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10 Feb 2004 : Column 1325W—continued
Military Equipment (Gulf)
Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the performance of military equipment in the Gulf. [142976]
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Mr. Hoon: The Ministry of Defence's report on Operation Telic, "Lessons for the Future", closely reflects the conclusions of the independent report by the National Audit Office that
- "the logistic effort for the Operation was huge and key to success"
- "key equipments . . . performed well".
Both reports recognise that there are areas for improvement. This includes, in the logistic area, developing a more robust in-theatre asset-tracking system.
Missile Defence
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the United Kingdom has spent on all aspects of ballistic missile defence in each year since 1997. [154103]
Mr. Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 January 2004, Official Report, column 920W, to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Keetch).
Nuclear Submarines
Mr. Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average number of days a year was in the last five years that the nuclear submarine berths (a) at Loch Ewe and (b) in Broadford Bay were occupied; what change in occupancy is projected; and if he will make a statement. [152753]
Mr. Ingram: The berths at Loch Ewe and Broadford Bay can be used by nuclear submarines and surface vessels. Occupancy of the berths by nuclear submarines is recorded in hours. The average number of hours per year over the last five years when the berths have been occupied by nuclear submarines is 13.2 hours for Loch Ewe and 2.4 hours for Broadford Bay. Surface ship occupancy is recorded in days. The average number of days per year over the last five years when the berths have been occupied by surface vessels is 48.6 days for Loch Ewe and nil for Broadford Bay. There are no plans to change the usage pattern.
Royal College of Defence Medicine
Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans the Royal College of Defence Medicine has for the Selly Oak Hospital site in Birmingham. [153884]
Mr. Caplin: We are currently considering options for the future provision of accommodation for our medical personnel in Birmingham. Preliminary discussions have taken place with University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust (UHBT), but at present the MOD has no plans for the Selly Oak Site.
Security Passes
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many security passes have been reported by staff in his Department as (a) lost and (b) stolen in the last 12 months. [151520]
Mr. Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 January 2004, Official Report, column 371W, to the hon. Member for Winchester (Mr. Oaten).
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Special Investigations Branch
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who is responsible for responding to reports of the Special Investigations Branch; and what options are available for further action to be taken. [147710]
Mr. Ingram: Upon completion of a Special Investigation Branch (SIB) investigation, a report is produced which is passed to the Commanding Officer of the unit involved. The Commanding Officer is then advised by the relevant service legal branch, as to the options available to him, such as whether the matter could be dealt with summarily by the Commanding Officer himself, or a more senior officer in the chain of command, or whether the case should be passed to the relevant service Prosecuting Authority. Service Prosecuting Authorities then decide whether to proceed to Court Martial based on their responsibilities under prosecuting guidelines issued by the Attorney-General.
In addition, the report produced by the Special Investigation Branch may be used to inform a Board of Inquiry.
Surplus Military Equipment
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will publish regulations governing the disposal of surplus military equipment; [153004]
- (2) whether surplus military equipment with a security classification of restricted and above is disposed of by sale or auction; and what safeguards are applied; [153005]
(3) what safeguards there are on the end use of surplus military equipment disposed of by sale or auction. [153006]
Mr. Ingram: There are many regulations governing the disposal of surplus military equipments ranging from internal Ministry of Defence procedures focusing on the supply chain decision-making process to those national and international regulations such as the Basel Convention. Particular procedures would be dependent on the type of equipment involved and there are numerous disposal instructions in existence. This information is not held centrally and, without being more specific, could be provided only at disproportionate cost. National and international procedures are in the public domain.
The MOD ensures that most sensitive surplus military equipment is destroyed. However, certain classified material may be resold by the MOD's Disposal Services Agency (DSA) either directly on a Government-to-Government basis, to the original equipment manufacturer or via some of the DSA's marketing agreements with industry. Safeguards are in place to ensure that all exports (direct or subsequent via a marketing agreement) are covered by an appropriate export licence. The DSA's contractors that hold classified material (for sale) will have appropriate MOD security clearance and, additionally, the Official Secrets Act would apply. No such material would be sold at auction.
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All surplus equipment sold directly by the DSA on a Government-to-Government basis contain conditions that require the end user Government to seek MOD approval prior to subsequent resale to a third party.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) ships, (b) aircraft and (c) military vehicles have been disposed of by (i) sale and (ii) auction in the past six years. [153007]
Mr. Ingram: The major former Royal Naval ships (named capital ships) sold by the Ministry of Defence's Disposal Services Agency (DSA) in the last six years are listed as follows. None was sold by auction.
- Financial year1998–99
- HMS Soberton
- HMS Egeria
- HMY Britannia
- Financial year1999–2000
- HMS Kellington
- Financial year 2000–01
- HMS Wilton
- HMS Bicester
- HMS Orkney
- HMS Birmingham
- HMS Beaver
- RFA Olwen
- RFA Olna
- Financial year 2001–02
- HMS Bulldog
- HMS Berkeley
- HMS Orwell
- HMS Herald
- Financial year 2002–03
- HMS Beagle
- HMS London
- HMS Coventry
- HMS Shetland
- HMS Alderney
- HMS Anglesey
- HMS Lindisfarne
- HMS Guernsey
- HMS Sheffield
- Financial year 2003–04
- None
Surplus aircraft sold by the DSA in the past six calendar years are set out in the following table, broken down by sale and auction.
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As there were approximately 23,000 surplus military vehicles sold in the last six years, itemised sales figures could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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