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16 Oct 2006 : Column 998W—continued
Bevin Boys
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the reply by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence to the Adjournment Debate of 25 July 2006, Official Report, columns 845-8, on the Bevin Boys, what steps he has taken to assess the case for a medal for the Bevin Boys. [91287]
Derek Twigg: As indicated by my predecessor during the adjournment debate on 25 July 2006, the Ministry of Defence is examining in more detail the case for the creation of a specific badge to recognise the contribution during the second world war of the Bevin Boys. This is being done in consultation with other Government Departments who have an interest in these issues; officials have also met with the Bevin Boys Association to consider in more detail their views. I will report on the outcome of this work in the near future.
Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the General Officer Commanding 2 Division spent on his entertainment budget during the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in (a) 2006 and (b) each of the preceding three years. [89208]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 9 October 2006]: The following table shows expenditure from public funds on entertainment by the General Officer Commanding 2 Division during the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
| Financial year | Expenditure (£) |
Expenditure on official entertainment is subject to strict departmental rules and compliance with the principles of propriety set out in government accounting.
Enabling Acquisition Change Report
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the Enabling Acquisition Change report. [91283]
Mr. Ingram: Copies of the Enabling Acquisition Change report were placed in the Library of the House on 3 July 2006.
Iraq
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on human rights abuses in Basra. [91456]
Mr. Ingram: Human rights abuses in Basra are matters for the Iraqi Government as a Sovereign state. The UK condemns all acts of abuse and we treat any allegations of wrongdoing extremely seriously. We are committed to supporting human rights and are working with the Government of Iraq and international partners to develop human rights awareness.
Iraq-UK Airbridge
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the efficiency of the airbridge between the UK and Iraq, with particular reference to troop movements. [92315]
Mr. Ingram: Troop movements between the UK and Iraq are carried out in two stages, by charter aircraft between UK and Al Udeid in Qatar, and by protected tactical aircraft between Al Udeid and Iraq. Both elements of the airbridge are working well and meeting operational requirements.
Military Personnel
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) numbers in post and (b) establishment is of Territorial Army (i) staff, (ii) Royal Armoured Corps, (iii) Royal Artillery, (iv) Royal Engineers, (v) Royal Signals, (vi) infantry, (vii) Army Air Corps, (viii) Royal Army Chaplains Department, (ix) Royal Logistics Corps, (x) Royal Army Medical Corps, (xi) Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, (xii) Adjutant General's Corps, (xiii) Royal Army Veterinary Corps, (xiv) Small Arms School Corps, (xv) Royal Army Dentistry Corps, (xvi) Intelligence Corps, (xvii) Army Physical Training Corps and (xviii) Queen Alexandra's Royal Auxiliary Nursing Corps. [89634]
Derek Twigg: A detailed breakdown of Territorial Army posts by cap badge within unit establishments is not currently available; however, the overall Territorial Army requirement as at 1 August 2006 was 42,000. As at 1 August 2006 the strength of the Territorial Army was 36,260. The following table provides a breakdown of the Territorial Army strengths, all Arm/Services are provided so that comparisons can be made against the total liability.
| Territorial Army (TA) figures as at 1 August 2006 | ||
| Arm/Service | Liability | Strength |
| (1) = zero or rounded to zero. Notes: 1. TA Personnel include Group A & B, Mobilised TA and Officer Training Corps (OTC), and exclude Non Regular Permanent Staff and Full Time Reserve Service. 2. All data have been rounded to the nearest 10. Due to the rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. Numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. | ||
Public Relations Officers
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) job titles and (b) job descriptions are of the (i) press officers and (ii) other public relations officers working in his Department. [92371]
Derek Twigg: Job titles and job descriptions for press and public relations staff are drawn up by individual directorates and units according to the nature and specific requirements of a particular post at a particular time. Such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Super-garrisons
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the location of new super-garrisons. [92512]
Mr. Ingram: The army aspires to quartering the majority of units in fewer, bigger and better garrisons called “super-garrisons” over the coming decades. At present the requirements and policies needed to develop such super-garrisons are being considered, and a feasibility study and a strategic environmental assessment have been launched. The actual locations of super-garrisons have yet to be decided.
Trident
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2006, Official Report, column 1945W, on Trident, what the estimated service life is of the Trident warhead pit. [91341]
Des Browne: I am withholding details of the estimated life of the Trident warhead pit as its disclosure would prejudice the defence of the United Kingdom.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to upgrade the Stronglink and Weaklink safety systems on the Trident warhead. [91343]
Des Browne: I am withholding this information as its disclosure would prejudice the security of the United Kingdom.
Duchy of Lancaster
"Reaching Out"
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many copies of ‘Reaching Out’ she sent to (a) the Library and (b) the Vote Office (i) on the day of publication and (ii) subsequently. [93941]
Hilary Armstrong: In accordance with standard practice for depositing papers in the Library, four copies of “Reaching Out: An Action Plan on Social Exclusion” were placed in the Members’ Library for the reference of Members on the day of publication. This included one copy which was sent to Derby Gate Library. Two copies of the action plan were placed in the Library in the Other Place for the reference of Noble Lords. In addition the action plan was also published on the Cabinet Office website at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/social_exclusion_task_force/reaching out/
Additional copies have now been made available in the Vote Office for Members and the Printed Paper Office for Noble Lords.
Admiralty House
Mr. Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much has been spent on maintaining and running Admiralty House, excluding renovations and refurbishment, in each year since 1997-98. [89788]
Hilary Armstrong: The Cabinet Office is responsible for costs associated with the common parts of Admiralty House, as well as for maintaining the fabric of the entire building. Admiralty House includes ground floor state rooms which are used by Government for 200 events every year.
For figures relating to previous financial years, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 25 October 2005, Official Report, column 326W, to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman).
The cost of maintaining and running Admiralty House for 2005-06 was £217,584. As with the totals stated for previous years, this figure does not include business rates.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proportion of (a) staff and (b) new staff employed since April 2005 in (i) her Department and (ii) each of the agencies for which she has responsibility is recorded as disabled. [92186]
Mr. McFadden: Data on the number of staff who are registered as disabled are published annually. The latest published data are for 1 April 2005 and are available in the Library for the reference of Members and on the Cabinet Office website at:
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report_2005/table_p.xls
On new entrants to the Department between 1 April 2005 and 31 August 2006, where the information requested results in a figure of five or less these figures are not released as disclosure could lead to the identification of the people involved.
Unfortunately on this occasion I am unable to provide the information.
The Office for National Statistics are currently collecting detailed data (including information on disabled status) on civil servants in Departments and agencies with a 30 September 2006 reference date. These data will be available in 2007.
The declaration of a disability is through a method of self-declaration and is voluntary. Therefore data are only available on those staff who wish to declare themselves as disabled.
Minimum Wage
John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many employees in (a) her Department and (b) its associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies were affected by the rise in the minimum wage on 1 October. [93480]
Hilary Armstrong: No employees in the Department and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies were affected by the rise in the minimum wage on 1 October.
Ripley Building
Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the estimated (a) rental and (b) capital value is of the Ripley Building in Whitehall. [90487]
Mr. McFadden: The Ripley and Kirkland buildings are adjoining and share common infrastructure. Accordingly there is no formal valuation of the individual buildings and it is not possible to provide a separate rental value.
Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which Departments and sub-divisions the civil servants in the Ripley Building are allocated to. [90489]
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