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19 Jan 2007 : Column 1360W—continued
Performing Arts
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public money was allocated to (a) theatre, (b) ballet and (c) opera in each year since 1997. [116148]
Mr. Lammy: The following tables show the Arts Council's funding commitments (both grant in aid and lottery) to (a) theatre, (b) ballet and (c) opera between 2001-02 and 2005-06.
| (a) Theatre | |
| Total (£ million) | |
| (b) Ballet | |
| Total (£ million) | |
| (c) Opera | |
| Total (£ million) | |
The 2004-05 figures for theatre include the one-off capital awards of £46.46 million to the RSC and £10 million to Leeds city council for the redevelopment of the Grand Theatre. Funding information broken down by art form for the years 1997-98 to 2000-01 is not available.
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the public subsidy for the performing arts was in each year since 1997. [116149]
Mr. Lammy: The following table shows the Arts Council's funding commitments (both grant in aid and lottery) to theatre, music, dance and collaborative arts between 2001-02 and 2005-06.
| Total (£ million) | |
The 2004-05 figures include the one-off capital awards of £46.46 million to the RSC and £10 million to Leeds city council for the redevelopment of the Grand Theatre. Funding information broken down by art form for the years 1997-98 to 2000-01 is not available.
West Jesmond School
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has received the recommendations from English Heritage on the spot-listing of West Jesmond school, Newcastle; and if she will take an urgent decision on the matter. [116685]
Mr. Lammy: An application to list West Jesmond school was made to English Heritage in November 2006. English Heritage have considered all the evidence and are in the process of submitting their report to the Department. Once we have received English Heritage’s advice, the Secretary of State will determine whether the school should be added to the statutory list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest.
Defence
Astute Class Submarines
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Astute class submarines will be built; and at what unit cost. [116009]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 17 January 2007]: Three Astute class submarines are on order with BAE
Systems (Submarine Solutions), and further boat orders are currently being considered, subject to affordability. We are working with industry as part of the Defence Industrial Strategy to achieve an affordable and sustainable submarine programme.
The NAO’s Major Project Report for 2006 reported an expected total cost of £3,656 million for the three Astute class submarines.
Bearskins
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Guards’ Regiment bearskin caps have been refurbished and (b) bear pelts were purchased in each of the last five years; what the total cost of refurbishment was; what the cost of a pelt is in 2007; how many pelts are needed for the production of a new cap; what estimate he has made of the likely number of new pelts which will be required in each of the next two years; what progress is being made towards finding a synthetic replacement for bearskin caps; and if he will make a statement. [115340]
Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not buy bear pelts, only completed caps. The cost of pelts is a matter for the contractor. The number of completed caps purchased for the Guards Regiments in each of the last five years is as follows:
| Number | |
An estimated 550 bearskin caps have been refurbished since 2001 at a cost of approximately £150,000. Information on the number of caps refurbished year by year is not held centrally.
Between one and two caps can be made from one pelt. It is not possible to say exactly how many new bearskin caps will be required in the future as this depends on the Guards’ requirements, which we currently estimate to be about 100 caps per year, and also on how many existing caps can be refurbished.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) continue to develop faux fur and have furnished samples for testing to MOD over the last two years, which included a trial of caps using a faux fur. These tests revealed that the faux fur performs unsatisfactorily in wet weather conditions. We are continuing to work with PETA to find an alternative and all parties concerned are taking the search for an alternative to bearskins very seriously.
Comfire
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the efficacy of Comfire as a fire-resistant material; and in which (a) Royal Navy and (b) Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels it is planned for incorporation. [116007]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 17 January 2007]: The Ministry of Defence has assessed two types of Comfire
material, Comfire 330 HPL and Comfire 330/660, as approved for use on both submarines and surface ships in respect of their fire characteristics. Comfire material is in use in the Type 45 Destroyer and is currently being assessed for use on future Astute Class submarines. The company have also bid for work on CVF. Available records do not indicate its use in any other RN/RFA vessels, nor of any plans to do so. In general, future use of the material is likely to be determined by competitive procurement including compliance with any invoked civilian or military standards.
Council Tax
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to report to the House on the outcome of the discussion with the Department for Communities and Local Government on the proposed exemption of members of the armed forces serving overseas from paying council tax. [114415]
Derek Twigg: Discussions between the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Communities and Local Government about how best to provide support for the council tax costs of service personnel on operations overseas are ongoing.
Defence Budget
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by how much the defence budget reduced as a consequence of the 1998 strategic defence review. [116528]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 18 January 2007]: The comprehensive spending review 1998 (CSR98) settlement set defence spending plans for the period 1999-2000 to 2001-02. These reflected improvements in the efficiency of the Ministry of Defence and reallocation of resources to the priorities identified in the strategic defence review. The settlement increased the defence budget by £747 million across the CSR98 period, which in real terms represented a reduction of 2.4 per cent. The defence budget has increased by around 8.7 per cent. in real terms since 1999-2000.
Departmental Equipment
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's (a) computers and (b) laptops were stolen in each of the last nine years; and what the total value was of stolen computers and laptops in this period. [109212]
Derek Twigg: The following table shows the quantities of laptops and computers assessed as stolen for the last nine years:
| Number | ||
| Laptops stolen | PCs stolen | |
Since 2003 it has been obligatory for all MOD units and establishments to report incidents of loss or theft of computing equipment to the MOD's joint security co-ordination centre (JSyCC). The data are now collated on a central JSyCC database. Prior to 2003 incidents were reported but the reporting requirement made no distinction between losses and thefts and details were not collated centrally. The JSyCC database does not include details of the cost of the equipment concerned, and therefore the MOD is unable to provide fully accurate details of their value without disproportionate effort.
HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how long (a) HMS Ark Royal and (b) HMS Illustrious are scheduled to remain in commission. [116008]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 17 January 2007]: On present plans the out of service dates for HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious are 2012 and 2015 respectively.
Housing
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has (a) to increase the number and (b) to modernise the housing for service personnel in Hampshire in each of the next three years. [115478]
Derek Twigg: The information is not held in the form requested and will take a little time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what types of housing are provided for (a) married and (b) single persons for each armed service in Hampshire; how many units are not deferred rent; what the level of fitness for purpose is of the housing provided; and if he will make a statement. [115479]
Derek Twigg: The information requested will take a little time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member soon and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of providing the appropriate amount and quality of housing units for service personnel in Hampshire. [115560]
Derek Twigg: The information is not currently available in the form requested, but will be extracted from existing data as quickly as possible. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Iraq
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals were (a) detained and (b) arrested in the UK armed forces’ recent raid on the Iraqi police premises in Basra; how those detained and arrested have been dealt with so far; what plans there are for dealing with those individuals; and if he will make a statement. [115279]
Des Browne: The raid on the Serious Crimes Unit (SCU) Headquarters at the Jameat Police Station, Basra, on 25 December 2006 was one of a number of operations aimed at disbanding the SCU in order to remove the most corrupt members of the Iraqi Police Service from Basra. No individuals were detained and none were arrested during this particular raid. However on two separate operations a total of eight individuals were detained, six have subsequently been released and two interned at the UK Divisional Temporary Detention Centre. Both were the subject of warrants issued by an Iraqi Judge for their arrest. Evidence will be collated on the individuals so that their cases can be transferred to the Central Criminal Court of Iraq for prosecution.
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