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2 Mar 2005 : Column 1224W—continued
Defence Employment (Scotland)
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for financial years (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04 the British Forces Post Office spent in Scotland in (i) monetary terms and (ii) as a percentage of the total personnel budget; and if he will make a statement. [215946]
Mr. Ingram: Expenditure on personnel specifically based in Scotland by the British Forces Post Office was £136,801.92 in financial year 2002–03 and £145,952.75 in 2003–04, representing 1.1 per cent. of the Agency's total personnel costs in each year. Excluding personnel serving overseas and at the BFPO main sorting office, which is based in London due to the proximity of the MOD HQ and Heathrow and Gatwick airports, personnel based in Scotland accounted for 8.5 per cent. and 8.7 per cent. of the total in each of the years in question.
Defence Export Services Organisation
Mr. Meacher:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Defence Export Services Organisation has been asked (a) to supply information to and (b) to co-operate with the Serious Fraud Office
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in respect of its investigation into allegations of bribery and false accounting concerning BAe Systems and Saudi Arabian officials. [207744]
Mr. Ingram: Details of the existence of any such request or inquiry are properly a matter for the Serious Fraud Office. However, the Defence Export Services Organisation co-operates fully with any requests from authorities investigating allegations of bribery and corruption.
Defence Service Agencies (Scotland)
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; what the personnel costs of the agency are; and what the figures were in 2003–04. [215432]
Mr. Ingram: The Defence Storage and Distribution Agency currently employs 4,160 people of which 660 work in Scotland. In 2003–04 the numbers were 4,530 and 810 respectively.
Personnel costs in 2003–04 were £117.2 million and the forecast for this year is £111.6 million.
Departmental Finances
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of quarterly progress reports provided to the Treasury against Spending Review 2002 Public Service Agreement Targets for (a) 2003–04 and (b) the first three quarters of 2004–05. [217993]
Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 22 February 2005, Official Report, columns 599–600W.
DESO
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times in the last 12 months the Defence Export Services Organisation has provided advice to BAe Systems on (a) agents and (b) agents' commission. [207792]
Mr. Ingram: It is the policy of the Ministry of Defence not to advise companies on agents' commissions. On the selection of agents, if Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) has information likely to assist United Kingdom companies, our policy is to make this available. Provision of such advice is part of normal DESO business and is not centrally recorded.
Disposal Services Agency
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for financial years (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04 the Disposal Services Agency spent in Scotland (i) in monetary terms and (ii) as a percentage of the total personnel budget; and if he will make a statement. [214249]
Mr. Ingram:
The figures are as follows.
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Financial year | Personnel costs for DSA staff based in Scotland (£000) | Expressed as a percentage of total DSA personnel costs |
|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 100 | 2.8 |
| 2003–04 | 124 | 3.3 |
FRES
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Future Rapid Effects System to be operational. [218138]
Mr. Ingram: The Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) is now in its initial Assessment Phase. Studies being carried out during this phase will enable us to define an appropriate In-Service Date (ISD) in both capability and schedule terms for endorsement at Main Gate.
The ISD will not be formally endorsed until then, but our current planning assumption is that the early variants of FRES will be introduced to service early in the next decade, with a phased approach to achieving full operational capability thereafter.
Gibraltar
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the viability of Gibraltar as a UK base. [217598]
Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence is fully committed to Gibraltar, its security and its outputs in support of UK military operations. Over the last six months, there has been over a 25 per cent. increase in air and maritime movements.
Helicopters
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many helicopters are in service; and how many he expects will be in service in 2012; [218139]
(2) how many different types of helicopters are in service with UK armed forces; and what the length of in-service life of each is. [218133]
Mr. Ingram: The Department currently operates the following types of helicopter:
(18) Initial Operating Capability declared 28 September 2004. Full Operating Capability due 2007.
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In addition to the aircraft above, the department contracts for a Commercially Owned Military Registered (COMR) fleet of helicopters. These helicopters are on the Military Register and flown by military aircrew, but are owned and maintained by commercial operators.
(19) Replacement contract for the AS355Fs based at Northolt.
Although planned out of service and contract expiry dates have been given, no decisions have yet been taken on the shape of the future helicopter programme, or the individual components within it. We hope to have a clearer idea of the way forward later this year. It is not at this stage possible to say exactly how many helicopters will be in service in 2012.
Hercules Disaster
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Defensive Aid Suite on the C130 Hercules lost in Iraq offered protection against medium-range missiles. [219040]
Mr. Ingram: The Hercules C130K that crashed in Iraq on 30 January had an enhanced defensive capability designed to provide protection against a wide range of missile systems.
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