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27 Jun 2007 : Column 799W—continued
It is not possible to break down the number of persons killed and injured in each attack as requested. The total number of UK military and civilian personnel killed and injured between March 2003 and December 2005 is provided on the MOD website at:
The information on the website does not include UK civilians employed or contracted by other Government Departments or by civilian contractors. This information is not held by the MOD.
Mr. Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the operational ability of Lynx helicopters serving in the Persian Gulf has been affected by high air temperatures. [145574]
Mr. Ingram: The performance of all helicopters is affected by variations in air temperature, but Lynx helicopters serving in the Persian Gulf are capable of performing all their assigned tasks.
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with senior members of the armed forces on the operational suitability of combat footwear issued to UK forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. [144280]
Mr. Ingram: Following comments from Telic and Herrick in June 2006, alternative boots were provided and sizing advice was offered to units. In addition, a trial to select new commercially available desert boots is due to complete during 2007. This will allow a new boot to be issued to all troops deploying in the autumn and a second alternative boot to be available from early 2008—thus offering some degree of choice. The Department has also initiated a project to introduce a web-based application for the controlled supply of personal clothing to provide service personnel with the ability to order from an online catalogue, with item(s) despatched to an address of choice. This could eventually change the way that items such as boots are provided.
Missile Defence Technology Centre
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on development of the Missile Defence Technology Centre; and if he will make a statement. [144034]
Des Browne: The UK Missile Defence Centre was founded on 18 July 2003 with a six-year mandate. It has just begun its fifth year. The Missile Defence Centre continues to focus on providing scientific and technical advice to the Ministry of Defence on strategic missile defence matters, and supports UK industrial opportunities in this area.
Nuclear Submarines: Procurement
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to order an eighth SSN. [145841]
Mr. Ingram: Three Astute Class submarines are on order with BAES and a further order was placed on 21 May 2007, Official Report, column 55-56WS to commence the build of the fourth boat.
Further boat orders are being considered, subject to affordability. We are working with industry as part of the Defence Industrial Strategy to achieve an affordable and sustainable submarine programme.
Unidentified Flying Objects
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason his Secretariat (Air Staff)/Defence Secretariat did not receive a copy of the report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena produced by the Defence Intelligence Staff; and if he will make a statement. [145883]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 26 June 2007]: The report was distributed to those areas of the Department who were considered to have most interest in the findings, including parts of the RAF.
Vanguard Submarines
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to prolong the operational life of the Vanguard class submarine beyond 30 years. [145840]
Mr. Ingram: There are no plans to extend the Vanguard submarines beyond 30 years.
Veterans Day
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which applicants have been (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful in bids to obtain funding to mark Veterans Day 2007; and the amounts received by each. [142408]
Derek Twigg: 220 bids have been received requesting funding for Veterans Day 2007 events. Bids were assessed against well-publicised criteria setting out the objectives and key messages that events would need to support; where bids were initially non-compliant, efforts were generally made to explain how they might be modified to meet the criteria. Funding was allocated accordingly. The successful and unsuccessful applicants, together with the grants allocated to the former, are listed as follows:
| Successful veterans’ day bids | |
| Organization | Allocated (£) |
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