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2 Nov 2004 : Column 213W—continued
Vision Boards
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many vision boards have been established in Lancashire; what area each vision board will cover; who will serve on each vision board; and who the chairperson of each board is; [193625]
(2) if she will make a statement on the role of vision boards. [193626]
Jacqui Smith: The North West Development Agency has established three vision boards in Lancashire, in Burnley, Lancaster and Preston. The aim is to promote leadership at a local level with a focus on private sector engagement. Membership details are available from the relevant local authorities.
Wind Turbines
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many 2MW wind turbines are situated in (a) the UK and (b) Wales; and how many wind turbines of all specifications are situated in the UK. [194508]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information is as follows.
There are 1,180 wind turbines of all specifications situated in the UK.
DEFENCE
40 Commando RM
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when 40 Commando of Royal Marines is due to return to Norton Manor Camp, Taunton. [193869]
Mr. Ingram: 40 Commando (Royal Marines) is due to complete its tour of duty in Iraq in January 2004, and will then return to Norton Manor Camp, Taunton.
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many troops of 40 Commando are in Iraq. [193870]
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Mr. Ingram: About 500 members of 40 Commando (Royal Marines) are currently deployed in Iraq on Operation Telic.
Afghanistan
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the monetary cost of the United Kingdom's contribution to NATO's missions in Afghanistan has been over the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [188067]
Mr. Ingram: The net additional costs of operations in Afghanistan in 2003–2004 were published in the Ministry of Defence's Annual Report and Accounts 2003–2004 and totalled £35.9 million. It is too early to provide a firm figure for the costs that are being incurred this financial year. We will ask the House to vote the necessary funds in Supplementary Estimates in due course.
Archive Files
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many archive files have been destroyed this year. [194545]
Mr. Caplin [holding answer 1 November 2004]: Between 1 January and 26 October 2004, some 13,556 files from departmental archives have been destroyed under the normal departmental review process.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date his Department discovered that archive files held in the basement of the old War Office building were contaminated with asbestos; on what date the committee responsible first met to discuss this; and if he will make a statement on the time which elapsed between the two events. [194546]
Mr. Caplin [holding answer 1 November 2004]: The presence of asbestos in the basement area of the Old War Office Building was confirmed in May 2003.
A decision was immediately made to safeguard the information contained on these files and during the period June to December 2003 the files were progressively packed to ensure they could be safely handled. At the same time it was possible to implement the decontamination of the affected area. Some 3,000 crates of affected files were transferred to a new location during May 2004. This work fell within the Department's Main Building Redevelopment project.
During this period, the Departmental Records Officer's (DRO's) staff were investigating options for the future handling of the potentially contaminated material. In August 2004, the DRO decided that this work should be overseen by a formal Project Board, including a member from The National Archives. This Board first met on 14 September 2004.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is his policy that the archive files found to be contaminated with asbestos will be rendered safe and made eligible for release in response to requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [194547]
Mr. Caplin
[holding answer 1 November 2004]: Yes.
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Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's files are classified as subject to temporary retention. [194548]
Mr. Caplin [holding answer 1 November 2004]: Eight collections of records are currently the subject of temporary retention in department on administrative grounds under Lord Chancellor's Instruments.
Army Boards of Inquiry
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many army boards of inquiry into non-combat deaths have been held in each of the past five years; [190267]
(2) what the average period of time between circumstances that required the establishment of an army board of inquiry and that inquiry being set up is in the past two year; [190268]
(3) in how many instances army Boards of Inquiry have been delayed by (a) ongoing police investigations, (b) civil legal proceedings, (c) criminal legal proceedings and (d) other circumstances in the past five years. [190269]
Mr. Ingram: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Arrangements are in hand to improve the central tracking of Boards of Inquiry within the Army and to identify and bear down on the cause of delay. Since June 2004 Boards of Inquiry into all unnatural deaths and serious injury must be convened within 48 hours of the incident taking place.
Correspondence
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the oral statement by the Minister for Veterans, on 15 September 2004, Official Report, column 467WH, regarding Mrs. Crowton, when he will write to the hon. Member for New Forest, West. [192109]
Mr. Caplin: I replied to the hon. Member on 1 November.
Defamation
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether members of the armed forces seeking to bring a defamation case against national newspapers in relation to allegations connected with their official duties are obliged to first seek permission from (a) Ministers and (b) officials before proceeding. [195302]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 1 November 2004]: There is no requirement that would oblige members of the armed forces to first seek permission from Ministers or officials before bringing a defamation case against national newspapers.
Falcon Communications System
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress on the Army's Falcon tactical formation-level secure communications system. [193912]
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Mr. Ingram: Competitive assessment phase contracts for Increment A of the Falcon programme were placed with BAE Systems and Marconi Selenia in January 2003. Proposals were received in March 2004 and are being evaluated. We expect to make a decision on the main investment phase around the turn of the year.
Harley Dingle Site
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when his Department started using the Harley Dingle site for (a) the training of personnel and (b) the testing of weapons; and when each activity ceased; [190226]
(2) whether the Harley Dingle site was ever used by his Department as a testing ground for (a) armour piercing munition and (b) any munition containing depleted uranium. [193875]
Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence has never owned the Harley Dingle site nor have we any record of the MOD's involvement in the testing of weapons, including armour piercing munition or any munition containing depleted uranium, at the site. No direct training of military personnel has been conducted at the site, although land belonging to the site has been traversed (with permission of the owners) during the course of low level military exercises for at least 10 years.
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