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18 July 2006 : Column 344W—continued
BL755 Cluster Munition
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports (a) he and (b) his Department has received which indicate that the BL755 failure rate may be higher than 6 per cent. in actual combat use. [83985]
Mr. Ingram: No reports have been received which suggest that the BL755 cluster bomb failure rate increases when deployed on operations.
Broadcasting
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of (a) Services Sound and Vision Corporation and (b) its subsidiary British Forces Broadcasting Service in each of the last six years. [85019]
Mr. Watson: The Ministry of Defence has a number of contracts with the Services Sound and Vision Corporation (SSVC), which provide services to the armed forces ranging from the broadcasting of British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) Television overseas to operating the British Defence Film Library (BDFL). BFBS is the designation of some of the services operated on behalf of the MOD by SSVC.
| Costs (£ million) | |
Challenger Tank
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the 14 allocated days have been used in training for the firing of the 120 mm Challenger tanks at the Warcop range in each year since 2001. [85383]
Mr. Watson:
None of the allocated days have been used for firing of the Challenger tank 120 mm guns
since 2001. However, as there are only two other ranges suitable for main battle tank (MBT) use—Lulworth and Castlemartin—and given the critical requirement for MBT crews to fire during pre-deployment training, the Warcop facility remains a strategic reserve asset for use in the event of one of the other ranges being unusable.
Combat Stress/Mental Illness
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel who served in the 1991 Gulf War have been diagnosed with mental illnesses in each year since that conflict; and how many were referred to (a) Combat Stress and (b) NHS mental health services. [84855]
Mr. Watson: Information on mental illnesses reported by veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf conflict while still serving is not held centrally. The Ministry of Defence does not hold records of mental illnesses reported after an individual has left the services. The NHS is responsible for the health care of ex-service personnel but information on referrals of Gulf veterans is not available. For those Gulf veterans still serving, Defence Medical Services are responsible for providing treatment for all medical conditions, including mental health problems but again we do not hold referral information according to the operations on which personnel were deployed.
Combat Stress have received 853 patient referrals who served in the 1990-91 Gulf conflict, but the same patients may have served in other deployments, so the origin of the mental health problem may not be clear.
Defensive Aids Suites
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 3 July 2006, Official Report, column 704W, on defensive aids suites, when the infra red counter measure was discontinued as a defensive aid suite; on what basis the decision was made; and if he will make a statement. [84420]
Mr. Ingram: Infra red counter measures have not been discontinued.
Forces (Discharges)
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people discharged before January 2000 from (a) the Army, (b) the Royal Navy and (c) the RAF because of their sexual orientation are awaiting compensation payments; how many people have received compensation payments in each of the last six years; what the (i) average, (ii) minimum and (iii) highest payments made in these cases has been; how many former servicemen and women have rejected payments offered; and if he will make a statement. [85917]
Mr. Watson: There are 62 claims against the Ministry of Defence from ex-service personnel who allege that they were dismissed from the armed forces as a result of their sexual orientation that remain to be settled. Of these 27 are ex-Army, 19 ex-RAF and 16 ex-Royal Navy personnel. Initial offers of compensation have been made in 29 of these cases, but rejected; negotiations are ongoing.
The following table shows that 24 claims were settled over the last six years. The highest settlement figure was £115,405 and the lowest settlement figure was £10,000. The average settlement award of £35,435.
| Financial year | Claims settled | Compensation/legal costs paid (£) |
Helicopters
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) actual and (b) required figures are for helicopter crew personnel for each relevant squadron of the (i) Fleet Air Arm and (ii) Royal Air Force. [84544]
Mr. Ingram: The actual and required figures for helicopter crew personnel (excluding ground crew) for each relevant squadron of the Fleet Air Arm and Royal Air Force are shown in the following tables:
| Fleet Air Arm | |||
| Squadron (Sqn) | Actual (held) | Required (establishment) | |
| Royal Air Force | |||
| Squadron | Actual (held) | Required (establishment) | |
Interpreters
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many interpreters are employed by the UK military in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan. [85018]
Des Browne: As at 1 July 2006, the UK military employed 476 interpreters in Iraq (of which 116 are administered on behalf of Australian forces) and 156 interpreters in Afghanistan.
Iraq
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the level of violence being carried out by militia groups in Multi-National Division South East; and if he will make a statement. [84561]
Des Browne: I receive regular assessments of the level of violence in Multi-National Division South including that carried out by militia groups.
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2006, Official Report, column 1321W, on Iraq, whether progress has been made on resuming full co-operation between Maysan Provincial Council and multi-national forces. [85621]
Des Browne: We continue to make progress towards resumption of formal co-operation with the Maysan Provincial Council with a number of positive developments in recent weeks. Co-operation with the provincial authorities has continued at working level and the Maysan Battlegroup has trained and mentored the Iraqi Security Forces throughout this period.
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