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19 Feb 2007 : Column 212W—continued
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many training exercises that were originally scheduled for 2007 have been cancelled. [119248]
Mr. Ingram: Of the 547 training exercises recorded in the Defence Exercise Programme for financial year 2007-08, 40 (7.5 per cent.) have been cancelled.
Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Procurement
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the planning assumption date is for the future rapid effect system. [119272]
Mr. Ingram: The in service date for the future rapid effect system (FRES) will not be taken until the main investment decision is taken.
Armoured Vehicles
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Cougar/Mastiff armoured vehicles were fully operational in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan on 1 January 2007; and what his estimated timetable is for delivery of the remaining vehicles. [114588]
Mr. Ingram: The first Mastiff vehicles were delivered to Iraq by 1 January 2007. For reasons of operational security I am not prepared to go into the detail of the delivery timetable and numbers of a new capability into an operational theatre, but on current plans the delivery of the remaining vehicles should be complete by summer 2007.
Army: Scotland
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total personnel (a) inflow into and (b) outflow from the Scottish infantry has been in each year since 1997. [119274]
Derek Twigg: The number of soldiers inflowing and outflowing from the Scottish Division of the Infantry during April 1997 to November 2006 is shown in the following table. Officer figures have been omitted because Officer Cadets are allocated an Arm/Service towards the end of their Commissioning Course at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS).
| Intake from civilian life and outflow from UK regular forces for the Scottish Division of the Infantry | ||
| Soldier | ||
| Financial year | Intake | Outflow |
| (1 )1 April to 30 November 2006. Notes: 1. The information is for soldiers only and therefore excludes officers. 2. The information is for intake and outflow of Scottish Division personnel in and out of the army and therefore excludes transfers in and out of the Division. 3. The outflow figures incorporate the net balance of long-term illegally absent personnel. 4. The intake figures are based on the individuals' Division on intake, some of whom may be redesignated during training to another Arm/Service. 5. The intake figures include re-enlistments and rejoined reservists. 6. UK Regular Forces includes nursing services and excludes full-time Reserve Service personnel, Gurkhas, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists. It also includes trained and untrained personnel.. 7. The date periods are for financial years except for financial year 2006-07. 8. The data have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers ending in '5' have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid systematic bias. | ||
Astute Class Submarines
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made in agreeing a price for the future Astute class submarines; and if he will make a statement. [116645]
Des Browne: Negotiations on prices for Astute class submarines hulls 2 and 3 are concluding and will be subject to formal approval by the MOD and BAE Systems.
Christmas Travel
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2007, Official Report, column 323W, on Christmas travel, (1) if he will provide a breakdown of the 75 per cent. of flights between the UK and Afghanistan that were on time or delayed by less than three hours into those that were (a) on time and (b) delayed less than three hours; [118828]
(2) if he will provide a break down of the flights between Afghanistan and the UK that were on time or delayed by less than three hours into those that were (a) on time and (b) delayed less than three hours. [118915]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 5 February 2007]: All performance statistics relating to the Afghanistan air-bridge are collated and monitored in terms of ‘arrival’, rather than ‘departure’, times as this best reflects the service being provided to passengers. Any RAF transport flight that is rescheduled at any stage within 24 hours of its planned departure time is considered as a delay, but only if that delay is greater than one hour.
Of the 75 per cent. of flights from the UK to Afghanistan that were on time or delayed by less than three hours, 69 per cent. were on time and 31 per cent. were delayed less than three hours.
For the return leg, of the 66 per cent. of flights from Afghanistan to the UK that were on time or delayed by less than three hours, 76 per cent. were on time and 24 per cent. were delayed less than three hours.
A flight is deemed to be on time if it is delayed by less than one hour.
Defence Activities: Scotland
Mr. David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the levels of commercial investment in Scotland resulting from his Department's activities. [118680]
Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has made no estimate of the levels of commercial investment in Scotland resulting from its expenditure.
Mr. David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of jobs in Scotland that are reliant on the supply chain created by his Department's activities. [118681]
Mr. Ingram:
The latest available estimates for those jobs in industry and commerce in Scotland that are
either directly or indirectly reliant on the supply chain created by the MOD are given in the following table. The estimates refer to jobs throughout industry and commerce resulting from MOD equipment and non-equipment expenditure. These are the best estimates available but they are based on a set of assumptions. Some of these assumptions could underestimate the number of jobs, such as excluding employment in subcontractors whose sub contracts originate from MOD contracts elsewhere in the UK.
| Equipment | Non Equipment | Total | |
| Note: Figures rounded to nearest 500 jobs | |||
Aggregate estimates for the UK detailing direct and indirect employment which separate those involved with employment on MOD equipment, MOD non-equipment, and defence exports are also produced by the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) in Table 1.9, UK Defence Statistics 2006 which is available in the Library of the House.
Defence Scientific Advisory Council
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who the members are of the Defence Scientific Advisory Council. [102625]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 23 November 2006]: The Defence Scientific Advisory Council (DSAC) provides the Ministry of Defence’s main source of independent advice on non-nuclear science and technology issues. It is a non departmental public body set up by the Secretary of State for Defence. DSAC and MOD do not release the identities of the membership except for the Chairperson, Professor Julia King. The rest of the Council comprises senior academics and industrialists who are independent of the MOD. All are recruited through open competition and appointed by Ministers. I am unable to release the names of them in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
Defence: Expenditure
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will revise the Defence Planning Assumptions prior to the Comprehensive Spending Review; and if he will make a statement. [119088]
Mr. Ingram: Our assessment of the likely strategic context our armed forces will be operating in, the tasks they will be required to undertake and the capabilities they will need informs the CSR process. This assessment is also the basis on which we formulate the Defence Planning Assumptions. The Planning Assumptions themselves are routinely reviewed as part of the Department’s strategic planning cycle. This work is under way and will be completed in spring 2008.
Mr. Harper:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what work his Department is undertaking in
preparation for the comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement. [119089]
Mr. Ingram: As with all Departments, the Ministry of Defence is engaged in the process of analysing its requirements and preparing material for the comprehensive spending review 2007. The Department also meets regularly with HM Treasury at both official and ministerial level to discuss progress towards comprehensive spending review 2007.
Defence: Procurement
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which procurement projects have been cancelled since 1997; and what total losses were incurred following each cancellation. [119255]
Mr. Ingram: The Ministry of Defence Appropriation Accounts (1997-98, 1998-99), the Ministry of Defence Consolidated Departmental Resource Accounts (1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02) and Annual Report and Accounts from 2002-03 onwards—copies of which are available in the Library of the House—detail losses arising from the cancellation of procurement projects.
Departmental Furniture
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost is of one Herman Miller Aeron chair for his Department's civilian headquarters. [119071]
Derek Twigg: The purchase of office furniture was part of a major redevelopment of the Ministry of Defence's main building in Whitehall, which fulfils both a Department of State and military headquarters function and accommodates around 3,300 military and civilian personnel. The Herman Miller Aeron chairs were purchased in bulk at a very substantial discount. I am withholding the details as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice commercial interests.
Departmental Logos
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the costs of (a) stationery and (b) other promotional merchandise branded with his Department's name was in each of the last three years. [119266]
Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally in the format requested and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. Our headquarters Communications policy area (the Directorate General Media and Communication), however, has spent the following on promotional material (which includes branded stationery) in the last three years:
| Financial year | Amount (£) |
This encompasses material promoting both the Department's name and that of each of our Services.
Departmental Publications
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of the in-house staff magazine of his Department from the last 24 months. [119257]
Derek Twigg: I have placed copies of FOCUS, the Department's principal in-house staff magazine, in the Library of the House today.
EU Rapid Reaction Force
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role he expects the UK to play in the planned European Rapid Reaction Force; and what (a) military and (b) financial contribution he expects the UK to make. [119163]
Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 25 October 2006, Official Report, column 1876W, to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes).
European Fighter Aircraft: Saudi Arabia
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has signed a contract with BAE Systems to produce the 72 Eurofighters for Saudi Arabia; whether it includes replacing the 24 originally due to be supplied to the Royal Air Force; and what the delivery schedule is. [119138]
Mr. Ingram: Negotiations on the supply of Euro fighter-Typhoon to Saudi Arabia remain ongoing. Any requirement to replace diverted aircraft as a result of a final contract will be negotiated in parallel.
Falkland Islands
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what deployments of troops are in place for the defence of the Falkland Islands; and what deployments are planned. [118975]
Mr. Ingram: There are approximately 1,450 armed forces personnel serving in the Falkland Islands; this number is subject to variation throughout the year as a result of individual posting plots and unit movements. The United Kingdom remains committed to the security of the Falkland Islands; we maintain permanent forces there to deter aggression and defend the right of the Falkland Islanders to self-determination. The force levels required to do this are kept under continuous review.
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