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13 Sep 2006 : Column 2346W—continued
Peacekeeping (UN and NATO)
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of (a) UN peacekeeping troops and (b) NATO operationally deployed troops come from the British armed forces. [87269]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 24 July 2006]: The UN publishes details of troop contributions to UN missions on its website at www.un.org/depts/dpko/dpko/contributors. I am placing a copy in the Library of the House.
On 10 August 2006 the deployment of UK service personnel on NATO operations was:
| Country | All services |
| Notes: 1. Data are rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent disclosure of sensitive information. 2. Figures include mobilised reservists. 3. ISAF (International Security Assistance Force). 4. Figures for the total NATO strength are not held centrally and it is therefore not possible to show these figures as a proportion of the total force. | |
Information on the deployment of the British armed forces can also be found in the MOD annual report and accounts 2005-06, copies of which are held in the House of Commons Library.
Royal Irish Regiment Home Service Battalions
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the roles are of the Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service) battalions; which roles will be taken up by other regiments or battalions on disbandment; and which roles will no longer be carried out. [90580]
Mr. Ingram: The Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service) battalions, like their predecessors, the Ulster Defence Regiment, were raised specifically for operations in support of the police in Northern Ireland known as Operation Banner.
Over the years they have played a crucial role in creating the environment which led to the announcement on 1 August 2005 of the start of the process of normalisation which will see the end of Operation Banner on 31 July 2007. With the police no longer needing routine military support, the three Home Service battalions will have successfully completed the tasks for which they were raised and will disband.
The revised Security Annex to the Joint Declaration makes it clear that, assuming the maintenance of an enabling environment, Army support to the police after 31 July 2007, will reduce to a residual level, e.g. in providing specialised ordnance disposal and support for public order as described in Patten recommendations 59 and 66, should this be needed.
UN Missions
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops have been involved in UN missions in each year since 1995. [75399]
Mr. Ingram: The UN publishes details of troop contributions to UN missions on its website at www.un.org/depts/dpko/dpko/contributors. I am placing a copy in the Library of the House. Data prior to 2000 are not currently available on the website. Nor are they it held centrally by the Ministry of Defence, and are they could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
W Company, 45 Commando
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of W Company, 45 Commando, shortly to be deployed to Afghanistan were serving in the company on an established Line Serial Number two months before deployment. [90626]
Mr. Ingram: The established Line Serial Number for W Company 45 Commando Royal Marines is 78 personnel for their conventional role. But 45 Commando are not deploying to Afghanistan as a Battle Group: they have a number of individual roles for which they have been specifically reorganised. W Coy restructured in early July 2006 and now comprises 100 individuals. The majority of the Coy have been training for an operational deployment since Easter 2006; and all personnel undertake legally mandated pre-deployment training including the five members who joined the company two months before the deployment. They will conduct individual replacement training next week.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of W Company, 45 Commando or currently attached to W Company for the duration of the deployment shortly to be deployed to Afghanistan are members of the Royal Navy, not including Royal Marines. [90729]
Mr. Ingram: There are currently no Royal Navy personnel serving with or attached to W Company, 45 Commando Royal Marines. W Company, who are deploying to Afghanistan, comprise Royal Marine personnel, one Army Captain and one RAF Regiment Troop Sergeant.
Wales
Computing Equipment
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) USB (i) flash drives and (ii) memory sticks, (b) compact discs, (c) DVD-ROM discs, (d) laptop computers, (e) external computer hard drives, (f) internal computer hard drives and (g) desktop computers were purchased for use in his Department in each month since March 2005. [88754]
Mr. Hain: Under the machinery of government change, in June 2003 the Wales Office became a separate entity within the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA); and IT equipment is provided through the DCA contract in line with the government private finance initiative. Through this contract we have been supplied with four laptop computers since March 2005, three of which were supplied in November 2005 and one in August 2006. The Wales Office has purchased one memory stick in July 2006, and all other equipment is covered by the DCA IT contract.
IT Contracts
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the value was of each IT contract awarded by his Department in each of the last five years; and who the contractor was in each case. [88970]
Mr. Hain: The National Assembly of Wales provided information technology support service functions to the Wales Office until 31 March 2004. Under the machinery of government changes, the Wales Office became a separate entity within the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA); and has adopted their contract set-up, Liberate UK, who provide all office requirements in line with the government private finance initiative. The Wales Office has therefore not awarded any IT contracts during this period.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which IT contracts awarded by his Department in each of the last five years have been abandoned; and what the value was in each case. [88971]
Mr. Hain:
The National Assembly of Wales provided information technology support service functions to the Wales Office until 31 March 2004. Under the machinery of government changes in 2003, the Wales
Office became a separate entity within the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA), and has adopted their contract set-up, Liberate UK, who provide all office requirements in line with the government private finance initiative. The Wales Office has neither awarded nor abandoned any IT contracts.
Security Passes
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in his Department by year since February 2004. [88561]
Mr. Hain: No security passes have been reported lost or stolen in that time.
Solicitor-General
Drink-driving Offences
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps he is taking to ensure that the Crown Prosecution Service effectively prosecute individuals accused of drink driving offences. [90604]
The Solicitor-General: Crown prosecutors carefully consider all the evidence and rigorously apply the Code for Crown Prosecutors. In reaching a charging decision they ensure that the statutory obligations of disclosure are met and that proceedings are expedited. Drink driving cases can raise challenging questions of law and procedure. Frontline prosecutors are provided with detailed and up to date guidance. The DPP has recently reminded CPS prosecutors to exercise particular care in ensuring that those who drive dangerously are charged with driving dangerously, rather than the lesser charge of careless driving. This is particularly important in cases where a victim has died.
Information taken from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform shows that for England and Wales in 2004 (latest available) there were 107,091 proceedings for offences of driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs, of which there were 96,240 findings of guilt, a conviction rate of 90 per cent.
Law Students
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Solicitor-General (1) what discussions he and his officials have had with the Department for Education and Skills about support the Department offers to mature law students to assist them in finding a training contract; [90611]
(2) what recent discussions he and his officials have had with the Law Society regarding funding and assistance for mature law students to enable them to complete a legal practice course. [90612]
Duchy of Lancaster
Chartered Psychologists
Mr. Duncan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what use the Department makes of chartered psychologists for training; and what the value is of her Department’s contracts with (a) ER Consultants and (b) Praesta in each of the last three years. [90781]
Mr. McFadden: The Cabinet Office co-ordinates development coaching for all Cabinet Office Senior Civil Servants. It also co-ordinates a Civil Service-wide High Potential Development Scheme for all Senior Civil Servants. In both cases, chartered psychologists are used as coaches and at team development events.
The following table shows the value of the Department’s contracts with ER Consultants and Praesta in each of the last three years.
| £ | ||
| ER Consultants | Praesta | |
| (1) Dates refer to financial year rather than calendar years. | ||
Disabled Staff
Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was paid to the Cabinet Office from the Access to Work Scheme for adjustments for disabled staff in the last year for which figures are available; from what budget she plans to meet the costs of reasonable adjustments for disabled staff following withdrawal of Access to Work funding for central Government Departments; and if she will make a statement. [89017]
Hilary Armstrong: In the last year Cabinet Office has used the Access to Work Scheme twice. This includes use of the Fares to Work provision for which there is an ongoing annual cost. Costs for the Access to Work provisions are met by the management units employing those disabled staff but those costs are not monitored or held centrally.
Future costs for reasonable adjustments after the withdrawal of Access to Work will continue to be met by management units and, where necessary, centrally.
The Cabinet Office is committed to making reasonable adjustments for staff and this will be an explicit point within the Department’s Disability Equality Scheme which my officials are currently preparing and which will be published by December 2006.
Public Sector Information
Mr. Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how she plans to maximise the re-use for commercial purposes of public sector information by third parties. [90688]
Edward Miliband: The regulations on the re-use of public sector information provide a legal framework that encourages the re-use of public sector information. Furthermore, the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) has developed a number of initiatives to ensure that the regulations do not create any barriers to the re-use of public sector information.
For example it has introduced the Click-Use Licence which is an online licence that allows the re-use of a wide range of public sector information with the minimum of administration.
OPSI has also introduced the Information Fair Trader Scheme which sets and assesses standards for public sector organisations. It requires them to encourage the re-use of information and reach a standard of fairness and transparency.
Communities and Local Government
Building Regulations
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many prosecutions have been launched in respect of non-compliance with the thermal efficiency requirements of the building regulations in each of the last 10 years; and how many convictions were secured. [90939]
Angela E. Smith: Prosecutions relating to non-compliance with the Building Regulations are pursued by local government and there is no central register of prosecutions.
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what assessment she has (a) made and (b) evaluated of the proportion of homes constructed in the last 10 years which did not comply with building regulations in respect of their thermal efficiency; and if she will make a statement; [90940]
(2) what assessment she has made of the potential for improved training, monitoring and enforcement within the construction industry to raise levels of compliance with Part L of the building regulations; and if she will make a statement. [90943]
Angela E. Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government commissioned surveys of the implementation of the energy efficiency amendments that came into effect in 1995 and 2002. The results of tests carried out on 154 dwellings built to the 2002 standards were taken into account in developing the amendment that came into effect in April 2006.
In line with the commitment made in the 2003 Energy White Paper to find ways of improving compliance the Department began in July 2005 the largest programme of dissemination and training ever undertaken. This work will continue with further initiatives to improve knowledge and understanding and engagement with building control bodies and other stakeholders on how best to measure impact.
Correspondence
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Chelmsford transferred to her Department by the Department for Work and Pensions on 19 July regarding his constituents Mr. Forrester, Mrs. Dixty and Mr. Seal. [90665]
Yvette Cooper: A reply was sent to the hon. Gentleman on 3 August 2006.
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