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Departmental Executive Agencies

Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list place in the Library copies of the annual report and accounts for the (a) Fleet Air Arm Museum, (b) Royal Marines Museum, (c) Royal Naval Museum, (d) Royal Navy Submarine Museum, (e) National Army Museum and (f) Royal Air Force Museum for financial years 1997–98 to 2001–02. [172123]

Mr. Caplin: Yes.

Equipment Service Dates

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the forecast in-service date was on 31 March 1997 for the Advanced Air-Launched Anti-Armour Weapon; [170366]

(2) what the forecast in-service date was on 31 March 1998 for the High Velocity Missile System; [170367]

(3) what the forecast in-service date was on 31 March 1999 for the (a) High Velocity Missile System and (b) Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile. [170368]

Mr. Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the library of the House.

Royal Naval Engineering Artificer

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the title of Royal Naval Engineering Artificer is to be replaced by Engineering Technician; and whether there will be a change in the standards expected of occupants of the post. [172858]

Mr. Caplin: A review of the structure, organisation and training of both the Warfare and Engineering Branches of the Royal Navy is currently taking place. It is probable that the term Engineering Technician will be adopted for all members of the Engineering Branch below the rank of Commissioned Officer, replacing the Artificer and Mechanic titles currently in use. The title Artificer no longer adequately describes the professional role that those personnel undertake in the modern Navy. Replacing them 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.

The fleet continues to require highly trained and experienced personnel to provide the necessary technical support to ensure that the Royal Navy delivers its full range of operational capability. An expected outcome from the current review is that training will be better targeted through a career, and that naval Engineering Technicians who complete the training satisfactorily will be awarded a Foundation Degree, reflecting the comprehensive set of skills that they will possess.

Saudi Armed Forces Project Office

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions have taken place between BAE Systems and the Department regarding the Saudi Armed Forces Project office of the Ministry of Defence between 2000 and 2002; when these discussions took
 
13 May 2004 : Column 558W
 
place; what the nature of each discussion was; what the   outcome of each was; and if he will make a statement. [171609]

Mr. Ingram: The Saudi Armed Forces Project, which is a part of the Ministry of Defence, is responsible for fulfilling the MOD's obligations in respect of the Al Yamamah (AY) programme. This includes monitoring the progress and performance of the programme prime contractor, BAE Systems, in the delivery of goods and services supplied to the Saudi Armed Forces. In this role and as the Department's focal point for AY matters, there is daily contact between members of the Project and representatives of BAE Systems on a wide range of issues affecting the performance of the AY contracts.

Support Vehicles

Mr. Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the reliability of the Oshkosh support vehicles currently deployed in Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [171575]

Mr. Ingram: I assume that the Oshkosh support vehicles to which you refer are the Heavy Equipment Transporters. A fleet of 16 was deployed to Iraq in November 2003, and their reliability is assessed on a monthly basis against Key Performance Indicators. To date, these have all been achieved.

Sustainable Development

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to promote the delivery of sustainable development within Government. [171804]

Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence fully supports the Sustainable Development in Government Initiative. We have been working actively with the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the development of targets in respect of the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate.

For each of the Framework targets published to date (environmental management systems, travel, water, biodiversity and energy), the Department has published a statement within the timeframe required, outlining the steps it will take to address the targets.

The MOD contributes data to the annual Government Report on Sustainable Development report produced by DEFRA. Details of the Department's progress are available in the 2nd Annual Report (2003). The MOD will be producing an annual sustainable development report in November 2004.

We are also engaged in the current review of the UK Sustainable Development Strategy.

In addition MOD is working on its own Sustainable Development Strategy.

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made with his Department's Sustainable Development Strategy. [171805]

Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence has been developing its own Sustainable Development Strategy (which will support its activities) based on the Government's existing strategy. We intend to publish a summary version in the near future.
 
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In addition to its own Strategy, MOD contributes to the wider framework for sustainable development on the Government estate led by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. MOD has published a statement for each of the framework targets published to date (environmental management system, travel, water, biodiversity and energy) outlining the steps it will take them to address them.

Territorial Army

Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total strength of the Territorial Army was on 1 May; how many of its members are deployed abroad; and in which countries. [172118]

Mr. Caplin: The information requested is not yet available. For the most recent figures relating to the strength of the Territorial Army (TA) and numbers deployed, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 April 2004, Official Report, column 728W, to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock).

The countries in which members of the TA are currently deployed are Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan.

Timber

Ms. Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department plans to contribute financially to the establishment of the second phase of the Central Point of Expertise on Timber. [167626]

Mr. Caplin: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to her on 10 May 2004, Official Report, column 31W, by   my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Environment and Agri-Environment.

Weapons Testing

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether (a) his Department, (b) non-departmental public bodies or executive agencies responsible to his Department and (c) consultants contracted to his Department used non-human primates in experiments to test the effects of weapons in each of the last three years. [170996]

Mr. Ingram: The only work carried out or sponsored by the Ministry of Defence on non-human primates is that undertaken by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, (an agency of MOD) which has during the last three years conducted work using non-human primates to assess the effects and significance of human exposure to nerve agents and to develop medical countermeasures as appropriate. Additionally, work has been conducted in collaboration with allies to evaluate the performance and safety of protective countermeasures, for example, new vaccines against biological warfare agents.

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