| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
6 Dec 2006 : Column 434W—continued
The Environment Agency does not have the data for the volume of water used by agriculture from public water supply. However, in its water resources strategy it did not identify agricultural use as a major component of public water supply, nor do water companies identify it as such in their annual returns and water resource plans.
Table 3 provides data on the volumes directly abstracted for agricultural use and the percentage of total non-tidal surface and groundwater abstraction for which agricultural abstraction is responsible.
| Table 3 | ||||||
| Percentage | ||||||
| Irrigation | General agriculture | Total | Irr | Gen | Total | |
| Notes: 1. Data pre-1994 is of lower reliability. 2. Irrigation abstraction is seasonally (summer) and location specific, so its environmental impact is out of proportion to its percentage of the total. | ||||||
The yearly fluctuation in irrigation is down to climatic issue. As irrigation in this country can largely be regarded as ‘topping up’ of rainfall, the national totals are very dependant on the amount of rainfall received that year and when it fell.
Defence
Afghanistan
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to be in a position to make a statement on the recent bombing of civilians by NATO planes in Afghanistan. [106783]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 30 November 2006]: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 28 November 2006, Official Report, column 620W.
Agency Expenditure
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of the National Audit Office's management letters for the 2005-06 annual accounts of (a) the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency, (b) the Army Training and Recruiting Agency, (c) the British Forces Post Office, (d) the Defence Analytical Services Agency, (e) the Defence Bills Agency, (f) Defence Communication Services Agency, (g) Defence Estates, (h) the Defence Medical Education Training Agency, (i) the Defence Procurement Agency, (j) the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency, (k) the Defence Transport and Movements Agency, (l) the Defence Vetting Agency, (m) the Disposal Services Agency, (n) the Duke of York's Royal Military School, (o) the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency, (p) the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency, (q) the Pay and Personnel Agency, (r) the RAF Training Group Defence Agency, (s) Service Children's Education and (t) the Veterans Agency. [102555]
Derek Twigg: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Armed Forces Deployment
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel are based in (a) Germany and (b) Cyprus; and if his Department will estimate the annual cost of keeping the force in (i) Germany and (ii) Cyprus. [103739]
Mr. Ingram: Figures for the number of people posted in Germany and Cyprus are shown in Tri Service Publication 6, Global Location of UK Regular Forces (TSP 6).
TSP 6 is published quarterly; the most recent publication shows the numbers of service personnel at 1 July 2006. Copies of TSP 6 are available in the Library of the House and also on www.dasa.mod.uk.
Figures for the marginal cost of keeping the forces in Germany are not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The estimated cost, for the financial year 2006-07, of maintaining all British Forces in Cyprus is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However the costs for maintaining the Chief of Joint Operations area, which forms the majority of the British Forces in Cyprus is £156 million. In addition, the Sovereign Base Administration Areas (SBAAs) in Cyprus are estimated as costing a further £12 million in financial year 2006-07 (a total of £168 million).
Armoured Vehicles
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which vehicles were purchased to replace the 14 Mamba vehicles referred to in his answer of 8 November 2006 to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on armoured personnel carriers. [104482]
Mr. Ingram: The Mamba was used by Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams for specialist tasks such as EOD reconnaissance, rescue and recovery and route proving.
The TEMPEST vehicle from Supacat Ltd was selected to replace it in the same role as a Mine Protected Vehicle (MPV). The name TEMPEST is no longer used and the vehicle is now known in UK service simply as the MPV.
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what effect he expects the purchase of Vector and Cougar armoured vehicles to have on procurement of the Future Rapid Effect System project; and if he will make a statement. [101905]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 29 November 2006]: The purchase of the Vector and Cougar armoured vehicles will have no direct effect on the Future Rapid Effect System programme. Vector and Cougar are light armoured vehicles that have been purchased to meet an urgent requirement on current operations.
FRES will deliver a fleet of medium-weight wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles with higher levels of strategic deployability, survivability and lethality than lighter armoured vehicles can provide.
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how much the purchase of 14 Mamba Troop vehicles cost; and when the purchase was made; [101906]
(2) if he will make a statement on the sale of the 14 Mamba Troop vehicles. [101907]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 29 November 2006]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 November 2006, Official Report, column 1546W, to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock).
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Panther armoured vehicles are planned to be delivered to the British Army; what role they will play; and how many are expected to be sent to (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan. [102630]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 29 November 2006]: An order has been placed for 401 Panther command and liaison vehicles. Panther will replace a variety of vehicles operating in the command and liaison role. The deployment of this vehicle on operations will depend on judgments by the Permanent Joint Headquarters.
Black Hawk Helicopters
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will assess the merits of leasing Black Hawk helicopters from the United States administration. [107571]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 4 December 2006]: The possible merits of leasing Battlefield Helicopters is currently being explored under the Lift Advanced Concept Phase, part of the Future Rotorcraft Capability programme.
Challenger 2 Tanks
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the deployments of three or more Challenger 2 tanks normally based in (a) Germany and (b) the UK in each of the last five years; and what the (i) deployment location and (ii) length of deployment was in each case. [103737]
Mr. Ingram: I am withholding information regarding the deployments of three or more Challenger 2 tanks as disclosure of such information could have a bearing on our operational security and could place our servicemen and women in danger or at risk of potential harm.
Defence Export Services Organisation
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the process to select a successor to Alan Garwood as Head of the Defence Export Services has begun; and what the process will involve. [104391]
Mr. Ingram: The process to find a successor to Alan Garwood as Head of Defence Export Services has not yet begun. Recruitment to the position will be in accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Code which requires appointment on merit to the civil service, the process being chaired by a Civil Service Commissioner.
Departmental Expenditure Limits
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) why he intends to increase expenditure within Departmental Expenditure Limits for subheads (a) Request for Resources 1-F and (b) Request for Resources 1-J; and if he will make a statement; [105965]
(2) why he intends to reduce resource expenditure within Departmental Expenditure Limits for subheads: (a) Request for Resources 1-A; (b) Request for Resources 1-B; (c) Request for Resources 1-C; (d) Request for Resources 1-D; Request for Resources 1-E; (f) Request for Resources 1-G; (g) Request for Resources 1-H; (h) Request for Resources 1-I; Request for Resources 1-K; and (j) Request for Resources 1-L; and if he will make a statement. [105966]
Mr. Ingram:
The majority of these changes to the Departmental Expenditure Limit relate to the Department’s fixed asset management project, which is part of the Defence Resource Management Programme to ‘simplify and improve’ financial processes across the Department. The changes reflect the centralisation of fixed asset management under four single balance sheet owners (SBSOs) Defence Estates (DE), Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO), Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) and the Defence Communications Services Agency (DCSA), which is part of the DLO. This resulted in net increases to the Defence Logistics Organisation and Defence Estates,
offset by reductions in the other TLBs. There will be further adjustments in the Spring Supplementary Estimates.
Other changes have been made to Top Level Budget Holders (TLB) allocations of Resource funding to bring the allocations into line with responsibility transfers between TLBs, and other adjustments to reflect the Defence outputs required since Main Estimates.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) marketing officers, (b) communications officers and (c) press officers are employed in his Department; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Department was on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other (A) press officers, (B) special advisers and (C) staff in the last year for which figures are available. [104364]
Derek Twigg: As at 1 October 2006 there were 103 staff working in communications roles directly employed by the Department's Media and Communications Directorate; 29 performing press officer roles and 14 performing marketing/publicity roles. These include military as well as civilian staff. The figure of 103 does not however include those working in communications roles (including press officer and marketing/publicity) across the Department directly employed by Defence agencies, joint headquarters, single-service commands, or at unit level, some of whom perform these roles in addition to a non-communications main role. Total expenditure on communications is not held centrally.
The Government Information and Communication Service (GICS) has been superseded by what is now the Government Communications Network (GCN). The GCN was launched in January 2005 and open to all civilian and military staff in the Department performing communications work to register. As at 1 October 2006 the total number who had self-registered to the GCN in MOD was approximately 200. Work however is underway to establish a more accurate baseline of communications staff in the Department.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |