| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
9 Nov 2005 : Column 549W—continued
Pensions
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Ribble Valley and (b) Lancashire who have lost their pensions due to firm insolvency since 1997. [24128]
9 Nov 2005 : Column 550W
Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Coventry, South (Jim Cunningham) on 26 October 2005, Official Report, column 461W.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will re-open negotiations on reciprocal agreements with those countries where they are not already in place to provide for the annual up-rating in line with inflation of pensions paid to UK pensioners living in such countries. [24167]
Mr. Timms: The UK state pension is payable in all countries abroad to those who are entitled to it. It is up-rated in the normal way for UK pensioners living overseas where there is a legal requirement or a reciprocal social security agreement to do so. To bring everyone up to the current rate they would receive if they had remained in the UK, but not to pay arrears, would cost around £400 million in 2005–06.
The Government focus resources on helping the least well off pensioners in the UK. We have no plans to negotiate further agreements.
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each constituency in the Yorkshire and Humber region received a state pension in each of the past three years. [24752]
Mr. Timms: The number of State Pension recipients in each constituency within the Yorkshire and Humber Government Office Region as at 31 May for the years shown is in the table.
Notes:
1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and are shown in thousands.
2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
3. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant Office for National Statistics postcode directory.
Source:
DWP Information Directorate—Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (100 per cent. data)
9 Nov 2005 : Column 551W
DEFENCE
Afloat Craft
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the construction of the military afloat reach and sustainability craft overseas; and if he will make a statement. [23051]
Mr. Ingram: The military afloat reach and sustainability project has recently entered the assessment phase and it is therefore too early to say what the final designs and specifications for these vessels might be and where the work will be carried out. We will use the assessment phase to look into the potential options, taking into account best value for money and wider industrial factors, before any decisions are made at the main gate investment point.
Aircraft Carriers
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the in-service dates for the two future aircraft carriers remain 2012 and 2015 respectively. [23738]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 3 November 2005]: As for all projects, in-service dates (ISDs) are not set until the main investment decision. The time scale parameters for the Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF) will continue to be refined and will be confirmed following the project's main investment decision, which will be taken when we have a proper understanding of the risks, costs and contractual framework.
Angola
Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the suitability of Angola for overseas military training. [24371]
9 Nov 2005 : Column 552W
Mr. Ingram: HQ Land has made a general appreciation of a number of African countries for overseas training, including Angola. A further detailed assessment is not required at present.
Armed Forces
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) people from Northern Ireland and (b) citizens of the Republic of Ireland are serving in the UK armed forces. [25220]
Mr. Touhig: The number of 'British' and 'Republic of Ireland' nationals in the Armed Forces are shown as follows. Nationality figures are unavailable below United Kingdom level for the Naval Service and RAF. For Army personnel, figures for personnel declaring nationality of 'British/N. Ireland' are also shown. However, this only includes NI personnel who are recorded as such and excludes those that may be from NI, but recorded as 'British'.
| Service | British | Of which recorded as British/N. Ireland | Republic of Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naval Service(14) | 39,010 | — | 60 |
| Army(15) | 100,860 | 2,005 | 210 |
| Royal Air Force(16) | 50,520 | — | 60 |
(14) Naval Service data are provided by AFPAA as data are not centrally held by DASA. Data are for personnel serving at 3 October 2005. Data are for UK Regular Forces (trained and untrained) including Nursing Services, FTRS and activated reservists.
(15) Army data are provided by DASA for personnel serving at 1 September 2005. Data are for UK Regular Forces (trained and untrained), including Nursing Services and excluding Full Time Reserve Service personnel, Gurkhas, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists.
(16) RAF data are provided by AFPAA as data are not centrally held by DASA. Data are for personnel serving as at 16 September 2005. Data are for UK Regular Forces (trained and untrained) including Nursing Services, FTRS and activated reservists.
Source:
DASA (Tri-Service)
Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what number of army recruits successfully completed Phase II training in each of the past four years; and what percentage that represents of their cohort recruited at Phase I entry level. [26284]
Mr. Touhig: Records do not exist in the format requested due to the variety in the length, type and location of Phase II training to which members of the same Phase I cohort group may be assigned.
The following table covers the last four financial years and shows the numbers entering training and the numbers leaving training as trained soldiers. They do not necessarily relate to the same cohort group and therefore direct comparison of the two figures could be misleading.
| Financial year | Untrained intake | Outflow from untrained to trained strength |
|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 13,510 | 8,870 |
| 2002–03 | 15,070 | 10,150 |
| 2003–04 | 13,820 | 10,390 |
| 2004–05 | 10,620 | 8,950 |
Notes:
1. UK Regular Forces includes nursing services but excludes full-time reserve service personnel, Gurkhas, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised Reservists.
2. Figures include those that have just completed their training and are therefore transferring to the trained strength.
3. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
9 Nov 2005 : Column 553W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |