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11 Jun 2007 : Column 752W—continued
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what guidance his Department issues on the use of internal flights for travel by non-ministerial members of the Army Board; and what alternative modes of transport are considered; [139870]
(2) whether his Department issues guidance on the use of helicopters for travel by non-ministerial members of the Army Board; and if he will make a statement. [139871]
Derek Twigg: Since February this year the tasking of all military flights, both fixed wing and helicopters has been controlled by a single organisation within the Ministry of Defence acting under central policy direction. This policy requires that a high level of scrutiny is applied to such flights and that a detailed case should accompany each application.
Factors such as time, route, destination, protocol and security are considered, as well as the status of the customer, the availability of other, more cost-effective, methods of transport and the efficient use of our aircraft. Operational taskings always take priority over routine travel.
Army Board: Official Cars
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the criteria used for selecting cars used by non-ministerial members of the Army Board for use in the UK. [135910]
Derek Twigg: The principle guidance which sets out the criteria used for selecting cars used by non-ministerial members of the Army Board for use in the UK is contained in JSP 800, the Defence Movements and Transportation Regulations Volume 5—Road Transport. Chapter 2—First Edition Jan 2007. A copy of this guidance is available in the Library of the House. In addition, any requirements for specialised vehicles, such as armoured staff cars, are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Army: Greater London
Mr. Kevan Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on entertainment by the
General Officer Commanding London District in the last 12 months, broken down by event. [137438]
Derek Twigg: The total expenditure on Official Entertainment by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) London District in the financial year 2006-07 was £2,922.26. The expenditure broken down by function, is listed in the table as follows.
All expenditure on official entertainment is subject to strict departmental rules and compliance with the principles of propriety set out in Government Accounting.
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2007, Official Report, column 843W, on Army: Greater London, if he will give a breakdown of the (a) staff and (b) maintenance costs as referred to in the answer. [138934]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 23 May 2007]: The current salary range for Ministry of Defence staff working in the household of the General Officer Commanding London District is shown in the following table.
Salary scales have been used for military staff and are indicative only. The original figure of £112,508.69 quoted for staff costs in FY 2005-06 included the costs of a driver. Drivers are appointment related rather than household related and should not have been included in household costs. They have therefore not been included in this answer. Actual salaries are being withheld on the grounds that they represent personal data under the meaning of the Data Protection Act 1998.
Salary details for those civilian staff that are employed by contractors are being withheld for reasons of commercial confidentiality.
| Role | Rank | Salary r ange |
The figure of £4,701.76 previously provided under the generic heading “maintenance” contained £1,000 for planned maintenance. Invoices for planned maintenance totalled £1,036.02 therefore the total spend on maintenance was actually £4737.78. This covered a range of costs, broken down as follows:
Army: Manpower
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007, Official Report, column 142W, on the Army: manpower, what the cost was of training the cook in the household of the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland. [136115]
Derek Twigg: The Chef has been trained as a Corporal Chef Royal Logistics Corps at a cost of £16,500.
Army: North East Economic Forum
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of the Chief of the General Staff's travel to and from the North East Economic Forum. [139861]
Derek Twigg: The cost of the Chief of the General Staff’s travel to and from the North East Economic Forum was £1,976.65. This figure is broken down as follows:
| Transport | From | To | Cost (£) |
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