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21 Oct 2004 : Column 888W—continued
Canadian Submarines
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much it has cost to (a) maintain and (b) refurbish each of the four submarines sold to the Canadian Government since they were taken out of Royal Navy service; and how much the Canadian Government paid for the submarines. [192432]
Mr. Ingram: The cost of maintaining the submarines before their refurbishment and the cost of the refurbishment of the Upholder Class submarines are commercially sensitive, and I am withholding details in accordance with Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
The value of the lease-to-buy arrangement reached with Canada, which includes the four Upholder Class submarines, training and initial spares, is some 610 million Canadian dollars (currently around £265 million pounds Sterling).
Defence Bases (Scotland)
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the operating cost of each defence base in Scotland was in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [192445]
Mr. Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Departmental Staff
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many full-time equivalent jobs (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies had in (i) Yorkshire and the Humber and (ii) the City of York in (A) 1997 and (B) the latest year for which figures are available. [191848]
Mr. Caplin: Data about the number of jobs within the Ministry of Defence is not held centrally, only staff numbers. Reliable data is not available below Government office region level.
(a) The total number of full-time equivalent civilian staff working for the Ministry of Defence in the Yorkshire and the Humber Government office region was 3,430 as at 1 July 1997 and 3,910 as at 1 April 2004.
Of this, the numbers of full-time equivalent civilian staff working for agencies and Trading Funds in Yorkshire and the Humber as at 1 July 1997 are as follows:
(16) This agency became part of the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency in April 1999.
(17) Less than five staff.
(18) This agency became part of the Defence Procurement Agency in April 1999.
Note:
All figures are rounded to the nearest 10; as a result totals may not always equal the sum of the parts.
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And similarly the numbers of full-time equivalent civilian staff working for agencies and Trading Funds in Yorkshire and the Humber as at 1 April 2004 are as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Army Training and Recruitment Agency | 970 |
| British Forces Post Office | (19)— |
| Defence Communications Services Agency | 10 |
| Defence Dental Agency | 20 |
| Defence Estates | 130 |
| Defence Medical Education and Training Agency | 10 |
| Defence Procurement Agency | 10 |
| Defence Storage and Distribution Agency | 40 |
| Defence Vetting Agency | 340 |
| Medical Supplies Agency | (19)— |
| Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency(20) | 500 |
| Naval Recruiting and Training Agency | (19)— |
| RAF Training Group Defence Agency | 200 |
| Veterans Agency | 10 |
| Army Base Repair Organisation | 120 |
| Meteorological Office | 30 |
(19) Less than five staff.
(20) Formed on 1 April 2004 when Ministry of Defence Guard Service merged with Ministry of Defence Police.
Note:
All figures are rounded to the nearest 10; as a result totals may not always equal the sum of the parts.
Eurofighter
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest estimate is of the cost to the UK of the third tranche of Eurofighter aircraft; and if he will make a statement. [191315]
Mr. Ingram: We expect shortly to commit to four-nation contracts for the second tranche of aircraft. We do not expect to invite industry to provide a quotation for the third tranche of aircraft before 2007. I am withholding the estimate of the cost to the UK for the third tranche under Exemption 7of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Gibraltar
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when a Minister last met the representative body of the Ministry of Defence Gibraltar Police constables and sergeants; and if he will make a statement on when he next intends to meet them. [190369]
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Mr. Ingram: I last met the Gibraltar Service Police Staff Association (GSPSA) during my visit to Gibraltar in November 2002. There are currently no plans for a further meeting.
Missile Defence
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his written statement on missile defence, of 12 October 2004, Official Report, columns 9–10WS, for what reasons the copy of the agreement to which he referred was not placed in the Library when the statement was made. [192937]
Mr. Hoon: As explained in the statement made on 12 October, parts of the text of the Research Development Test and Evaluation Annex have been withheld at the request of the US. At the time the statement was made a redacted text, based on the final agreement signed that day, had not been produced. Copies of the agreement were placed in the House of Commons Library on October 19.
Naval Supply Ships
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to replace the (a) Rover, (b) Leaf, (c) Fort Grange and (d) Fort Victoria classes of tankers and replenishment vessels; and if he will make a statement. [190188]
Mr. Ingram: In the long-term the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) project will provide the capability currently delivered by Fort Rosalie (formerly Fort Grange), Fort Victoria and the Rover and Leaf classes of vessels. The MARS programme has been established to investigate a wide range of solutions to meet the logistic support requirements of the future Royal Navy and provide sea-based support to deployed forces. Currently the MARS project is in the process of transitioning from the Concept Phase to the Assessment Phase. During the Assessment Phase a number of solutions will be examined further.
In the medium term, options are also being considered to provide an interim replacement to the Leaf and Rover classes of vessels prior to MARS vessels coming into service. This interim capability may, or may not, provide part of the long-term solution.
RAF Fylingdales (Radar Installations)
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ask the Health Protection Agency to provide continuing monitoring of health risks arising from radar installations at RAF Fylingdales early warning station. [192108]
Mr. Hoon:
The safety of surrounding communities is a paramount consideration in the operation of all defence facilities. In the case of early warning radar installations at RAF Fylingdales, the Ministry of Defence takes all necessary steps to ensure that its activities remain within the health guidelines established by the National Radiological Protection Board (now part of the Health Protection Agency). After the upgrade of the radar is complete, the MOD will continue to monitor radar emissions to ensure that it remains within health guidelines, and will provide the data to local authorities and the Health Protection
21 Oct 2004 : Column 891W
Agency. The Scarborough Whitby and Ryedale NHS Primary Care Trust published in November 2003 an independent 'Descriptive Study of Cancer Occurrence Around RAF Fylingdales', which showed no evidence of a link between RAF Fylingdales and the number of local cancer registrations, and they plan to issue further updated reports roughly every three years. In the light of these circumstances, the MOD is not currently considering asking the Health Protection Agency to provide continuing monitoring of alleged health risks arising from RAF Fylingdales. Were the HPA to decide to carry out additional monitoring the MOD would cooperate as fully as possible.
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