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28 Nov 2005 : Column 120W—continued

Falkland Islands (Land Mines)

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress is being made in clearing landmines from the Falkland Islands. [31915]

Mr. Ingram: Under the Ottawa Convention, the United Kingdom is required to clear all anti-personnel mines from its territory by March 2009. The only UK territory affected is the Falkland Islands. Discussions are taking place with the Government of Argentina to agree a joint feasibility study, including a field survey of the Islands. A decision on how to proceed will be made once the results of the feasibility study are known.

Helicopters

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF helicopters have been cannibalized over the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [31027]

Mr. Ingram: Cannibalisation is a recognised and long standing activity within the repair and maintenance function. Cannibalisation may apply as much to an uninstalled assembly, for example an engine, as it does to the platform itself and refers to the removal of components of any size down to a single nut.

The number of RAF helicopters which have been cannibalised is not held centrally. Records are only maintained on the total number of times cannibalisation has taken place. The following table shows this information, by aircraft type, for the period November 2004 to October 2005.

Aircraft type	Total cannibalisations in last 12 months
RAF Chinook	742
RAF Merlin	243
RAF Puma	368
RAF Sea King	246

Income Tax

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the likely impact of allowing service men and women not to be liable for income tax during operational tours, with particular reference to retention. [29606]

 
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Mr. Touhig: No such assessment has been made. The long-standing rule recognised by successive governments is that crown servants, including members of the armed forces, are chargeable to income tax on their Government salaries wherever they are serving.

Iraq

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) servicemen and (b) servicewomen from Welsh regiments have been (i)killed and (ii) wounded in military service in Iraq since 20 March 2003. [29393]

Mr. Touhig: Three members of Welsh Regiments serving in Iraq have died or been killed while on Operation TELIC, but owing to the nature of the operation, centralised casualty data have not routinely included the unit with which injured members of armed forces serve.

Landing Ships Dock Project

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the decision was taken to replace the Integrated Project Team leader for the Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary) project. [29781]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 21 November 2005]: A decision to change the Integrated Project Team leader for the Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary) project was made on 28 October 2005.

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his reasons were for changing the Integrated Project Team leader for the Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary) project. [29782]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 21 November 2005]: It is not Ministry of Defence policy to discuss the specifics of individual official's appointments.

Military Airfields

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer to the right hon. and learned Member for North-East Fife (Sir Menzies Campbell) of 17 November 2005, Official Report, column 1415W, on military airfields, if he will list the occasions in the last five years when his Department has recorded the pilot and aircraft details of aircraft transiting through military airfields. [31590]

Mr. Ingram: The information requested has not been recorded centrally over the last five years and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Nuclear Weapons

Mr. Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the US Administration on the replacement of Trident. [32350]

John Reid: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for New Forest East (Dr.Julian Lewis) on 9 November 2005, Official Report, column 560W.
 
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Mr. Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his plans to facilitate a national debate on the replacement for Trident. [32351]

John Reid: I have nothing to add to the answer that I gave to the Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Mr. Moore) on 14 October 2005, Official Report, column 619W.

Mr. Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimates he has made of the likely cost of replacing Trident, broken down by cost of new (a) platforms, (b) delivery systems and (c) warheads. [32352]

John Reid: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Gordon Prentice) on 20 October 2005, Official Report, column 1217W.

Poland

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans the Royal Navy has to conduct joint exercises with the Polish navy. [30824]

Mr. Ingram: Under current plans, the Royal Navy expects to participate in six multinational exercises alongside the Polish navy in 2006, and in NATO's exercise Noble Mariner, which will take place in Poland in 2007.

Public Service Agreements

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the specific time scales are for measurement of each aspect of performance against 2004 public service agreement target number 6. [29934]

Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence provides quarterly reports to the Treasury on performance against public service agreement (PSA) targets. PSA performance is also reported to the House in the spring and autumn performance reports and the annual report and accounts as appropriate.

RAF Bases

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed in a (a) military and (b) civilian capacity at RAF Leeming. [30981]

Mr. Ingram: In the answer which I gave to the hon. Member on 7 April 2005, Official Report, column 1763W, I said that there were approximately 1,570 service posts and 280 civilian posts at Leeming. The figure for service posts covered the main station establishment, but not the lodger units there. Including these units, the service posts figure would have been 1,800.

On a like-for-like basis, the current figures are approximately 1,590 service and 270 civilian posts. The reduction in service posts from 1,800 to 1,590 is primarily the result of the disbandment of XI(F) Squadron on 31 October 2005.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when RAF Leeming first became operational for Royal Air Force purposes. [30982]

 
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Mr. Ingram: RAF Leeming became operational as a Royal Air Force bomber station in July 1940.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the implications for (a) employment at RAF Leeming and (b) the local economy of (i) the closure of the base and (ii) its conversion to an army base. [30983]

Mr. Ingram: As I previously advised the hon. Member on 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 626W, RAF Leeming has a future and a number of strands of work beyond the Defence Airfields Review could benefit the station. No decisions have yet been made.

Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the cost was of the relocation of work from Harrogate and RAF Swanton Morley to RAF Wyton that took place between 1994 and 1996; [31867]

(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the Post Project Evaluation for the relocation of works from Harrogate to RAF Wyton which took place between 1994 and 1996. [31866]

Mr. Touhig: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

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