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Right to Buy

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of the review of the system for valuing properties for Right to Buy purposes undertaken by the College of Estate Management. [152025]

Keith Hill: Yes. A copy of the report will be made available in the Library of the House when it is published shortly.

Social Housing

Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 22 January 2004, Official Report, column 1464W, in what circumstances a bed

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space is counted as a unit for the purposes of calculating the number of social housing units built or otherwise acquired by registered social landlords. [152183]

Keith Hill: A bed space is counted as a unit for purposes of calculating the number of social housing units built or acquired by registered social landlords where the individual occupying the bed space has a separate occupancy agreement.

Thames Gateway

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) criteria and (b) benchmarks have been established for monitoring the implementation of the Government's plans for the Thames Gateway, Essex region; who is responsible for the monitoring; and how they will report back findings. [152430]

Keith Hill: The Government's plans for the Thames Gateway region, including south Essex, are set out in Creating Sustainable Communities: Making It Happen in the Thames Gateway and Growth Areas, published on 30 July 2003. That document makes it clear that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will be establishing a Gateway delivery office to work alongside local, regional and national partners to turn strategic plans into operational programmes. The Gateway office will be responsible for monitoring implementation of the Government's plans and for communicating progress. It is anticipated that the office will be up and running shortly.

DEFENCE

Bugaled Breizh

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance was (a) sought and (b) given by his Department's personnel following the distress alert recorded from the Bugaled Breizh on the afternoon of 15 January. [150985]

Mr. Ingram: The Bugaled Breizh was 14 nautical miles (nm) south of Lizard, when it capsized. HMS Tyne, on Fishery Protection duties 22 nm NE of the trawler proceeded to the scene and was tasked by the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre to co-ordinate the search. Royal Air Force and Royal Naval Search and Rescue helicopters were also deployed and recovered two bodies from the sea.

Days at Sea

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many operational days have been spent at sea by each (a) Invincible class aircraft carrier, (b) Type 42 destroyer, (c) Type 23 frigate, (d) Type 22 frigate and (e) fleet submarine in each of the past five years. [150872]

Mr. Ingram: The information requested is being collated. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my reply in the Library of the House.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has produced written

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guidelines for how staff in the Ministry and in the Defence Export Services Organisation should deal with allegations of overseas bribery and corruption. [151375]

Mr. Ingram: The Civil Service Code, which is reproduced in the Ministry of Defence Civilian Manual on Conduct, requires that evidence of criminal or unlawful activity by others shall be reported to the appropriate authorities.

Driving Offences (Northern Ireland)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces based in Northern Ireland were found to be driving without a valid (a) driving licence or (b) insurance in each of the last five years; and how many of these cases resulted in a conviction. [151328]

Mr. Ingram: The information requested is not immediately available due to a computer failure. We are seeking to retrieve the necessary data as quickly as possible and I will write to the hon. Member when the figures are available.

Enhanced Body Armour

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy for troops engaged in (a) expeditionary and (b) peacekeeping operations to be issued with sets of enhanced body armour as part of their personal equipment. [151358]

Mr. Ingram: United Kingdom armed forces deploying on peace support operations already routinely receive Enhanced Combat Body Armour (ECBA). The policy for the issue of ECBA to UK servicemen and women prior to their deployment to operational theatres is under review.

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many sets of ceramic body armour have been issued by the Department in each year since 1992. [152080]

Mr. Hoon [pursuant to his answer, 26 January 2004, Official Report, c. 6]: I need to correct that answer. Ceramic body armour (ceramic plates) has been issued since 1992 when an initial issue of 32 individual plates was made. Each soldier requires one pair of plates. Combat Body Armour or Enhanced Combat Body Armour is not usually issued as a complete set.

Instead, units request the number of components (covers, fillers and individual plates) required to make up the sets that they need. Current estimates of the issue history of ceramic plates since their introduction into service show an average of approximately 4,000 issues a year up to 1999 when nearly 23,000 were issued. Most recently in 2003 more than 80,000 individual ceramic plates were issued.

Foreign Ships

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 27 January 2004, Official Report, column 68W, on foreign ships, how many vessels considered for charter by his Department have been rejected in each of the last five years because they failed (a) to meet technical requirements and (b) to pass a risk assessment undertaken by a marine surveyor. [152443]

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Mr. Ingram: Information on why vessels fail consideration of charter by the Ministry of Defence is not held centrally. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Iraq

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which equipment purchased under urgent operational requirements for the Iraq war will be sold; how much it cost to acquire; how much its sale is expected to realise; and to whom it is intended to be sold. [148162]

Mr. Ingram: The principal focus of the Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) process is to provide additional capabilities to meet the demands of specific operations. The majority of equipment purchased for Operation Telic under UOR procedures continues to be used in support of that operation.

When an operation comes to an end or particular UOR equipment is withdrawn, the Department considers, as part of the annual planning round, whether that equipment can and should be retained in-service. That process is currently under way: it is therefore too early to say which UORs will be retained in-service.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith) of 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 537W, on Iraq, how many military vehicles hit by depleted uranium munitions have been identified within the southern sector of Iraq under British control; if he will list the options open to coalition forces to deal with these vehicles; when he expects work to begin; what risk assessment of Iraqi (a) adults and (b) children has been carried out; and if he will make a statement. [150356]

Mr. Ingram: To date eight military vehicles have been identified as having been hit by depleted uranium (DU) munitions within the southern sector of Iraq under British military control. All these vehicles have been clearly marked. Arrangements are currently being negotiated with the US for a contractor to collect and securely store these military vehicles.

Generic assessments of the potential risks from DU munitions have been carried out by organisations such as the Royal Society and the United Nations Environment Programme and are available on the world wide web at: www.postconflict.unep.ch/ and www.royalsociety.ac.uk/du/ The levels of DU contamination found by MOD personnel are much lower than those predicted from these theoretical risk assessments.

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether troops serving in Iraq who have purchased winter footwear at their own expense will be reimbursed by the Ministry of Defence; [150891]

(2) whether all British troops serving in winter conditions during the winter of 2004–05 in Iraq will be issued with appropriate winter footwear; [150892]

(3) whether sufficient winter footwear is in stock to ensure that all troops serving in winter conditions in Iraq are issued with a pair. [150911]

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Mr. Ingram: There is no need for soldiers to purchase their own winter footwear for Iraq. Soldiers currently serving in Iraq have deployed with both Desert Boots and Combat Assault Boots. Combat Assault Boots are suitable for a minimum temperature of minus 19 degrees centigrade and are appropriate for the temperatures experienced in southern Iraq during the winter months.

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