---

6 May 2004 : Column 1713W—continued

Iraq

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what payments his Department has made to private military companies working in Iraq. [166132]

Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has not employed private military companies in Iraq. It has not, therefore, made any payments to such companies.

Nuclear Installations (Aircraft Incidents)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list each near miss incident involving RAF aircraft and United Kingdom nuclear installations reported to his Department in each year since 2000; and if he will place copies of the report on each incident in the Library. [165158]

 
6 May 2004 : Column 1714W
 

Mr. Ingram: [Pursuant to his reply, 27 April 2004 Official Report, columns 873–74W] Further work identified some inconsistencies in the recording of the alleged incidents. The table now reflects the year that the alleged incident occurred.

	Total number of alleged incidents	Total confirmed breach	Under investigation
2000	12	—	—
2001	20	1	—
2002	13	2	—
2003	13	2	—
2004 (up to 31 March 04)	1	—	1

Nuclear Safety

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what monitoring programmes are in place to assess the health of present and former Royal Naval and MoD contracted personnel who have worked on nuclear submarine refits. [170230]

Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence and its contractors carry out medical surveillance of radiation workers as required by Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999, Regulation 24. These regulations lay      down monitoring and medical surveillance requirements for personnel while occupationally exposed to ionising radiation. The main purpose of medical surveillance is to determine an individual's fitness or continuing fitness for the intended work with ionising radiation. There is no mandatory requirement for a health monitoring programme for former personnel who have worked on nuclear submarine refits and I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Health on 15 December 2003, Official Report, column 785W to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock).

MOD and its contractors at the Royal Dockyards however, provide an independent counselling service for radiation workers, former radiation workers and their families who have concerns about their health consequent of their work with radiation.

Individuals may request counselling by telephoning the Counselling Telephone line (02392 768098) and leaving their names and addresses or by writing to the MOD Counselling Registry at DSTL Radiological Protection Services, Crescent Road, Alverstoke, Gosport, Hants, PO12 2DL. Further details are available on the world wide web at: http://www.mod.uk/dsef/hp/rwc.htm.

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what estimates have recently been made of the safety of levels of radiation regarded as acceptable when early generations of nuclear submarines were being refitted; and if he will authorise a new assessment; [170231]

(2) what assessment his Department has made of the likelihood that individuals involved in past nuclear submarine refits have (a) been exposed to cancer-causing levels of radiation and (b) developed cancer as a result. [170229]

 
6 May 2004 : Column 1715W
 

Mr. Ingram: Radiation exposure is kept as low as reasonably practicable and within the dose limits recommended by the International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP) and specified in the United Kingdom legislation. Both the ICRP and UK regulations are regularly reviewed and updated. Therefore, there is no need for the Ministry of Defence to make its own assessment.

Those workers most exposed to ionising radiation, known as classified persons, have their exposure assessed using radiation dosimeters issued by an Approved Dosimetry Service and entered into their radiation dose record. The Ministry of Defence contributes its data on classified persons to the National Registry of Radiation Workers (NRRW) managed by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB). The NRRW data are used in epidemiological studies. In an analysis of the data, published in July 1999, the NRPB concluded that overall death rates among radiation workers are below those in the general population. The analysis contained 124,743 workers, of which about one third were Ministry of Defence radiation workers or former radiation workers. The NRPB is intending to undertaker the next analysis in 2005–06.

RAF Medical Centres

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the standard of medical care available to aircrew manning Quick Reaction Alert aircraft at (a) RAF Leeming, (b) RAF Leuchars and (c) RAF Coningsby. [169993]

Mr. Caplin: All RAF medical centres are regularly inspected as part of the RAF's Formal Governance Visit programme. This programme involves a formal command level inspection of medical standards and working practices every two years, with self-assessment questionnaires being completed in the intervening years. All of the Quick Reaction Alert medical centres were assessed as satisfactory at their last inspections.

RAF Benson

Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what representations he has received from members of the local community with regard to the future of RAF Benson; [169789]

(2) what assessment he has made of the economic costs to the local community were RAF Benson to close. [169791]

Mr. Caplin: I made clear to the House in my Written Statement of 23 March Official Report, columns 47WS-48WS, that the Ministry of Defence is continually examining ways of improving military capability and value for money for the taxpayer. As part of this approach, we therefore keep the size and location of our bases under constant review. No decisions have been made regarding the future of RAF Benson. No assessment on the economic costs to the local community of any closure has been made.
 
6 May 2004 : Column 1716W
 

In addition to the two letters from the hon. Gentleman, the Ministry of Defence has received one letter from the hon. Member for Wantage (Mr. Jackson). RAF Benson has received a letter from the local Chamber of Commerce.

Royal Navy (Job Titles)

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the title of engineering artificer is to be replaced by that of engineering technician in the Royal Navy; what consultations were undertaken with non-commissioned Royal Naval personnel before the decision was taken; and if he will make a statement on the future of engineering apprenticeships in the Royal Navy. [170227]

Mr. Caplin: The title artificer no longer adequately describes the professional role that those personnel undertake in the modern Navy. Replacing it with Engineering Technicians will align the Navy with the standards of competence published by the Engineering Council United Kingdom, and refresh the image of this key role against increasingly competitive recruitment market forces.

There has been wide consultation with Royal Navy Engineering Branch personnel of all ranks and rates during this review, covering all aspects of the proposals, including the title change.

It is expected that satisfactory completion of Technician training will be recognised by the award of a Foundation Degree, providing the opportunity, for those who wish, to study to Bachelor Degree level, thereby enabling them to aspire to accreditation as Incorporated Engineers. The quality of the skilled, technically trained men and women provided to support the Fleet will be undiminished.

Trident Nuclear Warhead

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) life of the current design of the Trident missile and (b) maximum life of the Trident missile system is; and if he will make a statement. [170350]

Mr. Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 February 2004, Official Report, column 1458W to the hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Julian Lewis).

---