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DEFENCE

Consultants

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defencewhat the total expenditure by his Department on external consultants was in (a) 1996–97 and (b) 2003–04; and what the estimated cost of employing external consultants will be in (i) 2004–05, (ii) 2005–06, (iii) 2006–07 and (iv) 2007–08. [211677]

Mr. Caplin: Summaries of Ministry of Defence expenditure on external assistance, of which external consultancy is a part, are available in the Libraries of both Houses for financial years 1996–97 and 2003–04.

Expenditure on External Assistance for FY 2004–05 is estimated to be in the region of £251 million.

The Ministry of Defence has not yet set formal budgets for FY 2005–06 to 2007–08.
 
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Defence Employment (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people working for the (a) Army Training and Recruiting Agency, (b) Duke of York's Military School and (c) Queen Victoria School are employed in Scotland; what the personnel costs of each agency were in each of the last two years for which figures are available. [211821]

Mr. Caplin: There are 60 civilians working for the Army Training and Recruiting Agency in Scotland. Figures for the number of Service personnel working in Scotland are not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The Duke of York's Military School is located in Dover, Kent, and employs no personnel in Scotland.

The Queen Victoria School in Dunblane employs 70 staff in Scotland, all civilians.

The personnel costs of each agency for the years 2002–03 and 2003–04 are found in the agencies' respective annual reports and accounts 2003–04, copies of which have been laid in the Library of the House and are available on the Ministry of Defence website at www.mod.uk.

Gulf War Illnesses

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's latest published assessment is of the illnesses suffered by Gulf War veterans; and if he will make a statement. [210319]

Mr. Caplin: The Government's approach to the question of illnesses among veterans of the 1990–91 Gulf conflict is science-based. To support this approach, we take expert independent scientific and medical advice on the complex and sensitive issues involved. We have invested £8.5 million on independent research projects investigating the concerns of veterans and our policy is to encourage researchers to publish results in the peer reviewed scientific press. Further details about published results are available on our website at: www.gulfwar.mod.uk.

HMS Sussex

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps will be taken to protect any human remains found on the wreck of HMS Sussex; if he will make a statement. [210910]

Mr. Caplin: The Licence Agreement provides that if human remains are discovered they must be treated at all times with the utmost respect and sensitivity. The company is required to ensure that the activities at the site avoid the unnecessary disturbance of human remains and that, where possible, human remains are left in situ. If human remains are accidentally retrieved, the company is required to notify the Government's on-board representatives immediately. The further treatment of those remains will then be as directed by the Government.
 
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Infantry Regiments

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the (a) Regimental HQ and (b) individual Battalions of (i) Princess of Wales, (ii) Royal Regiment of
 
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Fusiliers, (iii) The Royal Anglian, (iv) Light Infantry, (v)Royal Green Jackets, (vi) Royal Gurkha Rifles and (vii)Parachute Regiments are based. [211251]

Mr. Caplin: The information sought is as follows:

Regiment	Location of Battalions		Location of regimental headquarters
The Princess of Wales' s Royal Regiment (Queens and Royal Hampshires)	1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment	Burtphore Barracks, Tidworth, Hants	Howe Barracks, Canterbury, Kent
	2nd Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment	Clive Barracks, Tern Hill, Market Drayton, Shropshire
The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers	1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers	Trenchard Barracks, Celle, Germany	HM Tower of London, Tower Hill, London
	2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers	Palace Barracks, Holywood, Co. Down, Northern Ireland
The Royal Anglian Regiment	1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment	Elizabeth Barracks, Pirbright, Surrey	The Keep, Gibraltar Barracks, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk
	2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment	Shackleton Barracks, Ballykelly, Londonderry, Northern Ireland
The Light Infantry	1st Battalion The Light Infantry	Alanbroke Barracks, Paderborne, Germany	Peninsula Barracks, Winchester, Hampshire
	2nd Battalion The Light Infantry	Redford Barracks, Edinburgh, Scotland
The Royal Green Jackets	1st Battalion The Royal Green Jackets	Weeton Barracks, Preston, Lancashire	Peninsula Barracks, Winchester, Hampshire
	2nd Battalion The Royal Green Jackets	Abercorn Barracks, Ballykinlar, Co. Down, Northern Ireland
The Royal Gurkha Rifles	1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles	Sir John Moore Barracks, Shorncliffe, Folkestone, Kent	Headquarters The Brigade of Gurkhas, Airfield Camp, Netheravon, Wiltshire
	2nd Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles	Seria Barracks, Brunei
The Parachute Regiment	1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment	Connaught Barracks, Dover, Kent	Flagstaff House, Colchester, Essex
	2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment	Meanee Barracks, Colchester, Essex
	3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment	Hyderabad Barracks, Colchester, Essex

Inglis Barracks

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to preserve the Middlesex Regiment War Memorial and associated memorials when British Forces Post Office vacate Inglis Barracks, Mill Hill; and if he will make a statement. [211274]

Mr. Caplin: The future of the Middlesex Regiment War Memorial and associated memorials, once British Forces Post Office vacate the site, is being considered in conjunction with the Local Planning Authority (and other bodies, including English Partnerships) as part of discussions to formulate a development framework for the site and its surrounds.

The Mill Hill Preservation Society have expressed an interest in purchasing the Inglis Barracks Officers' Mess and the immediate environs (including the gardens in which the Middlesex Regiment's War Memorial is located) for the benefit of the people of Mill Hill.

Land Mines (Falklands)

Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on land mines and land mine clearance in the Falkland Islands. [200043]

Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answergiven on 3 November 2004, Official Report, column 343W, by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Ministry of Defence Staff

Mr. Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) officers and (b) soldiers are serving in the Ministry of Defence, broken down by (i) location and (ii) rank; and if he will make a statement. [201536]

Mr. Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 9—Rank Structure of UK Regular Forces at 1 October 2004, TSP6—Global Deployment of Service Personnel at 1 October 2002 and TSP 10—UK Regular Forces Distribution Across UK at 1 July 2002.

These publications are available in the Library of the House.
 
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RAF Manual of Flight Safety

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library the Sixth Edition of the RAF Manual of Flight Safety, issued in March 1993, including annexes. [210620]

Mr. Ingram: The Sixth Edition of the RAF Manual of Flight Safety, officially described as Air Publication (AP) 3207, was issued in March 1993. This was superseded by the Seventh Edition, issued in 1998, which was itself replaced by a Joint Service Publication (JSP) 551 in July 2003. It is likely that the Sixth Edition will have been subject to a number of amendments (effected by replacing loose-leaf pages) during its period of currency. It is therefore unlikely that we could reconstruct" the original version of the Sixth Edition, even if a copy of its later state were to come to light. All other copies have been destroyed in line with departmental procedure.

It is the nature of such documents that there is no reason for anyone to retain them once they have been superseded; perhaps more so once they have been replaced a second time. Therefore it is unlikely that any systematic search would reveal a copy of the Sixth Edition of AP 3207.

In the case of AP 3207 the organisation responsible for its production, the RAF Institute of Flight Safety, has itself been superseded by the Joint Service Defence Air Safety Centre" (DASC). We have asked the DASC whether they have a copy of the Sixth Edition, but the only version of AP 3207 they hold is a copy of the Seventh Edition, which had itself been subject to three sets of amendments before it was replaced by JSP 551. I am happy to place in the Library a copy of the Seventh Edition of AP 3207, should the right hon. Member consider it useful.

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