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15 Mar 2004 : Column 43W—continued
DEFENCE
Airfield Support Services Project
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the original expected date was for announcing a decision on the Airfield Support Services Project; what the current expected date is; and what the reasons are for the delay. [160771]
Mr. Ingram: The Main Gate approval decision for the Airfield Support Services Project was originally envisaged for the first quarter of 2003. Although we are now moving towards this major decision stage, no decision has been made and I am not yet in a position to say exactly when this will be. The evaluation of this complex project has taken longer than anticipated. The time taken reflects the need to ensure that a fully informed decision is made.
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Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what guidance his Department has issued to companies on Part 12 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001; [158309]
- (2) what meetings his Department has held with companies to discuss (a) Part 12 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 and (b) corruption laws in the UK; and on what dates. [158310]
Mr. Ingram: Guidance in this area is a matter for the Department of Trade and Industry. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 4 March 2004, Official Report, column 120WA, in another place. The Ministry of Defence has not issued guidance or held meetings with United Kingdom companies in respect of the Act.
Arms Dealers
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether arms dealers whose commodities do not (a) originate in and (b) enter the UK are subject to end user certificate legislation; and if he will make a statement. [160192]
Nigel Griffiths: I have been asked to reply.
From 1 May 2004, controls will apply in certain cases in respect of military goods traded between countries outside the UK (controls on such trade to embargoed destinations came into force on 3 March 2004). End-user documentation requirements under the new trafficking and brokering controls will be similar to those currently in place under existing export controls.
Asbestos
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of buildings occupied by (a) his Department's staff and (b) staff of his Department's executive agencies have been surveyed to date for the purpose of identifying the presence of asbestos prior to implementation of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002. [159353]
Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence complies fully with the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulation 2002, but there is no central register of surveyed buildings in which asbestos is known to be present belonging to the department or its agencies. Such a register or list could be compiled only at disproportionate cost. Once surveys have been undertaken, however, a management plan is produced by each establishment to ensure appropriate action is taken.
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the buildings occupied by his departmental staff, including agencies, which require (a) remedial work on and (b) the removal of asbestos; what that work will cost; what budgets are available for this work for (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005; and what budget is available for future asbestos surveys. [159360]
Mr. Caplin: There is no central register of surveyed buildings occupied by Departmental staff including agencies, which require either remedial work on or the removal of asbestos. Such a register or list could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
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Continuous Attitudes Survey
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times per annum the Continuous Attitudes Survey is distributed among (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) RAF personnel; how long assessment of the answers took on average for each round in each of the last four years; what the participation rate was in each of the last four years (i) in total numbers and (ii) as a percentage of distributed surveys each year for each of the three branches; and if he will make a statement. [160120]
Mr. Caplin: The Continuous Attitude Surveys (CAS) are run differently in the three Services.
The RN CAS was distributed four times in the year 2000, three times in 2001 and twice in 2002 and 2003. The average time taken to process answers and conduct initial analysis of raw data is three months.
| Issues | Number of questionnaires distributed | Number of responses received | Response rate (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | January, April, July November | 8,022 | 3,417 | 42.5 |
| 2001 | March, July, December | 6,000 | 2,713 | 45.2 |
| 2002 | June, September | 4,000 | 1,898 | 47.4 |
| 2003 | January, September | 5,027 | 2,321 | 46.1 |
The Army CAS is distributed bi-annually. It takes approximately seven-eight months to collate the questionnaires, and complete the analysis.
The timing of survey distributions over the last four years has not been standardised. The following table shows response-rate figures by each survey distributed over the last four years.
| Survey number | Number of responses received | Response rate (%) |
|---|---|---|
| SP1 | 2,634 | 57 |
| SP2 | 2,110 | 53 |
| SP3 | 2,037 | 51 |
| SP4 | 1,753 | 44 |
| SP5 | 2,324 | 48 |
The RAF CAS is issued four times per year, on the first working day of each February, May, August and November. A database of responses is prepared within three to four months of the survey's distribution. Analyses can be carried out at any time once the database is available. Response-rate statistics are set out in the following.
| Issues | Number of questionnaires distributed | Number of responses received | Response rate (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | February, May, August, November | 8,000 | 4,691 | 58.6 |
| 2001 | February, May, August, November | 8,000 | 4,678 | 58.5 |
| 2002 | February, May, August, November | 8,000 | 4,528 | 56.6 |
| 2003 | February, May, August(5) | 6,000 | 3,090 | 51.5 |
(5) November data not yet available .
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Defence Bills Agency
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many bills were processed by the Defence Bills Agency in fiscal year 2002–03; what the total value of the bills was; and what the total amount paid out was in (a) 2002–03, (b) 2001–02 and (c) 2000–01. [159243]
Mr. Caplin: In 2002–03, the Defence Bills Agency processed 4,537,462 bills.The value of the bills processed by DBA in each of the last three years was as follows:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 17,462 |
| 2001–02 | 16,986 |
| 2000–01 | 15,914 |
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many bills pertaining to (a) companies based in Scotland and (b) procurement projects relating to bases in Scotland were processed by the Defence Bills Agency in fiscal year 2002–03; what the total value of the bills was; and what the total amount paid out was in (i) 2002–03, (ii) 2001–02 and (iii) 2000–01. [159244]
Mr. Caplin: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Defence-related Industries
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how his Department calculates the number of people employed in and by defence related industries in the regions of the UK; what multiplier is used; and what the (a) regional and (b) national totals are. [159306]
Mr. Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 12 December 2002, Official Report, column 418W in which the methodology was described. As indicated in this answer, a detailed report was being prepared. This is now available as Defence Statistics Bulletin 5. It has been published on the Defence Analytical Services Agency's website: www.dasa.mod. uk/statbulletin/bulletin5.pdf.
The latest estimate of the number of full time jobs supported in the UK by MOD expenditure and defence exports is around 295,000 in 2001–02. No estimate is currently available on the breakdown of employment numbers by region.
Eurofighter Typhoon
Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what studies he has conducted on the impact on BAE (a) workflows and (b) employment prospects of the delay in agreeing the Tranche II order for Eurofighter Typhoons. [159498]
Mr. Ingram: As part of our approach defined in the Defence Industrial Policy Paper, we continually monitor with industry the effects of defence expenditure on the industrial base. However the direct impact on BAE systems of workflows and employment prospects are a matter for the company. Negotiations with our partner nations and industry on the Tranche II order for Typhoons are ongoing.
15 Mar 2004 : Column 47W
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