| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
13 Feb 2006 : Column 1577W—continued
Ascension Island
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future role of Ascension Island in the United Kingdom's defence strategy. [47329]
Mr. Ingram: Ascension Island fulfils a strategic role as a staging post in support of our Defence interests in the South Atlantic. This role will continue for as long as necessary to protect the right of self-determination of the inhabitants of the South Atlantic Overseas Territories.
Brazilian Beef
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the amount of Brazilian beef procured for departmental establishments in the last year for which figures are available. [47473]
Mr. Ingram: For the financial year 2004–05, the total value of Brazilian beef procured for the British armed forces worldwide was approximately £3.7 million.
Civil Servants (Overseas Visits)
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what costs were incurred by his Department as a result of sending civil servants on overseas visits in each of the last 10 years. [46287]
Mr. Touhig:
This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All travel is conducted in accordance with the guidelines set out in the civil service management code and in the most cost-effective manner.
13 Feb 2006 : Column 1578W
Civilian Prisoners (Japan)
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many compensation payments to civilian prisoners of the Japanese were made before the introduction of the birth link criterion; and on what basis they were paid. [50833]
Mr. Touhig: In view of my statement to the House on 12 December 2005, Official Report, columns 1119–21, reliable information is not currently available on how many payments to civilians interned by the Japanese were made before the introduction of the birthlink criterion. During my attendance at the evidence session of the Public Administration Select Committee on 1 December 2005, I announced that I had set in hand a review to look at the criteria used for deciding claims under the ex-gratia payment scheme. As part of this, we are examining when the birthlink criterion was applied for deciding applications from former civilian internees. I expect the review to conclude shortly. I will make a further statement to the House on the findings of the review as soon as possible thereafter.
Correspondence
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will reply to the letter of 11 November 2005 by the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire on Gulf War Syndrome; and if he will make a statement. [49542]
Mr. Touhig: I replied to the hon. Member on 10 February.
Defence Export Services
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when Alan Garwood's contract as Head of Defence Export Services ends; what steps have been taken to appoint a successor; who will be on the appointment panel; and if he will make a statement. [49805]
Mr. Touhig: Mr. Alan Garwood was seconded to the Ministry of Defence in September 2002 on a three-year contract with the possibility to extend the contract to a maximum of five years. The contract has already been extended to cover the period to September 2006. No action is yet required to find a successor.
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many new personnel were employed in the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each year since 2002. [44410]
Mr. Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Defence Training Review
Mr. Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) direct and (b) indirect jobs are provided by the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering, Cosford, in (i) Shropshire and (ii) the West Midlands region. [40384]
Mr. Touhig:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 2 February 2006, Official Report, columns 701–02W to my hon. Friend the Member for Wolverhampton, South-East (Mr. McFadden).
13 Feb 2006 : Column 1579W
Defence Vetting Agency
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether civilian staff may be employed on his Department's premises before basic security check by the Defence Vetting Agency has been carried out. [49751]
Mr. Ingram: Ministry of Defence policy requires a Basic Check (BC) to be carried out for all civil servants, including casual, temporary and work experience staff, prior to the date from which they start their employment. The Basic Check forms part of the MOD's system of protection against risks from terrorism, espionage and crime by providing assurance about the identity and integrity of individuals who have access to MOD assets and establishments. Exceptionally, in the case of short term contractors who only require physical access to MOD sites (with no access to classified information) for less than two weeks, there is provision for the requirement for BC to be waived, providing that measures are taken by the establishment concerned to control access, including, where possible, escorting.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications for (a) security checks and (b) developed vetting the Defence Vetting Agency has processed in each of the last five years. [49755]
Mr. Ingram: The following numbers of applications for security checks and developed vetting, including vetting reviews, have been completed in each of the last five complete years. The figures exclude applications that were cancelled during the vetting process:
| Security checks | Developed vetting | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 86,915 | 8,682 | 95,597 |
| 2001–02 | 83,025 | 7,011 | 90,036 |
| 2002–03 | 103,330 | 8,441 | 111,771 |
| 2003–04 | 100,304 | 11,611 | 111,915 |
| 2004–05 | 89,199 | 10,632 | 99,831 |
Departmental Entertainment
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on entertainment by his Department in 2004–05; and how much of that sum is accounted for by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation. [50895]
Mr. Touhig: Information on expenditure on hospitality and entertainment" for the financial year 2004–05 has been published at Note 3 of our Annual Report and Accounts, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
A breakdown of the total figure by subcategory is not held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Expenditure on official entertainment is subject to strict departmental rules and compliance with the principles of propriety set out in Government Accounting.
Departmental Estimates
Mr. Harper:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will break down the (a) main estimate, (b) winter supplementary estimate and (c) spring supplementary
13 Feb 2006 : Column 1580W
estimate Request for Resources (i) 2 and (ii) 3 provision by (A) direct resource departmental expenditure limit (DEL) and (B) indirect resource DEL for financial years 1999–2000 to 2004–05. [49767]
John Reid: Prior to the introduction of Stage 2 Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) in financial year 2003–04, indirect RDEL did not exist as a budgeting aggregate, and I therefore provide figures for Request for Resources 2 for financial years 2003–04 and 2004–05.
Request for Resources 3 is for the payment of war pensions and allowances, which was the responsibility of the Department of Work and Pensions until financial year 2002–03. All costs are classified as annually managed expenditure (AME), rather than as Resource DEL, and there are no separate direct and indirect controls on AME. The total figures published in the estimates, are therefore not split between direct and indirect elements. Copies of the estimates are available in the Library of the House.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |