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2 May 2006 : Column 1348W—continued

Hercules Aircraft

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received in the last five years on fitting reticulated foam devices to all Mk1 Hercules aircraft. [57108]

 
2 May 2006 : Column 1349W
 

Mr. Ingram: Any such representations would not be recorded centrally. We are aware of working level correspondence in 2000 about the possible fitting of 'self-sealing' fuel tanks to C-130s, but nothing further between them and the publication of the Board of Inquiry report into the crash of XV179. However, a comprehensive trawl of records could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.

Information Requests

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his timetable is for responding to Mr. D. Laybourne's request for an Internal Review of Request for Information (departmental reference 27–01–2005–154135–006); and what the reasons are for the delay in responding to this request beyond the deadline given by his Department on 1 February 2006. [64782]

Mr. Touhig: The internal review of the handling of Mr. Laybourne's request for information will be conducted when the request has been substantively answered. As my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces explained to him in a letter (reference D/MSU/2/5/1) dated 7 April 2005, the request cannot be answered until a departmental review of the Board of Inquiry report and associated papers relating to the sinking of HMS Sheffield is complete. Work on that review is well advanced, and we expect to be able to make the outcome known before the summer recess. Release of information should follow shortly afterwards.

Iraq

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military (a) fatalities and (b) casualties were sustained by personnel deployed to Iraq on Operation Telic in each month since March 2003; what the date was of each incident; and how many (i) deaths and (ii) casualties had been sustained in respect of each incident one week after the event. [60537]

John Reid [holding answer 22 March 2006]: The best information centrally available for Operation Telic fatalities and casualty statistics is published on the MOD website at: http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsInIraqBritishFatalities.htm.

With one exception, all of the UK personnel listed died within one week of the incident occurring; the exception concerned an individual who was injured in a road traffic accident and subsequently died of his wounds in hospital in the UK three weeks later. We do not hold information on the status of casualties one week after the incident occurred.

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the degree of ethnic and religious balance in Iraqi (a) police and (b) security forces of the (i) Ministry of Defence and (ii) Ministry of the Interior. [61850]

John Reid: In the Iraqi police service, which is provincial in structure, there is no formal system with which to track demographics. In the army, which recruits nationally, we estimate that six of the 10 divisions are overwhelmingly Arab, reflecting the ethnic mix in the areas from which they recruit, and of the
 
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remaining four, three are majority Kurdish. In the Iraqi Ministry of Defence, as at 1 April 2006, the distribution of senior posts is as follows:

	Number	Percentage
Sunni Arab	15	26
Shia Arab	38	66
Kurdish	4	7
Turkoman	1	1
Total	58	100

Comparable information is not held for the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior.

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 2 February 2006, Official Report, columns 704–05W, on Iraq, how many soldiers treated following service in Iraq had (a) physical injuries and (b) a mental illness. [64653]

John Reid: Between January 2003 and December 2005 inclusive, 1,551 UK service personnel who had served in Iraq on Operation Telic were subsequently assessed by the Defence medical services as suffering from a mental health disorder. This represents around 1.5 per cent. of total UK service personnel deployed to the region during the same period. Of those 1,551 personnel, 208 were assessed as suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. A further 696 personnel were diagnosed with an adjustment disorder, which will include some who have post traumatic symptoms not amounting to full PTSD but with some symptoms of post traumatic stress. Other personnel were diagnosed with a range of other mental health conditions, including mood and neurotic disorders, and psychoactive substance misuse.

Figures on the total number of personnel treated following service in Iraq for physical injuries sustained in theatre are not collated centrally. Nor is it possible, for example, to break down the medical evacuation figure given in my previous answer of 2 February 2006, Official Report, column 704–05W, because the database which records the data does not contain information on treatment received after evacuation. Complete information on medical treatment could only be compiled from personal medical records which are held by individual unit commands. These can only be viewed for non-clinical reasons with the express consent of the individual concerned, to protect patient confidentiality. I cannot therefore give a figure for the total number of personnel treated following service in Iraq for physical injuries sustained in theatre.

You may wish to note that an update of the figures I provided in my answer of 2 February 2006 has been published on the MOD website at: http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsInIraqBritishCasualties.htm.

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision is being made for the long-term care of British soldiers returning from Iraq with a traumatic brain injury. [65914]

John Reid: The Defence Medical Services (DMS) has a range of referral options depending upon the nature of the medical treatment required. The DMS refers Service personnel with complex musculoskeletal or neurological
 
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needs requiring hospital care to one of the six Ministry of Defence Hospital Units (MDHUs) embedded within National Health Service (NHS) Trusts, or to a suitable non-MDHU NHS facility if the location and availability of clinical service is more socially convenient and clinically appropriate for the patient than MDHU care.

If a traumatic brain injury is detected, the individual will be given appropriate medical treatment, including physical rehabilitation or psychiatric treatment, with the aim of returning them to duty. In serious cases where it becomes apparent that the individual will be unable to remain within the armed forces, personnel will be medically discharged (or demobilized in the case of reservists) and managed through the transition from military to NHS care.

Kieran Heggarty

Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who led the investigation into the death of Kieran Heggarty at Moscow army barracks on 19 February. [66929]

Mr. Touhig: The investigation into the death of Kieran Heggarty at Moscow Camp, Belfast on 19 February 2006 is being carried out by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
 
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RAF

Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Eurofighters the UK plans to purchase; and how many will be used by the RAF. [66606]

Mr. Ingram: The United Kingdom has, to date, contracted for 144 Eurofighter-Typhoon aircraft for use by the Royal Air Force. A decision by the Eurofighter Partner Nations on the third production buy of the aircraft (known as Tranche 3) is not required until at least 2007.

Military Appointments

Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many appointments of one to five star general rank are (a) command and (b) staff appointments, broken down by service; [64610]

(2) how many appointments of one to five star general rank there are in his Department, broken down by service; and how many are (a) gapped and (b) unfilled, broken down by service. [64609]

Mr. Touhig: Please note that the following figures include tri-service posts that the single services fill on a rotational basis and are therefore a 'snap shot' of the manning situation at the end of April 2006.
Royal Navy

Number
Rank	Officers	Appointments held that are designated as Command	Gapped posts	Unfilled posts
1 star	64	19	0	0
2 star	30	9	0	0
3 star	9	2	0	0
4 star	3	2	0	0
5 star	0	0	0	0

Army

Number
Rank	Officers	Appointments held that are designated as Command	Gapped posts	Unfilled posts
1 star	170	(3)58	0	0
2 star	43	17	0	0
3 star	9	8	0	0
4 star	6	6	0	0
5 star	0	0	0	0

⁽³⁾ There are no gapped posts and no unfilled posts, although three of the appointments at 1* level are being filled by Colonels pending the correct Brigadier for the post.



RAF

Number
Rank	Officers	Appointments held that are designated as Command	Gapped posts	Unfilled posts
1 star	82	15	1	0
2 star	25	6	0	0
3 star	7	3	0	0
4 star	3	3	0	0
5 star	0	0	0	0

Notes:
1. A gapped post is defined as one where the post is currently vacant but there is a nominated future incumbent and an unfilled as a post where there is no officer yet nominated to take up the position.
2. Please note that in line with MOD policy all figures over 100 have been rounded to the nearest 10.

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