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19 Oct 2006 : Column 1386W—continued
Departmental Trading Accounts
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of his Department’s memorandum trading accounts for each year since 1997-98. [93063]
Mr. Ingram: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Detainees (Compensation)
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on what date the last claim for compensation was received from a detainee of a combined services detailed interrogation centre; [91680]
(2) what procedures are available for former detainees of combined services detailed interrogation centres, with a particular reference to Bad Nenndorf, to claim compensation for injuries received while detained; and if he will make a statement. [91681]
Mr. Ingram: Section 11 of the Limitation Act 1980 provides that personal injury claims must be brought within three years from the date of the cause of the action or the date of knowledge (if later) of the person injured. This means that former detainees cannot bring compensation claims now for injuries they may have received while they were detained. In addition, prior to 1948, claims would have been prevented from proceeding by virtue of Crown Immunity. In accordance with MOD’s policies for the selection of records for permanent preservation, any MOD files relating to claims between 1948 and the disbandment of the Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre would have been destroyed many years ago.
Flight Training
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the planned average monthly flight simulator training hours are for Typhoon pilots. [93339]
Mr. Ingram: We do not hold the information in the format requested. However, for qualified Typhoon pilots the current plan is for an average 18 simulator sorties per annum. A simulator sortie is approximately one hour to one hour 15 minutes long. Additional sorties may be planned in accordance with operational training requirements.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the planned average monthly flight training hours are for Typhoon pilots. [93343]
Mr. Ingram: The current planned average monthly flight training hours for Typhoon pilots are 17.5 hours per pilot per month.
Iraq
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what charges have been brought against suspects detained by British forces in Basra in 2006; and if he will make a statement. [91460]
Mr. Ingram: As at 10 October 2006 criminal charges have been brought against 10 internees held by British forces. Their cases have been transferred to the Iraqi criminal justice system. Two have been charged with involvement in the murder of two members of 33 Engineer Regiment (EOD) who died in March 2003 and the remainder are charged with weapons offences.
Information is held only for internees who have been detained at the divisional temporary detention facility and not for those placed from the outset into Iraqi custody.
Pilot Effectiveness
Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what study has been made of the operational effectiveness of (a) male and (b) female pilots. [93562]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 16 October 2006]: No such study has been undertaken.
QinetiQ
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the net proceeds were of the sale of part of the Government’s stake in QinetiQ; for what purpose those proceeds were applied; and if he will make a statement. [92651]
Mr. Ingram: The taxpayer has benefited by nearly £600 million to date from the public-private partnership (PPP) sale of part of the Government’s stake in QinetiQ. Throughout the period of Spending Reviews 2002 and 2004 the Ministry of Defence retained approximately £250 million from the initial PPP transaction with Carlyle (2003) and a further £250 million from the Initial Public Offering (February 2006) for reinvestment in the defence programme.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value is of the Government's remaining stake in QinetiQ. [93369]
Mr. Ingram: The value of the Government's remaining 19.3 per cent. stake in QinetiQ is dependent on the share price. At close of trading on the London Stock Exchange on 10 October 2006, at a share price of 178 pence, the Government's 124,885,445 shares were worth some £222 million.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been to date of QinetiQ's equity investment in the Metrix consortium; what the maximum investment will be; and whether QinetiQ sought the Government's approval for such an investment. [93373]
Mr. Ingram: QinetiQ's involvement in the Metrix consortium is an operational matter for the company; questions should be referred to the chief executive at the following address:
Graham Love
Chief Executive
QinetiQ Limited
Cody Technology Park
Building Al
Ively Road
Farnborough
Hampshire GU14 OLX
There is no requirement for QinetiQ to seek the Government's approval for any such investment.
Recruitment
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people have expressed an interest in joining each of the armed forces in each year since 2000; and how this information is captured. [91299]
Des Browne: Thousands of people inquire about the process of joining the armed forces each year. They include parents, teachers and students undertaking research as well as those considering a service career. Most make contact by telephone, mail, hits on the services career websites, or by visiting armed forces careers offices for information and advice. The number of applicants in each year since financial year 2000-01 who showed a firm interest in joining is as follows:
| Naval service | Army | RAF | |
Royal Irish Regiment
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Oral Statement of 9 March 2006, on the Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service), Official Report, columns 961-3, how many full-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment Home Service Battalions have indicated their intention to transfer to general service under the terms of the package; and whether the special payment for transfer also applies to transfer to the Royal Air Force. [93985]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 16 October 2006]: As at 10 October, 27 officers and 44 soldiers from the Home Service Battallions of the Royal Irish Regiment have indicated a preference to transfer to general service terms and conditions. The General Service Engagement Bounty is only available to those home service personnel who wish to transfer and are accepted into the general service Army.
We remain hopeful that more home service personnel will take up this opportunity to continue with their career in the armed forces where they can continue to make a valuable contribution to defence.
Constitutional Affairs
Boundary Commission
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) when she expects the Boundary Commission for England to submit its final report on Parliamentary boundary changes in England to her Department; [94639]
(2) if she will make a statement on the progress of the Boundary Commission's review of English Parliamentary boundaries. [94691]
Bridget Prentice: The Boundary Commission for England announced in their Newsletter 2 of 2006, issued on 16 August 2006, that they were on schedule to submit the final report on their fifth general review of parliamentary constituencies in England to the Secretary of State by 31( )October 2006.
It is my understanding that they remain on course to submit their final report by that date. Submission this month will be well within the statutory maximum of 12 years since submission of their previous general review final report, which took place in April 1995.
Care Cases
John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what data were used to determine the rates proposed for legal aid funded care work. [95406]
Vera Baird: The proposed rates are based on 2004-05 final bill case costs for legal aid funded care work.
John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what percentage of the legal aid budget for care proceedings was expended on (a) solicitors’, (b) barristers’ and (c) experts’ fees in each of the last three years. [95407]
Vera Baird: Percentage expenditure on care proceedings in total for the last three years is set out in the following table. The Legal Services Commission does not keep data centrally on expert fees specifically and only records disbursements generally.
| Percentage | |||
| Financial year | Profit costs | Counsel fees | Disbursements |
Conveyancing
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the timetable is for implementing of electronic conveyancing. [94615]
Bridget Prentice: The introduction of electronic conveyancing is, without question, the most ambitious and innovative programme of work carried out by Land Registry to date. It will radically change the way property transactions are undertaken by a wide range of stakeholders.
In order to manage these changes effectively, and in direct response to stakeholder demand, Land Registry is introducing electronic conveyancing products and services gradually in a number of tranches over the next few years. An early prototype of the Chain Matrix TM will be launched during the first quarter of 2007. A pilot of electronic conveyancing will follow the introduction of the necessary legislation which is unlikely to be in place before March 2008.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what (a) guidance and (b) resources are being provided to local authorities to assist with the implementation of electronic conveyancing. [94718]
Bridget Prentice: The majority of staff who work as part of “in house” legal departments of local authorities are qualified solicitors or legal executives who are already familiar with Land Registry’s current services and procedures. Land Registry has good working relationships with local authority solicitors, who regularly attend educational seminars run by Land Registry throughout England and Wales.
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