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19 Apr 2006 : Column 671W—continued
WALES
Craig Goch Reservoir
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has (a) made to and (b) received from the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the proposed expansion of the Craig Goch reservoir in the Elan valley; what discussions he has had on the matter with the Welsh Assembly; and what representations he has received. [63686]
Mr. Hain: None. Any proposal to expand the Craig Goch reservoir would be subject to the approval of the National Assembly for Wales. However, neither the Welsh Assembly Government nor the Environment Agency are aware of any such plans.
Departmental Televisions
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many television sets are in operation in the Department (a) in total, (b) in Ministers' private offices and (c) in each building in the Department; and how many television licences are held by the Department. [62806]
Mr. Hain:
In total there are 11 TVs in operation at The Wales Office. Three of these are in the Ministers' private offices. There are nine in the London office and one in the Cardiff Office. There are two TV Licences held by The Wales Office.
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Energy Efficiency
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he is taking to increase energy efficiency within his Department; and if he will make a statement. [60334]
Mr. Hain: As part of the machinery of Government changes in June 2003 the Wales Office became a separate entity within the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) The Wales Office is fully covered by the commitments outlined in the DCA's Sustainable Development Policy, which is on the DCA website:
Locally the Wales Office has reinforced the need for all staff to be energy efficient by ensuring senior managers remind their teams, reissuing staff instructions to turn off all electrical equipment when not in use and deploying posters and publicity material from the Carbon Trust near electrical equipment and light switches.
We have contacted the Carbon Trust which has agreed to carry out an energy audit of the office. We have provided the Carbon Trust with all relevant materials needed and await a date from it for a visit.
Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his Department's employer contribution rates to the Principal Civil Service pension scheme are; what assumed rate of return underlies those contribution rates; and what the contribution rate would be if the assumed rate of return was in line with current redemption yield on index-linked gilts. [61906]
Mr. Hain: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Murphy) on 29 March 2006, Official Report, column 1030.
World Cup (Complimentary Tickets)
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many complimentary tickets his Department has received for games taking place at the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany. [63905]
Mr. Hain: None. I will not be attending the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany.
DEFENCE
Iraq
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what his estimate is of the number of (a) Shia, (b) Kurdish and (c) Sunni non-state militia in Iraq; [61844]
(2) what assessment he has made of the infiltration of national and local Iraqi security forces by sectarian militias. [61847]
John Reid:
There are a variety of estimates of the size of the various Iraqi militias. But both these, and the extent of their influence, are difficult to assess with any accuracy. Ethnic, religious and tribal loyalties are widespread within Iraqi society and part of the reform
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and democratisation process of Iraqi institutions is the removal from office of those individuals whose loyalties are fundamentally not to the state. The capability of the Iraqi interior and defence ministries, and of the Iraqi Security Forces, will be important factors in assessing the conditions that will enable the transfer of responsibility for security to the Iraqi civilian authorities.
Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what estimate he has made of the number of British service personnel requiring medical treatment following active service in Iraq who have been advised to attend NHS hospital accident and emergency departments for treatment; and if he will make a statement; [63665]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of British servicemen and servicewomen who have paid for private medical treatment following injuries incurred during active service in Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [63666]
Mr. Touhig: It is not the policy of the Ministry of Defence to advise service personnel requiring medical treatment following active service in Iraq to attend NHS hospital A and E departments for treatment. The Defence Medical Services (DMS) manages the medical treatment pathways for all members of the UK armed forces, both regulars and mobilised reservists, who require medical treatment as a result of active service and makes all the necessary arrangements to ensure that it is delivered. There are of course other occasions where service personnel resident in the United Kingdom will present to A and E departments for emergency treatment of injuries and illnesses; service personnel are entitled to NHS care, including emergency care, and this is set out in the Department of Health's Establishing the Responsible Commissioner document.
The DMS has a number of referral options depending upon the nature of the medical treatment required. For example, the DMS refers service personnel with complex musculoskeletal or neurological needs requiring hospital care to one of the six Ministry of Defence Hospital Units (MDHUs) embedded within NHS trusts or to non-MDHU NHS facilities if the location and availability of clinical service is more socially convenient and clinically appropriate for the patient than MDHU care. Service personnel with moderate/minor musculoskeletal injuries who have been assessed and have a working diagnosis and a planned care pathway are referred to one of our 12 Regional Rehabilitation Units, while those with more complex rehabilitation needs are referred to the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) at Headley Court.
I am aware of a very small number of cases where the system has not delivered the standards of care that we always endeavour to provide for military patients. The MOD takes all allegations of poor medical care very seriously, and will investigate any complaint that individual service personnel or ex-service personnel raise with us.
It is not possible to provide an estimate of the number of British servicemen and servicewomen who have paid for private medical treatment following injuries
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incurred during active service in Iraq, as such information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The armed forces do sometimes refer personnel for private care when this is considered appropriate. In such circumstances, the costs are borne by the Department. Whichever course of action is taken, it is with a view to ensuring that military patients are assessed and treated in a timely fashion and receive the optimal high quality treatment and rehabilitation to deliver the best possible outcome, including an early return to operational fitness when this is clinically possible.
Military Intelligence
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which units in the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Royal Air Force, (c) Army and (d) Department are involved primarily in activities related to military intelligence; and how many (i) military and (ii) civilian personnel serve in each such unit. [63085]
John Reid: Other than for the Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS) and the Intelligence Corps, the information requested is not held centrally. The DIS employs some 4,700 staff and of those 2,800 are military and 1,900 civilian. The military element includes personnel from all three services. Intelligence Corps figures were published in Hansard on 30 January 2006, Official Report, column 32W. However, a number of Intelligence Corps personnel are posted to the DIS.
Submarines (Astute Class)
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of converting Astute class submarines to accommodate Trident II D5 (A) missiles. [64247]
John Reid: Work has been undertaken to keep options open in considering platforms to carry the Trident D5 missile in the longer term pending future decisions on any replacement for Trident. However, while decisions on any replacement for the Trident system are likely to be required in the current Parliament, they are still some way off. Initial preparatory work is being undertaken by officials on possible options for the future of the UK's nuclear deterrent. However, Ministers have not yet begun to consider the position on this issue in any detail and it is therefore too early to speculate, among other things, on the range of options that might be available and their potential costs.
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