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13 Mar 2007 : Column 206W—continued
As stated in the answer given on 7 March 2007, Official Report, 1986W, the MOD no longer employs mental health occupational therapists, but does employ civilian clinical psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health nurses. However, the figures for their establishment are not held centrally. I will write to the hon. Member with these figures once they have been collated and place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.
Military Police
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Defence Police College opened at Southwick Park; and what the cost was of establishing this facility. [122111]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 22 February 2007]: The Defence Police College opened at Southwick Park on 15 September 2005.
The post-project evaluation records the cost of establishing the facility as £7.139 million after the first year, including financial provisions to conclude building works.
Navy: Officers
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Commanders, (b) Captains, (c) Commodores and (d) Rear Admirals are on the (i) active and (ii) reserve lists; and how many were on the lists in 1997. [126292]
Derek Twigg: The information requested is detailed as follows:
| 2007 | 1997 | |
| (1 )15 are in RN/NATO posts. Others are Tri Service appointments in MOD (2 )21 were in RN/NATO posts (3 )Not a substantive rank. Officers in Commodore appointments are included in the figure for Captains | ||
All senior officers have reserve liability on leaving the Service until the age of 60. This was applicable in 1997 and is the same in 2007.
Nuclear Submarines: Decommissioning
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of decommissioning (a) nuclear submarine hulls, reactor compartments and propulsion reactors, (b) warhead design and production facilities at Aldermaston and (c) fissile material stores at Sellafield should it be decided to go ahead with a replacement for Trident; and whether any independent audit of such decommissioning expenditure has been made. [126307]
Des Browne: Paragraph 7-5 of the White Paper: “The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent” (Cm 6994) indicated that decisions on whether to acquire a replacement for the Trident missile are unlikely to be needed until the 2020s. The White Paper set out the decisions needed now to join the programme to extend the life of the Trident D5 missile and to start detailed concept work on new submarines to replace the Vanguard class.
The Ministry of Defence has made provision in its accounts for a wide range of nuclear decommissioning liabilities. The latest estimate of these liabilities is shown in the Ministry of Defence annual report and accounts for 2005-06, HC1394, which were certified by the Comptroller and Auditor General. More detail is set out in the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn) on 24 July 2006, Official Report, columns 778-79W.
The estimate for the in-service costs of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, once new submarines come into operation, set out at paragraph 5-14 of the White Paper includes an allowance for the decommissioning costs of a successor system. This estimate has not been subject to external scrutiny. At this very early stage, we are not in a position to provide a breakdown of decommissioning costs in the way requested.
Investment at the Atomic Weapons Establishment has been increased in recent years primarily in order to ensure we can sustain the existing Trident warhead in-service for as long as necessary. This investment involves the replacement or refurbishment of a number of facilities related to the design and production of nuclear warheads. Proceeding with the plan to replace our Vanguard-class submarines and participate in the life extension programme for the Trident D5 missile would not have a material effect on these plans. As the White Paper makes clear, decisions on whether and
how to replace or refurbish our warhead stockpile are likely to be necessary in the next Parliament.
Facilities at Sellafield are the responsibility of the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency and British Nuclear Group Sellafield Ltd.
Nuclear Weapons
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for North Devon of 6 March 2007, Official Report, column 1877W, on nuclear weapons, what estimate he has made of the cost of decommissioning future (a) submarine reactor hulls and cores and (b) facilities used to create future fissile nuclear materials and nuclear warheads for any replacement Trident nuclear programme after 2055. [126918]
Des Browne: As I explained to the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey) on 6 March 2007, Official Report, column 1877W, the estimate of in-service support costs of the UK's nuclear deterrent set out at paragraph 5-14 of the White Paper, “The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent” (Cm 6994), includes an allowance for the decommissioning of a successor to the current system. At this very early stage, we are not in a position to provide figures in the way requested.
In 1995, the UK announced that it had ceased production of fissile material for weapons purposes. This moratorium remains in place, and we do not envisage any requirement to change this position.
The UK's current warhead design is likely to last into the 2020s, and decisions on whether and how we may need to refurbish or replace it are likely to be necessary in the next Parliament.
Proof of Identity: Ministry of Defence
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many current security passes there are for the Ministry of Defence main building. [124495]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 5 March 2007]: Across the MOD central London office buildings (Main Building, Old War Office Building and St. George’s Court) there are currently 18,026 active security passes. Separate figures are not available for Main Building alone.
Smith Institute
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money from the public purse (a) his Department and (b) its agencies gave to (i) the Smith Institute and (ii) its subsidiary SI Events Limited in each year since 1997; and for what purpose each payment was made. [123105]
Derek Twigg: No payments have been made by the Defence Bills Agency (DBA) or the Ministry of Defence’s Trading Funds to the Smith Institute or SI Events.
A small percentage of MOD’s contract payments are not made by the DBA or Trading Funds, but are made locally against contracts placed on behalf of other
Government Departments, joint venture and NATO contracts and contracts placed through collaborative projects. However, this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Television and Play Stations
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on (a) television sets and (b) Sony Playstations for the use of service personnel in each of the last three financial years for which figures are available. [116678]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 18 January 2007]: Information on the total number of televisions and Playstations purchased across Defence over the last three financial years is not held centrally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
However, figures for expenditure on televisions and Playstations for personnel deployed on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for the calendar years 2005, 2006 and 2007 to date are available. These are as follows:
| £ | ||
| Televisions | Playstations | |
Trident
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the change in the cost of nuclear decommissioning liabilities which would arise from the replacement of the Vanguard class Trident nuclear submarines; what factors are included in the estimate; and if he will make a statement. [116644]
Des Browne: It is too early to make a reasonable estimate of the nuclear decommissioning liabilities associated with a new class of submarines built to maintain our nuclear deterrent. However, the nuclear liabilities in the Department’s annual report and accounts for 2005-06, HC1394, include a figure of £333 million for all current in-service submarines, including the Vanguard class. More detail on the MOD’s current nuclear decommissioning liabilities is set out in the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn) on 24 July 2006, Official Report, columns 778-79W.
Warships
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what definitions his Department uses of the terms (a) reduced readiness, (b) extended readiness and (c) low readiness; how many ships are in each category; and if he will make a statement. [124593]
Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to my letter of 6 March 2007, to the hon. Member for New Forest East (Dr. Lewis), a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
Northern Ireland
Alternative Medicine
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how the pilot project to provide complementary and alternative medicine-CAM-within the NHS in Northern Ireland will be administered. [119305]
Paul Goggins: GPs attached to the selected practices within the pilot will refer their patients for treatment to one of the therapy groups included on the scheme. These are at present osteopathy, chiropractic, homeopathy, acupuncture, massage and aromatherapy. Get Well UK will receive the referral and contact the patient to make an initial appointment for them. The use of Get Well UK will remove the administration burden from the CAM therapist and allow them to focus totally on patient care. All stakeholders (patients, practitioners, GPs) will be asked for their feedback. This information will be collated by Get Well UK and will be independently evaluated.
A steering group will be established, chaired by the Department and containing key stakeholders from the health and social services boards, the various CAM therapy governing organisations, GPs and the health and social services councils. This group will monitor the service, including that provided by Get Well UK, and evaluate the feedback from GPs, patients and practitioners. The group will consider where necessary during the pilot any changes that need to be implemented to ensure that the scheme meets its aims and objectives.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether members of the NHS Directory of Complementary and Alternative Practitioners will have to apply to be recognised as a Get Well UK therapist operating in Northern Ireland. [119306]
Paul Goggins: Practitioners wishing to participate in the pilot scheme were required to register with Get Well UK. Practitioners are able to join the NHS register of complementary and alternative medicine practitioners for a fee, but being on the register does not provide proof that the person or organisation registered is qualified or competent. It remains the responsibility of the person or body who engages the services of any practitioner to ensure that they are properly qualified.
The recruitment and quality assurance system provided by Get Well UK on behalf of the Department is robust. As well as asking about practitioners' qualifications and training, copies of all certificates and insurance details are kept on file, references are taken and police checks conducted to comply with The Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (NI) Order 2003. Get Well UK also conducts face-to-face interviews to ensure the suitability of practitioners to work in the health service as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what experience of (a) delivering complementary and alternative medicine and (b) operating in Northern Ireland, Get Well UK has. [119307]
Paul Goggins: Get Well UK was formed in May 2004 and has delivered five complementary medicine contracts in NHS primary care settings since that time. It was established as a not-for-profit organisation specifically to deliver complementary and alternative medicine services. Its managing director has 10 years' experience of managing and delivering complementary medicine services. The Board includes people at both chair and chief executive level within the NHS and an osteopath of 30 years' standing who was the medical director of an osteopathic school and a council member of the General Osteopathic Council.
Get Well UK was given a special award in the 2005 Awards for Good Practice in Integrated Healthcare, “Integrated Health Futures Award: recognising innovation to improve health”. This was in recognition of the specific skills, infrastructure and exacting quality standards built into Get Well UK's service delivery.
Get Well UK has not operated in Northern Ireland previously.
Ambulances
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many ambulance service vehicles were in operation in each ambulance district in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years, broken down by type. [126942]
Paul Goggins: The number of ambulance service vehicles in operation in each Ambulance Division in each of the last five years are set out in the following table:
| NIAS division | A and E vehicles | PCS vehicles | Rapid Response |
| Vehicle types: Accident and Emergency (A and E) Rapid Response Vehicles (RRV) Patient Care Service (PCS) | |||
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