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4 Jul 2005 : Column 43W—continued
Recuperation Levels
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects recuperation levels within the RAF to return to pre-Operation Telic levels of readiness. [7885]
Mr. Ingram: The Royal Air Force continues to meet its standing and contingent overseas operational and enduring home commitments, contributing forces to a number of theatres around the world: the Gulf, Northern Ireland, South Atlantic, Afghanistan and the Balkans. Planning assumptions and requirements are kept under constant review to ensure that the RAF continues to be ready to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. The pre-Operation Telic levels of readiness were a reflection of the Defence position prior to 2003 and are not necessarily an indication of our future requirements.
Royal Air Force
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on manning levels in the Royal Air Force. [8664]
Mr. Touhig: On 1 May 2005, the trained strength of the regular Royal Air Force was 48,760. As part of the restructuring of the armed forces announced in this House on 21 July last year, RAF trained manpower is being reduced to around 41,000 by April 2008.
Surveys
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the most recent continuous attitude surveys for each of the services will be completed; and if he will place copies in the Library. [8617]
Mr. Touhig: The most recent Royal Navy continuous attitude survey (CAS) was completed in March 2005; while the Army's latest CAS was completed in June 2005. The RAF report on their aggregated 2004 CAS results is now being prepared and will be available for publication towards the end of the year. When the RAF report is complete, the results of all three services' CAS will be placed in the Library of the House and MOD FOI website.
Territorial Army
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the manning levels of the Territorial Army are. [8663]
Mr. Touhig: The whole strength of the TA as at 1 May 2005 stood at 37,100.
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the Territorial Army in Chorley. [9580]
Mr. Touhig: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 28 June 2005, Official Report, column 1400W.
Troop Deployment
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of troop deployments to Iraq in each of the next three years; and from which budgets they will be funded. [6333]
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Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence is constantly reviewing and assessing its commitment in Iraq, based on the security and political situation, and changing force posture and equipment requirements as Iraqi Security Forces take on increasing responsibility for security. Consequently any speculation on potential future costs would be misleading. As with all net additional costs of operations, we would expect these costs to be funded by HM Treasury from the Contingency Reserve.
Typhoon
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Typhoon aircraft are in use with the Royal Air Force. [9576]
Mr. Ingram: As of 30 June 2005 the RAF has taken delivery of 15 Typhoons.
CABINET OFFICE
Government Cars
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the Government Car Agency plans to replace cars in the ministerial fleet with cars which use alternative fuel technology. [7415]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The responsibility for the provision of ministerial cars and drivers has been delegated under the terms of the Framework Document to the Government Car Despatch Agency. I have asked its Chief Executive Mr. Roy Burke to write to the hon. Member. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Library.
Myerscough Quarry
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to his written answer of 27 June 2005, Official Report, column 1226W, which local stakeholders are being consulted in the early stages of the investigation into the possibility of the former Myerscough Quarry becoming a strategic rural gateway for Lancashire. [8775]
Mr. Hutton: The Duchy Office has prepared the following list of stakeholders/consultees which either have been consulted or are to be consulted over the next few months in respect of the proposals for the Myerscough Quarry site.
Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000
Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what percentage of staff in his Department have received training on the general and specific duties of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, broken down by (a) ethnicity and (b) grade. [3539]
Mr. Hutton: A programme of training on the general and specific duties of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 was provided to Cabinet Office senior managers when the first Race Equality Scheme was produced in 2002. Further training and advice has followed as senior management teams have changed.
Detailed records of those who attended the training in 2002 have not been kept. However, as at 1 April 2002 when the training was being delivered, the grades (pay bands) and ethnicity of all staff in the Department at the targeted grades are shown in the table.
| Asian | Black | Mixed ethnic origin | Other ethnic origin | White | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior civil servant | * | * | * | * | 131 |
| Band A | * | * | * | * | 367 |
| Total | 13 | 6 | * | * | 498 |
Notes:
1.As per civil service statistical convention, figures between 0 and5 and those from which figures between 0 and 5 could be calculated are asterisked (*) to avoid identification of individuals.
2.Response rate to the ethnic origin questionnaire at Senior Civil Servant level was 83 per cent. and at band A level 90 per cent.
In addition to specific training on the Act, diversity and equality issues are covered in the Department's management development programmes.
The Department is currently undertaking a detailed review of its Race Equality Scheme which includes how it trains staff in the duties of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act. The revised scheme will be published in September 2005.
Work-related Stress
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many cases of work-related stress have been reported in his Department in each of the last three years; how much compensation was paid to employees in each year; how many work days were lost due to work-related stress in each year; at what cost; what procedures have been put in place to reduce work-related stress; at what cost; and if he will make a statement. [7856]
Mr. Hutton:
Work-related stress is recorded if it results in absence from work. The Cabinet Office figures are available from 1 April 2003 and set out in the table.
4 Jul 2005 : Column 46W
There may be cases of work-related stress that do not result in an absence but that information is not recorded.
No compensation has been claimed or paid to employees in the last three years.
(4)To protect the privacy of individuals details have not been provided. This is in accordance with statistical conventions, which recommend that records of 5 or less should not be published.
The Cabinet Office has a number of procedures in place to reduce stress at work. A stress management framework based on the Health and Safety Executive's Management Standards was launched in February 2005 and is available on the Department's intranet site. Stress management workshops were organised to explain the framework to managers and employees, and the framework is covered in the Department's on-going health and safety training.
The well-being of employees is important to the Department and it supports them in managing their work-life balance. In addition to leave entitlements the Department offers child care support and, where possible, it encourages flexible working arrangements. An on-site gym is available to employees in London, and health awareness initiatives are run from time to time.
The Department is also committed to creating a supportive working environment that is free from any form of harassment and bullying. All complaints are taken seriously and individuals have access to a confidential network of Harassment Contact Officers which is in addition to Department's counselling service.
Information on the individual costs of these initiatives could be obtained but only at disproportionate cost.
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