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23 Jan 2007 : Column 1634W—continued
Under a more realistic 300 days separated service over a two-year period the same comparisons are:
Junior soldier serving 300 days separated service in a two year period, initial six-month tour within first 12 months service.
| £ | |
| (1)12 months qualifying period (2) would not qualify for either bonus as the junior soldier would not have completed 300 days qualifying separated service, despite clocking up 300 days actual separated service over a 2 year period. (3 )with no initial qualifying period | |
Senior soldier serving 300 days separated service in a two year period, having undertaken seven years of separation.
| £ | |
| (1) would not qualify for AT+ plus bonus as would not have completed 365 days qualifying separated service over a two year period | |
Service Personnel: South African Citizens
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many South African citizens are serving in each of the services. [115791]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 17 January 2007]: The most recently available data for the number of South Africans serving in each of the services are shown in the following table.
| Number of South Africans | |
| Notes: 1. Naval service data are at 6 October 2006. 2. Army data are at 1 November 2006. 3. RAF data are at 6 March 2006. 4. Figures do not include UK/South African dual nationals. 5. Figures are for UK regular forces and therefore include nursing services and exclude full-time reserve service personnel, Ghurkhas, the home service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists. They include trained and untrained personnel. | |
UK Nuclear Weapons Capability
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will undertake road shows to enable consultation with the public on the Government's views on nuclear weapons with the public. [105534]
Des Browne: The Government have published a White Paper setting out the decisions we have taken, and the arguments for doing so. Over the coming months we are committed to supporting an informed debate in public and Parliament on these decisions—including by the Defence Select Committee. All of us have the opportunity to evaluate the various contributions to this debate before Parliament considers and votes on this in the spring. At present, there are no plans to undertake road shows.
UK Troops: Rest Periods
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average period of rest between operational tours for UK troops has been in each of the last five years. [114767]
Mr. Ingram:
The Army defines the average period between operational tours as the Tour Interval. Tour
intervals will include periods of leave or rest, along with periods of training for individuals’ career development as well as pre-deployment training. The average Tour Interval for UK troops over the past two years is shown in the table shown:
| Arm/Service | Average annual tour interval January-December 2005 | Average annual tour interval January-December 2006 |
Data for the three years prior to January 2005 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Warships
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many warships were based at (a) Devonport, (b) Portsmouth and (c) Faslane in each year since 1997. [114287]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 11 January 2007]: The numbers of warships, not including submarines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels, based at Devonport, Portsmouth and Faslane each year since 1997 are as follows:
| Devonport | Portsmouth | Faslane | |
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Background Radiation
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average levels of background radiation in each region were in (a) September, (b) October, (c) November and (d) December 2006. [117072]
Ian Pearson: Average levels of background gamma radiation, as measured by the Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network (RIMNET), are shown in the following table.
| MicroGrays per hour | ||||
| Region | September 2006 | October 2006 | November 2006 | December 2006 |
Birds and Habitats Directives
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to his answer of 6 November 2006, Official Report, column 697W, on Birds and Habitats Directives, when he expects the Akrotiri Peninsula and Episkopi Cliffs Important Bird Area to be designated under British Sovereign Base Area law as a special protection zone; and if he will ensure that proposed developments within the Akrotiri Peninsula and Episkopi Cliffs Important Bird Area will be subject to an assessment of the standard required for candidate special protection areas under the EC Birds Directive. [115133]
Barry Gardiner: The Department expects that any designation of areas within the Akrotiri Peninsula (including the Episkopi Cliffs) as special protection zones, will be made by the end of 2009. This would follow the completion of the necessary designation process, including the collection and verification of all relevant data and consultation with stakeholders.
Any proposed building development within these areas already needs to comply with the relevant British sovereign base areas (SBA) legislation on the protection and management of wild birds and would require an appropriate assessment. Under EC law, the appropriate assessment would need to take into account any potential adverse environmental impacts, including the effects on protected species. The SBA would also need to work closely with the Cyprus authorities to develop the appropriate assessment.
Carbon Dioxide
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the amount of carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere each day; and what proportion is from human sources. [110732]
Ian Pearson:
The UK is required by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to compile an annual national inventory of all greenhouse gases emissions, including carbon dioxide. The UK Emissions Inventory is compiled by the National Environmental Technology Centre (Netcen) on behalf
of DEFRA, in accordance with the ‘Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Reporting Guidelines and Good Practice Guidance’.
In 2004, the UK emitted approximately 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per day (MtCO2/day).
Globally, around 25 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (GtCO2) are emitted each year. The amount of carbon dioxide emitted from human sources is small in comparison to the size of natural flows: at around 3 per cent. emitted from the land and oceans to the atmosphere.
Each year almost 800 GtCO2 are exchanged between the land and oceans and the atmosphere due to natural processes including, for example, respiration and photosynthesis by plants.
The key point in terms of climate change, is that the additional emissions from human sources creates an imbalance between total emissions and the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed naturally each year. This leads to an accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
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