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11 July 2007 : Column 1478W—continued
Figures up to the end of 2005 are based solely on telephone complaints to a dedicated helpline. Those for 2006 and 2007 are from all sources of complaints.
Housing: Telephone Services
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many calls received by Modern Housing Solutions were subsequently passed to Transco in each of the last 12 months. [147938]
Derek Twigg: The number of calls received by Modern Housing Solutions (MHS) that were passed to Transco is as follows:
| Month | Number |
Military Bases: Europe
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what British military bases there are on the continent of Europe. [147490]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 5 July 2007]: The following table lists all of the main Establishments where the Ministry of Defence has a land ownership interest in (either freehold or long leasehold) on the continent of Europe.
| Establishment name | Country |
Military Bases: Wales
John Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what information he has received from the Defence Training Review preferred bidder on the discussions it has had with (a) business, (b) local government and (c) academic leaders in South Wales
on future plans for MoD St. Athan; and which organisations have taken part in such discussions; [147273]
(2) what information he has received from the Defence Training Review preferred bidder on discussions it has had with elected representatives in South Wales about future plans for MoD St. Athan; and who took part in those discussions; [147274]
(3) what information he has received from the Defence Training Review preferred bidder on discussions it has had with local organisations and community groups in the Vale of Glamorgan on the future plans for MoD St. Athan; and which organisations and groups were involved in those discussions. [147279]
Derek Twigg: Metrix UK meets regularly with members of the Welsh Assembly Government, Community Councils (Llantwit Major, St. Athan, Llanmaes, Llandow, St. Bride’s, Ewenny, Wick, Llangan and St. Donat), local (South Wales) business leaders, and leaders of all the main parties represented in the National Assembly.
John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the principal surface access routes to MoD St. Athan will be (a) during and (b) after the construction of the new military training academy. [147280]
Derek Twigg: Negotiations are under way between the Welsh Assembly Government, MOD and Metrix to formulate an agreement which will include access arrangements for the Aerospace Business Park and the proposed Defence Training Academy.
Veterans Day
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost was of the events of Veterans Day 2007. [148237]
Derek Twigg: We are not able to calculate the total costs of events to mark Veterans Day 2007 as many of these are borne by event organisers and are not collected by the Department. The MOD committed approximately £470,000 to such events from its veterans budget. However, this figure does not include the costs of participation by armed forces units, such as military bands, in events organised to celebrate the country’s veterans; these costs cannot be separately identified but the involvement of such units has not been large scale.
War Pensions
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cash (a) provision and (b) outturn was for the (i) War Pensions Benefits Programme, (ii) War Pensions Benefits Programme—Far Eastern Prisoners of War and (iii) War Pensions Benefits Programme costs—British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association request for resources subheads in each financial year since 1997. [146961]
Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence does not measure financial performance in cash terms. The nearest approximation is ‘near cash’ which comprises cash expenditure and adjustments relating to accrued and pre-paid expenditure. Details relating to the financial years from 1997 to 2002 are not available to the Ministry of Defence as responsibility for reporting financial performance was only transferred in 2002. Prior to this the financial reporting was the responsibility of the Department for Social Security, now the Department for Work and Pensions. The near cash provision for total war pensions expenditure for the years 2002-03 to 2006-07 was:
| £ | |
The near cash outturn for the years 2002-03 to 2006-07 was:
| £ | ||||
| (i) War pensions costs | (ii) Far eastern prisoners of war costs | (iii) British Limbless Ex-Servicemen’s costs | Total war pension expenditure | |
Costs relating to the British Limbless Ex-Servicemen’s Association were not separately recorded until 2003-04.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Flood Control
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local flood protection and prevention schemes, for which cost benefit analysis has been undertaken, were cancelled or postponed in each of the last five years; and what the reasons for cancellation and postponement were in each case. [147543]
Mr. Woolas: Operating authorities (OAs), that is, the Environment Agency, local authorities and internal drainage boards, are required to produce annual Medium Term Plans (MTPs) setting out their proposed flood protection and prevention schemes for the following three years. Each project will include some form of cost benefit analysis and this will form part of the calculation of the priority score for the scheme. A fully detailed cost benefit analysis is only likely to have been undertaken when a scheme comes forward for final approval either internally in the Environment Agency or, historically, by DEFRA.
MTPs contain a mixture of schemes, some are well advanced and ready to proceed and others are in the
early stages of design. There are many more schemes awaiting funding than are able to be afforded in any one year. The list of schemes in the MTP will be added to as new ones are identified by OAs and may displace others with lower priority scores. There are many schemes in the MTP for which a need can be defined but which have a very low priority score. These are unlikely to receive funding for many years, if at all, but are nevertheless promoted by the OA. These should not be regarded as “cancelled or postponed” because they have never received funding approval and, for this reason, the information is not available in the form requested.
Floods: Lancashire
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to improve the flood defence system in East Lancashire. [148936]
Mr. Woolas: I am advised by the Environment Agency that the Ribble Catchment Flood Management Plan, which will identify the high level sustainable policies for future flood risk management within the catchment over the next 50 to 100 years, is now in its final stages of preparation. The Burnley, Nelson and Colne and the Darwen (including Blackburn) Flood Risk Management Strategies are currently being developed to identify specific scheme needs within those sub-catchments.
The Barrowford Flood Alleviation Scheme has recently been completed. Croasdale Brook, Slaidburn, Flood Alleviation Scheme has recently been completed. Walverden Water and Hendon Brook Flood Alleviation Scheme has been approved and is awaiting funding allocation. Investigations are in progress to identify potential flood risk protection measures at Bolton-by-Bowland and Sawley.
Detailed hydraulic modelling has been completed on Mearley Brook at Clitheroe, and flood risk mapping is being finalised for the area. New Flood Warning Areas continue to be introduced in the highest risk areas such as the River Hyndburn at Accrington, River Calder at Padiham and Green Brook at Padiham. Existing Flood Warning services are also being improved on a continual basis.
The Environment Agency continues to maintain and invest to prevent deterioration of assets in East Lancashire. 97 per cent. of defences are currently in a good condition.
Water: EC Action
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has for increasing the (a) funding and (b) staffing of the Catchment Sensitive Farming programme in meeting the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive; and if he will make a statement. [147243]
Mr. Woolas: Resources for catchment sensitive farming will depend on departmental plans currently being considered as part of the comprehensive spending review.
Wood: Imports
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of the UK’s timber needs are met by imported material. [148125]
Joan Ruddock: In 2005, the latest year for which figures have been published, it was estimated that 52.5 million cubic metres of wood raw material equivalent was imported and 8.6 million cubic metres was produced in the UK.
Exports, including materials produced from both imported and domestically grown timber for use or re-use outside the UK, were 16.5 million cubic metres of wood raw material equivalent, so UK apparent consumption was 44.6 million cubic metres. Imports therefore made up 81 per cent. of apparent consumption.
Around one third of the wood products imported to the UK in 2005 were imported as softwood (round and sawn). A further one third were imported as paper, 15 per cent. were imported as wood based panels and 13 per cent. as pulp. Paper (20 per cent.) and recovered paper (57 per cent.) accounted for the majority of exports of wood products from the UK in 2005.
Wood: Procurement
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of the Government’s (a) domestic and (b) imported timber supplies are procured from sustainable sources. [148128]
Joan Ruddock: There are not sufficient current data available from which accurate figures on Government’s purchase of sustainably produced timber could be deduced. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is engaged on an exercise designed to identify options for developing a reliable system that all central Departments in England could use to report their timber purchases.
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