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21 Dec 2004 : Column 1579W—continued
Overseas Travel
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many overseas trips, and at what total cost, have been made by his Department in each year since 1997; and what the costs of (a) flights, (b) internal travel, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence were of each trip. [206659]
Mr. Caplin: The information requested is not held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Therefore, the terms of Exemption 9 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information apply.
Porton Down
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what preparations are being made to provide information after 1 January 2005 under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to former service personnel about experiments in which they took part at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down. [205036]
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Mr. Caplin: A system is in place to deal specifically with inquiries relating to the Porton Down Service Volunteer Programme. Therefore, no extra preparations for the release of information under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act are necessary.
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department will pay compensation to the family of Ronald Maddison who died at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down; and if his Department will issue an apology to the family. [205183]
Mr. Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made today.
Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on the future of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers; and if he will make a statement. [204027]
Mr. Ingram: My hon. Friend the Member for Rochdale (Mrs. Fitzsimons) met my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence, (Mr. Hoon) on 6 December to lobby on behalf of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Additionally, in recent months the Secretary of State has received a series of letters from other hon. Members related to the future of this Regiment.
I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made to the House on 16 December 2004, Official Report, column 1195, by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence about the future structure of the Army.
Satanism
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the compatibility of Satanism with the military ethos; and if he will make a statement. [205536]
Mr. Caplin: No assessment has been made of the compatibility of satanism with the military ethos. The beliefs of armed forces personnel are regarded as private.
Territorial Army
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the establishment of the Territorial Army have (a) received statutory notice of compulsory mobilisation and (b) been accepted into mobilised service for operations overseas since 1998, broken down by cap badge. [205448]
Mr. Caplin
[holding answer 16 December 2004]: The information requested is not held by cap badge and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In respect of Territorial Army (TA) personnel as a whole, since 1998, 18,979 statutory notices of compulsory mobilization have been issued and there have been 14,813 acceptances into mobilized service in support of operations overseas. This represents approximately 45 per cent. and 35 per cent. respectively of the current TA establishment of 41, 820. However, it should be
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borne in mind that a small number of personnel have been accepted into mobilized service on more than one occasion during the period.
Theft
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civil servants from his Department have (a) faced disciplinary proceedings as a result of allegations of theft, (b) been charged with theft and (c) been dismissed following theft allegations in each year since 1997. [206394]
Mr. Caplin: The requested information, as held centrally by the Ministry of Defence on civil servants for the full years 1997–2003, is summarised in the following table:
| Faced proceedings as a result of allegations of theft | Charged with theft | Dismissed following theft allegations | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 18 | 18 | 12 |
| 1998 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| 1999 | 7 | 7 | 3 |
| 2000 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| 2001 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2002 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| 2003 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
These data all relate to internal MOD proceedings for theft under the definition used in the MOD Civilian Personnel Manuals.
Travel Costs
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the Department spent on first class travel in each year since 1997. [206559]
Mr. Caplin: The information requested is not held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Therefore, the terms of Exemption 9 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information apply.
Troop Deployment (Northern Ireland)
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many troops are stationed in Northern Ireland. [205915]
Mr. Ingram: The number of armed forces personnel (Army, Navy and RAF), under the command of the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland (GOC NI), stationed in Northern Ireland at 30 November 2004 is 11,000.
The GOC NI also has under his command troops that are rear based in Great Britain that can be called forward to the Province as and when required. In addition other troops can be made available to the GOC NI from Land Command if required for example during the marching season.
Watchkeeper Vehicle
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of the Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicle in the development of network-enabled capability. [205941]
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Mr. Ingram [holding answer 20 December 2004]: A description of Network Enabled Capability, and Watchkeeper's role in it, is set out on pages 5 and 6 of Delivering Security in a Changing World(Future Capabilities (Cm 6269). The Watchkeeper capability will provide UK commanders with accurate, timely and high quality information, including imagery. Watchkeeper will be fully integrated into the wider command and control digitised network, passing data quickly to those who need it.
Young Military Personnel
Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people aged under 18 years have died while on service and in training in each of the armed forces in the last 10 years; and if he will list the causes of death in each case. [205683]
Mr. Caplin: 28 regular service personnel under the age of 18 have died between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 2003. Of these six were trained service personnel and 22 were untrained service personnel. A breakdown in the causes of these deaths by service is provided at tables A and B.
(19) Suicide and open verdict deaths recorded by a coroner (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or the Procurator Fiscal (Scotland).
(20) Includes one Army death awaiting a coroner verdict.
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