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2 May 2007 : Column 1660W—continued
Wales
Supermarket Practices
7. Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department of Trade and Industry on encouraging Welsh farmers to submit evidence to the Competition Commission's inquiry into supermarket practices. [134265]
Nick Ainger: I have regular meetings with ministerial colleagues at the Department of Trade and Industry to discuss a variety of issues.
Policing
8. Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on policing in Wales. [134267]
Mr. Hain: I have regular discussions with my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on all matters affecting Wales, including policing.
12. Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on policing in Wales. [134271]
Mr. Hain: I have regular discussions with my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on all matters affecting Wales, including policing.
Antisocial Behaviour
9. Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Minister on measures to tackle youth nuisance, graffiti and vandalism in Wales. [134268]
Mr. Hain: I regularly meet the First Minister to discuss a range of issues in Wales, including matters affecting our local environment.
Bilingual Juries
10. Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the consultation on bilingual juries in Wales. [134269]
Nick Ainger: The Government have consulted on this issue and an announcement on the outcome of that consultation will be made in due course.
Out-patient Departure Closures
11. Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on cross-border issues relating to the closures of out-patient departments. [134270]
Nick Ainger: I regularly meet with the Assembly Minister for Health and Social Services to discuss a range of issues, including cross-border issues.
Health Services
13. Mr. Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on cross-border issues affecting health services in Wales. [134272]
Nick Ainger: I regularly meet with the Assembly Minister for Health and Social Service when we discuss a range of issues, including cross-border issues affecting health services in Wales.
Defence
Anglo-French Battle Groups
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the status is of the proposed UK/French/German Battle Group referred to in the answer of 27 February 2004, Official Report, column 614W, on Anglo-French battle groups; and if he will make a statement. [135418]
Mr. Ingram: There are no plans to form a UK/French/German Battle Group, nor have there been in the past.
The UK, France and Germany have however been instrumental in developing the EU Battlegroup concept, which achieved full operational capability in January 2007. EU Battlegroups are small, mobile self-sustaining forces (approximately 1,500 troops) intended for rapid intervention in a crisis, typically in response to a UN request. There are two EU Battlegroups on standby at any time. The UK provided a national Battlegroup on standby during the first half of 2005 and will do so again in 2008. With the Netherlands we have also offered an amphibious Battlegroup in 2010. Each Battlegroup will be on standby for a period of six months.
Armed Forces: Gibraltar
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops are stationed in Gibraltar. [125807]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 8 March 2007]: As at 31 March 2007, some 350 regular forces personnel were stationed in Gibraltar.
Armed Forces: Health Services
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many uniformed (a) doctors, (b) dentists, (c) nurses and (d) medical and dental support staff are employed by each armed service. [132852]
Derek Twigg: The number of uniformed doctors, dentists, nurses and medical and support staff who are employed by each single service is shown in the following table:
| Service | Medical officers (which include primary consultants, secondary consultants and GPs) | Dental officers | Nurses (not including health care assistants) | Allied Health Professionals, medical dental support staff |
| Note: Figures over 100 are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: DMSD | ||||
Numbers are correct as of 1 January 2007, and include fully qualified service personnel only.
Army: Northern Ireland
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether (a) general service soldiers, (b) full-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment Home Service, (c) part-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment Home Service, (d) full-time soldiers who served with the Ulster Defence Regiment and (e) part-time soldiers who served with the Ulster Defence Regiment have their pay adjusted by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body to take into account the relevant benefits of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme. [128630]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 19 March 2007]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 March 2007, Official Report, column 751W.
Defence Communication Services Agency: Pay
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the (a) last pay raise was and (b) next pay raise will be for the staff of the Defence Communication Services Agency. [135361]
Derek Twigg: In line with the Ministry of Defence pay award, the last pay rise awarded to staff within Information Systems and Services—formerly the Defence Communication Services Agency—was on 1 August 2006. This was paid in February 2007 and fully backdated to 1 August 2006. The next pay rise will be due as of 1 August 2007.
Departments: BAE Systems
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons security passes were issued by his Department to (a) BAE Systems chief executive Mike Turner, (b) former BAE Systems chairman Sir Richard Evans and (c) BAE Systems group marketing director Mike Rouse; and if he will list for each of these individuals (i) on which date their current security pass was issued, (ii) on which date their current security pass is due to expire, (iii) to which premises they are given access with their current security pass and (iv) the dates on which any previous security passes were issued by his Department. [132894]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 20 April 2007]: In respect of MOD's main London buildings (main building, old War Office and St. George's Court) contractor security passes (valid for one year) have not been issued to any of those individuals listed in the question.
MOD passes are issued locally at establishment, business unit, or budget area level. Details of passes issued are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departments: Complaints
Miss Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has to establish (a) a military complaints commission and (b) an office of a military ombudsman. [134455]
Derek Twigg: The Armed Forces Act 2006 introduced a package of improvements to the service complaints process including the establishment of an independent Service Complaints Commissioner (SCC). The recruitment process for the position will begin shortly.
In formulating changes to the complaints process, the objective was to introduce independence into the system without undermining the chain of command and its overall responsibilities for the welfare of those under command. While there are no plans to establish a military complaints commission or an office of a military ombudsman, the powers available to the SCC, combined with the other improvements, will offer service personnel a better overall system.
Departments: Databases
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what databases are controlled by his Department and its agencies; and what percentage of the data in each database he estimates is inaccurate or out of date. [124022]
Derek Twigg: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departments: Manpower
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilian personnel are employed by his Department in the north-east. [135292]
Derek Twigg: As at 1 January 2007 there were 510 (FTE) civilians employed by this department in the north-east.
Full-time equivalence (FTE) counts part-time staff by the number of hours they work as a proportion of their full-time conditioned hours.
Departments: Publications
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of Joint Service Publication 530 for 2007-08. [133146]
Derek Twigg: Yes. I will provide a draft copy of JSP 530 for financial year 2007-08. The draft contains all the resource account codes for financial year 2007-08, but awaits an update of the textual part of the document describing the usage of the resource account codes. I plan to place the full version of JSP 530 in the Library of the House in June 2007.
European Council
Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many EU Council meetings he has attended since taking up his post; and who represents him if he is unable to attend. [133753]
Des Browne [holding answer 30 April 2007]: During each six-month presidency, EU Defence Ministers meet once in the format of the General Affairs and External Relations Council. I have attended both such meetings since taking office. Another Minister or senior official would represent me if I were unable to attend.
HMS Cornwall: BBC
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at what time and by what means the BBC crew (a) were scheduled to leave and (b) left HMS Cornwall on 23 March 2007. [134194]
Des Browne: The two BBC personnel and one journalist from The Independent left HMS Cornwall, as planned, on the morning of 24 March. They travelled by seaboat to the USS Underwood and then by helicopter to Bahrain, also as planned.
Iran: Territorial Waters
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether all coalition personnel involved in the boarding of vessels in Iraqi waters are briefed on the rules of engagement with Iranian forces; and by whom. [132455]
Des Browne: All UK forces deployed on operations in the Operation Telic joint area of operations are briefed on the UK rules of engagement applicable to national and coalition operations, including those involved in the boarding of vessels in Iraqi waters. Personnel are briefed by Commanders both in-theatre and prior to deployment as part of their pre-deployment training.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which country's territorial waters the service personnel detained by the Iranians in 2004 had been captured. [133820]
Des Browne [holding answer 24 April 2007]: As was made clear at the time, the service personnel who were detained by the Iranians reported that they were operating inside the Iraqi border and were forcibly escorted into Iranian territorial waters.
Lynx Helicopters: Procurement
Mr. Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the decision to procure the new Lynx helicopter was made; and on whose advice Ministers made the decision. [129447]
Mr. Ingram: The decision to procure the new future Lynx helicopter was taken by MOD Ministers on the basis of advice and recommendations from the MOD Investment Approvals Board. Ministerial approval of the decision was announced on 22 June 2006.
M/V Al Hanin
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what type of boarding ladder the M/V Al Hanin used on 23 March 2007. [134195]
Des Browne: The merchant vessel Al Hanin's own pilot ladder was used.
Peace Keeping Operations: Iraq
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the joint operations which UK forces have undertaken with US forces in Iraq since March 2003; and where each such operation took place. [134480]
Des Browne: Operation Telic is the UK contribution to a coalition operation in Iraq which involves a number of countries, including the US and UK, working together to help the Iraqis build a stable, democratic and secure nation. As part of this wider operation UK and US forces regularly operate closely together.
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