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27 Feb 2006 : Column 27W—continued
Nuclear Deterrent
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to replace the British nuclear deterrent. [53949]
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John Reid: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Mr. Nick Herbert).
Pension Liabilities
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the net present value of accrued pension liabilities in respect of (a) present and (b) former employees of his Department and its predecessors. [52116]
Mr. Touhig: This reply deals separately with the accrued pension liabilities for military personnel and civilian staff employed by the Ministry of Defence.
Military pension liabilities are covered by the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS). This is a salary-related, contracted out, occupational pension scheme open to most members of the armed forces. The Armed Forces Pension Scheme Resource Accounts for 2004–05 showed that the total pension liability at 31 March 2005 was £66.5 billion. The value of pension liabilities was assessed as follows:
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Active members (past service) | 20.7 |
| Deferred pensions | 5.3 |
| Pensions in payment | 40.5 |
Most civilian pension liabilities are covered by the Principal Civil Service Pension scheme. This is an unfunded multi-employer defined benefit scheme and individual departments' pension liabilities are not available. The Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation Resource Accounts for 2004–05 showed that the total pension liability at 31 March 2005 was £84.1 billion. The value of the pension liabilities was assessed as follows:
As a result of a change in the discount rate used for calculating pension liabilities with effect from 1 April 2005, the total pension liability at 1 April 2005 increased by £10.6 billion to £94.7 billion.
There is a relatively small pension liability for MOD civilian employees who are in the Teachers' Pension Scheme or the NHS Pension Scheme. These are unfunded defined schemes but, again, the MOD is unable to identify its share of the underlying assets and liabilities. Details of the assets and liabilities can be found in the respective resource accounts of the schemes; these are published and copies are available in the Library.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Justine Greening:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many mental health (a) professionals,
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(b) beds and (c) other facilities his Department has in place in Iraq to identify and treat service personnel with post traumatic stress disorder and related conditions; and if he will make a statement. [53796]
Mr. Touhig: A mental health team is based at the United Kingdom Shaibah Logistics base which is currently staffed by two community psychiatric nurses.
In addition, there is a programme of visits to theatre by a consultant psychiatrist. These are undertaken primarily for clinical governance purposes, but the visiting consultant will also provide advice on particular patients as required.
The UK Field hospital in Shaibah has a total number of 50 beds. These are not designated for the treatment of specific conditions and are available for personnel with mental health problems should they be required.
If further advice or treatment is required that cannot be provided in theatre, the patient will be aeromedically evacuated out of Iraq for treatment in the UK or at UK defence community mental health centres in Cyprus, Germany and Gibraltar.
Qinetiq
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what professional advice his Department received about the offering of shares in Qinetiq to retail investors at flotation; when this advice was received; whether (a) officials and (b) Ministers challenged this advice; and if he will make a statement. [50930]
John Reid: Advice from the joint financial advisers on the offering of shares in Qinetiq to retail investors was received at various stages in the IPO process. As with all advice, this was subject to independent scrutiny by the independent financial adviser, ABN Amro Rothschild, as well as by Government officials, Carlyle and the company. The final decision that the Qinetiq IPO should not include a retail offer was taken in consultation with other Government Departments. It remains the Government's view that a retail offer for Qinetiq would not have offered value for money for the taxpayer.
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the head of the civil service was consulted on the extent to which individual former public servants would benefit financially from the flotation of Qinetiq. [53842]
John Reid: No, the head of the civil service was not consulted, as it was not considered necessary to do so. All Qinetiq employees ceased to be public servants on vesting of the company on 1 July 2001.
Radio Frequency Identification
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the increased use of radio frequency identification technologies in (a) the logistical process and (b) his Department's supply chains. [54405]
Mr. Ingram:
Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has been in use in the logistical process and supply chain as part of the total asset visibility (TAV) system since December 2002. The Ministry of Defence is currently reviewing existing capability in this area and is
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increasing the use of TAV in Afghanistan to support the developing operational requirement there. We plan to trial an enhanced active RFID capability in June 2006 to assess its potential to provide further improvements in our consignment tracking capability.
RAF Cosford (Museum)
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements he is making to mark the formal opening of the new Cold War museum at RAF Cosford. [50862]
Mr. Touhig: As the RAF Museum is a non-departmental public body, the day-to-day running is a matter for the Board of Trustees and the senior management team.
It is my understanding that the RAF Museum is currently completing its national Cold War exhibition. The extension to the current Museum at Cosford is due to be completed towards the end of this year. Plans to mark the opening are currently being developed by the museum, and an announcement will be made in due course.
RAF Fleet
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans (a) to procure and (b) to lease further air-to-air refuelling aircraft before aircraft provided by the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft private finance initiative enter service. [54410]
Mr. Ingram: We have no such plans.
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many air-to-air refuelling aircraft are on deployment in (a) Afghanistan, (b) Iraq and (c) elsewhere; and what changes he is planning to make to these numbers. [54416]
Mr. Ingram: Two VCl0s are deployed in support of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq; and one in the Falkland Islands. No changes to the numbers of these aircraft are planned.
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the minimum number of aircraft is needed to meet his Department's air-to-air refuelling requirement. [54417]
Mr. Ingram: There are 22 aircraft in the current air-to-air refuelling (AAR) fleet. We judge that this fleet provides enough capability to meet the requirement set by the Ministry of Defence centrally for the estimated peak activity for the most demanding scenarios for which we plan.
For our future capability, the minimum number of aircraft will depend on a range of factors including the overall capabilities of the aircraft selected to carry out the role.
Mr. Gerald Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what his Department's deadline is for the commencement of the future strategic tanker aircraft private finance initiative; and whether he has reassessed the desirability of a conventional procurement to meet this requirement; [54422]
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(2) when he expects to sign the contract for the future strategic tanker aircraft private finance initiative; and if he will make a statement on how the programme is progressing. [54411]
Mr. Ingram: The future strategic tanker aircraft project is currently in the assessment phase and as such does not have formally approved planning dates. Endorsement of firm planning dates remains subject to the outcome of final negotiations with industry. As is prudent with such an important capability, we keep our options under review but believe that PFI offers the best prospect of securing a value for money solution to our air to air refuelling requirements.
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress is being made by the AirTanker consortium in securing third party commercial operations for the aircraft involved in the future strategic tanker aircraft private finance initiative. [54423]
Mr. Ingram: We are currently in negotiations with the AirTanker consortium for a PFI service contract and the details of the negotiations are commercially sensitive. Securing third party commercial business is a matter for AirTanker.
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