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20 Jun 2005 : Column 668W—continued
Falkland Islands
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Falklands conflict. [5009]
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Mr. Touhig: Earlier this year my predecessor met the Chairman of the South Atlantic Medal Association 1982 to discuss plans for the 25th anniversary of the Falklands conflict in 2007. It was agreed that their organisation and the MOD should collaborate on a commemorative event in London, the details of which will be developed later this year.
Far East Prisoners of War
Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Parliamentary Ombudsman's report on the Government's ex gratia payment to former Far East prisoners of war will be made public. [4486]
Mr. Touhig: The Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration is an Officer of the House and, as such, is entirely independent of the Government. The publication of her reports is a matter for her.
Gibraltar
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will allow an in-house bid for his Department's work at the base in Gibraltar. [5056]
Mr. Ingram: It is the Ministry of Defence's intention to seek both an in-house option and bids from contractors for the delivery of key support functions under Project Pegasus. Unfortunately, until the Trade Unions return to the Whitley process, we will be unable to pursue the in-house option.
However, we do not judge an in-house option feasible to deliver estate services efficiently. There is no in-house expertise in key areas including the provision of trained and experienced personnel to implement mandated safe systems of work; tendering and letting works contracts; and the management and control of directly employed labour to carry out maintenance tasks. An in-house option could neither achieve the economies of scale that could be offered by industry, nor the transfer of large elements of risk (both financial and health and safety) from the Department. It would not therefore deliver the required savings or achieve full value for money for the tax payer.
Interoperability
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what areas of British armed forces he expects to comply by 2010 with the Headline 2010 goal of interoperability. [5380]
John Reid: The Government are committed to improving interoperability across the armed forces with both EU and NATO partners.
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which areas of UK military equipment he expects to be pooled and shared with other EU member states by 2010. [5381]
Iraq
Mr. Robathan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses serving
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in Iraq are (i) regular service personnel, (ii) territorial or reserve personnel and (iii) civilian agency staff; and if he will list the respective pay scales of each. [4665]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 14 June 2005]: There are currently 29 United Kingdom military doctors serving in Iraq, of which three are Reservists, and 75 UK military nurses, of which 35 are Reservists. There are no civilian doctors and four civilian agency medical nurses in Iraq working for the UK armed forces.
The pay scales for military personnel, both regular and reservist are published in the 2005 Armed Forces Pay Review Body reports. The civilian agency staff are employed through two contracts and MOD does not hold the information about what the individuals are paid.
Landing Ship Dock Programme
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Swan Hunter has made representations regarding additional funding for the Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) programme above the £87 million negotiated last year; and whether there have been variations to the contract since January. [3919]
Mr. Ingram: Swan Hunter has recently confirmed to the Ministry of Defence that its costs to complete the Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) programme are likely to increase. The extent to which the MOD may bear any additional costs is currently being assessed. There have been minor variations to the contract since January 2005, predominately for the procurement of spares to support the vessels.
Nuclear Deterrent
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 7 June 2005, Official Report, column 446W, on Trident, whether the range of options about the future of the UK strategic nuclear deterrent includes an option of not proceeding with a new generation strategic nuclear deterrent. [4353]
John Reid: The Labour Party's manifesto for the 2005 general election made clear our commitment to retain the UK's independent nuclear deterrent.
Although decisions on any replacement for Trident are likely to be taken in the current Parliament, it is too early to rule out, or rule in, any particular option.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 7 June 2005, Official Report, column 446W, on Trident, whether the decision on whether to replace Trident will be the subject of a substantive vote in Parliament. [4354]
John Reid: It is too early to say what formal procedures might be used to underpin future decision-making by the Government in this area.
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what preparatory work has begun on a replacement for Trident; what the cost of that work has been; and if he will make a statement. [4846]
John Reid:
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 June 2005, Official Report, columns333–34W, to the hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis).
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QinetiQ
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role QinetiQ plays in (a) testing and (b) evaluating the effectiveness of military training programmes. [2342]
Mr. Ingram: QinetiQ's Centre for Human Sciences (CHS) operates a training advisory group employing circa 10 people, providing support to the MOD on training needs analysis and the optimisation of training regimes.
QinetiQ's Centre for Human Sciences has been involved with testing and evaluating the effectiveness of military training programmes in a number of areas including:
Effective and Efficient Army Collective Training—CHS has been involved in work improving the cost-effectiveness of a number of training systems currently being developed by the Army.
Armoured Fighting Vehicle Training—CHS has been involved in the development of effective and efficient training for the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the potential for conflicts of interest where QinetiQ is competing for departmental contracts; and if he will make a statement. [2558]
Mr. Ingram: During the QinetiQ vesting process, the potential for such conflicts of interest was considered. To ensure any such conflicts were properly addressed, two courses of action were taken:
The Ministry of Defence ownership interest in QinetiQ was kept completely separate from the competitive contract placement activities.
Compliance processes were implemented, which ensure advice QinetiQ provides to MOD is independent of commercial contracts that could give rise to a potential conflict of interest.
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to complete the privatisation of QinetiQ. [3694]
Mr. Ingram: In February 2003 the Ministry of Defence announced its intention to sell its entire stake in QinetiQ within three to five years and that this would probably be by way of a flotation on the stock market. No decisions have yet been made on the precise timing.
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) British and (b) overseas company acquisitions made by QinetiQ in each year since 1997. [4656]
Mr. Ingram: QinetiQ was vested in July 2001. Since that date it has made three full acquisitions, all in 2004:
In addition, during 2004, QinetiQ purchased the remaining 55 per cent. of its joint venture, ASAP Calibration Limited, making it a wholly owned subsidiary.
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