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DEFENCE

A400M

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many A400M aircraft are to be ordered by the RAF; and when the first plane is expected to arrive. [216551]

Mr. Ingram: The United Kingdom Government has ordered 25 aircraft. The first aircraft delivery is expected to be 2010.

Air Crash (Board of Inquiry)

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Chief of the Air Staff, the Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group, the Air Officer Commander in Chief, and members of the RAF Directorate of Legal Services have met to discuss the Board of Inquiry into the crash of ZD 576. [217127]

Mr. Ingram: In preparation for appearing before the House of Lords Select Committee on Chinook ZD 576 in 2001, several meetings took place at which the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshals Wratten and Day, and the Director of Legal Services RAF were present.

Allied Rapid Reaction Corps

Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the UK commitment to the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) will be when the ARRC takes over the International Security Assistance Force for Afghanistan in 2006. [216542]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 21 February 2005]: The scale of the Head Quarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corporation Group when it deploys to Afghanistan in 2006 and the United Kingdom's contribution has yet to be decided.

Army Deployment

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out the current location in the UK of each Army regiment; what the number of service and support personnel at each location is; and where available what the total running cost is for each site, including personnel costs. [214415]

Mr. Caplin [holding answer 23 February 2005]: The most recently published UK location statistics for Service Personnel are provided in the July 2002 Tri-Service Publication (TSP) number 10 which is available in the Library of the House. The number of civilian personnel broken down by Government Office Region is available in UK Defence Statistics 2004, a copy of which is also available in the Library of the House. The total running cost for each site, including personnel costs is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost. I will write to the hon. Member with the current location of each Army regiment and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Chinook Helicopter

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Chinook HC 2 helicopter was given its airworthiness review; and if he will place a copy of the review in the Library. [217284]

 
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Mr. Ingram: No airworthiness review has been conducted in respect of the Chinook HC 2.

Colombia

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent UK military aid has been given to the 4th Division of the Colombian Army or to individual brigades and battalions of the Division; and if he will make a statement. [216113]

Mr. Ingram: We do not provide generic military assistance to Colombian Army divisions, brigades or battalions as formations. The United Kingdom assistance is provided to selected individuals in the form of military education or training, or at sub-unit level to enable capabilities such as Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD). Professional training provided to Colombian officers routinely incorporates human rights education. UK funded projects have provided human rights training through the Colombian military justice school, and have aimed to raise awareness of the armed forces on their role in prevention of displacement and protection of the rights of internally displaced persons.

Defence Estate (Chorley)

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what land in the Chorley constituency his Department (a) owns and (b) has a right to use. [216553]

Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence owns the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association at Devonshire Road, Chorley. We do not have any rights to use other land in the area.

There may be some other sites owned or used by organisations associated with MOD, but which are not recorded centrally.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Ministers will be attending the Defence Export Services Organisation symposium on 9 March. [216821]

Mr. Ingram: For security reasons it is not our practice to publicise in advance the forward programmes of Ministers.

Departmental Policies (Blackpool)

Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out, with statistical information relating as closely as possible to the constituency, the effect of his Department's actions and policies on Blackpool, South constituency since (a) 1997 and (b) 2001. [215615]

Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence's presence within Blackpool, South constituency currently consists of Weeton Barracks and an Army Cadet Force (ACF) centre at Parkinson Way.

Since 1997, the Talbot Road ACF in Blackpool, North has closed and one year ago the Yorkshire Street ACF in Blackpool, South was sold. As a result, Blackpool detachment ACF and Palatine ACF are now located at Parkinson Way.
 
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On 11 June 2001 the then War Pensions Agency (WPA), located at Norcross in Blackpool, North constituency, transferred to MOD from the Department for Work and Pensions. WPA is now the Veterans Agency and employs 850 people from across Blackpool and the surrounding area.

Depleted Uranium Waste

Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether depleted uranium waste has been deposited on the seabed of the Solway Firth as a result of use in Ministry of Defence training [215144]

Mr. Caplin: The Ministry of Defence does not use Depleted Uranium during routine training. I also refer to the answer I gave on 11 January 2005, to the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Mr. Salmond).

Gloucestershire Regiment

Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the Back Badge awarded to the Gloucestershire Regiment after the Battle of Alexandria in 1801. [213465]

Mr. Ingram: A working group has been convened by the Colonel Commandant of the Light Division to address the wide range of issues, including dress and uniform, arising from the merger of the Gloucestershire element of the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment with the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment to form a battalion in the Light Infantry. It is due to report in June 2005.

Infantry Regiments

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what plans he has for the HQ Barracks of the proposed Royal Lancashire and Border regiment; and if he will make a statement; [213323]

(2) what steps he will take to preserve the (a) name, (b) insignia and (c) badge of The Queen's Lancashire Regiment in the proposed Royal Lancashire and Border Regiment; and if he will make a statement. [213324]

Mr. Ingram: No decisions have been made on the future location of The King's Lancashire and Border Regimental Headquarters.

The Queen's Lancashire Regiment, in consultation with The King's Own Royal Border Regiment, and The King's Regiment, who will merge to form The King's Lancashire and Border Regiment, are in the process of determining their new common capbadge and uniform.

Iraq

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost has been to the UK Government of the deployment of private security companies in Iraq. [216040]

Mr. Rammell: I have been asked to reply.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office employs two private security companies in Iraq, to provide armed protection for UK Government staff while travelling
 
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and to provide guards for the compounds of the British Embassy Offices. The cost of these contracts is approximately £50 million per annum.

Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many battalions stationed in Northern Ireland are being asked to provide companies for operations in Iraq. [217033]

Mr. Ingram: From the eight battalions currently under command of the General Officer Commanding (Northern Ireland) (GOC(NI)), it is planned that one company of the 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (currently based at Palace Barracks, Belfast) will be available to form part of our regular roulement of forces for Operation TELIC deploying to Iraq during April/May 2005. GOC (NI) keeps the security situation under close review and will ensure that sufficient forces are available to provide routine military support to the police and additional troops can be made available to him from Land Command, if required, for example during the marching season.

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