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21 Nov 2005 : Column 1563W—continued
Court Cases
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost to date has been of court cases involving military personnel in Iraq; and if he will list the amounts awarded to date to lawyers acting for Iraqis, broken down by firm. [27860]
Mr. Ingram: The total cost of court cases involving military personnel in Iraq is not held centrally. The Military Court Service does not hold such information by location.
The Ministry of Defence has not reimbursed any costs for lawyers acting on behalf of Iraqis.
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many criminal cases in which all proceedings are complete involving military personnel on active service have been transferred from military to civil jurisdiction for trial in each of the last five years; and what the reason was in each case. [29565]
The Solicitor-General: I have been asked to reply as the responsible Minister for supervising both the Service Prosecuting Authorities and the Crown Prosecution Service.
Where an offence alleged to have been committed by servicemen is triable in England and Wales in either the court martial or the civilian courts, it is ultimately the Attorney General's decision which prosecutor will consider the allegation. The Service Prosecuting Authorities will deal with the vast majority of cases concerning servicemen. However, in exceptional cases the CPS may deal with the allegation.
Trooper Williams is the only case in the last five years when a criminal case involving military personnel on active service have been transferred from military in which all proceedings are complete to civil jurisdiction for trial.
The charge against Trooper Williams was murder. He had been charged and had the charge dismissed by his commanding officer without the independent prosecutor, the Army Prosecuting Authority considering the allegation. As a result of the charge being dismissed the provisions of the Army Act 1955 Section 134 (1) precluded him being tried by a court martial for either murder or manslaughter. As a result the Army Prosecuting Authority could not consider the allegation.
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However in accordance with the Army Act 1955 Section 33(1) as Trooper Williams had not been tried for an offence by a court martial, not had an offence committed by him taken into consideration by a court martial in sentencing him nor had the charge dealt with summarily by his commanding officer, a civil court could try him. The case was therefore transferred to the civilian jurisdiction so that the Crown Prosecution Service as an independent prosecutor could consider the allegation.
Defence Logistics Savings
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will break down the £2.8 billion of savings in defence logistics by area where savings will be made; and where the savings will be reinvested. [29224]
Mr. Ingram: The £2.8 billion refers to savings from all the programmes contributing towards the Department's Spending Review 2004 efficiency target, not just to savings in the logistics function. A breakdown of how the Department intends to achieve this target can be found in the MOD Efficiency Technical Note www.mod.uk/issues/finance/efficiency.htm, which was published on the Department's website last October. These figures have subsequently been refined and an updated version of the Note will be published at the end of this month.
All savings will be re-invested in the Defence budget and will help fund the improvements in military capability set out in last year's White Paper on Future Capabilities.
Distinguished Service Order
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers awarded the Distinguished Service Order since 1980 have had it withdrawn subsequently following a court martial or conviction in a civilian court. [29401]
Mr. Touhig: Of the 37 DSOs awarded since 1980 none have been withdrawn.
Freedom of Information
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many requests he has received to disclose information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and what the average time taken to make a decision on the disclosures has been. [28351]
Mr. Touhig:
The Ministry of Defence had received a total of 2,882 requests to disclose information under the Freedom of Information Act up to 30 June, the second quarter of 2005. We do not collect data on the average time taken to make a decision on disclosure and could provide this information only at disproportionate cost. However, during the second quarter, 80 per cent. of requests for information were answered within the 20-day deadline and 83 per cent. within the 20-day deadline or with a permitted extension. The Department for Constitutional Affairs publish these statistics on their website and will publish information for the third quarter in mid-December.
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Departmental Salaries
Mike Penning:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the 10 highest paid employees in his Department, broken down by (a) job title and
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(b) salary including bonuses; and whether the individual concerned is (i) a civil servant and (ii) a contractor in each case. [27433]
Mr. Touhig: Details of the 10 highest paid civilian employees within the Ministry of Defence are as follows:
(13) Additional funding provided by defence industry to make salary commensurate with equivalent level post in the private sector. Has potential to earn up to 10 per cent. of salary depending on performance.
Information on the salaries and other benefits of the Defence Management Board, which includes senior military appointments, is contained in the Ministry of Defence's Annual Report and Accounts 2004–05 (HC 464).
HMS Sheffield
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will publish the contents of the typed manuscripts of evidence produced by the Board of Inquiry into the sinking of HMS Sheffield; [28338]
(2) which individuals were called to give evidence to the Board of Inquiry into the sinking of HMS Sheffield; [28341]
(3) who were the (a) members and (b) stenographer of the Board of Inquiry into the sinking of HMS Sheffield; [28342]
(4) what instructions were given to the former Commander-in-Chief, Lord Fieldhouse of Gosport, by (a) the First Sea Lord, (b) the Admiralty Board and (c) the Cabinet Office with regard to convening court martial proceedings relating to the loss of HMS Sheffield. [28343]
Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to my letter to him reference D/MSU/2/5/1 dated 7 April 2005, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. I will write to the hon. Member shortly with a progress report on the departmental review that I commissioned to consider what information can be made publicly available concerning the investigation into the loss of HMS Sheffield during the Falklands conflict.
Iraq
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress made in training and equipping units and individuals of the Iraqi Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of the Interior in Multinational Division South East Iraq. [23042]
John Reid: The coalition-wide effort to train and equip the Iraqi security forces (ISF) to conduct self-sufficient security operations, border enforcement, and law and order, has, to date, trained more than 206,000 Iraqis nationally, including almost all the Iraqi Army based in MND(SE), and 62 per cent. of the Iraqi Police Service in the United Kingdom area of operations. Coalition funds have procured various vehicles, weapons, airport x-ray machines, communications equipment and infrastructure improvements. The most recent part of a continuing UK programme of assistance to the ISF will see a further £15.5 million of vehicles, communications equipment and infrastructure improvements provided to enhance this capability in MND(SE).
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what reports he has received of Mujahideen-e-Khalq offices or safe-houses being operated in Basra; [29620]
(2) what reports he has received of the continued presence of members or former members of the Mujahideen-e-Khalq at (a) Camp Habib near Basra and (b) (i) Camp Homayun and (ii) Camp Mujarmi near Amarah in Iraq. [29619]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 17 November 2005]: There is some reporting, but no evidence, of active Mujaheddin-e-Khalq in Basrah. We have received no reports of the continued presence of former Mujaheddin-e-Khalq members in these or any other Iraqi camps.
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