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22 Jun 2004 : Column 1297W—continued

Gulf War Syndrome

Mr. Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will instruct his Department and other relevant Government Departments to offer support and co-operation to the Royal British Legion's inquiry into illnesses suffered by UK troops who served in the 1991 Gulf War. [179292]

Mr. Caplin [holding answer 17 June 2004]: I assume the hon. Member is referring to the investigation that the right hon. Lord Morris of Manchester has announced he is setting up under the chairmanship of the right hon. Lord Lloyd of Berwick. At this stage we have insufficient detail about the investigation to form a decision about the approach the Ministry of Defence might take.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his written statement of 8 June 2004, Official Report, columns 4–5WS, on Iraq, what the (a) names of the individuals and (b) dates of the incidents concerned are in the new investigations into deaths in Iraq started since 4 May. [179035]

Mr. Ingram: Of the new investigations started since 4 May, five relate to incidents where it was reported that Iraqi civilians probably died. These incidents occurred on 3, 8 (two incidents), 10 and 14 May 2004. All these incidents occurred when UK soldiers were attacked and returned fire. It has not yet been possible to ascertain the identities of those believed killed or to confirm the numbers of dead owing to the situation on the ground.

Memorial Services (Sponsorship)

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) in what years his Department proposes
 
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to discontinue official sponsorship or support for memorial services for veterans of (a) the Battle of Britain, (b) the Battle of the Atlantic and (c) other notable engagements of United Kingdom forces in the Second World War; [177950]

(2) for what reason memorial services for veterans of some notable engagements of United Kingdom forces in the Second World War are being sponsored or supported for longer periods after the event concerned than others. [177951]

Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence will work with organisers and veterans with a view to providing representation at commemorative services for as long as they themselves request such participation.

There are no plans to discontinue official support, other than as a result of the above process.

Race Hate Literature

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he has taken to prohibit the possession and distribution of race hate literature in the armed services; and under what regulations disciplinary action may be taken against (a) a commissioned officer and (b) a non-commissioned officer if found in possession of such materials on army facilities. [179120]

Mr. Ingram: The armed forces demand high standards of conduct from all personnel and do not tolerate harassment, discrimination or bullying in any form. Policies, practices and procedures within the framework of the law exist to combat unacceptable behaviour. All complaints are taken seriously, investigated thoroughly and, in cases where discrimination or harassment is proven, dealt with robustly.

Any service person suspected of having committed a criminal offence under the Public Order Act 1986 or a military offence as a result of being found in possession of racially inflammatory material may be charged under the appropriate section of the Service Discipline Acts or subject to administrative action in accordance with service regulations.

SABR Helicopter Project

Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what formal linkage there is between jobs in the UK defence industry and the SABR helicopter project. [179254]

Mr. Ingram: There is no formal linkage between United Kingdom jobs and the Support, Amphibious and Battlefield Rotorcraft (SABR) helicopter project. The SABR project could offer an excellent opportunity for UK industry to secure future business and, in line with the Defence Industrial Policy, the benefit to the UK economy will be taken into account in determining our procurement strategy.

Saudi Arabia

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2004, Official Report, column 1346W, on Al-Yamamah contracts,
 
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what the name was of the successor to the Al-Yamamah project within the Royal Saudi Air Force to whom he was introduced. [178757]

Mr. Hoon: This information is confidential between the two Governments, and I am therefore withholding it under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Spanish Ports

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy ships have called at Spanish ports since 1 May, broken down by type. [179291]

Mr. Ingram: There have been seven visits by Royal Navy ships to Spanish ports since 1 May 2004 until 16 June 2004 comprising one Type 22 Frigate, two Type 23 Frigates, three Type 42 Destroyers and one Hunt Class Mine Countermeasure Vessel (MCMV).

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Gaelic (Broadcasting)

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to promote Gaelic television and radio broadcasts. [179466]

Estelle Morris: The Government are keen to see a better deal for the future of Gaelic broadcasting, and will ensure that this informs discussions on the BBC Charter Review and the future of digital broadcasting more widely. We will co-ordinate fully with Scottish Ministers, given their responsibility for funding the Gaelic Media Service.

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many hours of Gaelic programmes were broadcast by (a) BBC1 Scotland, (b) BBC2 and (c) Radio Scotland in each of the last three years. [179467]

Estelle Morris: The number of hours of Gaelic programmes broadcast per year is shown in the table.

	Number of hours
BBC1 Scotland
2001–02	62.34
2002–03	22.67
2003–04	0.00
BBC2
2001–02	86.32
2002–03	116.20
2003–04	162.48
Radio nan Gaidheal(1)
2001–02	2,496.46
2002–03	3,042.64
2003–04	3,300.6

⁽¹⁾ No Gaelic programmes were broadcast on Radio Scotland

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many hours of Gaelic children's programmes were broadcast on television channels in each of the last three years. [179468]

 
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Estelle Morris: The number of hours of Gaelic children's programmes broadcast on television in the last three years is shown in the table:

	Number of hours
Scottish and Grampian TV
2001	13
2002	13
2003	7
BBC
2001–02	63.5
2002–03	65.03
2003–04	79.4
TeleG
2001	64
2002	65
2003	103

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received from Gaelic groups concerning Gaelic television and radio broadcasting. [179469]

Estelle Morris: This year the Department has received a representation from the Celtic Film and Television Festival concerning Gaelic television and radio broadcasting. In addition, the Minister for Media and Heritage recently met with the Chairman of the Gaelic Media Service.

We also received four responses from Gaelic groups to the BBC Charter Review consultation.

New Opportunities Fund

Matthew Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money the New Opportunities Fund was allocated in 2003–04; and whether any of this money has not been committed. [179942]

Estelle Morris: The New Opportunities Fund receives one third of money raised by the National Lottery, and distributes it to projects benefiting health, education and the environment. It also receives interest on money raised for the Fund, until it is passed on to project operators.

In the financial year 2003–04, the Fund received £432,951,952.49 from the Lottery and £24,571,088.29 in interest.

At the end of the year, the Fund held a total balance of £737,229,804 and had outstanding commitments of £1,144 billion. The Fund was therefore over-committed by £407 million, or 55.2 per cent.

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