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22 Jun 2005 : Column 1068W—continued
Fylingdales
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what mechanism the US authorities pay the Ministry of Defence Police Agency for policing activities at Fylingdales. [5977]
Mr. Ingram: The US authorities do not contribute towards the cost of policing at RAF Fylingdales.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the policing arrangements are at Fylingdales; how many people have been arrested there in each of the last five years; and what discussions the local police have had with demonstrators. [5978]
Mr. Ingram: RAF Fylingdales is policed by a complement of Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) officers under the command of a chief inspector as the senior police officer. Groups of officers on duty are under the command of a duty inspector. A normal relief consists of a mixture of armed officers, unarmed officers and dog handlers.
Since September 2002 a total of 14 persons have been arrested at demonstrations held at Fylingdales for endangering the safety of themselves and others and for committing criminal damage to the security perimeter fence.
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All demonstrations at Fylingdales are policed jointly by the MDP and North Yorkshire police and regular operational planning meetings are held in advance of all such events to ensure optimum safety and security. Prior to any planned demonstration both MDP and North Yorkshire police contact the organiser to discuss the event and the policing arrangements. On the day of any demonstration officers consult with the organiser again to emphasise where protestors can demonstrate safely and the areas they need to avoid. An information leaflet is given to all protesters on the day of the event.
Iraq
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many trained personnel have gone absent without leave in Iraq in each of the services since March 2003. [4254]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 14 June 2005]: None.
Joint Casualty Treatment Ship
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the original timetable was for producing the design of the Joint Casualty Treatment Ship; and what the current schedule is. [3878]
Mr. Ingram: A review of the programme to provide a Joint Casualty Treatment Ship (JCTS), formerly know as the Primary Casualty Receiving Ship, is taking place this year which will further inform the requirement and influence the design of the vessel. No decisions on the timescales for producing the design have been made.
Laptop Computers
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many laptop computers have been used by (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department in each year since 1995; how many have been (i) lost and (ii) stolen in that period; what the cost was of the use of laptops in that period; and if he will make a statement. [4124]
Mr. Ingram: Detailed information on the number and cost of laptop computers used by Ministers, special advisers and officials of the Ministry of Defence each year since 1995 is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The total number of laptops in use in MOD is not centrally recorded since purchase is delegated to individual business units. The approximate number currently in use (covering laptops purchased in the last four years and held by both MOD civilians and Service personnel) is estimated to be in the order of 46,000 at an overall cost of £69 million.
75 laptop computers belonging to the Ministry of Defence (including the armed forces) are recorded as having been lost and 590 as having been stolen since 1995.
The Ministry of Defence is alert to the vulnerabilities of laptops and security policy and procedures are continually being reviewed and revised to introduce measures to reduce the numbers of laptops stolen or lost, and to mitigate the impact when losses occur.
22 Jun 2005 : Column 1070W
Menwith Hill
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the payments made by the US Government for the use of the Menwith Hill base in North Yorkshire for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement. [5263]
Mr. Ingram: The US Government do not pay Her Majesty's Government for the use of RAF Menwith Hill, as the base is made available to the United States Visiting Force under the terms of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement 1951.
Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability Project
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the companies to whom pre-qualification questionnaires for the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability project have been issued; when they are due to be returned; when a shortlist of companies will be decided upon; and if he will make a statement. [2350]
Mr. Ingram: Pre-Qualification Questionnaires for the competition to select the Integrator for the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) programme have been issued to the following 16 companies:
Responses were due to be returned to the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) by 14 June 2005.
MARS is in the Concept Phase and no decisions have yet been made on the scope, timings or costs of the programme.
Military Estate
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the land and buildings owned by (a) the Defence Aviation and Repair Agency, (b) his Department, (c) the RAF, (d) the Royal Navy and (e) the Army that are (i) for sale, (ii) for lease and (iii) under discussion for possible disposal. [5763]
Mr. Touhig:
Apart from Trading Funds such as the Defence Aviation and Repair Agency (DARA), all property is owned centrally by the Ministry of Defence
22 Jun 2005 : Column 1071W
rather than the individual Services, a list of which can be found on the National Asset Register website: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/Documents/Public_Spending_and_Services/National_Asset_Register/pss_nar_2001 index.cfm
Details of all MOD properties and land currently listed for sale are available in the Library of the House. Since the sites identified for disposal can change, the list is kept under review and is generally updated quarterly.
Until final decisions on disposals have been formally announced and been subject to normal consultations, it would be inappropriate to list sites under discussion for possible future disposal.
No central record of land and buildings for lease is held by the MOD, due to their tendency to be localised and of limited duration.
Prisoners of War (Compensation)
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the parliamentary ombudsman to report on the outcome of the complaint by civilian internees of the Japanese excluded from the compensation scheme; and if he will make a statement. [6070]
Mr. Touhig: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 June 2005, Official Report, column 665W, to the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr. Burrowes).
Shackleton Aircraft
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many representations his Department has received from former air servicemen reporting "Shackleton" ear hearing problems. [6287]
Mr. Touhig: This information is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department has undertaken on the long-term hearing effects on aircrew of Shackleton aircraft. [6288]
Mr. Touhig: The Ministry of Defence has identified two research documents on the hearing effects on aircrew of the Shackleton aircraft. These are:
"Test Note 292—Noise Measurement in Shackleton Aircraft" produced in October 1950 by the Royal Aircraft Establishment
"Pitch Discrimination as Influenced by Medium Term Length in Shackleton Aircraft" produced in May 1963 by the Royal Air Force Central Medical Establishment.
It is not possible to establish whether any other research documents into this subject have been produced without incurring disproportionate cost.
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