaint
Royal Navy
Very satisfied	0.90	0.50
Satisfied	1.40	1.30
Neither	4.90	5
Dissatisfied	1.50	1.90
Very dissatisfied	2.60	2.30
N/A	88.70	89
Royal Marines
Very satisfied	0.00	0.00
Satisfied	1.20	1.20
Neither	1.20	3.70
Dissatisfied	1.20	1.20
Very dissatisfied	2.40	0.00
N/A	93.90	93.90

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of respondents to

6 Jan 2004 : Column 234W

the last assessed Royal Navy/Royal Marine Continuous Attitude Survey mentioned (a) privatisation and contractualisation and (b) privatisation in their answers to Question 32; and if he will make a statement. [143623]

Mr. Caplin: Question 32 in the September 2002 Continuous Attitude Survey is asked at Question 35 in the May 2003 survey, the last assessed survey.

There were no responses to this question.

Civil Servants (Disabilities)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many senior civil servants in his Department are disabled, expressed in (a) numbers and (b) as a percentage of whole-time equivalents. [144981]

Mr. Caplin: As there are less than five members of the senior civil service in the Department with a disability, the actual number is not published in order to protect the privacy of the individual in line with Exemption 12 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Identity Cards

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the implications of the introduction of compulsory identity cards for his Department. [143983]

Mr. Caplin: The Home Office has lead responsibility for developing the national identity cards scheme. The introduction of the scheme is a long-term undertaking and there are ongoing discussions which the Ministry of Defence will contribute to.

Our assessment has indicated that the proposals for the introduction of compulsory identity cards would benefit the Ministry of Defence by aiding the identification of individuals who have a relationship with the Department, but who are not direct employees. Examples include potential new recruits, past employees, members of the Reserve Forces, job applicants, visitors and contractors.

We have also considered the needs of foreign nationals serving in the armed forces. Their current military ID is not universally accepted outside of the Department, so there would be benefit in providing them with a United Kingdom ID card under the foreign residents scheme, recognising their status as members of the UK Armed Forces.

We are not intending to replace the military ID card (or its equivalent for civilian employees) with the national ID card since our own ID card is used as a means for controlling access to MOD premises.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps need to be taken to enable the number of civilian casualties killed by British forces in Iraq since the end of the conflict to be ascertained. [141675]

Mr. Ingram: All casualties witnessed by UK forces are reported, but it is not always possible to determine accurately the number of casualties that occur during a particular incident. For example, in some incidents,

6 Jan 2004 : Column 235W

Iraqi injured and/or dead may have been taken away by their compatriots before UK Forces could investigate. In other incidents, UK forces have been forced to withdraw from situations before an accurate assessment of the number of casualties could be made. In such incidents we have no reliable means of ascertaining the number of casualties and there are no practical steps we could take to do so.

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has examined on the alleged shooting of a demonstrator by British forces in Basra on (a) 4 October and (b) 9 August. [141678]

Mr. Ingram: I am aware of allegations of an incident during a demonstration on 9 August but no civilian casualties were reported.

On 4 October, on the periphery of a demonstration, British soldiers killed an Iraqi gunman in self-defence. His automatic weapon and ammunition were recovered.

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has examined on the alleged deaths of Iraqi civilians in British custody on (a) 13 and (b) 18 May. [141679]

Mr. Ingram: There are investigations underway of alleged deaths of Iraqis while in custody but I am not aware of any involving deaths which occurred on 13 or 18 May 2003.

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidelines have been issued to UK military personnel in relation to the use of force in non-combat situations in Southern Iraq. [141682]

Mr. Ingram: The Rules Of Engagement issued to UK forces in Iraq govern all use of force. Rules of Engagement are confidential and withheld in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Mrs. Liddell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the likely future levels of the (a) Royal Navy and (b) Royal Air Force presence in the Iraq theatre. [143731]

Mr. Ingram: We keep force levels under constant review but there are no current plans to alter the major Royal Navy or RAF assets deployed to Operation Telic. I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 5 January 2004, Official Report, column 30W.

Territorial Army

Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding is provided to Territorial Army personnel returning from service in the Gulf. [145762]

Mr. Caplin: Territorial Army personnel returning from the Gulf continue to receive their pay and allowances which apply until no longer required in whole-time Army service, or until the expiration of any paid leave granted (which immediately follows whole-time Army service). On demobilisation, a travel warrant is provided for the journey home. TA personnel may be entitled to receive certain pension payments under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme or as defined within the Army Pensions Warrant 1997.

6 Jan 2004 : Column 236W

Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many training days Territorial Army personnel underwent in advance of deployment to the Gulf. [145765]

Mr. Caplin: Territorial Army (TA) personnel deployed to the Gulf have been designated 'Fit For Role', which requires a minimum of 27 days training in the preceding 12 months. In addition, before deployment, they will have attended the Reserves Training and Mobilisation Centre for a five day period of intensive revision of their Individual Training Directives (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical, First Aid, Shooting, Fitness and Recognition) and also received series of theatre specific briefings at the Reinforcement Holding Unit. Thereafter, TA personnel posted to regular units would train with them.

---