| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
31 Oct 2005 : Column 721W—continued
Iraq
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assessment he has made of whether the armour-piercing improvised explosive devices being used against British forces in south-eastern Iraq originated (a) through Hizbullah and (b) in Iran; [20831]
(2) whether he has received credible evidence of Iranian Revolutionary Guard involvement in the insurgency in south-eastern Iraq. [20830]
John Reid: I have nothing more to add to the answer I gave on 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 34, to the hon. Member for Reigate (Mr. Blunt) and on 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 620, to the hon. Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs. Villiers).
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the present rules of engagement of UK forces and special forces in Iraq permit forces to operate over the border with Iran. [21013]
MAN Trucks
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the MAN trucks procured under the latest army truck contract will be suitable for (a) all weather conditions and (b) all geographical regions. [19435]
Mr. Ingram:
The MAN truck contract is for the Support Vehicle fleet. The tracks have been designed to operate across a range of climatic conditions and in various geographic regions. These range from 58oC dry, desert conditions through to temperatures as low as -35oC. Additionally, 420 of the total fleet will be built to a standard so that they are capable of operating in temperatures as low as -56oC.
31 Oct 2005 : Column 722W
Nuclear Weapons
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on maintenance of the UK's nuclear weapons in 2004–05. [19667]
John Reid: Since the Trident nuclear deterrent became operational in 1994, the annual expenditure for capital and running costs has ranged between 2 and 4 per cent. of the annual defence budget.
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will seek to enable (a) debate and (b) votes in the House on allowing British bases to host US nuclear missiles. [19836]
John Reid: I am aware of no such proposals.
Oliver Devoti
Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what disciplinary steps have been taken in response to the conviction of Fusilier Oliver Devoti for grievous bodily harm in Belfast on 16 September. [21525]
Mr. Ingram: It would be inappropriate to comment on the specific case of Fusilier Oliver Devoti as internal procedures are still in train. However, under The Queen's Regulations for the Army (Paragraph 9.404), a soldier will normally be discharged from the Army if he has been sentenced by a civil court to imprisonment.
Trident
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much it cost to store nuclear missiles for the Trident fleet in each of the last 10 years. [19061]
John Reid:
A shared pool of US/UK missiles is maintained and stored in the United States. Under the Polaris sales agreement (amended for Trident) the United Kingdom contributes to the cost of processing the missiles. This includes a small element in respect of storage costs, which is not separately identified. The costs of the weapons handling and storage facilities of the Royal Navy armament depot, Coulport attributable to Trident are some £2 million per year.
31 Oct 2005 : Column 723W
Type 45 Destroyer
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) delivery schedule, (b) cost per vessel unit, (c) cost of weapon systems per unit and (d) payment terms per unit is for the Type 45 destroyer. [19442]
Mr. Ingram: The first Type 45 is expected to enter service during 2009. Subsequent vessels (of a planned eight ship class) are expected to follow at regular intervals between that point and the middle of the next decade.
The current estimated unit production cost of each Type 45 is £561.6 million, based on the currently approved programme of six ships. This includes the cost of the principal anti-air missile system (PAAMS), which is the primary weapons system for the Type 45 destroyer. Within the figure of £561.6 million the division between the unit production cost of the vessel and PAAMS is approximately in the proportion of two thirds to one third.
Payment for both ship and PAAMS is through achievement of contractually agreed programme milestones.
Vanguard
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research he has commissioned on the
31 Oct 2005 : Column 724W
upgrading of the Vanguard Class submarine; and if he will make a statement. [21607]
John Reid: We have not commissioned any research on the upgrading of the Vanguard Class submarine platform.
Warships
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Swan Hunter-built vessel Largs Bay (a) to be completed, (b) to be ready for sea trials and (c) to enter service. [20388]
Mr. Ingram: It is expected that Largs Bay, first of the two Swan Hunter Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) ships will be completed by March 2006, be ready for sea trials by January 2006 and enter service late in 2006.
TREASURY
Child Benefit
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have received child benefit in each of the Westminster constituencies in the Province in each of the last three years. [22627]
Dawn Primarolo: The number of families in receipt of child benefit and the number of children in these families for whom child benefit was received are shown in the table.
n/a = not available
Condoms
Mr. Davey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to remove the VAT from condoms; and if he will make a statement. [23553]
Dawn Primarolo: The Government keep all taxes under review and any changes are announced as part of the normal Budget process. However, under our agreements with our European partners, we are not able to extend our existing VAT zero rates or introduce any new ones.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated revenue was from VAT on condoms in each of the last five years. [23557]
Dawn Primarolo:
HM Revenue and Customs does not collect data on VAT from individual goods and services.
31 Oct 2005 : Column 725W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |