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Atomic Weapons Establishment
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff have been recruited to the Atomic Weapons Establishment sites at Aldermaston and Burghfield since July 2005, broken down by employment area; what plans there are for future recruitment in each such area; and if he will make a statement. [79948]
Mr. Ingram: In the period July 2005 to end March 2006, a total of 504 staff (including 180 to replace natural wastage) were recruited to the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston and Burghfield in the following areas:
| Number | |
A further 46 staff were recruited up to 31 May 2006. In the two financial years ending 31 March 2008, AWE plc plans to recruit a total of around 700 personnel in broadly the same proportions as the categories described above. The company has not formulated any firm plans for recruitment beyond this period.
Bearskins
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 12 June 2006, Official Report, column 996W, on bearskins, which companies have been involved in producing alternatives to real bearskins; for what reasons each alternative was not successful; and if he will establish a timescale for phasing out the use of real bearskins. [80358]
Mr. Ingram: Several faux fur manufacturers have made samples available to the Ministry of Defence. Between 1998 and 2004 the companies involved were:
N&MA Saville Associates
Dawson Fabrics (also known as Fleece Fabrics Ltd.)
Dawson International
Saluki
BY Furs
Tyber.
After this date all samples were provided by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). PETA has not given the Department the names of the companies they have used. The trial process is on-going. The faux fur has been unsuccessful for a number of reasons: it could not replicate the movement of real fur when tested on parade; there were problems with increasing weight experienced under normal wet weather conditions; it did not retain its shape; and it reacted adversely to atmospheric static.
The Department has no current timescale to phase out the use of bearskins but alternatives will be considered if and when they are found to be suitable.
Carbon Emissions
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made ofthe carbon emissions of his Department; what commitment he has made to reducing such emissions; and if he will make a statement. [81063]
Mr. Watson: 2004-05 carbon emissions from energy use in Ministry of Defence buildings and facilities on the defence estate were two per cent below the 1999-2000 baseline level. Equivalent figures for 2005-06 are not yet available. However, they will be published in the MOD’s Sustainable Development in Government Report 2005-06, a copy of which will be placed in the Library of the House.
More widely, this Department supports and was closely involved with the development of the targets in the new Framework for Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate, announced by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 12 June 2006. These targets include achieving carbon neutrality on the Government office estate by 2012 and a reduction in carbon emissions from our office based estate of 30 per cent. by 2020.
Colombia
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to provide the Government of Colombia with military support, in each of the next three years. [80359]
Des Browne: The Ministry of Defence plans to provide military assistance to Colombia over the next three years at a similar level and in similar areas to the assistance it has provided in the previous three years. The provision of assistance continues to be dependent on our being satisfied that no one receiving UK training is engaged in illegal activities.
Current UK military assistance to Colombia is concerned with British military education, with a strong emphasis on human rights and with training the Colombian armed forces in the disposal of a variety of explosive devices. We are also supporting their process of Military Justice Reform. We have provided some bespoke training to members of the Colombian armed forces engaged in counter-narcotics.
Defence Export Services
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when Alan Garwood's successor as Head of Defence Export Services is expected to be named; when he or she will take up the appointment; and if he will make a statement. [80855]
Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence andMr. Garwood have agreed that, under the terms ofhis appointment, he will remain in post until September 2007.
It is anticipated that the process to select his successor will begin late in 2006.
Defence Training Review
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the merits of an in-house bid as part of the Defence Training Review. [81845]
Mr. Watson: An in-house bid was assessed as not being a viable option for the Defence Training Review. It would not have provided the significant capital investment required to transform specialist training. In addition this route would not provide the technical innovation, performance discipline and risk transfer delivered through a public-private partnering/PFI solution.
Defensive Aids Suite
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his definition is of a defensive aids suite, with particular reference to the A400M. [64792]
Mr. Ingram: A defensive aids suite can comprise of one or a combination of the following:
Directional Infra Red Counter Measures
Missile Approach Warning Systems
Radar Warning Receiver
Countermeasures Dispensing System
Large Aircraft Infra Red Counter Measures
Defensive counter measures are under constant development in response to emerging threats.
I am withholding information on the precise combination on defensive aids that will be employed on the A400M so as not to prejudice the security of our armed forces.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long it takes to switch a defensive aids suite between A400M airframes; and what the cost is. [64827]
Mr. Ingram: For reasons of operational security I am withholding information regarding how long it would take to transfer DAS from one airframe to another. The costs of such an exercise are not yet known.
Departmental Finance Directors
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) name, (b) professional and academic qualifications and (c) relevant experience are of the finance director of his Department. [80090]
Mr. Watson: The Ministry of Defence’s finance director is Trevor Woolley. He holds a Masters degree in History from Cambridge University and has substantial financial management experience in MOD at senior level across a range of posts within head office and in managing the finances of one of our largest top level budgets.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many women of minority ethnic origin are employed by his Department. [81235]
Mr. Watson: The total number of women of minority ethnic origin employed by the Department as at 1 April 2006, is shown as follows..
| Female personnel by ethnicity minority declaration as at 1 April 2006 | |
| Number of females | |
| (1
)Data in the table excludes locally engaged civilians, and Royal
Fleet Auxiliary personnel for whom ethnicity data are not
available. (2 )Represents the number of female employees who self-declared that they were a member of an ethnic minority group. Of a total of 32,170 female civilians working for the Department as at 1 April 2006, 5,430 had not declared their ethnicity. (3 )UK regular forces includes nursing services and excludes full-time reserve service personnel, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists. It includes trained and untrained personnel. (4 )Due to the introduction of a new personnel administration system for RAF, all RAF data for 1 April 2006 are provisional and subject to review. (5 )Ethnicity figures are based on those with a known ethnic origin. Figures shown are full coverage estimates of the number of ethnic minorities that would be expected if ethnicity were known for all personnel. Note: All numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. | |
Departmental Travel
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to ensure that all flights undertaken by Ministers and officials in his Department are carbon neutral; and if he will make a statement. [81393]
Mr. Watson: The Ministry of Defence is participating in the Government’s Carbon Offsetting Fund (GCOF) to meet the Government’s commitment to offset carbon dioxide emissions arising from ministerial and official air travel. MOD is collecting flight mileage for head office travel to provide the data for GCOF.
Disciplinary Action
Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what instructions have been issued to those responsible for posting of individual service personnel regarding the system for the monitoring and vetting of potential instructors who may have been subject to allegations of disciplinary action involving (a) bullying and (b) harassment. [79842]
Mr. Watson: The posting of individual service personnel is considered by the armed forces on a case-by-case basis. Every effort is made to ensure that all the relevant facts, including career and disciplinary records, are taken into account. Work is under way to review the checks that are carried out on personnel applying for instructor posts to ensure that best practice is applied across the three services.
Equal Opportunities
Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) terms of reference and (b) rules of procedure are for equal opportunities investigation teams. [79915]
Mr. Watson: I will write to my hon. Friend enclosing the terms of reference for Equal Opportunities Investigation Teams and will place copies in the Library of the House. The teams operate in accordance with MOD Harassment Complaints Procedures(JSP 763).
Far East Civilian Internees
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment process he will use to judge the claims for the ex-gratia payment by those former Far East civilian internees who do not qualify under the 20 year rule; and how many such claims he expects there to be. [81194]
Mr. Watson [holding answer 29 June 2006]: It is not possible to make a reliable estimate of how many unsuccessful claims will remain after they have been reviewed against the changes that were announced by my predecessor on 28 March 2006. However, for those cases that do not meet the aforementioned eligibility criteria for a payment under the scheme, we are working with a relevant charity to see how we might be able to support them in their work to provide assistance in cases of hardship. It is too early to say what form this might take but I expect to have concluded this work shortly.
Field Hospitals
David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Defence (1) which chemicals may be used (a) to impregnate, (b) to restore, (c) to protect and(d) to disinfect tentage used in field hospitals; [78545]
(2) how many field hospital tent units are stored in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Germany; and what plans he has to change the numbers. [78546]
Mr. Watson: There are a total of seven complete field hospital modular tent systems for use by UK land forces, which would all normally be stored in the UK. The current in-service field hospital tentage is programmed for replacement in 2010 and the future requirement for exact numbers and type is yet to be determined.
For tent material procured before 2,000 the typeof chemical used to provide rot-proofing is Pentachlorophenol Laurate (PCPL). Tentage purchased after 2,000 uses an agent known as Mystox TRP. Mystox TRP is also currently used to provide protection for fire-retardancy and waterproofing. Both treatments are compliant with current EU and UK Health and Safety Legislation. Field Hospital tentage is not routinely subject to disinfection.
Global Positioning System Re-Radiators
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his assessment is of the significance of global positioning system re-radiators for (a) the defence industry and (b) British defence capability, with particular reference to the development of (i) the Bowman system and (ii) the Typhoon aircraft. [81195]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 29 June 2006]: Global positioning system (GPS) re-radiators provide GPS signals on exactly the same frequencies as the GPS satellites by receiving and re-transmitting the signals from the GPS satellites. They therefore can have a benefit in extending GPS coverage to areas where the GPS satellites cannot provide coverage due to the attenuation of satellite signal.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and (b) Ofcom regarding the licensing of global positioning system re-radiators; and if he will make a statement. [81196]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 29 June 2006]: The Ministry of Defence has had no discussions with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the licensing of global positioning system (GPS) re-radiators.
The MOD has recently discussed the licensing of GPS re-radiators with representatives from Office of Communications (OFCOM), the Civil Aviation Authority and the Department of Transport.
MOD has stated to OFCOM that it considers there may be significant interference problems if GPS re-radiators are licence-exempted.
MOD has further stated to OFCOM that it considers the approach used by the US National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) with regard to GPS re-radiators may be appropriate in the UK. The NTIA allowed GPS re-radiators to be used in the US by federal agencies (Government and Government Agencies) at fixed locations.
Gurkhas
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate his Department has made of the cost of compensating all living Gurkhas who have completed their service for pay received below levels provided to British servicemen and women serving at the same time. [81939]
Mr. Watson: No estimate has been made. Gurkhas serve under their own terms and conditions of service, which we maintain are fair and appropriate to their unique status.
Since 1997, Universal Addition to Gurkha pay has ensured that they receive the same take-home pay as their British counterparts. This also applied to Gurkhas serving in the UK since 1972; those serving elsewhere received the appropriate cost of living allowance.
Health Questionnaires
Mrs.
Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for
Defence what assessment he has made of the implementation of his April
2004 policy of seeking completed health questionnaires filled in by the
general practitioner of each recruit arriving at phase one training
establishments; what percentage of recruits
were accompanied by such documentation on arrival; what percentage of
recruits have completed phase one training without having their health
needs assessed and recorded; and when and by what method he expects to
review the effectiveness of this policy.
[79843]
Mr. Watson: Once an individual applies to join the Army, a British Army health questionnaire is sent to the applicant’s general practitioner for completion. Almost all Army recruits arrive at their phase 1 training establishment with a completed health questionnaire. A small number of questionnaires may be slightly delayed and arrive shortly after. No trainees complete phase 1 training without having their health needs assessed and recorded.
The Army is currently trialling a policy whereby once an applicant has passed selection, a copy of the applicant’s general practitioner records are requested for scrutiny by occupational clinical staff. Evaluation of this process will be carried out and made available to the other two services.
Improvised Explosives
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British casualties have been caused by improvised explosive devices during the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. [79991]
Des Browne [holding answer 26 June 2006]: The Ministry of Defence holds records only of people killed or injured while in its direct employ, not of all British citizens in operational theatres. As at 28 June 2006, 25 UK service personnel have been killed in Iraq and one in Afghanistan as a result of improvised explosive devices.
Aggregate medical records typically detail the type of injury sustained, not necessarily the cause of injury. Centrally available records show that around 230 UK military and civilian personnel have been treated at UK medical facilities in Iraq for wounds received as a result of hostile action. Details of such casualties are published on the MOD website on a monthly basis. In Afghanistan, records show a total of 10 personnel injured by improvised explosive devices. Further details are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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