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Transport Statistics

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the average journey time between central London and the centre of (a) Manchester, (b) Edinburgh, (c) Bristol and (d) Newcastle by (i) air, (ii) rail, (iii) lorry and (iv) car, including, in the case of air, check-in time at the airport. [182376]

Mr. McNulty: Data on journey times by mode between these cities are not held centrally.

Travel Costs

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the travel costs were of civil servants in (a) his Department, (b) its predecessor Department and (c) its related agencies in each year since 1997. [183892]

Mr. McNulty: The Department for Transport came into existence on 29 May 2002 following Machinery of Government changes. The total travel and subsistence costs for civil servants in the Department for fiscal year 2002–03 were £1,606,589, and for 2003–04 were £1,919,678. Information for earlier years can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The totals for the Department's agencies in the same years were £18,696,176 (2002–03), and £21,975,803 (2003–04).

All travel undertaken by civil servants in the Department for Transport complied with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code.

DEFENCE

Iraq

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether British troops charged with torture or mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq could be tried in an Iraqi court under Iraqi law. [183244]

 
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Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave on 1 July 2004, Official Report, column 432W, to the right hon. Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram). British troops serving in Iraq have immunity under Coalition Provisional Authority Order 17.

United Kingdom armed forces, wherever they operate in the world, are subject to English criminal law. They can be tried by court martial for acts committed overseas if those acts would constitute a criminal offence if committed in the UK.

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when and in what circumstances Ministers were first informed of the practice of hooding; what the nature of the practice was; and what the reasons were for its abandonment. [183944]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 20 July 2004]: The hooding of detainees for the purposes of arrest or transit was a standard procedure for United Kingdom troops prior to Operation Telic and, as such, was not specifically brought to the attention of Ministers. The UK believes that hooding during arrest and transit is acceptable when there is a strong military reason, for example to offer security to our own forces and locations or to provide protection to the detainee (through the prevention of identification by other detainees).

Military commanders became aware that the practice of hooding could be harmful to prisoners, especially if it was applied inappropriately. They judged that these concerns outweighed the military justification for the continued use of hooding as a means of blindfolding, and that the most prudent, immediate response was to introduce a ban.

Mr. Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment were (a) awarded medals and (b) mentioned in despatches following their recent deployment in Iraq. [184500]

Mr. Caplin: Following their recent deployment to Iraq (from June 2003 to November 2003), four personnel from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment were awarded medals and two were Mentioned in Despatches.

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 7 July 2004, Official Report, column 721W, on Iraq, why he decided to publish the extracts from the document. [185600]

Mr. Hoon [holding answer 20 July 2004]: The extract contained the relevant information.

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether he was informed in July 2003 that the SIS had, in that month, withdrawn reporting from a source who claimed that production of biological and chemical agents had been accelerated by the Iraqi regime, because the source of the reporting had subsequently been deemed unreliable; [185656]

(2) when he was informed that SIS had withdrawn reporting from the source who claimed that production of biological and chemical agents had been accelerated by the Iraqi regime, because the source of the reporting had subsequently been deemed unreliable. [185691]

 
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Mr. Hoon: I first became aware that SIS had withdrawn the reports as a result of the Butler Review.

European Rapid Reaction Force

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the costs of participation in the European Rapid Reaction Force. [185202]

Mr. Hoon: There is no standing European Rapid Reaction Force. National forces declared under the Helsinki Headline Goal are made available to European Union operations on a voluntary, case-by-case basis, as for NATO or United Nations operations. United Kingdom contributions to such operations are provided from within existing forces.

Management Groups

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the responsibilities of the (a) Defence Housing Executive, (b) Defence Medical Training Organisation, (c) Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency, (d) Policy Director, (e) Deputy Chief Defence Staff (Equipment Capability), (f) Chief of Defence Intelligence, (g) Defence Intelligence and Security Centre, (h) Internal costs, (i) Programme Account and (j) Nuclear Management Groups. [181747]

Mr. Caplin: The responsibilities of the management groupings requested are listed as follows:

(a) This organisation ceased to exist on 31 March 2003 when it was absorbed into Defence Estates.

(b) This organisation ceased to exist on 31 March 2003 following the formation of Defence Medical Education and Training Agency (DMETA).

(c) This Agency, owned by the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Personnel (DCDS(Pers)), contributes to operational effectiveness through the provision of pay and administration services to Service personnel. In addition, the Agency provides direct support to the mobilization of reservists and the deployment of improved Operational Manpower systems.

(d) The Policy Director is responsible for future defence policy and international security policy.

(e) The Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Equipment Capability) heads the Equipment Capability Customer organisation, whose role is to develop an integrated and affordable equipment programme that meets Defence capability requirements, and to drive the delivery of new and enhanced military capability.

(f) The Chief of Defence Intelligence is responsible for the provision of defence intelligence to the MOD, the armed forces, wider Government and allies. His areas of responsibility encompass the Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS) including its agencies, the Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency and the Defence Intelligence and Security Centre.

(g) Training in security, languages, intelligence and photography takes place at the Defence Intelligence and Security Centre, who also provide advice on intelligence and security policy.
 
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(h) This Management Group was discontinued with effect from 31 March 2004. It has been merged with (i) Programme Account.

(i) The responsibilities of the Programme Account Management Group are: the purchase of new equipment systems and associated weapons including major upgrade programmes and system procurement expenses such as studies and the management and funding of Defence Procurement Agency staff, accommodation and all related activities.

(j) The responsibilities of the Nuclear Management Group are; to sustain a safe and effective Nuclear Warhead capability and to discharge MOD's liabilities for waste management and decommissioning at the sites of BNFL and UKAEA.

Further information on individual defence agencies is available in the Library of the House of Commons.

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the responsibilities of the (a) Fleet, (b) General Officer Commanding (Northern Ireland), (c) Field Army, (d) 1st (UK) Armoured Division, (e) 2nd Division, (f) 3rd Division, (g) 4th Division, (h) 5th Division, (i) UK Support Command (Germany), (j) Joint Helicopter Command and (k) Land Support management groups. [181779]

Mr. Caplin: The responsibilities of the management groupings requested are listed as follows:

(a) The Commander-in-Chief Fleet ensures the Royal Navy carries out its responsibilities by delivering an effective and capable Fleet based on flexible support, the continuous development of people, organisations and capability and through the most efficient use of resources.

(b) It is the responsibility of the GOC NI to implement policy in accordance with Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of General Staff Directives and to support the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in the defeat of terrorism and in the maintenance of Public Order in order to assist HMG's objective of returning to normality.

(c) Exercising operational command of the Field Army and training designated forces for war and other operations in order to provide military capability in the right place, at the right time in the most cost effective manner.

(d) 1st (UK) Armoured Division is to maintain and where possible enhance the Division's capabilities with emphasis on war in order to set the conditions for future success on operations.

(e) 2nd Division is to provide the most effective regional command and infrastructure support to all formations and units within Scotland and the North of England in order to enable Commander Regional Forces to deliver the required military capability and infrastructure support to CinC LAND.
 
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(f) 3rd (UK) Division is to exercise operational command, train designated forces for war and other operations, and conduct operations as directed in order to provide military capability within readiness.

(g) 4th Division is to deliver, and where possible enhance, both military capability and the provision of infrastructure support to designated formations and units.

(h) 5th Division is to provide the most effective regional command and infrastructure support to all formations and units within its geographical area in order to enable Commander Regional Forces to deliver and, where possible, enhance the required military capability and infrastructure support to CinC LAND.

(i) The mission of United Kingdom Support Command (Germany) is to deliver, and where possible enhance, both military capability and the provision of infrastructure support to designated formations and units.

(j) Commander Joint Helicopter Command's primary role is to deliver and sustain effective Battlefield Helicopter and Air Assault assets, operationally capable under all environmental conditions, in order to support UK's defence missions and tasks.

(k) Land Support Management Group exists to effectively manage the resources of Headquarters Land Command, and the overall Communication Information Systems requirement for Land Command.

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