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7 Nov 2006 : Column 1480W—continued
Missiles
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to replace the Harpoon missile. [94942]
Mr. Ingram: The Surface-to-Surface Guided Weapon Capability Upgrade Programme, which is currently in its pre-concept phase, is exploring solutions to replace the capability offered by Harpoon.
Movements Organisation
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Chief of the Air Staff about the performance of the Movements organisation in each of the last five years. [100426]
Mr. Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
National School of Government
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on staff training at the National School of Government in the last 12 months. [98547]
Derek Twigg
[holding answer 31 October 2006]: During the period between 1 November 2005 and 31 October 2006 the Ministry of Defence has spent a total
of some £2.9 million on staff training, both civilian and military, at the National School of Government.
NATO Co-operation Programmes
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which countries NATO plans to approach to sign an individual co-operation programme. [98323]
Mr. McCartney: I have been asked to reply.
All countries participating in NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue: Israel, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Tunisia, Jordan and Egypt have been offered Individual Co-operation Programmes (ICPs). Those participating in NATO’s Istanbul Co-operation Initiative countries: Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have also been offered the opportunity of developing ICPs.
Negotiators Briefing Pack
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the latest version of the Negotiators Briefing Pack. [93057]
Nuclear Deterrent
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to question 61294, on the UK's nuclear deterrent, tabled on 21 March, what the reasons were for the time taken to reply. [90609]
Des Browne [holding answer 11 September 2006]: Defence Ministers aim to ensure that Members receive a substantive response to their written questions in the required timescale. Regrettably, this is not always possible and in this instance the delay was due to an administrative error.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the undiscounted costs of nuclear liabilities for which his Department is responsible, set out at page 220 of his Department’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2005-06, HC 1394, represent the entire cost of decommissioning the Trident nuclear weapons system; and what proportion of these costs is expected to fall within (a) two, (b) four, (c) six and (d) more than six years of the start of decommissioning. [98727]
Des Browne [holding answer 1 November 2006]: The nuclear liabilities detailed within the Departments Annual Report include the current estimate of the cost of decommissioning the Trident nuclear weapons system. I also refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 19 July 2006 to my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn) which provides a detailed breakdown of all nuclear liabilities, not just those of the Trident system.
Decisions about precisely how and when Trident will be decommissioned have not yet been taken. It is therefore not possible to say what proportion of costs is expected to fall within two, four, six and more than six years of the start of decommissioning.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how often each nuclear weapons-related site in the UK is decontaminated; what his most recent estimate is of the average cost of such a decontamination; and to what environmental standards such decontamination is carried out. [100242]
Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the expected lifespan is of the guidance systems and flight control electronics on Trident D5 missiles. [100016]
Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Operational Bonus
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether civilian personnel on operations will be eligible for the new operational bonus. [94581]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 17 October 2006]: No. MOD is proud of the vital roles that volunteer civil servants play on operational deployments in support of the armed forces. However, civil servants and military personnel have wholly separate arrangements for remuneration, whether in the UK or overseas including on operations. Over the past three years, considerable work has gone into establishing an appropriate support package for civilians who deploy. A special civilian operational allowance has been created in order to attract and compensate and is paid in addition to normal salary while in theatre.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the armed forces bonus scheme will also apply to (a) civil servants, (b) Territorial Army soldiers and (c) other forces' reservists serving in combat zones. [94901]
Derek Twigg: The new armed forces' bonus scheme, to be called the “operational allowance”, will not be applicable to civil servants, as they have wholly separate arrangements for remuneration, whether in the UK or overseas and including on operations. A special civilian operational allowance package has been created and is paid in addition to normal salary while the individual is in theatre.
All mobilised Reserves, including personnel of the Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines Reserve, Territorial Army, Royal Auxiliary Air Force and the active element of the Royal Air Force Reserve are eligible for the allowance, if deployed to an operational location which qualifies for the allowance. Full-Time Reserve Service (Full Commitment) and (Limited Commitment) personnel are also eligible, if deployed to a qualifying location.
Mr. Gale:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to publish eligibility criteria for (a) additional allowances and (b) tax relief to be paid to (i) Royal Naval and (ii) Royal Air Force personnel in
respect of service overseas; and if he will make a statement. [95481]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 23 October 2006]: The eligibility criteria for the new operational allowance will be contained within the regulations for the allowance; they will be published shortly.
The operational allowance is tax-free. There is no change to the tax liability for other allowances or to the tax paid on individual salary for personnel serving overseas.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the operational tour tax-free bonus will be paid in addition to or in place of the longer separated service allowance or longer separation allowance. [95822]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 23 October 2006]: The operational tour tax-free bonus, to be called the operational allowance, is payable in addition to longer separated service allowance or longer separation allowance.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether time spent as an in-patient in hospital (a) in the UK and (b) overseas as a result of injuries received in theatre will be counted when calculating eligibility for and value of the operational tour tax-free bonus. [95942]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 23 October 2006]: In his statement to the House of Commons on 10 October 2006, the Secretary of State for Defence explained that full details of eligibility for the tax-free operational bonus will be made shortly. Final details of eligibility, including for those hospitalised, are currently being considered. The tax-free bonus will be called the operational allowance.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the length of service required to qualify for the operational bonus will be the same as that required to qualify for the operational service medal. [100333]
Derek Twigg: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what considerations led to Sierra Leone service being excluded from the operational tour bonus. [95284]
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) to which (a) theatres and (b) areas the operational tour tax free bonus applies; and how these locations were selected; [95814]
(2) whether the operational tour tax free bonus has (a) an initial qualifying period and (b) a qualifying separation; [95820]
(3) whether the operational tour tax free bonus applies to personnel serving outside Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans. [95821]
Mr. Ingram: The full details of eligibility for the tax-free operational bonus will be made available shortly. Final details of eligibility, including qualifying locations, for the Operational Allowance, as it will be called, are currently being finalised.
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the payment of bonuses to cover the tax liability of personnel on active service in hazardous operation areas to be paid; and if he will make a statement. [99562]
Des Browne: The first payment of the new operational bonus, to be called “Operational Allowance” will be made as soon as possible. The three services are currently identifying service personnel who have served in qualifying operational locations since April 2006 and have already completed their qualifying tours of duty. Payment of the bonus to personnel who have completed qualifying tours of duty will begin by Christmas 2006.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the operational tour tax free bonus applies to Gurkha personnel. [95819]
Mr. Ingram: Gurkha personnel are eligible for the operational allowance, as the tax-free bonus will be called, as long as they meet the same qualifying criteria as British service personnel.
Parachute Training
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what medical support is available to those taking part in the special forces basic parachute training course; and what changes to such support have been made in the last 12 months. [100303]
(2) what plans he has to introduce (a) automatic activation devices and (b) audio altimeters for military trainee parachutists. [100330]
Mr. Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.
Parliamentary Questions
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will answer question 99074, on Warrior vehicles, tabled by the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire on 30 October 2006 for answer on 2 November 2006. [100364]
Mr. Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will provide a substantive reply to question 78398 tabled by the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South on 13 June. [91720]
Mr. Ingram: I replied to the hon. Member on 16 June 2006, Official Report, column 1528W.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will answer question number 85930 on light armoured vehicles tabled by the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South on 12 July 2006. [92673]
Mr. Ingram: I replied to the hon. Member on 11 October 2006, Official Report, column 745W.
Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to answer questions (a) 91724, (b) 91725 and (c) 91726, on exertion heat illness, tabled by the hon. Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood on 6 October. [97206]
Derek Twigg: I replied to my hon. Friend on 2 November 2006, Official Report, column 638W.
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will provide answers to question (a) 91383, (b) 91419, (c) 91421, (d) 91422, (e) 91426, (f) 91420, (g) 91424 and (h) 91425, on defence, tabled by the hon. Member for Newark on 6 October 2006. [97703]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 30 October 2006]: I replied to the hon. Member today.
Pensions
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) present and (b) future retirement age arrangements are for each public sector pension scheme for which his Department has responsibility; and if he will make a statement. [96024]
Derek Twigg: The normal retirement age for members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 05 (AFPS 05) and the Reserve Forces Pension Scheme (RFPS) is 55. Those who leave with a preserved pension are entitled to benefits payable at age 65. Regular members of AFPS 75 can retire with a full career pension at 55. Those who complete 16 years as an officer (from age 21) or 22 years in the ranks (from age 18) are entitled to an immediately payable pension. The payment of preserved pensions for AFPS 75 regulars and those on Full-Time Reserve Service Commitments (FTRS) has recently moved from age 60 to 65 for all service from 6 April 2006 to cover the cost of people living longer in retirement. Benefits will continue to be paid at age 60 for all service before 6 April 2006. The normal retirement age for those on an FTRS AFPS 75 Full Commitment is 55 and for those on Home and Local Commitments, age 60. Members of the Non Regular Permanent Staff Pension Scheme (NRPSPS) have a normal retirement age of 60.
Under the Royal Gibraltar Regiment Pension Scheme (RGRPS), members are entitled to an immediately payable pension after 16 years’ service as an officer or 22 years’ service in the ranks, with preserved awards payable at 60. At present, under the Gurkha Pension Scheme (GPS), the normal retirement age for the majority of Gurkhas is once they have completed 15 years’ service, when they are awarded an index linked pension based on Indian army pay under the Tripartite Agreement, which is reviewed and increased annually in line with the rate of inflation in Nepal.
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