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31 Oct 2005 : Column 717W—continued

AWE Aldermaston

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent by his Department in each of the past five years on (a) running costs and (b) capital costs at AWE Aldermaston. [22020]

Mr. Ingram: The information requested is shown in the following table.
 
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Atomic weapons establishment annual expenditure as at October 2005 £ million, 2005–06 prices

	Running costs	Capital costs	Total
2000–01	287	24	311
2001–02	244	47	291
2002–03	230	48	278
2003–04	235	65	300
2004–05	269	94	363

British Strategic Nuclear Deterrent

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the British strategic nuclear deterrent could be (a) targeted and (b) used without United States approval (i) at present and (ii) under plans for a successor system. [23607]

John Reid: The United Kingdom's independent nuclear deterrent can be targeted and used without the approval of any other country. No decisions on any replacement for Trident have yet been taken.

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at what stage in the current Parliament he expects to announce (a) whether the strategic nuclear deterrent will be replaced and (b) what type of successor system will be the preferred choice. [23608]

John Reid: It is likely that decisions on any replacement for Trident will be required in the current Parliament, but they are still some way off. It is therefore too early to speculate on a more precise decision-making timetable.

Chinooks

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he expects the Chinook Mark 3 helicopter, including the six aircraft delivered to the UK during 2001–02, to enter service before the planned phasing out of the Mark 2 and Mark 2a Chinooks. [21732]

Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence is working towards resolving the problems of the eight Chinook Mk 3s. A study last year recommended a 'Fix to Field' solution as the probable best value for money solution. We are working with Boeing to ensure the proposed solution is mature and robust before taking the final decision on whether to proceed. If we do decide to proceed with the 'Fix to Field' solution I anticipate that the aircraft would be in service well before the Chinook Mk 2/2a fleet reaches its out of service date.

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the airworthiness review of the Chinook HC2 helicopter was conducted; and if he will place a copy of the review in the Library. [21757]

Mr. Ingram: I refer the it hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 February 2005, Official Report, columns 651–52W.

Combat Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) expected withdrawal from service date and (b) possible total life expectancy of the
 
31 Oct 2005 : Column 719W
 
remaining CVR(T) vehicles including the Saxon are; and whether any upgrades of the vehicles are expected. [22353]

Mr. Ingram: The currently planned out of service dates (OSD) for all CVR(T) variants is 2014. On that basis their total in service life will be 42 years. However, OSDs can be subject to review at any stage, and if it is cost effective to maintain or update this capability the service life of some variants may be extended beyond this point.

All variants of CVR(T) are currently being upgraded with the Bowman communications and information system and close reconnaissance CVR(T) Scimitar is also receiving the Battlegroup Thermal Imaging system. Parts of the Scimitar fleet already have upgraded protection and there is a funded programme to upgrade the protection of more of the fleet.

Saxon is not a CVR(T) variant, but its currently planned OSD is also 2014, giving a total in service life of 30 years, although this OSD could also be reviewed. With the exception of modifications for specific operations, no upgrades are currently planned for Saxon.

Cut and Sew Contracts

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many visits have been made by his Department's personnel to the sub-contractors for the cut and sew contracts in China since the contract was awarded. [22309]

Mr. Ingram: As part of the cut and sew contract management plan, three visits have been made to sub contractors in China by officials accompanying the prime contractor, at the prime contractor's request.

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many garments in each of the categories of the cut and sew contract were scheduled to be delivered in the first year of the contract; and how many from each category have been delivered. [22310]

Mr. Ingram: The information requested is shown in the following table:

	Scheduled for delivery	Actually delivered
Category 1	510,048	462,185
Category 2	27,103	27,103
Category 3	113,211	110,179
Category 4	294,984	302,304
Category 5	43,100	43,100

 
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Death Investigations

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of investigations into the deaths of (a) Captain Ken Masters and (b) Staff Sergeant Denise Rose. [22846]

Mr. Ingram: Inquiries into the deaths of Captain Masters and Staff Sergeant Rose have not yet been completed. It would be inappropriate to comment further while these inquiries are ongoing.

Defence Contracts

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many defence contracts worth over £10 million his Department has awarded to (a) EU, (b) British and (c) United States firms in each of the last five years. [22252]

Mr. Ingram: The information is not held in the format requested.

Inoculations

Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what inoculations are (a) necessary and (b) recommended for armed forces personnel before being deployed to Iraq; what the cost of each inoculation is per person; and what supplies of each inoculation are available to his Department. [21709]

Mr. Touhig [holding answer 25 October 2005]: The tables show the recommended inoculations that armed forces personnel should have as part of their overall recruitment process or routine in-service healthcare. Rabies and Hepatitis B vaccines are offered to personnel who are at occupational risk. Vaccinations are only administered after the individual has given informed consent, therefore, all vaccinations can only be deemed recommended for deployment. The costs of the immunisations have been calculated per person, per dose and include VAT:
Recruit/New service entrant immunisation schedule

Day	Vaccine	Next Dose	Cost per person, per dose (£) including VAT
1	Meningococcal conjugate C	None	1.13
1	Mumps, Measles, Rubella (MMR)	None	6.88
1	Low dose diphtheria/ Tetanus/ Inactivated Polio (Td/IPV)	10 yrs	10.90
25	BCG	None	6.46
42	Hepatitis A	6–12 months (then 10-yearly)	17.04
42	Typhoid	3 yrs	8.11
42	Yellow fever	10 yrs	20.85

Vaccine	Booster Interval	Remarks	Cost per person, per dose (£) including VAT
Routine in-service immunisation schedule
Hepatitis A	10 yrs	A second dose, which completes the primary immunisation course, is to be given 6–12 months after the first dose or subsequently as the opportunity arises. (See Typhoid remarks)	17.04
Low dose diphtheria/ Tetanus/Inactivated Polio (Td/IPV)	10 yrs	—	10.90
Typhoid	3 yrs	Where Hepatitis A and Typhoid vaccines are required at the same time, the combined Hepatitis A/Typhoid vaccine is to be used.	8.11
Yellow fever	10 yrs	—	20.85
Anthrax voluntary immunisation programme
Anthrax	1 yr (from 6 month booster)	3 Vaccines over a course of 6 weeks, followed by another 6 months after	124
Immunisations for those at special occupational risk
Hepatitis B	5 yrs	1. After the primary course, seroconversion check required for healthcare workers. 2. Single booster dose 5 years after primary course. No further booster required thereafter.	8.00 to be offered to deploying personnel if at occupational risk of contact with human body fluids, e.g. medical and provost personnel
Rabies	2 yrs	If still indicated. The Rabies Vaccine cost is based on 3Xpre-exposure vaccines.	70.00 Recommended only for Veterinary staff and all personnel who work regularly with animals

 
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The Ministry of Defence (MOD) holds sufficient doses of Medical Countermeasure products. The MOD buys vaccines against diseases from the commercial sector, on an as required basis, and from the Department of Health through standing agreements and in line with anticipated requirements.

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