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Army Tanks

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many tanks are operated by the Army; and how many are in storage. [28008]

Mr. Ingram: There are 385 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks operated by the Army, of which 38 are currently held in long-term storage. There are a further 32 tanks in temporary storage pending redeployment to Front Line Commands.
 
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Bicester Camp

Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what steps have been taken to address bullying among members of the (a) 23 Pioneer Regiment and (b) Royal Logistics Corps at Bicester camp, Oxfordshire, in the past two years; [25300]

(2) what steps have been taken to address bullying among members of the 23 Pioneer Regiment and Royal Logistics Corps at Bicester camp, Oxfordshire in the last two years. [25358]

Mr. Touhig: The Army has a policy of zero tolerance as far as bullying is concerned and any allegations made are thoroughly investigated, with disciplinary action taken where appropriate. All commanders are made fully aware of their responsibility to protect others from the differing forms of harassment, physical and mental intimidation and discrimination. This is reinforced throughout all military training.

There is no evidence to suggest a culture of bullying at Bicester but, like all Army personnel, members of 23 Pioneer Regiment Royal Logistic Corps have access to a wide-ranging welfare support network, which includes a confidential help line. Welfare support is publicised widely throughout the Army.

Chinook Mark 2/2a

Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Chinook Mark 2/2a fleet to reach its out-of-service date. [26627]

Mr. Ingram: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 March 2005, Official Report, column 1232W to the hon. Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Soames).

Congestion Charge

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has paid to Transport for London in congestion charges since they were introduced. [27425]

Mr. Touhig: The Ministry of Defence vehicles are divided into separate categories: 'Green Fleet' (camouflaged/operational vehicles) which are exempt from congestion charges and 'White Fleet' (administrative vehicles) which are liable for congestion charges.

White Fleet vehicle congestion charges are paid locally by units or individual. Records of congestion charge payments are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department since May 1997, broken down by Act. [26703]

Mr. Touhig [holding answer 9 November 2005]: The Ministry of Defence has created no criminal offences in legislation since May 1997.
 
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Criminal Records

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many serving members of (a) the Army, (b) the Royal Air Force and (c) the Royal Navy have a criminal record, broken down by type of crime. [27620]

Mr. Touhig: This information is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Decommissioned Nuclear Submaries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of storing decommissioned nuclear submarines in each year since 1997. [27612]

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

Financial Year	Decommissioned nuclear submarine storage costs (£ million)
1997–98	1.3
1998–99	0.5
1999–2000	0.6
2000–01	2.3
2001–02	1.0
2002–03	0.2
2003–04	1.6
2004–05	2.5

These figures include the cost of monitoring and maintenance work that is regularly earned out to ensure the continued safe storage of the submarines as well as the cost of berthing them. Maintenance costs are not included for the submarines stored at Rosyth in Financial Year 1997–98 as this information is no longer held.

Delivery Systems

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make representations to (a) the German Government and (b) NATO on the sale of delivery systems to Israel. [23310]

Dr. Howells: I have been asked to reply.

Germany, as a party to the EU code of conduct, would look at the sale of delivery systems to any country on a case by case basis in accordance with the strict criteria of the code. We have no reason to question German judgment on this. Access by Israel as a NATO partner, to the NATO Maintenance and Service Agency (NAMSA) is currently under discussion. No agreement has yet been reached. The UK would only agree to such an arrangement if it was clearly understood that requests from Israel would be carefully examined on a case-by-case basis, were consistent with the UK's consolidated criteria on export licensing and approved by the NATO Atlantic Council.

Fixed-wing Capability

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to ensure the deployment at sea of an adequate fixed-wing capability beyond 2012; and whether such plans include extending the life of (a) HMS Illustrious, (b) HMS Ark Royal and (c) HMS Invincible. [24571]

 
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Mr. Ingram [holding answer 7 November 2005]: The Invincible class carriers and Harrier GR9 are planned to be progressively replaced by the Future Carrier and JCA respectively thereby maintaining a potent fixed-wing capability. During the transition period, we retain the option to deploy Harrier GR9 with the Future Carrier. The ISDs for the Future Carriers will not be set until the main investment decision is taken and therefore it is too soon to determine whether there will be any case for extending the Invincible class carriers in service.

Fleet Requirement (Army)

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the Army's Total Fleet Requirement 2004. [24580]

Mr. Ingram: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will place a redacted and declassified version of the Army's Total Fleet Requirement 2004 in the Library of the House. The reason for the redaction is that sections of the TFR 2004 paper reveal military planning assumptions, the disclosure of which would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Future Integrated Soldier Technology

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the planning assumption is for entry into service of the Future Integrated Soldier Technology; and if he will make a statement. [27170]

Mr. Ingram: The Future Integrated Soldier Technology (FIST) project is currently in its Assessment Phase. No decisions on entry into service will be taken before Main Gate.

Gulf War Syndrome

Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Servicemen and (b) Servicewomen from Hertfordshire who served in the 1990–91 Gulf conflict are suffering from diagnosed illnesses. [25580]

Mr. Touhig: Information on all the illnesses reported by veterans of the 1990–91 Gulf conflict is not held centrally. Although the medical records of individuals who have left the Services are held by each Service at individual central locations, the MOD does not hold records of all illnesses reported after an individual has left the Service. Furthermore, for those still serving, medical records are normally held at their unit medical centre. They are not held in a way that allows the identification of those from Hertfordshire.

Heapey Storage Facility

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the (a) management and (b) security of the Heapey ammunitions storage facility in the event of the closure Royal Ordnance Chorley. [28156]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 14 November 2005]: The Heapey magazine facility is owned by BAE Systems Land Systems. The management and security of the facility are matters for the company.
 
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