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13 July 2006 : Column 1936W—continued
Fires
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many deliberate (a) vehicle fires and (b) fires there were in (i) Ribble Valley and (ii) Lancashire in each of the last 10 years. [84754]
Angela E. Smith: The available information covers part (ii) of the question, deliberate primary fires attended in Lancashire. Information on Ribble Valley constituency is not available centrally.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many large outbreaks of fire there were in (a) Ribble Valley and (b) Lancashire in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement. [84756]
Angela E. Smith: The available information covers part (b) of the question. Information on Ribble Valley constituency is not available centrally.
| Fires involving five or more pumps attended by Lancashire FRS | |
| (1 )Figures exclude any fires in November 2002 and January-February 2003 strike periods Notes: Figures are based on sampled data grossed to fire and rescue service totals. Source: Fire and Rescue Service returns to DCLG | |
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many malicious false fire alarm calls were attended by the fire and rescue service in (a) Ribble Valley and (b) Lancashire in each year since 1995. [84758]
Angela E. Smith: The available information covers part (b) of the question. Information on Ribble Valley constituency is not available centrally.
| Malicious false fire alarms attended by Lancashire FRS | |
| (1) Figures for 2002 and 2003 include estimates for incidents not recorded during periods of industrial action. Source: Fire and Rescue Service returns to DCLG | |
IT
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Eastleigh of 15 June 2006, Official Report, column 1369W, on IT, what the purpose is of each IT project sourced externally since May 2002 by her Department and its predecessor. [82980]
Angela E. Smith: I refer the hon. Lady to the answers provided to the hon. Member for Tatton (Mr. Osborne) on 19 January 2005, Official Report, columns 998-99W, and to the hon. Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs. Villiers) on 19 January 2005, Official Report, columns 1420-421W. One additional project has been completed since the last answer:
New Houses
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what building regulations are in place to ensure that new houses built in (a) Milton Keynes and (b) England use environmental protection and conservation techniques. [84893]
Angela E. Smith: There are no building regulations applying specifically in Milton Keynes. The Building Regulations 2000, as amended, apply throughout England and Wales and include requirements for the conservation of fuel and power (which address energy efficiency and hence the emissions of carbon dioxide from buildings) and the avoidance of oil pollution from domestic fuel tanks. We announced in March that consultations would be conducted later this year on new regulations for water efficiency.
Overcrowded Accommodation
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households are listed as overcrowded in (a) Gloucestershire and (b) Stroud; and how many children are in overcrowded accommodation. [84157]
Yvette Cooper: There are two measures of overcrowding—the statutory definition and the bedroom standard.
Using the bedroom standard, the only recent estimate of the number of overcrowded households in Gloucestershire is 3,000. This is from an ad hoc report based on combined data from both the Survey of English Housing and the Department for Work and Pension’s Family Resources Survey for the three years 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2002-03.
Reliable estimates for the number of children living in overcrowded accommodation in Gloucestershire are not available. Separate data for Stroud are also not available.
Estimates based on the statutory standard are not available because the underlying data are not collected systematically. A one-off estimate was made in the autumn of 2001 that there were approximately 25,000 households across the whole of England that were in conditions of overcrowding that breached the statutory standard. This estimate was based on data from the Survey of English Housing for the period 1997-98 to 1999-2000 and from the 1996 “English House Condition Survey”. Equivalent estimates for Gloucestershire are not available.
Tomorrow we will be publishing a discussion document entitled on “Tackling Overcrowding in England” which sets out options for revising the outdated definition of overcrowding and developing long-term solutions.
Renewable Energy
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will ask the Government Office for the West Midlands to explain the reasons for the delay in publishing (a) the report on wind energy development in the West Midlands from TNEI Services Ltd commissioned jointly with Advantage West Midlands in 2004 and (b) the appendix to this report. [84923]
Angela E. Smith: The final report was completed in June 2004 and owing to its specialist nature it was considered the demand would be insufficient to warrant publication of a glossy hard copy. Electronic copies were made available on request following the publication of the regional energy strategy in November 2004, which was informed by the study and made specific reference to it. Delays in commissioning the GOWM website resulted in a delay until February this year, when the Environment and Rural pages on the site were redesigned, and a link was placed on the new site to improve public access to the report.
The appendices attached to the final report covering details of wind farm financial models and background to the consultants were made available at the same time as the main report.
Defence
Advertising Campaigns
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Armed Forces advertising campaigns have featured female models in each of the last 10 years. [83917]
Mr. Watson: None, apart from the one recent occasion when Nell McAndrew was featured to help promote the Confidential Support Line.
Afghanistan
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to change the number of (a) fixed wing aircraft, (b) Apache helicopters and (c) infantry troops in Afghanistan. [84241]
Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 July 2006, Official Report, columns 1131-135, to the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell).
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 5 July 2006, Official Report, column 1100W, on Afghanistan, if he will place in the Library a copy of the medical planning guidelines. [84840]
Mr. Ingram: The medical planning guidelines are being withheld on grounds of operational security. To reveal details of the specific policies underpinning UK operations in Afghanistan or elsewhere would be detrimental to the safety of UK forces.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he has taken (a) to assess the influence and (b) to promote the constructive engagement of (i) Iran and (ii) Pakistan in Afghanistan. [84900]
Des Browne: We keep the situation in Afghanistan and the influence of neighbouring countries constantly under review. Pakistan, in particular, remains influential in Afghanistan, notably among the Pashtun communities of the south. Her Majesty’s Government maintain frequent contact with the Government of Pakistan on strategic issues, including the need to counter the influence of the Taliban and the drug-trafficking warlords. In addition, British forces deployed to Afghanistan have military liaison with the Pakistani Army.
The United Kingdom and Iran also have a common interest in supporting Afghan efforts to promote stability and economic development and to combat the drugs trade. Iran has said it supports the long-term reconstruction of Afghanistan and the efforts of the Afghan Government and international community to build stability and security. We welcome this commitment and hope to see it demonstrated in practice. Her Majesty’s Government have discussed these issues regularly with the Iranian authorities, through the British embassy in Tehran and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London.
Aircraft
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list the theatres in which helicopters without fuel tank protection are not deployed; and if he will make a statement; [71152]
(2) if he will take steps to fit fuel tank protection to all helicopters. [71153]
Mr. Ingram: Helicopters are fitted with protection, including for their fuel tanks, according to the operational threats they are likely to face and the characteristics of the aircraft themselves. The level of threat, and any action that needs to be taken, are kept under review.
Defence Purchasing
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he operates a European buying policy in any areas of defence purchasing; and if he will make a statement. [83791]
Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence does not operate a “buy European” policy. In an open competition, any company (European, American or otherwise) can bid for a MOD contract. Contractors are chosen on the basis of best value for money for the UK taxpayer, not the nationality of the bidder.
Defensive Aids Suites
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006, Official Report, column 704W, on defensive aids suites, what defensive aids suites were carried by UK Hercules aircraft in Afghanistan in 2002. [83813]
Mr. Ingram: The following defensive aids, in a variety of combinations, were employed on Hercules aircraft in Afghanistan in 2002:
Missile Approach Warning System
Radar Warning Receiver
Countermeasures Dispensing System
Infra Red Counter Measure
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