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6 Dec 2006 : Column 438W—continued
Eurofighter
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total management fee recovered from the Saudi Arabian Government was to cover the costs incurred in promoting the sale of Eurofighter aircraft by BAE Systems to Saudi Arabia. [106851]
Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 October 2006, Official Report, columns 1477-78W.
Gender Equality
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to publish his Department’s gender equality scheme. [101479]
Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence has already published the requirements of the gender equality scheme in its first overarching MOD Equality and Diversity Scheme 2006-09. The scheme encompasses the armed forces, civilians, the Ministry of Defence police and Executive agencies. The scheme fulfils the Department’s legal obligations to have an equality scheme in place under current race legislation, as well as future disability provision which came into force on 4 December 2006.
Copies of the scheme and its associated action plans are available in the Library of the House and have also been published on the Department’s website.
Ground-Based Interceptors
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department will estimate the financial cost to the UK of (a) procuring, deploying and operating Ground-Based Interceptors from the US missile defence Ground-Based Midcourse Defence system and (b) developing, procuring, deploying and operating a missile for the Type-45 destroyers that has equivalent or similar anti ballistic missile capability to the US Standard Missile-3. [103756]
Des Browne:
No decisions have yet been taken on whether or not to acquire ballistic missile defence for the United Kingdom. Work by officials continues to examine potential options for future UK participation
in a missile defence system, including the strategic, cost and legal issues arising. UK officials are also working with their NATO counterparts to consider the implications of a NATO Feasibility Study into options for Alliance missile defence. Given the range of options that might be available it is premature to speculate on the possible costs.
Harmony Guidelines
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of personnel serving with (a) Harrier squadrons, (b) Nimrod aircraft and (c) Royal Air Force Regiment Field Squadrons exceed the harmony guidelines. [101062]
Mr. Ingram: The Royal Air Force reports against Harmony Guidelines for formed unit tour intervals, and against Individual Separated Service guidelines for personnel. Nimrod squadrons do not deploy as formed units. RAF Harrier squadrons and Regiment Field Squadrons deploy as formed units but not all personnel serving with the squadrons deploy at once.
As unit tour intervals do not specify the percentage of personnel who deploy, data has been supplied based on Individual Separated Service. The figures for the percentage of personnel serving with RAF Harrier, Nimrod, and RAF Regiment Field Squadrons who exceeded the RAF Individual Separated Service guideline of 140 days of detached duty in a rolling 12-month period are shown in the following table:
As at 30 September 2006, 0 per cent. of the personnel serving with the Royal Navy Harrier squadrons (800 and 801 Naval Air Squadron) exceeded Royal Navy Separated Service guidelines of 660 days in a rolling three-year period.
Helicopter Statistics
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Army Aircorps and (b) RAF helicopters are deployed in (i) Iraq, (ii) Afghanistan and (iii) Northern Ireland. [106088]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 28 November 2006]: There are sufficient numbers of helicopters in all theatres to carry out the allocated tasks. I am withholding a breakdown of the number of helicopters by theatre as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of our armed forces. We keep under constant review how best to sustain and refresh the helicopter capability provided to all operations.
Hercules Aircraft
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the time scale is for the programme to fit explosion suppressant foam to Hercules aircraft; how many aircraft will be fitted with the foam; and if he will make a statement. [103107]
Mr. Ingram: The majority of the RAF’s C-130 Hercules fleet will be fitted with explosion suppressant foam (ESF). On current plans the programme will be completed by the end of next year.
I am withholding the precise number of C-130 Hercules aircraft that will be fitted with ESF as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the security of the UK’s armed forces.
HMS Vanguard
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of the refit of HMS Vanguard; and over what periods the costs were included in the expenditure accounts. [104293]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 29 November 2006]: The cost of HMS Vanguard’s long overhaul period (refuel), formerly referred to as a refit, up to the end of the last financial year, is shown in the following table.
| HMS Vanguard spend profile | |
| £ million | |
The costs have been rounded to the nearest £1 million and include planning work generic to the class as a whole.
No further costs are anticipated, although a refund of some £6 million is anticipated in this financial year in accordance with the target cost incentive fee arrangement.
Home Ownership Schemes
Mrs. Spelman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any of the staff in his Department
who are not serving members of the armed forces are classed as key workers for the purposes of the (a) low-cost home ownership and (b) shared ownership schemes. [104313]
Derek Twigg: Ministry of Defence civilian personnel who are classed as key workers for the purposes of low- cost home ownership schemes such as the new-build home-buy shared equity scheme are:
Members of the Ministry of Defence Police
Uniformed members of the Defence Fire Service
Clinical staff excluding doctors and dentists.
Iraq
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many airbridge flights for forces personnel serving in Iraq were (a) cancelled, (b) delayed and (c) diverted with less than a days notice in 2005; and what the figures are for 2006. [103743]
Mr. Ingram: The number of flights undertaken in support of operations in Iraq are shown in the following table, together with the number of cancellations, delays and diversions.
| 2005 (April-December) | 2006 (January to date) | |
|
Total number of flights from RAF Brize Norton to Basrah/Al Udeid | ||
|
Total number of flights from Basrah/Al Udeid to RAF Brize Norton | ||
Iraq and Afghanistan: Resources
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which operations outside Iraq and Afghanistan are included in the expenditure within subhead Request for Resources 2-C. [105961]
Mr. Ingram: There are no other operations included in the expenditure within subhead Request for Resources 2-C.
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what his Department’s estimate is for Direct Resource Expenditure in Request for Resources 2 in Iraq and Afghanistan for 2006-07 calculated on the same basis as table 1 of the memorandum sent to the Defence Select Committee on 6 March 2006; [105962]
(2) what his Department’s estimate is for Capital Expenditure in Request for Resources 2 in Iraq and Afghanistan for 2006-07 calculated on the same basis as table 2 of the memorandum sent to the Defence Select Committee on 6 March 2006. [105963]
Derek Twigg: The increase in Direct Resource and Capital expenditure in Request for Resources 2 in Iraq and Afghanistan is set out in the tables. These follow the same format as that contained in the Estimates Memorandum sent to the Defence Select Committee on 6 March 2006.
There is no separate contingency identified in our winter supplementary claim.
| £ million | ||
| 2006-07 | ||
| Cost type | Iraq | Afghanistan |
| £ million | ||
| 2006-07 | ||
| Cost type | Iraq | Afghanistan |
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