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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 14 October 2004

DEFENCE

Departmental Records Office

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints from former staff of his Department employed by TNT have been raised with regard to the new process for handling departmental records and their security. [173660]

Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence Contract Management Team (CMT) has received a very small number of verbal criticisms concerning TNT's new processes for handling departmental records and their security from former MOD staff now employed by TNT. To facilitate investigation, written confirmation of the complaints was requested. None has yet been received.

Future Rapid Effects System

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role he expects Galileo to play in providing the Future Rapid Effects System requirements with optimum battlespace awareness. [190058]

Mr. Ingram: Galileo is intended to be a civilian system under civil control. The Department expects the GPS military code to continue to meet defence requirements for a robust, secure satellite navigation system. Accordingly, there are no plans for the use of Galileo by the MOD's Future Rapid Effects System.

Information and Communication Specialists

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many information and communication technology specialists are in full-time employment in the Department. [189582]

Mr. Caplin: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what screening tests have been established for (a) British troops, (b) British medical auxiliaries and (c) Iraqi civilians to assess the degree of inhalation and ingestion of depleted uranium dust during the military action in Iraq in (i) the Gulf war in 1991 and (ii) Operation Telic in Iraq in 2003; what resources have been committed to this testing; and if he will make a statement. [190206]

Mr. Caplin: On 22 September 2004, the independent Depleted Uranium Oversight Board (DUOB) announced the establishment of a retrospective testing programme for the analysis of uranium isotopes in urine
 
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and, if Depleted Uranium (DU) is found to be present, how much. The test is available free of charge to eligible individuals, including medical staff, who served in the Gulf area between 1 August 1990 and 31 July 1991 or in the former Republic of Yugoslavia on or after 5 August 1994. The total cost of the testing programme will depend on demand but is expected to be in the order of £1 million.

This retrospective test is entirely separate from MOD's own Biological Monitoring policy, under which all UK military personnel returning from theatres where DU munitions have been used—including Operation Telic—are offered a test for uranium in their urine. So far over 350 individuals have taken up this offer and have been tested. Of those, only a small number have been found to be excreting DU in their urine. These are personnel who were injured in accidental attacks by friendly forces and have embedded shrapnel. The cost to date of this programme is estimated to be £250,000. There will be a further annual staff cost of £25,000 for the duration of the project.

Assessing the degree of inhalation and ingestion of DU dust arising from the military action in Iraq among Iraqi civilians is a matter for the Iraqi Interim Government. Nevertheless, the MOD would offer advice if requested.

Land Use Payments

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total amount was paid in each of the past three years to farmers and other landowners for the use of their land by his Department. [190278]

Mr. Ingram: I assume my hon. Friend is referring to the total amount paid by the Ministry of Defence to farmers and other landowners for the use of their land in respect of military training. In the last three years this has amounted to approximately £1.7 million per annum. This figure includes the costs of: the leasing of land outside of Army Training Estate (ATE) boundaries; the long term leasing of land within ATE boundaries; the purchasing of necessary Commoners Rights; and the use of other facilities such as safety buoys and electric/water cables.

Military Equipment Sales

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the occasions on which armed forces personnel have attended as part of their duties promotional events for UK military equipment sales in each year since 2000–01. [184731]

Mr. Ingram: Military personnel attend a wide range of promotional events, as required as part of their duties. Such events may include UK and overseas defence exhibitions as well as equipment demonstrations and displays. Information concerning the attendance of military personnel at promotional events is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Op-telic Tender

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many garments have been delivered for the Op-telic Tender DC2 ESL/3122. [190858]

 
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Mr. Ingram: Deliveries under this contract are due to be completed by January 2005 and the supplier has completed the first batch of 2,500 garments. We expect to receive samples of this batch before the first delivery in early November 2004.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of whether the fabric supplied for the Op-telic tender DC2 ESL/3122 meets the specification. [190859]

Mr. Ingram: The supplier for this contract has an obligation to deliver items which meet our specification. The Ministry of Defence quality surveillance methods include sample testing to ensure fabric is compliant. There are no concerns about the fabric used. Samples provided to date have met our specification.

RAF Kinloss

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) why the hon. Member for Moray was not informed of the impending announcement concerning the airfield review and RAF Kinloss prior to the release of a press statement; [191359]

(2) which media were informed, and when, about an impending announcement concerning the airfield review and RAF Kinloss prior to the letter sent to the honourable Member for Moray on 12 October. [191358]

Mr. Ingram: The Defence Airfield Review was announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 21 July 2004, Official Report, column 348. I sent letters to a number of hon. Members early on 12 October, including the hon. Member for Moray, detailing how we would be conducting the review with regard to the airfields in their constituencies. Hon. Members were therefore notified before any statement to the press, the exception being the hon. Member for Moray whose published contact details were incorrect. That led to him being notified later than other hon. Members.

Sea Cadet Corps

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the number of adult volunteers to the Sea Cadet Corps. [191661]

Mr. Caplin: Statistics for the Sea Cadet Corps are compiled once a year. As at 31 March 2004 there were 4,307 adult volunteers to the Sea Cadet Corps, comprising uniformed and non-uniformed instructors and chaplains, all of whom are civilians.

Warships

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to send HMS Victorious to a location other than Plymouth for its refit; and if he will make a statement. [190189]

Mr. Ingram: There are no plans to refit HMS Victorious at a location other than Plymouth. It is our policy to refit warships in the United Kingdom and Devonport Dockyard has the only facilities capable of refitting and refuelling RN nuclear-powered submarines.
 
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CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Lottery Grants

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the policy of the National Lottery towards making grants conditional upon the procurement of only certified timber. [190750]

Estelle Morris: Lottery distributors are, and are intended to be, independent of Government, but they are obliged to take into account policy directions from the Secretary of State. These directions set out the framework for the wider aims of Lottery funding, and include the need for the distributing bodies to further the objectives of sustainable development when awarding Lottery grants. The Lottery distributing bodies are strongly committed to sustainable development, including the procurement of timber from legal and sustainable sources.

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