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DEFENCE

Arctic Convoys

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations he has received on the award of medals to those who served on the Arctic convoys. [182976]

Mr. Caplin: Since 1 April 2004 the Ministry of Defence has received the following correspondence from hon. Members and members of the public on a medal for service for the Arctic convoys.

Parliamentary questions: 10

Ministerial correspondence: 24

Correspondence and telephone enquiries from members of the public: approximately 65.

A petition of approximately 44,000 names was delivered to my right hon. Friend The Prime Minister on 15 May and has since been passed to the Ministry of Defence.

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether records have been kept of armed forces personnel who served on the convoys to Russia during the Second World War. [182925]

Mr. Caplin: A definitive list of armed forces personnel who served on the convoys to Russia during World War II is not held.

Army Recruitment

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel were recruited to the (a) Green Howards and (b) Prince of Wales's Own Regiment from the Calderdale area in each of the last five years. [183139]

Mr. Caplin: [holding answer 12 July 2004]: Since 2001–02 only one soldier has been enlisted into The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment (PWO) from the Calderdale area. There have been no enlistments to the Green Howards (GH). Statistics prior to this period are not available.

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel were recruited to the Duke of Wellington's Regiment from the (a) Calderdale and (b) West Yorkshire area in each of the last five years. [183140]

 
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Mr. Caplin [holding answer 12 July 2004]: The following table shows the numbers of soldiers enlisted into the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (DWR) from the Calderdale and West Yorkshire area between 1 April 2001 and 31 March 2004. Statistics prior to this period are not available.

Financial year	Calderdale	West Yorkshire (excluding Calderdale)
2001–02	33	72
2002–03	24	70
2003–04	47	53

It should be noted that Infantry recruits are enlisted into a Division and not a specific Regiment. The results in this table may not, therefore, be fully accurate as it reflects those recruits who specified DWR as a 'Preferred Capbadge' on enlisting as recorded on the database of Headquarters Recruiting Group, who oversee the Army's recruiting offices.

All Infantry Regiments recruit soldiers from specific areas, although if a recruit has a particular desire to join a Regiment that recruits from another area they are permitted to choose that Regiment. The area of Calderdale is the recruiting territory of the DWR within the Kings Division, so any potential recruit for the Infantry that joins from the Calderdale area will normally be enlisted into the DWR. The only other Regiment that recruits from the Calderdale area is the Coldstream Guards.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of soldiers in the Scottish infantry regiments were recruited outside Scotland. [183214]

Mr. Caplin [holding answer 12 July 2004]: The following table shows the numbers and percentages of recruits into the Scottish Division for Financial Year 2003–04.

	Number	Percentage of enlistments
Total enlisted into Scottish Division for FY 2003–04	616	—
Enlisted from outside Scotland—British	7	1.14
Enlisted from outside Scotland—Commonwealth	26	4.22
Total enlisted from outside Scotland	33	5.36

The figures do not include the Scots Guards, who are part of the Guards Division, and only reflect the six Battalions of the Scottish Infantry Division. These are The Royal Scots, The Royal Highland Fusiliers, The Kings Own Scottish Borders, The Black Watch, The Highlanders and The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Additionally, of the 26 Commonwealth recruits enlisted into the Scottish Division in FY 2003–04,13 were recruited in Scotland.

Chinook Crash

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the wreckage of flight ZD 576 was put into storage at Fleetlands. [183607]

 
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Mr. Caplin [holding answer 12 July 2004]: The wreckage of Chinook ZD 576 was transferred by the Mobile Aircraft Support Unit from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Branch site at Farnborough, to secure storage at Fleetlands at the end of July 1994.

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps were taken before the final flight of ZD 576 to ensure that the aircraft was airworthy. [183664]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 12 July 2004]: As Pilot, Flt Lt Tapper, carried out the appropriate pre-flight checks and inspections.

Departmental Buildings

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the total floor space area of buildings owned or leased by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies for each year since 1997. [181376]

Mr. Caplin: The only data available is for 1997 and 2002, and covers gross external area (GEA), of freehold property assets owned by the Ministry of Defence. This data is drawn from periodic asset revaluation and comparable information for the other years (as with details of leasehold property) is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Assets belonging to trading funds are also excluded.

The GEA figures include substantial ground assets such as runways and parade grounds as well as buildings. It is estimated that, in 2002, some 42 per cent. of GEA were building assets for the United Kingdom estate as follows:

1997—71.1 million m ² (including 23.1 million m ² owned by its Agencies) of which buildings are estimated at 30.1 million m ² .

2002—62 million m ² (including 21 million m ² owned by its Agencies) of which buildings are estimated at 26 million m ² .

Departmental Library

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many volumes of military publications previously held in his Department's library at New Scotland Yard are held at Chicksands; and to whom it is his intention to dispose of them. [183488]

Mr. Caplin [holding answer 12 July 2004]: Some 80,000 books were transferred from the Ministry of Defence Library in New Scotland Yard to Chicksands. There is no intention to dispose of them.

Departmental Water Consumption/Spending

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much (a) his Department and (b) agencies of the Department have spent on water and sewerage services in each year since 1997. [181374]

Mr. Caplin: I am withholding this information in accordance with Exemption 7a of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. This exemption relates to information whose disclosure could lead to improper gain or advantage or would prejudice the competitive position of the Ministry of Defence.

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes there has been in water consumption by his Department in each year from 1997 to date. [181420]

 
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Mr. Caplin: Information on the Ministry of Defence total water consumption is not held centrally, however, current net water consumption is estimated at 24.2 million m ³ per annum. Comprehensive data collection processes are being establish through the MOD UK-wide Water and Wastewater Public Private Partnership Project (Project Aquatrine) and total water consumption will be reported in the Department's Sustainable Development Report from 2006.

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the non-office sites within his Department's estates which have been identified as being likely to provide opportunities for significant water savings. [181421]

Mr. Caplin: The majority of sites on the Defence estate are categorised as non-office sites. The top 300 water consuming sites account for approximately 80 per cent. of the Ministry of Defence's water consumption. I will write to the hon. Member with a list of these sites and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

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