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13 Sept 2004 : Column 1437W—continued
Satellite and Cable TV Subscriptions
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost of satellite and cable subscriptions in his Department's buildings was in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will list the premium channels to which his Department subscribes. [185783]
Phil Hope: In 2003–04, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister spent £21,310 inc. VAT on cable and satellite subscriptions. This comprised £1,750 on satellite and £19,560 on cable subscriptions. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister subscribes to the cheapest available business package. This includes no premium channels although until November 2003 it included Sky Sports 1.
In the London HQ buildings the business of the House and division bells are also delivered over the cable network.
Although the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has overall responsibility for the buildings occupied by Government Offices, they carry out functions on behalf of 10 Departments.
Unauthorised Caravanning
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to coordinate policy, law and collection of statistics between the administrations in the common travel area for unauthorised caravanning and encampments. [188236]
Keith Hill: Strong links already exist between the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Republic of Ireland's Department of the Environment in respect of Gypsy and Traveller policy. There have been recent official-level discussions on policy, law and data collection as part of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Review of Gypsy and Traveller policy. These discussions will inform the recommendations of the Review.
Robust laws and guidance are in place in both the UK and the Republic to deal with incidents of unauthorised camping. In addition, statistical data on the nomadic Gypsy and Traveller community is collected and published twice yearly in England, and yearly in the Republic.
DEFENCE
Designated Accommodation
Bob Spink:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many rooms are set aside for (a) the use of smokers, (b) worship, broken down by religion and
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(c) nursing mothers and pregnant women in each building and set of offices for which his Department is responsible. [187310]
Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence is fully committed to providing a safe environment and workplace where all staff are valued and respected irrespective of different background and cultures.
The provision of dedicated rooms for the areas covered in the question is not a central responsibility, but a matter for each individual Head of Establishment. Records are not held centrally and to gather and collate such information would incur disproportionate costs.
HMS Daedalus
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the expressions of interest in HMS Daedalus that he has received. [188144]
Mr. Caplin: As a result of English Partnership's 40-day consultation with other Government Departments, two 'Expressions of Interest' have been received as Priority Assessment Reports from the Maritime Coastguard Agency (Department of Transport) and the South-East England Development Agency.
MOD Estate (Northern Ireland)
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the size of the Ministry of Defence estate in Northern Ireland. [187422]
Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence estate in Northern Ireland currently consists of:
2751.643 Ha Freehold
274.522 Ha Leasehold
and 566.037 Ha Licensed land.
Separated Service Recording Systems
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much separated service was recorded by the (a) RAF Separated Service Recording System in each year since 2002 and (b) Navy Separated Service Recording System in each year since 2001. [187126]
Mr. Caplin: The information is as follows:
The following table shows Separated Service recorded by the RAF Separated Service Recording System in each year since 2002.
| Number of personnel spending time on Separated Service | Number of instances of Separated Service | Number of days spent on Separated Service | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 35,400 | 109,600 | 2,205,500 |
| 2003 | 35,300 | 110.400 | 2,236,700 |
| 2004 (up to 30 June) | 27,300 | 60,900 | 925,100 |
Separated service includes deployment, training for deployment and routine tasks and routine training courses.
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A system for recording separated service has been implemented, but data is still being gathered and problems have arisen in transferring data from ships and units to the central systems. The coverage of the data is therefore still insufficient to allow meaningful statistical analysis at this time.
SERCO-Denholm
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2004, Official Report, columns 1356–57W, on SERCO-Denholm, whether it is his policy that the pension rights of these workers should be equivalent to the pension rights that they would have obtained had they remained in the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme throughout their period of employment with the new employer; and if he will make a statement. [187832]
Mr. Caplin [holding answer 8 September 2004]: The transfer of Ministry of Defence employees to SERCO-Denholm, following the Marine Services Market Test, reflected the accepted practice at that time, namely that the pension scheme would be broadly comparable to the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme at the point of transfer. Subsequently, the policy was changed under the Government's code of practice entitled 'Transfer of Government Staff: A Fair Deal for Pensions', which was issued in 1999 and expanded in June 2004. When Government employees are transferred under the 'Fair Deal' policy, a broadly comparable scheme and bulk transfer terms have to be considered in any second and subsequent generation transfers.
Strategic Missile Defence
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his Danish counterpart on strategic missile defence; and if he will make a statement. [188089]
Mr. Hoon: I have had no recent discussions on missile defence with my Danish counterpart. Officials keep in touch with the Danish authorities on matters of common interest relating to missile defence.
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Government's policy is on stationing strategic missile defence sites on the UK mainland; and if he will make a statement. [188090]
Mr. Hoon: The Government have not reached a decision on whether to acquire a strategic ballistic missile defence capability for the United Kingdom. The UK has agreed only to the use of RAF Fylingdales as part of the United States missile defence system.
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from his US counterpart on the proposal for strategic missile defence stations to be situated in Central Europe. [188091]
Mr. Hoon:
I have received no such representations on the issue of strategic missile defence stations in Central Europe. Officials keep in close touch with the US Administration as well as with NATO allies, on missile defence issues, including the offer by the US to extend missile defences to friends and allies.
13 Sept 2004 : Column 1440W
Territorial Army (Iraq)
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his appraisal is of the role of the Territorial Army in the Iraq war and subsequent peace-keeping operation. [186490]
Mr. Caplin: The Territorial Army (TA) has performed, and continues to perform, a vital and active role alongside their regular counterparts, contributing to a wide range of our operations in Iraq. Indeed, the TA currently provides approximately 20 per cent. of our ground forces in Iraq.
The TA is a highly valued and respected part of our armed forces, and the work of all those who have deployed has been greatly appreciated. The use of Reservists during this campaign has been entirely in line with the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review. The roles undertaken by the TA have clearly demonstrated the strategic intent of having more capable, usable and relevant reserve forces, which support their regular counterparts on operations.
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