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14 Nov 2007 : Column 259W—continued
Cyprus: Prisons
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of (a) prison conditions and (b) prisoners' rights for Cypriots held in the Sovereign Base Areas; and if he will make a statement. [163125]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Sovereign Base Area (SBA) prison conditions and prisoners' rights are governed by the SBA Prisons Ordinance 1971 and the associated Prison (General) Regulations 2005. In support of these regulations, the SBA Administration keeps all matters relating to the SBA prison under constant review.
In 2004, the SBA Administration commissioned HM Chief Inspector of Prisons to conduct a review of the SBA prison facility. Of the subsequent recommendations, the vast majority were accepted and have been implemented. For the small number that could not be implemented, primarily for reasons of practicality, the SBA Administration has introduced other measures to comply with the spirit of the recommendations.
Departmental Expenditure
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what his Department’s budget for conferences is in 2007-08; [162636]
(2) how much his Department spent on hiring external venues for conferences in 2006-07. [162640]
Derek Twigg: The MOD does not have a central budget for conferences. The cost of conferences, including the hiring of external venues, is borne by individual units; therefore the information required could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many instances of damage to the axles and leaf springs to the Mastiff vehicle have been recorded by his Department in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan in (i) 2006 and (ii) 2007. [162562]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Records show that there have been no instances of damage of this type to Mastiff vehicles in Iraq over this period.
Mastiff vehicles were first deployed to Afghanistan earlier this year. Since being deployed, there have been 10 instances of damage to the axles and leaf springs of that vehicle. An upgrade to the suspension system has now significantly reduced the number of incidents of damage.
Military Aircraft: Helicopters
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helicopters in the (a) Army Air Corps, (b) Fleet Air Arm and (c) RAF are currently (i) in service and (ii) fit for purpose. [162575]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The number of helicopters utilised by the Royal Navy, Army Air Corps and Royal Air Force which are in the Forward Fleet and considered Fit for Purpose are detailed in the following table. Forward Fleet aircraft are those that are available to the Front Line Command for operational and training purposes (i.e. those not in depth maintenance). Aircraft defined as Fit for Purpose are those considered capable of carrying out their planned missions on a given date.
| Forward Fleet | Fit for Purpose | |
The figures shown are the average for the month of September 2007. The number of helicopters Fit for Purpose will vary from day to day due, primarily, to routine maintenance requirements. Operational capability is measured in terms of flying hours rather than the number of airframes available.
These figures do not include the six RAF Merlin helicopters recently acquired from Denmark or the eight RAF Chinook Mark 3 helicopters that are being converted to a Battlefield Support role, as announced by the Secretary of State on 30 March 2007.
Military Airfields
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to conclude his review of military airfields; and if he will make a statement. [162966]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth:
As my predecessor told the hon. Member on 23 October 2006, Official Report, column 1530W, there will not be a single report on the outcome of the defence airfield review. The work is being taken forward through a series of business cases assessing the
best configuration of airfields both operationally and in value for money terms, for a number of future aircraft types. I will inform the House of these individual studies when they complete.
Non-Departmental Public Bodies
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) budget and (b) remit is of each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department; who the chairman is of each; and to what salary, including bonuses and expenses, each chairman is entitled. [163618]
Derek Twigg: The information requested, including expenditure for last year, can be found in the supplementary document to the MOD Annual Report and Accounts 2006-07, a copy of which is available on the MOD website at the following link. Information on budgets for this year is a matter for the body in question.
Reserve Forces: Drugs
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many drugs tests on reservist army personnel were (a) carried out and (b) produced positive results in (i) January to June 2006, (ii) July to December 2006 and (iii) January to June 2007, broken down by (A) cocaine positive, (B) cocaine only positive, (C) cannabis positive, (D) cannabis only positive, (E) ecstasy positive and (F) ecstasy only positive. [162162]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The following tables give the number of drug tests on Territorial Army personnel showing positive results for cocaine, cannabis and ecstasy, and combinations of those drugs with others for the periods requested:
| Total tests taken | |
| Positive results | |||
| Drug type | 1 January-30 June 2006 | 1 July-31 December 2006 | 1 January-30 June 2007 |
These results do not include Territorial Army personnel serving with regular forces, who are tested alongside their regular colleagues and their test results recorded as part of the overall unit results.
Children, Schools and Families
Academies
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the length of the school day is in each academy school; and if he will make a statement. [163565]
Jim Knight: The Department does not collect these data.
Academies: Academic Year
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which academies have classes on (a) weekends and (b) school holidays; and if he will make a statement. [163566]
Jim Knight: The Department does not collect these data.
Academies: Fire Prevention
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects to publish the Building Bulletin 100—document on sprinklers in schools. [162057]
Jim Knight: Building Bulletin 100—Design for fire safety in schools was published on 9 November 2007.
Building Schools for the Future Programme
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the expenditure on the Building Schools for the Future programme was (a) in each local authority area and (b) on each school covered by the project in 2006-07; what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures for 2007-08 to 2021-22; and if he will make a statement. [163437]
Jim Knight:
Details of actual capital expenditure at local authority and school level are not held centrally by the Department. However, the following table shows the capital grant payments, and supported borrowing
allocations, that were made in 2006-07 to local authorities, together with the current forecasts for 2007-08 (these phased payments do not represent the full allocations):
| £ million | ||||
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |||
| Capital grant | Supported borrowing | Capital grant (forecasts) | Supported borrowing | |
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