---

1 Apr 2004 : Column 1606W—continued

Departmental Buildings

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) renovation and (b) maintenance projects on buildings (i) owned and (ii) rented by his Department were undertaken in each of the last five years; and what the associated costs were of each. [163948]

Mr. Caplin: This information is not held centrally. However it will now be collated but may take some time. When I am in a position to do so, I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter the Library of the House.

1 Apr 2004 : Column 1607W

European Convention on Human Rights

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 20 January 2004, Official Report, column 1123W, when he will write to the hon. Member for Camarthen East and Dinefwr in relation to the extra-territorial applicability of the European Convention on Human Rights. [162684]

Mr. Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

Iraq

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) deliberate attacks and (b) contact incidents there have been in MND(SE) in Iraq involving UK forces since 17 October 2003; and if he will make a statement. [164910]

Mr. Ingram: Between 17 October 2003 and 28 March 2004 there have been some 67 recorded attacks where firearms or explosives have been used against the United Kingdom Forces in MND(SE). These include some 18 improvised explosive devices, some 41 contact shooting incidents, and some eight other attacks involving mortars, rockets, rocket-propelled grenades or grenades.

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to record centrally Iraqi casualties reported by UK forces; and if he will make a statement. [164911]

Mr. Ingram: UK forces who witness an incident in which they are not directly involved provide medical assistance if necessary and endeavour to report it to the appropriate authority. However, it is not always possible to confirm whether or how many casualties have occurred during a particular incident. Consequently there is limited utility in central recording since we have no viable means of assessing the completeness of the information.

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what savings will be made by discontinuing the free parcel service for service personnel deployed in Iraq. [165080]

Mr. Ingram: I am not able to quantify precisely the savings, as they depend on force levels and the volumes of mail that families choose to despatch. However, I can say that the cost to the taxpayer of the service since its inception on 17 April 2003 has been between £1.5 million and £2 million. This is in addition to the cost to the Royal Mail Group, who generously provided their services free of charge during the initial three months. I estimate that the cost of providing this service to all personnel on operational deployments would be between £3 million and £9 million per annum. Forces Air Letters ("blueys") and their electronic equivalent, the "e-bluey" will continue to be free of charge. Other airmail items up to 2Kg in weight will be charged at a subsidised rate equivalent to the Royal Mail inland first class tariff.

Joint Force Harrier Study Group

Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel, and from which service, were involved in the Joint Force Harrier study group in 2001. [162965]

1 Apr 2004 : Column 1608W

Mr. Ingram: The Joint Force Harrier Capability Working Group was attended by representatives from all key stakeholder areas in the Ministry of Defence. The numbers attending meetings of the group varied due to individuals' availability. Both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force were represented.

Mahon Road Base

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on recent personnel changes at Mahon Road army base in Portadown, Northern Ireland. [164940]

Mr. Ingram: There are currently proposals for a re-organisation of Army brigade headquarters in Northern Ireland with a change from three to two operational brigade headquarters. Such a move is a natural progression after the Police Service for Northern Ireland changed from three to two regions last year and would provide a more effective and efficient command structure. This proposal is currently the subject of consultation with the Trade Unions and other interested parties.

If we proceed with this proposal it will mean the disbandment of Headquarters 3 Infantry Brigade which is currently situated in Mahon Road Barracks. Such a re-organisation will not reduce the current level of support which the armed forces provide to the PSNI, indeed the aim is to provide this support more efficiently. Neither will it result in any significant reduction in the number of soldiers or units deployed to Northern Ireland.

Medical Services

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the standard of medical care available to (a) service personnel and (b) departmental civilian personnel serving in the Vale of York. [165096]

Mr. Caplin: Medical care is provided to Service personnel by the Defence Medical Services to standards at least equal to the National Health Service (NHS). Civilian personnel would receive health service through the local NHS provider.

MOD Properties

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Ministry of Defence properties in the Greater Portsmouth area have been released to (a) Annington Homes and (b) others in each year since 1996; and what projections he has made for further such releases in each of the next five years. [164619]

Mr. Caplin: Since the 1996 Annington Sale Agreement and up to 31 March 2004, 922 underleased properties with a PO (Portsmouth) postcode have been handed back to Annington Homes Ltd., as follows:

	Number
1997	154
1998	197
1999	21
2000	70
2001	241
2002	218
2003	20
2004	1

No other disposal of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) has taken place in the area.

1 Apr 2004 : Column 1609W

Future projections are limited to the next three financial years, and as at 31 March 2004, 273 MOD properties have been identified by the Defence Housing Executive (DHE) in the Portsmouth postcode area for which there is unlikely to be a long-term requirement:

Financial year	Number
2004–05	46
2005–06	47
2006–07	180

The 46 properties in financial year 2004–05 are planned for release to Annington Homes during 2004. Those in other years will be subject to review by the services.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has realised in capital receipts through the release of Ministry of Defence housing in the Greater Portsmouth area in each year since 1996. [164620]

Mr. Caplin: All the service family housing in the Portsmouth area was purchased by Annington Homes Ltd. (AHL) in 1996. Capital receipts do not accrue to MOD from sales of surplus quarters by AHL, but the Government receives a proportion of the profits under the profit share agreement included in the 1996 sale agreement. Profit share from the sale of the 12,000 properties released through AHL since 1996 has amounted to £96 million. The amounts paid in respect of the Portsmouth releases could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many properties in the Greater Portsmouth area Annington Homes has returned to (a) his Department and (b) the open market in each year since 1996. [164621]

Mr. Caplin: The information is as follows.

(a) No former service family housing has been returned to MOD by Annington since 1996.

(b) When MOD hands back properties to Annington, it is Annington's decision whether to rent them out, release them onto the open market, or sell them to developers or social housing providers. The Department is not involved in this process and is not in a position to quote figures.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many properties his Department has obtained in the Greater Portsmouth area for housing purposes in each year since 1996; at what cost and from which source; and what targets have been set for further such acquisitions in each of the next five years. [164622]

1 Apr 2004 : Column 1610W

Mr. Caplin: The Defence Housing Executive's Bristol Bath and Portsmouth PFI project includes 51 houses at Seafield Park, Fareham. Of these, 28 were completed in financial year 2002–03 and 23 in 2003–04. These are the only properties acquired in the Portsmouth area since 1996.

---