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Respiratory Syncytial Virus

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the report of the Health Protection Agency on infection rates for respiratory syncytial virus; and if he will take steps to ensure that a higher priority is given to preventive treatment for the virus in premature babies. [218435]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department receives weekly updates on respiratory syncytial virus incidence from the Health Protection Agency. Recommendations on the use of paluvizumab were made by the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation at its November 2002 meeting. Details can be found on the Department's website at: www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/icvi/mins01nov02.htm.

Scans (Alliance Medical)

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from NHS bodies on time taken to report (a) scans and (b) incidence of double reporting of scans for a second opinion under the
 
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mobile scanning contract with Alliance Medical; what assessment his Department has made of the effect of (a) and (b) on requirements for hospital consultants to undertake follow-up appointments after scans performed by Alliance Medical; and if he will make a statement. [215715]

Mr. Hutton: The Department has regular contact with national health service bodies through strategic health authority (SHA) cluster leads. As a result, Alliance Medical Ltd. is ensuring that two qualified radiologists read all scans. This high quality oversight of reading is setting best practice.

It is the responsibility of local hospital consultants and general practitioners to ensure that the process of follow up appointments is managed effectively and that patients are seen quickly once their scan has been performed.

Treatment Costs

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS of treating (a) fractures of all types, (b) multiple sclerosis, (c) cancer, (d) non-melanoma skin cancer and (e) melanoma was in the last year for which figures are available. [217055]

Mr. Hutton: With the exception of cancer, this information is not available centrally. The Department's resource accounts shows gross expenditure on cancer in 2003–04 as £3.4 billion.

Variola Virus Research

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the letter of 6 January from the Minister of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Barrow and Furness (Mr. Hutton), to the hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell), on variola virus research, what the outcome was of the meeting of Government Departments to which he refers. [217680]

Mr. Hutton [holding answer 24 February 2005]: The meeting is scheduled for 4 March and will be hosted by the Ministry of Defence.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan/Iraq

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of the change in RFR2 Resource relates (a) solely and (b) mainly to peacekeeping in (i) Afghanistan and (ii) Iraq. [218319]

Mr. Ingram: The amounts included in the MOD's Spring Supplementary Estimates under Request for Resources 2 (Conflict Prevention costs) for Iraq and Afghanistan are as follows:

	£ million
Operations in Iraq	975
Operations in Afghanistan	53

These figures represent a current estimate of the net additional cost of these operations in the current financial year.
 
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Armoured Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the operational date is of the Panther armoured reconnaissance vehicle. [208298]

Mr. Ingram: We expect Panther to be introduced into service by November 2007. Panther is not, however, primarily a reconnaissance vehicle. As the original name of the project, the Future Command and Liaison Vehicle, suggests, it will be mainly used for a variety of command and liaison roles.

Bowman System

Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when Bowman was first used by British forces in Iraq; and who provided the training for its use. [218132]

Mr. Ingram: The first radios delivered as part of the Bowman project were Personal Role Radios, which have been in service since January 2002. They were used by combat troops and others in March 2003.

The first use of Bowman PRC325 High Frequency manpacked patrol radios in Iraq was in December 2004. Training for the operators of the PRC325s was provided by Harris Comms Plc under contract from General Dynamics UK Ltd.

Casualty Treatment Ship

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to commission the building of a joint casualty treatment ship. [218445]

Mr. Ingram: The Joint Casualty Treatment Ship programme is currently in its assessment phase. No decision has been made concerning the placement of a contract for demonstration and manufacture.

Chinook Crash

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of all memoranda, letters and emails between the Chief of the Air Staff, the Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group, Air Officer Commander in Chief Strike Command, members of the RAF Directorate of Legal Services, the Inspector of Flight Safety and the President of the Board of Inquiry into the crash of ZD576, between 2 June 1994 and 5 April 1995. [217788]

Mr. Ingram: The documents requested are being collated from four separate branches within the Ministry of Defence and the files will need to be recovered from archive, which will therefore take some extra time to complete. I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there was a meeting between the Chief of the Air Staff, the Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group, Air Officer Commander in Chief Strike Command, and the Inspector of Flight Safety to discuss the Board of Inquiry into the crash of ZD576. [217790]

Mr. Ingram: A search of available records has provided no evidence that a meeting involving all the named officials took place.
 
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Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who gave the authorisation for senior anti-terrorist specialists to travel together on the flight in Chinook ZD576, which crashed on 2 June 1994. [217819]

Mr. Ingram: There was no requirement for specific authorisation to be given in respect of the number of senior personnel to be carried on the flight. However, we know from evidence given to the Board of Inquiry that the flight was carried out under instruction from the Joint Air Tasking Operation Cell.

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library all special flying instructions that applied to the flight of Chinook ZD576 on 2 June 1994. [219458]

Mr. Ingram: There were no special flying instructions that applied to the flight of Chinook ZD576.

Cooneen Watts & Stone

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people Cooneen Watts & Stone employed in (a) December 2003 and (b) December 2004. [218497]

Mr. Ingram: Cooneen Watts & Stone (CWS) Ltd. was formed in February 2004 from Watts & Stone Ltd. and Cooneen Textiles Ltd., as a Special Purpose Vehicle for the cut and sew garment contract tender process. The number of people employed by CWS is a matter for the company.

Deaths in Service (Northern Ireland)

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance he has made available to the Northern Ireland Veterans Association in identifying those who died in the Northern Ireland conflict. [217801]

Mr. Caplin: No request has been received from the Northern Ireland Veterans Association for assistance in gathering such information.

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