Previous Section Index Home Page

17 May 2004 : Column 667W—continued

Radioactive Material

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the occasions since 1 May 1997 when radioactive material has been unaccounted
 
17 May 2004 : Column 668W
 
for,   broken down by (a) location, (b) volume and (c) radioactivity level of the material; and whether the material remains missing in each case. [173142]

Mr. Caplin [holding answer 14 May 2004]: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

RAF (Medical Personnel)

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for   Defence what the strength of the RAF Medical Services is, broken down by (a) service, (b) rank, (c) specialisation and (d) establishment. [169996]

Mr. Caplin: Tables 1 and 2 show the strength of personnel in the RAF Medical Services, by rank and specialisation. Table 3 details the number of RAF medical personnel by Ministry of Defence establishment. These figures do not include dental officers and other ranks.

Those deployed on operations are not shown separately but are recorded at their home unit.

All figures are correct as at 1 April 2004.
Table 1: Officer ranks

Specialism
RankMedical officerMedical supportPrincess Mary Royal Air Force Nursing ServiceTotal
Air Vice Marshall11
Air Commodore77
Group Captain201122
Wing Commander62111184
Squadron Leader591846123
Flight Lieutenant513057138
Flight Officer1210426
Pilot Officer/Acting Pilot
      Officer/Officer Cadet
33336
Total24573119437

Table 2: Other ranks

SpecialismWarrant OfficerFlight SergeantChief TechnicianSergeantCorporalJunior TechnicianSenior AircraftsmanLeading Aircraftsman/ AircraftsmanTotal
Pharmaceutical technicians125511520
Laboratory technicians17104224
Radiographers36311115
Staff nurse (Registered Mental Nurse)513725
Operational theatre1512162330
Environmental health technician1672147542
Medical administration234321301112377
Medical assistant5265137407
Staff nurse (Registered General Nurse)4211239635630333
Total31922306300273341811,273

Table 3: Locations of officer and other ranks

LocationNumbers of personnel:
Officer ranks
Numbers of personnel:
Other ranks
Total
Aldergrove Northern Ireland21416
Aldershot Duller Barracks11
Aldershot DMSTC (Keogh Barracks)4106110
Armed Forces Careers Office, Belfast11
Armed Forces Careers Office, Newcastle11
Armed Forces Careers Office, Nottingham11
Defence Academy Shrivenham11
Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering Cosford11819
Defence Community Psychiatry Catterick22
Defence Dental Agency HQ Halton22
Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headly Court51520
Defence Medical Services HQ London27128
Defence School of Transport Leconfield22
Department Community Psychiatry Shrewsbury123
DMETA, Gosport448
External Training52961
Gosport Fort Blockhouse Defence Medical College5555
HQ DISC Support Unit, Chicksands11
Joint Personnel Administration Worthy Down11
Joint Services Command and Staff College Defence Academy Shrivenham22
JSU RMC22
Lossiemouth31417
MDHU Derriford Plymouth66
MDHU Frimley Park33
MDHU Haslar, Portsmouth2384107
MDHU Peterborough4192133
Medical Supply Agency Ludgeshall314
MoD Fire Centre Manston33
Northolt1010
Overseas not deployed2676102
Permanent Joint Headquarters Northwood11
RAF Benson31922
RAF Bentley Priory SHU22
RAF Boulmer99
RAF Brampton2222
RAF Brize Norton64147
RAF Buchan145
RAF Coltishall31417
RAF Conningsby11213
RAF Corsham55
RAF Cosford22
RAF Cottesmore21719
RAF Digby77
RAF Fylingdales22
RAF Halton48791
RAF Henlow592685
RAF High Wycombe61723
RAF Honington21719
RAF Innsworth464288
RAF Kinloss21921
RAF Leeming21618
RAF Leuchars21921
RAF Linton on Ouse21921
RAF Lyneham2685111
RAF Marham42832
RAF Odiham22022
RAF Saxa Vord11
RAF Sealand Support Unit99
RAF Shawbury11314
RAF Spadeadam22
RAF St. Athan Support Unit1414
RAF St. Mawgan66
RAF Stafford88
RAF Uxbridge77
RAF Valley11112
RAF Waddington21618
RAF Wittering21517
RAF/RAFC Cranwell234164
RAFSU Boscombe Down33
Royal Centre of Defence Medicine Selly Oak285886
Royal Military College of Science Shrivenham11
St Thomas' Hospital London11
Totals4371,2731,710








 
17 May 2004 : Column 671W
 

RAF Bases

Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the savings projected from the transfer of functions from RAF Boulmer to RAF Scampton are assumed to derive from savings in (a) personnel costs, (b) maintenance and infrastucture running costs and (c) depreciation and capital charges. [172987]

Mr. Ingram: The Prime Minister's letter of 21 April to the right hon. Member explained that the estimated net running cost saving from the transfer of functions from RAF Boulmer to RAF Scampton is £13 million a year. Some three fifths of this is attributable to personnel costs and one fifth to maintenance and infrastructure running costs. In accordance with standard accounting practice, depreciation and capital charges were not included in the Investment Appraisal.

Special Service Medal (Nuclear Testing)

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which members and former members of the UK's armed forces will be entitled to qualify for the Special Service Medal (Nuclear Testing) approved by Royal Warrant SR2002/224; and if he will make a statement. [173529]

Mr. Caplin: None. The Special Service Medal (Nuclear Testing) was instituted by the Government of New Zealand in 2002. Retrospective awards instituted by Commonwealth countries with the permission of Her Majesty The Queen are the sole responsibility of the countries concerned.

Watchkeeper Programme

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress with the Watchkeeper programme. [173372]

Mr. Ingram: The Watchkeeper programme will deliver, incrementally, an intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability using tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Proposals for the demonstration and manufacture phase of the Watchkeeper project were received from Northrop Grumman and Thales on 18 March 2004 and are currently being assessed. The main investment decision is due later this year.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Citizens (Deaths Abroad)

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens were (a) killed and (b) murdered while living in or visiting another country in each of the last three years, broken down by the country in which the deaths occurred. [171255]

Mr. Mullin [holding answer 13 May 2004]: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office collected data on how British citizens died overseas on an informal basis until the end of the 2001–02 Financial Year period. Our records show that the total number of British citizens reported as killed overseas in 1999–2000 was 200, in
 
17 May 2004 : Column 672W
 
2000–01 was 308 and in 2001–02 was 216. Our records show that the total number of British citizens reported as murdered overseas in 1999–2000 was 27, in 2000–01 was 43 and in 2001–02 was 95.


Next Section Index Home Page