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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 21 June 2004
DEFENCE
Territorial Army
21. Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were in the Territorial Army on 1 January (a) 1997 and (b) 2004. [179379]
Mr. Caplin: The strength of the Territorial Army (TA) on 1 January 2004 was 38,900. This includes 3,320 Mobilised Reservists.
The hon. Member will recall from my reply to him on 26 January that I am unable to provide comparable figures for 1 January 1997.
Defence GII Agency
22. Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department's study of the future of the Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency's estate will be completed. [179380]
Mr. Ingram: Initial conclusions are expected to be reached late in 2004. However, these will be subject to further consideration within the Department, within the context of other on-going estate studies. No announcement is likely before early 2005.
Joint Strike Fighter
24. Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the US Administration regarding the introduction of the joint strike fighter. [179382]
Mr. Ingram: Ministers and officials regularly discuss the progress of the Joint Strike Fighter programme with our US partners.
Nimrod Project
25. Ms Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress with the Nimrod project. [179383]
Mr. Ingram:
The agreement reached with BAE Systems in February 2003, embodied in a formal contract amendment on 23 February this year, has put the Nimrod MRA4 programme on a much sounder footing for the future. Under the restructured contract, design and development and production have been separated as far as possible, to ensure that technology is adequately de-risked before making further commitment to production price and schedule. The MOD, however, has been approving low risk production activities when it makes sense to do so, where these help maintain essential skills and product knowledge as well as preserve schedule.
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While risks and challenges remain, the development and manufacture of the first three Nimrod MRA4 aircraft to be used in the flight trials programme is well under way and we are making good joint progress towards first flight this summer with the first trial aircraft having successfully undertaken low speed taxy trials at Woodford on 12 June 2004.
Armed Forces Deployment
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which countries members of the UK armed forces are deployed; how many individuals are deployed in each area; on what dates the deployment (a) began and (b) is expected to end; for what purpose the forces were deployed; whether each deployment was at the request of (i) the UN and (ii) another body; and what organisations are in command of UK forces in each area. [177897]
Mr. Ingram: United Kingdom armed forces are deployed overseas on peace-keeping and conflict prevention/resolution operations in the following countries:
| Approx personnel numbers | Year current ops started | UN mission or other | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle East (Inc Iraq) | 9,500 | 2003 | Coalition |
| Bosnia | 800 | 1996 | NATO/UK |
| Afghanistan area | 600 | 2002 | Multinational |
| Cyprus | 410 | 1964 | UN |
| Kosovo | 190 | 1999 | NATO/UK |
| Georgia | 7 | 1993 | UN |
| Sierra Leone | 20 | 1999 | UN |
| Dem Rep of Congo | 5 | 1999 | UN |
| Ethiopia/ Eritrea | 4 | 2000 | UN |
| Liberia | 3 | 2003 | UN |
The UK's participation in all of these operations is kept under regular review. Information on other overseas deployments are provided in the Ministry of Defence's Annual Report and Accounts 2000–2003, and copies are available in the House of Commons Library (ref: HC1125).
UK personnel remain under the ultimate command of the UK at all times. Varying degrees of local command and control are delegated to deployed commanders—including commanders from other UN, Alliance or Coalition members—in order to allow them to complete assigned tasks. In such circumstances, the UK retains a veto over specific missions and tasks given to UK personnel or formations.
Army Medal Office
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what basis, and with what external advice, the site of the Army Medal Office in Droitwich was (a) assessed as being suitable for residential development and (b) valued. [178996]
Mr. Caplin:
The land was assessed as suitable for housing based on earlier informal contacts with the Local Planning Authority and a series of inquiries received from, or on behalf of national housebuilders. In the four years preceding the valuation date, five
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enquiries or re-enquiries were received of this nature. These continued approaches indicated a local demand for building land.
The valuation was prepared by Defence Estates1 own in-house Chartered Surveyors. In making the valuation, due regard was given to knowledge gained from open market residential land transactions, while taking into account the nature of the site at Droitwich.
British Indian Ocean Territories
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which UK armed forces are deployed in the British Indian Ocean territories; and what use they make of the US facilities on Diego Garcia. [179697]
Mr. Ingram: There is a small Royal Navy, Royal Marine and Army detachment deployed on Diego Garcia within the British Forces British Indian Ocean territory. Their use of US facilities extends to accommodation, the recreation facilities and some logistic support.
Dentists
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many dentists there were for every 3,000 members of the armed forces in (a) 1987, (b) 1997 and (c) the latest year for which figures are available. [179227]
Mr. Caplin: The number of dentists for every 3,000 members of the UK regular forces is as follows:
| Number of dentists | |
|---|---|
| 1 April 1987 | 4.16 |
| 1 April 1997 | 4.12 |
| 1 April 2004 | 3.65 |
All figures are rounded to two decimal places.
Flight ZD576
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the wreckage of flight ZD576 is located. [179587]
Mr. Caplin: The wreckage of flight ZD576 is held in secure storage at the Defence Aviation Repair Agency Fleetlands in Hampshire.
Iraq
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes are planned in the nature of the deployment of British troops in Iraq after 30 June. [179370]
Mr. Hoon:
On 30 June, the UK will no longer be an Occupying Power under the terms of the Geneva Conventions in Iraq. The Iraqi Government will increasingly take direct responsibility for security. Prime Minister-designate Dr. Iyad Allawi explained in his letter to the Security Council that he intends to establish appropriate security structures that will allow his Government and Iraqi security forces to progressively assume security responsibility. These structures will include the Prime Minister's Ministerial Committee for National Security which will set a broad framework
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for security policy and to which he will invite representatives from the multinational force as appropriate.
In Multinational Division South-East, British forces will fully support this process. Iraqi local authorities and security forces will take responsibility for local security wherever possible on 30 June, with multinational forces in support.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the current situation in Iraq. [179377]
Mr. Hoon: An Interim Iraqi Government has been chosen and stands ready to assume full sovereignty and authority on 30 June. This marks the end of occupation governed by the Geneva Convention. Details of the political process have been set out in UN Security Council Resolution 1546, which acknowledges the continued role of the multinational force in supporting the Iraqi Government. The UN Electoral Commission is preparing for full elections to the Transitional Assembly before the end of January 2005.
In my visit to Iraq last week, I was able to see for myself the contribution personnel from the United Kingdom are making to Iraq's future. For example, they have trained some 8,000 police in the south. In Baghdad a United Kingdom Ministry of Defence team is helping the Iraqi Minister for Defence set up and develop his department, and officers from the New Iraqi Army are due shortly to begin training at Sandhurst. After 30 June, responsibility for security will pass to the Iraqi Government. The United Kingdom is fully committed to this process and the transition has already started—for example, control of the Iraqi Coastal Defence Forces, which were trained by UK personnel, was passed to the Iraqis on 12 June.
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance British forces have provided to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission regarding military cemeteries and memorials in Iraq. [178605]
Mr. Caplin: British forces have provided security, general clearance and maintenance assistance at cemeteries and memorials in southern Iraq.
The present climate is not conducive to the commencement of any major CWGC projects in Iraq. However, the situation will be re-assessed after the new interim Government of Iraq has assumed its responsibilities.
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the names are of those individuals reported to have been killed or injured as a result of action by Armed Forces personnel in Iraq in whose cases the commanding officer of the regiment concerned decided there was no case to answer. [179011]
Mr. Ingram:
I am withholding the names of alleged Iraqi victims of abuse at the hands of UK soldiers, where these individuals are still living, in accordance with Exemption 12 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. Information on the numbers of cases where the commanding officer decided there was no case to answer is currently being collated from unit records.
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Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cases of (a) dysentery and (b) similar conditions were reported by British Forces serving in Iraq in the year ending 31 March. [176374]
Mr. Ingram: For the year ending 31 March 2004, 50 suspected cases of dysentery were reported. Central records of similar disorders are not held, and it would not be possible to calculate these except at disproportionate cost.
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