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Iran

Mark Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what military equipment was sold to Iran in each of the past five years; and what its value was in each case. [18763]

Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence's Disposal Services Agency (DSA) has not sold any surplus military equipment to Iran in the last five years.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the review of abuse investigations in Iraq
 
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announced earlier this year by General Sir Mike Jackson has been completed; and whether a date has been set for its publication. [20523]

John Reid: Findings will be published when all related legal proceedings have concluded. No date has been set for publication.

Northern Ireland Bases

Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military bases have been closed in Northern Ireland in each year since 1998. [20448]

Mr. Ingram: The information requested, which includes military bases, joint PSNI/military bases, communications sites and observation towers is shown in the following table:

	Number
1998	8
1999	13
2000	7
2001	3
2002	3
2003	2
2004	1
2005	4

Project D154

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the original (a) time scale and (b) phasing was of Project D154 at DML; and what progress has been made to date. [18580]

Mr. Ingram: Project D154 involves the upgrade of nuclear facilities at Devonport and consists of three phases. The Phase 1 contract ran from 1993 to 1996 and allowed Devonport Management Ltd. to continue with concept and design development work for the facilities during ongoing negotiations for the Phase 2 prime contract. It was originally envisaged that the construction work would begin in 1996, with completion in 1999, but this was not achieved, primarily due to protracted contract negotiations. The Phase 2 contract was awarded in March 1997 and construction work began in 1998. The estimated date for completion of the contract was April 2004, including an end date for the construction work of January 2002.

During 2001 it became clear that the approved maximum cost for Phase 2 would be exceeded and Treasury approval for an increase in funding was granted in October 2001, allowing the Phase 2 contract to be renegotiated and re-scoped. The existing target date of January 2002, for completion of the key facilities for Vanguard Class submarines, was achieved. Work to complete the Primary Circuit Decontamination Building is expected to be completed in November 2005, in time for use during HMS Victorious's overhaul. In addition, while some of the work required to upgrade the overhaul and refuel facilities in support of attack submarines (Swiftsure and Trafalgar Classes) was completed by March 2002, elements of the work were transferred to the final phase, Phase 3, as part of the contract re-negotiations.
 
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The first stage of Phase 3, primarily to support the overhaul and refuel of HMS Triumph, is expected to complete by the end of 2006.

RAF Northolt

Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what restrictions apply to the hours at which military aircraft at RAF Northolt may (a) arrive and (b) depart; [19429]

(2) what restrictions apply to the hours at which civilian aircraft at RAF Northolt may (a) arrive and (b) depart. [19430]

Mr. Ingram: The standard airfield opening hours for both military and civilian aircraft at RAF Northolt are 0800 to 2000, seven days a week. There is some military and civilian aircraft activity outside of these hours.

Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many military aircraft (a) arrived at and (b) departed from RAF Northolt in each of the last three years; [19482]

(2) how many civilian aircraft (a) arrived at and (b) departed from RAF Northolt in each of the last three years. [19481]

Mr. Ingram: We do not hold information in the format requested; the following table details the number of aircraft movements, which could be either an arrival or departure, for each of the last three years:

	Civilian	Military
2002	7,306	4,903
2003	7,534	5,062
2004	7,493	4,792

Civil commercial aircraft movements at RAF Northolt are limited to 7,000 per calendar year; the number of civilian movements quoted in the aforementioned table includes non-commercial civilian aircraft movements, for example those transporting visiting royalty and heads of state.

Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which categories of civilian aircraft are permitted to use RAF Northolt. [19483]

Mr. Ingram: Military and civilian aircraft are permitted to use RAF Northolt. There are no set categories.

RAF Northolt takes into account a number of factors, including the weight and configuration of the aircraft, the number of passengers and the level of fire cover required. This is done on a case-by-case basis.

RAF Waddington/Brize Norton

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) why RAF Waddington was used to transport nuclear material while RAF Brize Norton is closed; and if he will make a statement; [19345]

(2) what plans he has to reinstate RAF Brize Norton as the prime airbase from which to transport nuclear material. [19400]

 
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Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has used a number of airfields in the past for the transportation of nuclear material and will use airheads in the future that meet required safety and security standards, which are the Department's paramount consideration. However, I am unable to comment on specific locations as this would be likely to prejudice national security.

Rafale Aircraft

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the new aircraft carriers will be equipped with the Rafale aircraft. [19447]

Mr. Ingram: There are no plans for this.

Skynet 5

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what will be the bandwidth for Skynet 5. [19436]

Mr. Ingram: The Skynet 5 PFI provides a total bandwidth in the region of 700 MHz. Of this, the assured MOD capacity is in the region of 400 MHz.

Sub-contracting

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what powers are available to him to intervene in the sub-contracting process of his Department's major suppliers for reasons of (a) technical competence and (b) standards of governance and probity. [17651]

Mr. Ingram: It is a condition of all contracts between the Ministry of Defence and its prime contractors that they are placed in the name of "the Authority" which is defined as the Secretary of State. Thus the procurement powers of the Secretary of State are vested in the terms and conditions of the contract. In normal circumstances, those powers are exercised through the prime contractor as appropriate, because there is no direct contractual relationship between MOD and its sub-contractors. If it were to intervene directly, MOD would undermine the contractual responsibilities of the prime contractor. It is principally the responsibility of the Department's prime contractors to select and manage the performance of their subcontractors.

Submarine IT Systems

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been undertaken of the (a) ability and (b) capacity of Alfred McAlpine Business Systems to deliver effective IT systems for submarines against the Department's requirements as a sub-contractor to BAE Systems. [17649]

Mr. Ingram: Alfred McAlpine Business Services do not deliver IT systems for submarines as a sub-contractor to BAE Systems submarines. These are provided under sub-contract by Computer Sciences Corporation. Any decision to find an alternative provider is primarily a matter for BAE Systems Submarines.

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