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1 Nov 2006 : Column 427W—continued
Departmental Child Care Facilities
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what child care (a) provision and (b) assistance is available to his Department’s staff. [89565]
Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence provides the following child care support for its civilian and military employees:
46 work place nurseries offering circa 1,750 full day care places for children aged three months to five years.
36 crèches (benefiting 700 children) providing occasional care and 70 pre schools (benefiting over 2,000 children) providing education on a sessional basis, primarily for service families.
14 wrap-around care schemes for 5-12 year olds (benefiting 350 children) providing after school care to match the working day.
15 holiday play schemes providing full day care for 5 to 12-year-olds during school holidays (three are shared with other Government Departments) benefiting 550 children.
Four salary plus child care voucher schemes for civilian employees: Army Pay Centre Glasgow, Defence Science Technology Laboratory (DSTL) staff, Warship Support Agency Rosyth and Defence Bills Agency Liverpool. The schemes benefit circa 240 parents.
MOD nurseries are usually run by contractors, as commercial enterprises, who offer competitive rates. About 10 per cent. of the nurseries offer direct subsidies, which can reduce the fees by around a third. Some play schemes also receive direct subsidies.
MOD’s four voucher schemes provide employees with circa £30,000 of support per month, ranging from a flat rate £50 for after school care and £75 for pre school care per month to around a third of actual costs on a sliding scale for the registered care of their choice. These schemes offer the advantage of supporting parents to make their own choices about where and what type of child care support they want for their child.
Departmental Contracts
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to ensure that trainees are employed on its construction contracts. [89211]
Derek Twigg: Defence Estates—the Ministry of Defence (MOD) agency responsible for the defence estate—discusses with our suppliers, both individually and through our Prime Contracting Supplier Association, ways in which the number of apprenticeships and amount of skills training can be maximised. Our lead suppliers for the Single Living Accommodation Modernisation Project and Project MOD Estate London will together provide a minimum of 120 apprenticeships.
Exertional Heat Illness
Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures are in place to conduct inquiries following a non-fatal incident of exertional heat illness; and what the standard procedure is for the follow-up examination of soldiers surviving such an incident. [91725]
Derek Twigg: Medical investigations following a non-fatal incident of exertional heat illness (EHI) are carried out at the time of injury and then at the Institute for Naval Medicine (INM) after referral for treatment. In the instance of multiple casualties or fatalities, a board of inquiry (BOI) will be convened to investigate.
Heat illness casualties are reported, via the chain of command, to the single service medical directorates. In high risk environments, formal reporting systems for heat illness are introduced.
All personnel who have had a significant episode of EHI, more than one episode of EHI or required urgent admission to hospital with EHI are subsequently referred to the heat illness clinic at the INM for further investigation. Thereafter, personnel may return to their unit, sometimes with employability restrictions depending on the severity of their condition since after one episode of EHI there is an increased risk of further episodes for a variable period of time.
Far East Internees Ex Gratia Scheme
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the working group set up to examine the new criteria for the Far East Internees Ex Gratia Scheme will report. [75891]
Derek Twigg: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 26 June 2006, Official Report, column 9.
HMS Coventry/HMS London
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department is investigating the sale of HMS Coventry and HMS London; what the assessed value of these vessels was prior to sale; who conducted the evaluation; what the sale price was in each case; and what the in-service life was in each case. [96248]
Mr. Ingram: The Serious Fraud Office and Ministry of Defence police are currently investigating the sale of HMS Coventry and HMS London.
The ships were sold in 2003 for a combined price of £116 million, and required major regeneration and modernisation work as they had been out of service for some time.
As Romania was the sole identified potential purchaser, the only alternative to sale would have been to sell these ships for dismantling. Accordingly, they were valued by the MOD Disposal Services Agency at the scrap value of £100,000 each, based on the prevalent market conditions for scrap vessels at the time.
HMS London was in service for approximately 14 years, HMS Coventry for approximately 13 years.
Iraq
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers serving in Iraq are from (a) the North East, (b) Tees Valley and (c) the area corresponding most closely to Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency. [96203]
Mr. Ingram: Data on the residential location of armed forces personnel are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Iraqi police officers have been removed from their position as a consequence of Operation Sinbad; and if he will make a statement. [96687]
Mr. Ingram: The removal of Iraqi police officers is a matter for the Government of Iraq.
Marine David Ward
Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the recommendations of the coroner were following the inquest into the death of Marine David Ward on HMS Albion; and what his response was to each recommendation. [94636]
Derek Twigg: In order to provide a substantive answer to the question it is necessary for officials to recall the documentation from archives in order to review and examine the relevant details associated with the recommendations. This will take approximately five working days after which time I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Mental Health
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) service personnel and (b) veterans were treated by the Duchess of Kent Psychiatric Hospital in the last five years it was used; how many treatment days were provided; what the cost was, broken down by type of treatment; and which treatments were transferred to the Priory Group. [91289]
Derek Twigg: All in-patient mental health services (i.e. the full range of pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments including for alcohol and drug dependency) were transferred to the Priory Group with effect from 1 April 2004.
Costs in the final year of operation of the Duchess of Kent Psychiatric Hospital (2003-04) were some £10 million. The Department no longer holds centrally figures on the number of treatment days provided there or the costs in each of its last five years.
Middle East
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 2 October 2006, Official Report, column 2572W, to the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew), on the Middle East, what the UK role is in leading an interim cell in Lebanon to coordinate support to the Lebanese armed forces and security sector reform; and if he will make a statement. [97150]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 26 October 2006]: A UK team visited Paris, Rome, Brussels, Beirut, Washington and New York to determine how best to take security sector reform (SSR) in Lebanon forward, and to identify a framework for international support. In the short term, the British embassy in Beirut is providing a co-ordination role for offers of assistance to the Government of Lebanon, in conjunction with other embassies. We are currently working with the EU and wider international community to establish the right approach for longer term SSR in Lebanon.
Military Deployments
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of (a) Royal Navy and Royal Marines, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force trained strength was deployed on operations and other military tasks in the first two quarters of 2006-07. [93052]
Mr. Ingram: Figures for quarter one are available in the MOD Public Service Agreement Performance Report Quarter One 2006-07. Copies of this are available on the Ministry of Defence website at:
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/FinancialReports/ModPublicServiceAgreementQuarterl200607.htm
Figures for quarter two are due to be published in December 2006.
Missile Defence
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the US Government on the provision of a ballistic missile defence system site in the UK. [97985]
Des Browne: It is not the practice of the Government to make public details of discussions with foreign Governments as this would, or would be likely to prejudice international relations.
Psychological Operations Units
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what agreement exists between the Defence departments of the UK Government and the US Administration to allow American personnel who are occupying and controlling British bases to employ psychological operations units against British subjects (a) inside and (b) outside such bases. [95928]
Des Browne: The US visiting force does not deploy psychological operations units at bases made available to them in the United Kingdom. There is therefore no need for any such agreement between the Ministry of Defence and the US Department of Defense relating to psychological operations.
Resettlement Provision
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his forecast is of the outflow entitled to (a) partial and (b) full tri-service resettlement provision in each service for each year from 2006-07 to 2010-11, broken down by rank. [93069]
Derek Twigg: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Territorial Army
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what plans he has for the Chorley Territorial Army Centre, Lancaster House; and if he will make a statement; [97155]
(2) what plans he has for the role of the Chorley Detachment of 5 General Support Medical Regiment; and if he will make a statement; [97156]
(3) when the kitchens are expected to be re-instated at Chorley Territorial Army Centre, Lancaster House; [97157]
(4) what the reasons are for the transfer of Chorley Detachment of 5 General Support Medical Regiment from detachment to a squadron status; and if he will make a statement. [97158]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 26 October 2006]: Under TA rebalancing, the Chorley Detachment (re-designated as 64 (Chorley) Medical Squadron) will provide an element of 5 General Support Medical Regiment’s contingent component, supporting its regular counterparts in the event of large scale deliberate interventions. In addition it will provide individuals, on a voluntary basis, to backfill posts in 5 General Support Medical Regiment and other army medical units as required.
To enable the contingent component element to be met Chorley Detachment was required to increase its manpower liability and is now designated as a Squadron. The Chorley Detachment was also considered suitable for uplift to a squadron as, historically, Chorley has a long established tradition of Territorial Army service and additionally the close location of its parent regiment offers potential benefits.
We intend to retain Lancaster House and discussions are currently underway to establish the improvements required to meet future accommodation requirements including any necessary upgrade to the kitchen facilities.
Trained Strength Outflow
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his forecast is of the outflow from trained strength in each service of the armed forces for each year from 2006-07 to 2010-11, broken down by rank. [93067]
Derek Twigg: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Trident
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of service manpower is required for the daily operation of Trident. [94991]
Des Browne: The daily operation of Trident is carried out by the crews of the four boats assigned to the SSBN flotilla. They comprise about 0.5 per cent. of Service manpower.
Deputy Prime Minister
Hospitality and Gifts
7. Tim Loughton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what gifts or hospitality he has received or given in relation to his ministerial duties in the last 24 months. [98416]
The Deputy Prime Minister: The Government’s annual list detailing ministerial gifts was published on Monday 24 July 2006. Copies are available in the Library for the reference of Members.
As is the case for all other Ministers, details of any gifts I receive this year valued at more than £140 will be included in the list which will be published as soon as possible at the end of the financial year.
These processes were introduced by this government; they did not exist under the previous Administration.
Where relevant, hospitality received is recorded in the Register of Members’ interests.
Older Home Owners
8.Jim Cousins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues about the problems facing older low-income owner-occupiers. [98417]
The Deputy Prime Minister: The Government have made unprecedented investment in increasing financial support to low income pensioners. In addition to lifting many pensioners out of absolute poverty since 1997, over £400 million each year is made available to local authorities to help poorer home owners to maintain their homes while the Warm Front programme is investing £800 million by 2008 in grants for private housing, mostly to low-income older people.
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