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Teenage Pregnancy

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people have registered with the Teenage Pregnancy Unit website in each year since it was launched. [193997]

Margaret Hodge: The Teenage Pregnancy Unit website is an internal DfES website, designed primarily for practitioners working with both young parents and those at risk of teenage pregnancy. There are currently 372 registered users of the website.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the 2004 annual report for the Teenage Pregnancy Unit will be published. [193998]

Margaret Hodge: The Teenage Pregnancy Unit does not produce an annual report.

However, the Independent Advisory Group (IAG) on teenage pregnancy does produce a report each year, in which it comments on progress on implementing the teenage pregnancy strategy, and makes recommendations for further action. IAG's report for 2003–04 is due to be published in November 2004.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much it cost to set up the Teenage Pregnancy Unit website; what the maintenance costs are estimated to be for each year of its operation; and who is responsible for updating the website. [193999]

Margaret Hodge: The Teenage Pregnancy Unit website is an internal DfES website, designed primarily for practitioners working with both young parents and
 
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those at risk of teenage pregnancy. Maintenance of the website is carried out by members of staff working in the Teenage Pregnancy Unit. It is not possible to calculate how much of their time is involved in its maintenance.

Tsar Appointments

Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many tsars have been appointed with responsibilities which cover part of the work of his Department; and if he will make a statement. [191927]

Mr. Charles Clarke: There have been no tsars appointed to cover any responsibilities of my Department.

University Outreach

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on outreach work by universities in educationally deprived communities. [194107]

Dr. Howells: Many universities undertake outreach activities with schools and communities in deprived areas. I am pleased to acknowledge these efforts and to support them through the Aimhigher programme, which helps school, university and college partnerships to deliver a range of attainment—and aspiration-raising activities. In addition, the new Office for Fair Access will result in more financial support for students and more outreach work to boost applications from under-represented groups.

I will write to my hon. Friend to further address the issues he raised at today's oral questions.

DEFENCE

40 Commando

Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to supply extra helicopters to transport troops of 40 Commando on operational tasks outside the British controlled zone in Iraq. [193881]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 26 October 2004]: Helicopters in Iraq are a theatre-wide asset and are not allocated to individual units.

Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to provide armoured personnel carriers for the troops of 40 Commando. [193882]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 26 October 2004]: There are no plans to provide armoured personnel carriers for the troops of 40 Commando. However, they are, and will continue to be, afforded all appropriate protection while deployed.

Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to deploy 40 Commando to work outside the British controlled zone in Iraq. [193884]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 26 October 2004]: A single mortar platoon from 40 Commando RM will be deployed with the 1st Battalion, The Black Watch to an area south of Baghdad in the next few weeks. In
 
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addition, a small number of troops from 40 Commando RM are currently performing force protection duties in Baghdad.

Armed Forces (Dependent Children)

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Government pays fees for (a) schooling and (b) board and lodging for children of servicemen and servicewomen serving outside the UK. [191215]

Mr. Caplin: Boarding School Allowance (BSA) is paid to contribute towards the cost of boarding and tuition. It is paid to eligible service parents stationed in the UK and overseas. Day School Allowance is paid towards the cost of tuition only and provides the opportunity for children for whom BSA is in issue to become a day pupil at the same school and to live at home when family circumstances permit.

The Ministry of Defence via HQ Service Children's Education, also provides free education in service schools for the children of service personnel who accompany their service parents to some overseas countries. In those countries where free service schools are not provided, service parents use local schools, which may be free of charge, or independent fee paying schools. In the latter case, necessarily incurred school fees may be reimbursed within MOD set limits.

Canadian Submarines

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with the Canadian Government on the four submarines sold to the Canadians by the Royal Navy Service. [192979]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 25 October 2004]: Ministry of Defence officials have been in discussion with the Canadian Government regarding the Upholder class submarines for several years. Discussions have been wide-ranging and led to an agreement in 1998 that the United Kingdom would lease the submarines to Canada, with an option to purchase. Subsequent discussions focused on the reactivation and transfer of the submarines to Canada, and included main contract reviews at three-monthly intervals, regular exchanges of technical information, and day-to-day contact with Canadian personnel based at BAE Systems, Barrow-in-Furness, where the reactivation programme was undertaken.

Clothing Specifications

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what specifications were included in the contract for clothing given to Cooneen, Watts & Store to ensure that the clothing was manufactured in the UK. [187494]

Mr. Ingram: No specifications were included to ensure clothing was manufactured in the UK as EU Public Procurement Regulations prohibit consideration on grounds of national interest.

EU Battlegroups

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who will have final command of the EU Battlegroups initiative. [194384]


 
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Mr. Hoon: Policy decisions on the EU Battlegroups initiative will be taken by unanimity of all the member states.

Decisions to deploy national forces are for national governments to take. Any decision to commit the United Kingdom forces to an EU Battlegroup operational deployment would be taken by the Government on a case-by-case basis.

Battlegroups will be offered either by single nations or by small multinational groupings. The military command of any operational deployment of an EU Battlegroup will be determined on a case-by-case basis and will reflect which of the Battlegroups is being deployed. We would expect Battlegroups involving UK forces to be commanded from the Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood.

As with all EU operations, the political control of an EU Battlegroup mission would rest with the 25 member states, acting by unanimity through the Political and Security Committee and Council.

EU Defence

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to paragraphs 50 and 51 of the document Update on Prospects for the European Union in 2004, (Cm 6310), what documentation has been published concerning (a) the nature, function, organisation and finance of the European Defence Agency, (b) the agreement concerning nations within the European Union agreeing to form battle groups to provide rapidly deployable forces and (c) the planned conference in November where member states will be able to discuss their respective commitments. [193822]

Mr. Hoon: The following documents have been published by the Council of the European Union, the Ministry of Defence, or the House of Commons, concerning the European Defence Agency:

In addition, the following explanatory memoranda have been submitted to Parliament:


 
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The following documents have been published by the Council of the European Union, the Ministry of Defence, or the House of Commons, concerning the EU member states' agreement to form Battlegroups and the Capabilities Commitment Conference planned for November 2004:


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