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Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which parts of the joint strike fighter aircraft are to be built in the UK. [156133]

Mr. Ingram: Production contracts have not yet been negotiated for any part of the Joint Strike Fighter and are unlikely to be awarded before 2006 on current plans.

Development work is currently under contract in the UK on a number of significant assemblies and aircraft systems, including the complete aft fuselage and tail assembly (BAES); engine components (Rolls Royce); ejection seat (Martin Baker) and electrical power, actuation and display systems (Smiths Aerospace). All work on JSF is won on a best value basis, and subject to

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continuing to meet best value criteria, there is every reason to anticipate that these development contracts will lead to follow-on production contracts.

Naval Vessels

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the disposal of Type 22 frigates to Romania has been concluded; and if he will make a statement. [152226]

Mr. Ingram: The Government-to-Government Acquisition Agreement was signed on 19 December 2002, comprising the sale of two regenerated and updated warships (ex-HMS London and ex-HMS Coventry), an initial support package, and a training package for ships' complements. The agreement includes a significant offset programme to be carried out by British Industry, led by the United Kingdom Prime Project Contractor, BAE Systems, over a five-year period.

The regeneration of the ships is proceeding satisfactorily, in accordance with the agreed schedule, and on track to achieve commissioning of the first ship, due in September 2004.

Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the projected number of orders for naval vessels to be placed over the next 10 years. [153789]

Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence is already undertaking a large programme of new ship procurement, including orders for six Type 45 destroyers, three Astute Class submarines and four Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary).

Future plans include the purchase of two new aircraft carriers, further orders of Type 45 destroyers and Astute Class submarines, the Joint Casualty Treatment Ship, and the replacement of existing RFA vessels through the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability project. The Department is also considering options for leasing new Offshore Patrol Vessels to replace the current Castle Class capability. Tenders are currently being assessed for the Nato Submarine Rescue System, which will enter service in 2006.

Looking further ahead, we expect to replace the capability provided by the Type 22 and 23 Frigates with the Future Surface Combatant. It is too early to say how the capability will be met or when orders will be placed because the project is still at the concept stage.

Operation Telic

Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what equipment was purchased under the Urgent Operational Requirement process for Operation Telic 1 and 2. [147273]

Mr. Ingram: It is assumed that the period covered by Operation Telic 1 and 2 is from the time of deployment until the end of the first roulement of troops (November 2003). Information regarding specific Urgent Operational Requirements remains operationally sensitive and I am therefore withholding details of equipment purchased in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. However equipment procured using the UOR process falls into five broad areas:

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enhancements to communications equipment and infrastructure;

upgrades to maritime, air (both fixed and rotary wing) and land platforms. These included improvements to environmental/desert operating capabilities, force protection, secure communications, combat ID and enhancements to associated weapons systems;

improved dismounted close combat capabilities;

improved logistics and deployable infrastructure (includes procurement of additional Temporary Deployable Accommodation); and

NBC protection measures; and enhancements to deployed medical capabilities.

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all requests for urgent operational requirements for Operation Telic stating (a) whether the request was approved, (b) the equipment requested, (c) the date the request was submitted, (d) the date the urgent operational requirement was approved and (e) the cost; and if he will make a statement. [151347]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 27 January 2004]: Urgent Operational Requirements (UOR) are requested via an Urgent Statement of User Requirement generated by frontline commands or operational planners. The content of these remains operationally sensitive and I am withholding the information requested under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. However, approved UORs covering the deployment and fighting phases of Operation Telic fall into five broad capability areas with total approved values as follows:

Capability area	£ million
1. Enhancements to communications equipment and infrastructure	56
2. Upgrades to maritime, air (both fixed and rotary wing) and land platforms. These included improvements to environmental/desert operating capabilities, force protection, secure communications, combat identification and enhancements to associated weapons systems	270
3. Improved dismounted close combat capabilities	36
4. Improved logistics and deploy able infrastructure	58
5. NBC protection measures; and enhancements to deployed medical capabilities	90

During the deployment and fighting phases of Operation Telic over 190 Urgent Operational Requirements were approved at a total approved cost of around £510 million. Since the end of major combat operations, a range of other UORs have been approved.

Overseas Bribery

Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many allegations of overseas bribery his Department has received since (a) November 1997 and (b) February 2002; [151399]

(2) how many allegations of overseas bribery his Department has forwarded to the law enforcement agencies since (a) November 1997 and (b) February 2002; and if he will name the agencies to which allegations were forwarded, and give the dates concerned. [151398]

Mr. Ingram: Since 1997 the Ministry of Defence has received 11 allegations of bribery occurring overseas of which six were received after February 2002. One case was passed to the Metropolitan police in October 1999 and another to the Brunei authorities in May 2002.

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Another four were investigated by the Department's Defence Fraud Analysis Unit, in some cases in conjunction with the Ministry of Defence Police authorities, at various dates between March 2000 and November 2002. Three were passed to the Royal Military Police in the period April 1999 to April 2003. One other case arising in July 2002 is being handled by the MOD Police on behalf of another government agency. An allegation passed to the Department by the Serious Fraud Office in March 2001 was the subject of an internal Departmental review.

Research and Development

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to whom his Department distributes expenditure on research and development; how many staff are employed as a result; and how many research establishments (a) the Department and (b) its agencies have in each region and nation of the United Kingdom. [154360]

Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence places contracts with a wide range of organisations including:

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSL), and the Meteorological Office, the two major MOD agencies which conduct research.

The Medical Supplies Agency receives funding for development of Medical Countermeasures.

Industry. Approximately 600 companies received payments against R&D contracts in the eight months to end November 2003.

Academia.

The Meteorological Office is primarily located at its new site in Exeter with a residue still at the old Bracknell sites. Figures for 2001–02, the latest date for which there are published figures showed 330 employees, to the nearest 10, were employed in research.

Dstl currently has research facilities in a number of areas in the UK. These are shown in the following table together with the number of staff employed in each region.

Region	Number of employees
Dorset
Winfrith	103
Hampshire
Alverstoke	110
Farnborough	737
Porton Down	875
Portsdown	383
Kent
Fort Halstead	639
Worcestershire
Malvern	226

In addition to these there are a further 170 staff working in small numbers on a further 25 sites.

Information about staff employed in industry and academia, as a result of MOD funding of research and development but not directly employed by the Department, is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

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