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2 Oct 2006 : Column 2564W—continued
The health needs of the majority of veterans will be met by current NHS provisions. However, MOD has work in hand to ensure that there is a coherent response to veterans’ mental health issues, co-ordinating inputs from the NHS, Health Departments throughout the UK, the services and ex-service organisations, including Combat Stress. The MOD is also working on a number of further measures for the prevention and management of operational stress, and has work in hand to ensure that service leavers can recognise the signs of stress and know where to go for help, using suitable magazine-style material.
The MOD is currently developing detailed arrangements for the enhanced post-operational mental healthcare programme for recently demobilised reservists. The programme will offer a mental health assessment, conducted by appropriately qualified members of the Defence Medical Services (DMS). This will be available to any member of the reserve forces who has been demobilised since January 2003 following deployment on any operation overseas and who has a concern about their mental health as a result. If individuals are then assessed as having a mental health problem that is categorised primarily as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a related traumatic adjustment disorder, and that is directly related to their operational deployment and of a nature that can be treated within the resources of the DMS, then they will be offered out-patient treatment by the DMS.
If the assessment identifies cases that fall outside the parameters set out above, such as complex multi-disorder diagnoses or acute cases requiring in-patient care, the DMS will refer them—with our assessment results—back to their civilian GP in order to assist their access to NHS treatment, as well as encouraging contact with the relevant welfare organisations to ensure follow-up.
As my predecessor, the hon. Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Watson) said in his statement on 16 May, a further announcement will be made later this year to confirm the details of the programme, including the location(s) at which the assessments will be provided, and the date on which the service will commence.
Departmental Annual Report
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to paragraph 44 of the Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts 2005-06, what training exercises were cancelled; what the reasons were for cancellation in each case; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce the cancellation rate. [90577]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 11 September 2006]: During the period 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006, a total of 58 training events recorded on the Defence Exercise Programme were cancelled. In summary, 30 exercises were cancelled due to operational commitments, 13 were removed as savings measures and 10 were cancelled by other nations. The remaining five events were cancelled in response to changing priorities or rescheduling.
A number of measures are being taken to reduce exercise cancellations. Chief among these is a rebalancing of the Defence Exercise Programme to enable training to focus on fewer, more comprehensive, exercises.
Deployment
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of the armed forces were engaged in operations overseas and in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years; and what proportion and number were not so engaged in each year. [91017]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 13 September 2006]: The most current figures collected from manual records show that on 5 September 2006 the deployment of UK Service personnel on operations overseas was:
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Data are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures include mobilised Reservists. | |
Figures for the number of UK Service personnel deployed overseas are not available in a consistent time series. Percentages of Service personnel undertaking operations and other military tasks are, however, published in the Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts.
Figures from 2001-02 to 2005-06 are shown in the following tables, which have been extracted from each annual report. Summary information for 1998-99 and 1999-2000 was published in the respective Ministry of Defence Performance Reports (CM4520, CM5000), copies of which can be found in the Library of the House. This information was not compiled on a comparable basis to those set out in the following tables.
Quarterly information for years predating the 1998 Strategic Defence Review is not held centrally.
The following figures report the percentage of Regular Armed Forces undertaking operations and other military tasks. These figures are quarterly averages and are calculated by comparing the number of personnel undertaking operations and other military tasks against the total strength of the Armed Forces. Figures for 2005-06 are collated using a different methodology, and are therefore not comparable.
| Percentage of trained strength of Regular Forces deployed on operations and other military tasks( 1) during 2004-05 | ||||
| April to June | July to September | October to December | January to March | |
| Note: Percentages exclude those either preparing for, or recovering from, deployments. | ||||
| Percentage of trained strength of Regular Forces deployed on operations and other military tasks( 1) during 2003-04 | ||||
| April to June | July to September | October to December | January to March | |
| Note: 1. Percentages exclude those either preparing for, or recovering from, deployments. | ||||
| Percentage of trained strength of Regular Forces deployed on operations and other military tasks( 1) during 2002-03 | ||||
| April to June | July to September | October to December | January to March | |
| Note: 1. Percentages exclude those either preparing for, or recovering from, deployments. | ||||
| Percentage of trained strength of Regular Forces deployed on operations and other military tasks( 1) during 2001-02 | ||||
| April to June | July to September | October to December | January to March | |
| Notes: 1. 2001-02 figures include personnel on Exercise SAIF SAREEA II. 2. Percentages exclude those either preparing for, or recovering from, deployments. | ||||
Figures for the number of Service personnel deployed in Northern Ireland at 1 April each year since 1999 are shown in the following table. The figures given for the number of Army personnel differ from those published in Table 7.4 of UK Defence Statistics 2005;
during the completion of an in-depth analysis of Northern Ireland Forces Levels for the International Monitoring Commission, certain anomalies became apparent which necessitated a revision of previously published figures. Figures for years prior to 1999 are unavailable.
| All Services | Naval Service | Army( 1) | RAF | |
| (1) Army figures include the Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service). (2) Naval Service figure at April 2004 includes personnel from 45 Commando Royal Marines. (3) Denotes revised. | ||||
Eurofighter Exports
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the possible implications of (a) the sale to Saudi Arabia of Eurofighter Typhoon and (b) associated training support on the planned dates for Royal Air Force operational declarations; and what level of contribution will be given by his Department in order to facilitate the deal and for training purposes. [91010]
Mr. Ingram: The sale of Typhoon aircraft to the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) and the provision of a training support package will not affect Typhoon's operational employment dates with the RAF. Negotiations are ongoing concerning the training support package for the RSAF.
Explosive Remnants
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what budget he has allocated to dealing with explosive remnants of war in each of the last three years, broken down by theatre of operation. [58612]
Des Browne [holding answer 17 March 2006]: We do not allocate a discrete budget for dealing with explosive remnants of war. This activity is a routine part of any military operation to ensure that friendly forces are protected and that normality is restored to the local civilian population as quickly as possible. Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams have deployed as an integral part of UK forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans.
The costs are included in that provided for operations from the Treasury.
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