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25 May 2006 : Column 1986W—continued
Hospitals
Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the most recent valuation is of the land and buildings at the Royal Hospital Haslar. [72583]
Mr. Watson: A valuation of the land and buildings at the Royal Hospital Haslar was undertaken in March 2006.
I am withholding details of the valuation as release would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of the Department by unduly influencing the market if and when the properties concerned were sold.
Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many surgical and medical treatments were undertaken in respect of (a) service personnel and (b) civilians at the Royal Hospital Haslar in the last 12 months, broken down by types of treatments. [72579]
Mr. Watson: The surgical and medical treatments undertaken at the Royal Hospital Haslar in the 12 month period from 1 April 2005 until 31 March 2006 are as follows:
| Service personnel | |
| Category | Number |
| Civilians | |
| Category | Number |
Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) messing, (b) accommodation and (c) recreational facilities are available to service personnel based at Birmingham hospitals; and what facilities are planned for the Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit at Portsmouth. [72580]
Mr. Watson: Service personnel employed or undergoing training at Birmingham hospitals are placed on the establishment of the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM) and are mainly housed in leased accommodation.
There are currently no dedicated messing facilities for service personnel based at the RCDM, but they do have regular access to facilities at HMS Forward (a local Royal Naval Reserve Unit) and at the police recreation centre in Birmingham. Similarly there are no dedicated recreational facilities, but Service personnel enjoy free use of a number of leisure centres in Birmingham as a result of contractual arrangements in place between the Ministry of Defence and Birmingham City Council.
With regard to the MOD Hospital Unit (MDHU) in Portsmouth it is planned to have Single Living Accommodation and associated messing facilities in place for 200 Service personnel by 2009. Having identified a number of potential options for meeting this requirement a detailed assessment study is now being undertaken to establish the preferred solution. Service recreation facilities within the Portsmouth area are excellent and will continue to be available to MDHU Portsmouth personnel. Such facilities include the Royal Naval School of Physical Training, HMS Temeraire, which provides a wide range of sports facilities.
Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total operating costs were of (a) each of the Ministry of Defence hospital units and (b) the Royal Hospital Haslar in the last year for which figures are available; and how the costs for the Royal Hospital Haslar were shared between his Department and the Department of Health. [72582]
Mr. Watson: The operating costs for Royal Hospital Haslar and each of the Ministry of Defence hospital units (MDHU) for the 2004-05 financial year are set out in the following table. This is the last year for which audited figures are available.
| Unit | Operating costs (£ million) |
In 2004-05 the costs for Royal Hospital Haslar included the costs of what is now MDHU(Portsmouth), the fort blockhouse support unit, and military retained services. The cost share arrangements between the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Health resulted in costs of £7.5 million falling to the Portsmouth hospitals trust for the 2004-05 financial year, with the remaining £26.047 million being the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence.
Iraq
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many requests he has received from commanders in Iraq for additional armoured vehicles during the last 12 months; and what the Government's response was to each request. [65447]
Mr. Ingram: The force level and composition of British forces in Iraq is formally reviewed on a regular basis. Commanders in Iraq contribute to this process, which may result in adjustments to the number of armoured vehicles. Should any additional requests be received in addition to these regular reviews, they would be considered and actioned accordingly. However, I can confirm that no such requests for additional armoured vehicles have been received in the last 12 months.
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which major units of the British Army are based in Iraq; and where in Iraq they are based. [71705]
Mr. Ingram: Details of the major units deployed to Iraq and where they are based can be found in the following table:
| Unit | Location |
|
1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) | |
A composite company of the Territorial Army drawn from the Lancastrian and Cumbrian Volunteers and The King's and Cheshire Regiment is also currently based in Basrah.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2006, Official Report, columns 1813-14W, on Iraq, whether service by a UK civilian police officer engaged in training Iraqi police officers would qualify for the award of an Iraq Medal. [73742]
Mr. Watson: A civilian police officer engaged in training Iraqi police officers would not have been sent to Iraq by the Ministry of Defence to work in direct support of the military and would therefore not qualify to receive the MOD Iraq Medal.
It is possible that such a civilian police officer would qualify to receive a special medal which is to be issued to recognise service by UK civilians in Iraq. This medal has been approved by the Queen and was announced at the end of June 2005 by the Prime Minister. The eligibility criteria for this second Iraq medal currently being considered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and will be announced in due course.
Medals
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 27 April 2006, Official Report, column 1272W, on medals, for what reason the report of Lord Guthrie did not explicitly state that the 30-day qualifying period had to be continuous. [72190]
Mr. Watson [holding answer 23 May 2006]: The report on the meeting of the sub-committee of the Committee on the Grant of Honours Decorations and Medals, which was established to consider the case for a medal for service in the Suez Canal zone in the early 1950s, was produced by the Ceremonial Secretariat at the Cabinet Office. It did not contain and was not intended to contain a detailed account of the eligibility criteria. The main focus of the report was on the justification for the institution of a new medal. It merely indicated that the sub-committee recommended that service of at least 30 days would be required. It did not indicate whether eligible service must be continuous. Neither did the report indicate that it could be aggregated.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the 30-day qualifying period for Army personnel to receive the General Service Medal for service in the 1951 to 1954 Suez Canal zone campaign is required to be continuous. [72191]
Mr. Watson [holding answer 23 May 2006]: Command Paper 5999 was presented to Parliament in October 2003 by the Secretary of State for Defence and laid down the qualifying criteria for the Naval General Service Medal and General Service Medal for service in the Suez Canal zone between 16 October 1951 and19 October 1954. In accordance with standard procedures, a copy was placed in the Library of the House.
The period of time required to qualify for the medal was identical for all three services and stated that30 days or more continuous service in the qualifying area was necessary to receive the medal.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 27 April 2006, Official Report, column 1272W, on medals, how many Naval General Service Medals have been awarded to Royal Navy personnel for 30 days service in the Zone; and if he will list the Royal Navy (a) ships and (b) other units which spent 30 days serving continuously in the Suez Canal Zone between 1951 and 1954. [72192]
Mr. Watson [holding answer 23 May 2006]: There has been a total of 2,208 Naval General Service Medals with Canal Zone Clasp awarded to Royal Navy and Royal Marines to date.
The following table details the Royal Navy ships and units that spent 30 days serving continuously in the Suez Canal Zone between 16 October 1951 and 19 October 1954.
| Ship | Dates | Number of days |
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