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19 Feb 2007 : Column 230W—continued


Service Families: Support Arrangements

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) immediate and (b) long-term support his Department plans to put in place for forces families upon the return of soldiers from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. [118938]

Derek Twigg: When service personnel return from operations they receive post operational leave (one working day for every nine calendar days deployed), which enables them to spend quality time with their families and friends, to assist in the process of adjustment. All service personnel and their families have access to significant single service welfare resources, which are permanently available to assist them with any difficulties they may encounter following the return of the serviceman or woman. This can be accessed through unit welfare and community support staff. Service personnel and their families also have access to independent Confidential Support Line provided by the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) Forces Help. In addition units provide a broad spectrum of welfare support and briefings prior to, during and after operations.

Spare Parts

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 6 December, Official Report, column 448W, on spare parts, how many losses in transit there were in (a) 2005 and (b) 2006. [119159]

Mr. Ingram: The reported total value of the losses in transit for financial year 2005-06 was £4.8 million, consisting of 2,823 items; and for the first nine months of financial year 2006-07 the total value of losses recorded is £2.1 million, consisting of 1,731 items. Data are not held in such a way that enables the separate identification of “spare parts”.

Troops Accommodation

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to provide all troops in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan with hardened living accommodation as protection against mortar fire; and if he will make a statement. [111875]


19 Feb 2007 : Column 231W

Mr. Ingram: We are continuing to improve the protection of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan against the effects of indirect fire through a range of measures depending on the nature of the threat. For a variety of logistical reasons there are no plans at present to provide all troops in either theatre with the kind of purpose built steel and concrete structures that provide some hardened protection against mortars.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles by British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. [120213]

Des Browne: The UK currently deploys unmanned aerial vehicles in Afghanistan and has access to coalition unmanned aerial vehicles in Iraq. Together with other capabilities, this provides UK forces with tactical situational awareness and improves the force protection to deployed troops. We keep under review the requirement for reconnaissance, surveillance and wider force protection capabilities in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Warships: Procurement

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) Royal Navy warships and (b) Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels (i) on which design work began and (ii) for which orders have been placed since the 1997 general election. [119984]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 8 February 2007]: Orders for the following Royal Navy warships and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels have been placed since May 1997:

Royal Navy

Type 45 Anti-Air Warfare Destroyers:

Echo class Survey vessels:

River class Offshore Patrol vessels:

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Bay class Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliaries):

This excludes any vessels chartered for Royal Fleet Auxiliary use and the six-ship RoRo Strategic Sealift PFI service.


19 Feb 2007 : Column 232W

Design work on all of the above-named vessels began after May 1997. In addition, design work is under way on the two new aircraft carriers.

World War II: Bombs

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to determine whether the device recently discovered in Streatham Park Cemetery is an unexploded bomb dating from World War Two. [117913]

Mr. Ingram: The MOD provides explosive ordnance clearance support to Police Forces under standing arrangements with the Home Office. The device referred to in Streatham Park Cemetery features on a list of Second World War unexploded bombs compiled many years ago from wartime and post-war records. Bomb sites were examined at the time and the decision was taken that buried devices did not represent a danger to life. If munitions become unearthed then specialist military units, at the behest of the police, will dispose of the ordnance.

Treasury

Committees: Ministerial Attendance

Mr. Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what occasions (a) he and (b) departmental Ministers have been requested to appear before committees of (i) devolved institutions and (ii) the European Parliament since 2004; on what topic in each case; how many and what proportion of such requests were accepted; and if he will make a statement. [111581]

John Healey: Treasury Ministers are accountable to the United Kingdom Parliament in respect of non-devolved matters. We have not appeared before committees of devolved institutions.

Ministers in the Department attend committees of the European Parliament in the course of official business. A detailed analysis could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Deborah Mattinson

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Deborah Mattinson has undertaken freelance work for his Department in the last three years.[112078]

John Healey: Deborah Mattinson has not undertaken any freelance work for the Treasury in the last three years.

Departmental Photographs

Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on photography in the last year for which figures are available. [119481]

John Healey: Photography is not recorded as a separate category of expenditure, so the information on spending, if any, is not held.


19 Feb 2007 : Column 233W

Departmental Reorganisation

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes have been made to his Department's Directorate structure in the last 12 months. [120375]

John Healey: The Treasury's Directorate structure is published annually in the departmental report.

Departments: Conferences

Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions civil servants in his Department and its agencies have been given permission to attend the Labour Party conference to carry out departmental business in the last three years. [120698]

John Healey: Where officials are required to attend party conferences to carry out essential official business unconnected with the conference, this is done in accordance with section 4.4 of the civil service management code.

Electorate

Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Office for National Statistics’ estimate is of the total registered electorate eligible to vote in UK general elections in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in each year since 1997. [119477]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 13 February 2007:

Total number of registered electorate eligible to vote in the UK and its constituent countries, 1997 to 2005
February
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

United Kingdom

43,888,115

44,035,670

44,175,166

44,272,419

44,422,543

England

36,568,394

36,696,571

36,808,100

36,909,180

37,043,755

Wales

2,199,377

2,209,781

2,206,490

2,212,151

2,218,453

Scotland

3,947,813

3,958,700

3,975,665

3,961,944

3,970,838

Northern Ireland

1,172,531

1,170,618

1,184,911

1,189,144

1,189,497



19 Feb 2007 : Column 234W
December
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

United Kingdom

44,568,029

44,248,947

44,071,274

44,180,204

44,448,897

England

37,231,972

37,121,228

36,973,617

37,092,001

37,241,084

Wales

2,217,396

2,207,347

2,204,395

2,217,495

2,221,883

Scotland

3,938,081

3,856,856

3,830,079

3,833,072

3,836,876

Northern Ireland

1,180,580

1,063,516

1,063,183

1,037,636

1,149,054

Source:
Office for National Statistics (ONS)

Mortality Statistics

Tony Baldry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2007, Official Report, column 232W, on mortality statistics, how many people died as a result of a stroke in (a) 2003, (b) 2004, (c) 2005 and (d) 2006 in (i) Northern Ireland, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales. [119232]

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 8 February 2007:


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