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23 Nov 2005 : Column 2053W—continued
Iraq
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers based in Northern Ireland were serving in Iraq on the latest date for which figures are available. [30199]
Mr. Ingram: On 31 October 2005 there were some 50 soldiers committed to Northern Ireland but temporarily deployed in Iraq.
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel from Shropshire are serving in Iraq. [30827]
Mr. Touhig: Data on the residential location of armed forces personnel are not held centrally in databases of individual records and it is therefore not possible to give figures by place of residence.
Joint Combat Aircraft
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the target date is for bringing the first United Kingdom tranche of Joint Combat Aircraft into service; [30172]
(2) whether an agreement has been reached with the United States on dates by which (a) the first UK tranche and (b) subsequent UK tranches of the Joint Combat Aircraft must be purchased. [30173]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 22 November 2005]: The in service dates (ISO) for the Joint Combat Aircraft will be set at the main manufacturing investment decision point. Our current planning assumption for bringing the aircraft into service in 2014. We are negotiating the terms of the memorandum of understanding for the co-operative production, support and follow on development phase with the US and seven other nations.
Married Quarters
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's disposal targets are for married quarters estate stock in each of the next three years. [23321]
Mr. Touhig: The table illustrates current planned disposals of the Ministry of Defence married quarters estate for each of the next three years. Further properties are likely to be identified for disposal as part of the continual review of service families accommodation requirements and rationalisation of the estate but it is too early to say how many.
Under a land agreement, 21 married quarters will be handed to the Gibraltar Government in 2006–07 and 44 in 2007–08. An additional 54 will be demolished during the period 2006 to 2009.
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| Number by sale (financial year) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 |
| England, Scotland, Wales | (34)568 | (35)149 | (35)221 |
| Northern Ireland | 0 | 339 | 0 |
| Ascension/Falkland Islands | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cyprus | 0 | 0 | 0 |
(34) Of which 488 will be handed back to Annington Homes Ltd (AHL).
(35) AHL hand backs.
National Minimum Wage
Ms Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many employees in his Department were affected by the rise in the national minimum wage on 1 October. [28969]
RAF Bases
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to publish his report on airfields; and if he will make a statement. [30652]
Mr. Ingram: As I explained to the hon. Member on 17 November 2005, Official Report, column 1126, the defence airfields review is taking the form of a series of business cases. Two of those have addressed the basing requirements for the Joint Combat Aircraft and the Nimrod MRA4. We intend to publish the Joint Combat Aircraft and Nimrod MRA4 basing studies on the Freedom of Information Publication Scheme shortly.
Special Advisers
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the special advisers in post in his Department, broken down by pay band; and what the total budgeted cost to his Department of special advisers is for 2005–06. [29413]
Mr. Touhig: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 16 November 2005, Official Report, column 1256W, by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office to the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning).
Information relating to costs of special advisers for 2005–06 will be published after the end of the current financial year.
Warships
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2005, Official Report, column 1073W, on warships, when his Department first received notice from (a) Swan Hunter and (b) BAE Systems that further cost increases to the landing ships dock (Auxiliary) project were likely. [28335]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 21 November 2005]: Swan Hunter initially indicated to the Ministry of Defence a potential cost increase to their programme in June 2005. BAE Systems notified a likely increase in August 2005.
23 Nov 2005 : Column 2055W
SCOTLAND
Departmental Skills Development Plan
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which individual is responsible for developing and implementing his Department's Skills Development Plan. [23838]
David Cairns: All the staff in the Scotland Office are on loan from the Scottish Executive or the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA).
Each department's human resources director is responsible for ensuring that their department develops and implements a skills development plan.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's Skills Development Plan. [23863]
David Cairns: All the staff in the Scotland Office are on loan from the Scottish Executive or the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA).
Copies of the DCA Departmental Skills Development Plan 2004–09 and the 2005 update to the plan have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
The Lifelong Learning Strategy for Scotland was published in February 2003. It can be accessed using the following link; http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/lifelong/llsm-00.asp.
As referred to in this document, the Scottish Executive learning strategy sets out how the Executive plan to support their people through learning. This document is available internally through the Executive's intranet.
Departmental Staff
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the 10 highest-paid employees in his Department; what the (a) job title and (b) salary including bonuses is of each; and whether the individual concerned is (i) a civil servant and (ii) a contractor in each case. [27435]
David Cairns: The salary ranges of the highest paid employees in the Scotland Office are listed in the Scotland Office Annual Report 2005. The costs of special advisers are published annually, details of which are given in the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 July 2005, Official Report, columns 158–62WS.
The salary details of the other members of staff, all of whom are civil servants, are not released, as to provide this information for such a small number of staff (all of whom are below the Senior Civil Service grade) would be unfair on the grounds of their entitlement to privacy.
National Minimum Wage
Ms Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many employees in his Department were affected by the rise in the national minimum wage on 1 October. [28975]
23 Nov 2005 : Column 2056W
David Cairns: All the staff in the Scotland Office are on loan from the Scottish Executive or the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA). No staff on loan to the Office were affected by the rise in the national minimum wage on 1 October 2005.
Staff Discipline
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many employees have been dismissed by his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [29133]
David Cairns: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. All the staff in the Office are on loan from the Scottish Executive or the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA), who remain the principal employers. Two staff were dismissed from the Office while on loan from the Scottish Executive; one in 2001 and one in 2002.
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