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Departmental Accounts

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Ministers in his Department have issued written instructions to override his Department's accounting officer's objections since 1997. [221107]

Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Financial Secretary (Mr. Timms) on 14 March 2005, Official Report, column 80W.

Departmental Budget

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the planned (a) capital and (b) resource budget for his Department is for 2011–12. [223441]

Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend, the Financial Secretary (Mr. Timms), on 4 April 2005, Official Report, column 1170W.

Departmental Costs

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost to his Department was for accountancy services in each of the last two years. [200796]

Mr. Caplin: Ministry of Defence expenditure on External Assistance (EA), of which accountancy services are a part, is contained in the MOD's annual return of expenditure on external assistance. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses for the years 1995–96 to 2003–04. This includes expenditure broken down by top level budget holders and trading funds. However, expenditure on accountancy services is not recorded as a specific category of EA and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the cost of building refurbishment carried out by his Department in each of the last two years. [200801]

Mr. Caplin: Refurbishment" is not a term which the Ministry of Defence uses in gathering or recording financial information about the estate, as it can be regarded as capital or maintenance expenditure depending on the circumstances. Work on buildings, which might be categorised as refurbishment", can range from minor modifications and maintenance to the complete restoration of buildings, and the replacement of machinery such as lifts. Historic information is not currently held centrally or on a consistent basis and it would be impossible to answer the question without disproportionate cost and effort.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of (a) in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by his Department in each of the last two years. [200803]

 
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Mr. Caplin: The cost of in-house canteen services is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The cost of other (contracted out) catering services was £89.5 million in 2002–03 and £98.6 million in 2003–04.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the cost of (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (b) taxis for his Department in each of the last two years. [200804]

Mr. Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on congestion (a) charges and (b) penalty charge notices by the Department since the commencement of the congestion charging scheme. [213819]

Mr. Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation. [204350]

Mr. Ingram: Information on expenditure on hospitality and entertainment" for financial years 1990–2000 to 2003–04 (inclusive) has been published in our annual resource accounts. For earlier financial years, expenditure has been:

	Cost (£ million)
1997–98	5
1998–99	5.6

These figures reflect expenditure incurred by the MOD and by establishments and formations of the armed forces at home and abroad. I regret that a breakdown of the total figure by subcategory is not held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Expenditure on official entertainment is subject to strict departmental rules and compliance with the principles of propriety set out in government accounting.

Departmental Events

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by his Department and which took place on non-departmental premises in each of the last two years giving the (i) title, (ii) purpose, (iii) date and (iv) cost of each. [200805]

Mr. Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
 
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Departmental Expenditure

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how much has been spent by his Department on lighting in each year since 1997; [205873]

(2) how many items of electrical equipment were used by his Department in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by (a) cost and (b) number of each type of item. [205730]

Mr. Ingram: The costs of lighting equipment are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The energy costs of lighting are subsumed in the appropriate utility heading; I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 25 January 2005. A copy of the letter was placed in the Library of the House.

Departmental Finances

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value was of receipts from (a) royalties, (b) compensation and insurance receipts and (c) sales of licences that were (i) appropriated in aid of his Department and (ii) surrendered to the Consolidated Fund in each financial year since 1997–98. [217992]

Mr. Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Disabled People (Access)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether all Government buildings in his Department within the Greater London area are fully accessible to disabled people; and if he will make a statement. [203609]

Mr. Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Dr. Wouter Basson

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) who authorised the visit of Dr. Wouter Basson of South Africa to Porton Down in 1985; for what purpose; and if he will make a statement. [215519]

(2) which UK Government (a) officials and (b) scientists are recorded as having met Dr. Wouter Basson of South Africa between 1975 and the collapse of the apartheid regime in South Africa; and if he will make a statement. [215585]

Mr. Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Equal Pay (Northern Ireland)

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will investigate whether there are salary disparities between staff at the same grades within the civilian security staff employed by his Department in Northern Ireland. [215809]

Mr. Ingram: Civilian security staff in Northern Ireland, in common with most MOD civilian staff, are paid in accordance with pay scales for staff at their
 
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appropriate levels, rather than be paid a single rate for the job. Consequently, staff at the same level may receive different salaries dependent upon where they are on the pay scale. Following the negotiation and introduction of a multi-year pay deal in 2002, some civilian security staff were overtaken by others joining the Department later. The trades unions raised this with the Department and pay parity has since been restored for those affected.

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