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21 Nov 2007 : Column 888W—continued
Repossession Orders: Housing
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many possession orders were obtained by registered social landlords in the Peterborough city council area in (a) 2004-05, (b) 2005-06 and (c) 2006-07; and if she will make a statement. [166678]
Mr. Iain Wright: The information requested is not collected by the Department or the Housing Corporation. Registered social landlords (RSLs) are independent organisations regulated by the Housing Corporation. They must demonstrate compliance with the Housing Corporation’s regulatory code and guidance, which requires them to seek possession of a property only as a last resort.
Towns Councils: Berwick-upon-Tweed
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will announce her decision on the setting up of a Berwick-upon-Tweed Town Council in time for elections to that council to take place in May 2008. [162136]
John Healey [holding answer 15 November 2007]: I have approved the setting up of a Berwick-upon-Tweed town council, and we will shortly be consulting on a draft implementation order which will provide for the first elections to the new parish to be held in May 2008.
Travelling People: Caravan Sites
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps are being taken to assist local authorities to work more closely with Traveller and Gypsy sites on ensuring appropriate waste management. [165293]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Department has recently consulted on draft good practice guidance on Gypsy and Traveller site management. This includes guidance on dealing effectively with site and grounds maintenance, waste collection and instances of fly-tipping. Responses to the consultation exercise are currently being analysed and final guidance will be issued in the spring.
Fly-Tipping
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps are being taken to encourage local authorities to work more closely with landowners to combat fly-tipping. [165294]
Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
The Waste Strategy for England, published in May 2007, includes the Government’s Illegal Waste Activity Action Plan, which sets out action proposed and being taken in this area. This includes working with stakeholders to consider how the Flycapture database can be enhanced
or improved to enable local authorities to better use data to take action against fly-tipping. This may include extending the scope of the database on a voluntary basis to landowners.
Neither the local authority nor the Environment Agency is under any legal obligation to assist the removal of waste on private land. However, some local authorities are ready to work with landowners to investigate and prosecute repeated incidents of fly-tipping and to tackle specific problems or issues. The Government believe that to place a duty on authorities to remove waste from private land would encourage illegal dumping rather than tackle the problem.
The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 gave courts the power to make an order against anyone convicted of the main offence of illegal waste disposal to pay for costs incurred by a landowner in removing waste that has been illegally deposited.
In addition, the Environment Agency’s National Fly-tipping Prevention Group identifies better ways of preventing and tackling fly-tipping on private land by working closely with organisations like the National Farmers Union, the Country Land and Business Association, Network Rail and the National Trust, and has issued guidance to landowners on how to deal with this problem.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of fuel used by the armed forces was transported into (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan by (i) air transport, (ii) ground transport and (iii) sea transport in each year since 2005. [162567]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Almost all of the fuel used by UK forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan is currently supplied by ground transport and has been since 2005. Other options are available should the operational situation require it.
Aircraft Carriers
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much accommodation will be provided for marine commandos on each of the two new aircraft carriers. [165251]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 19 November 2007]: The Carriers will provide flexible accommodation for nearly 1,000 personnel over and above that for the ship’s crew. Space available for embarked military personnel will depend on the size of the air group carried and the scale and type of operation being undertaken.
Armed Forces: Desertion
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) shortest, (b) longest and (c) average length of service was of members of the armed forces reported absent without leave between January 2004 and October 2007. [165800]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the ethnic background was of members of the armed forces reported absent without leave between January 2004 and October 2007. [165801]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Armed Forces: Health Services
Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent improvements have been made to the treatment of ex-service personnel suffering from anxiety, panic and depression following their service in combat areas. [164548]
Derek Twigg: The Government are committed to good mental health and well-being for its personnel, both in-service and after they leave. For veterans, healthcare is primarily the responsibility of the NHS and in recent years there has been a special focus on mental health, with substantially increased investment in therapists and other frontline trained staff in order to improve access to proven psychological therapies. Veterans are benefiting from these improvements along with others suffering mental illness.
We recognise that there are issues about ensuring culturally sensitive care arrangements for those whose mental health may have been affected by their service in the armed forces.
The Government have a number of initiatives in hand to address this. First, in June we announced the extension of the MOD's medical assessment programme based at St. Thomas' Hospital, London, to provide assessments to any veteran suffering from mental health problems as a result of service in operations since 1982. The service offers an expert military assessment for GPs and other civilian health professionals who may be unfamiliar with the military background to a condition and for veterans who are concerned that the service background to their condition may not have been addressed.
We work very closely with Combat Stress and last year gave £2.5 million in fees and have agreed to a phased increase in the fees we pay, rising to 45 per cent. from January 2008 to enable them to enhance their capability to treat veterans.
For the longer term, the MOD is working with the four UK Health Departments and the charity Combat Stress to pilot a new model of community-based mental health care that will address assessment and treatment of veterans' mental health problems. Implementation of the new model will take place first in six pilot sites around the country. The pilots will run for two years after which they will be subject to full evaluation and, if successful roll out nationwide.
Armed Forces: Mental Health Services
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are taken to ensure that ex-service personnel are aware of available help for stress and mental illness. [165455]
Derek Twigg: The Government are committed to good mental health and well-being for its armed forces personnel, both in-service and after they leave. Education and preventative measures to increase awareness at all levels about stress and mental illness begins when armed forces personnel are serving. These include pre-and post-deployment briefings and the availability of support, assessment, and (if required) treatment, both during and after deployments.
Service leavers, particularly those who have medical problems or who are considered vulnerable, receive advice about the help available to them by MOD welfare services and are given information about the ex-service charities (such as the Royal British Legion and Combat Stress).
Upon leaving the armed forces, responsibility for veterans’ health care passes to the NHS.
There has been much public focus on the mental health problems experienced by veterans including information on the sources of help available, and this is reinforced by outreach events and information from the Department. More specifically, plans to pilot a new community-based veterans’ mental health service on a regional basis, will involve the establishment of networks of expertise in veterans mental health; these will provide specialised assessment and treatment, but also sign-posting to other sources of advice and support. The pilots include plans to communicate availability of the service both locally and nationally.
We work very closely with Combat Stress and last year gave £2.5 million in fees and have agreed to a phased increase in the fees we pay, rising to 45 per cent. from January 2008 to enable them to enhance their capability to treat veterans.
Details about the services available to veterans are available on the Veterans UK and MOD websites. The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency also operates a freephone helpline: 0800 169 2277 that offers advice on a wide range of issues, including sources of advice and assistance. Advice and assessment is also available through the Department’s Medical Assessment Programme (MAP) based at St. Thomas’ hospital, London, which is advertised both on the MOD’s website and through some of the main pathways to care for veterans; the MAP also offers a freephone contact line on 0800 169 5401.
Armed Forces: Uniforms
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what items of cold weather clothing were issued to the British service personnel that formed the roulement in Afghanistan as of 1 October 2007; and how many of each item were issued. [162556]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 13 November 2007, Official Report, column 124W.
Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Mines
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many BAE Systems mine resistant ambush protection vehicles are in the possession of UK armed forces; and whether any such vehicles are on order for UK armed forces. [162082]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The term mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) refers to a US programme to counter the threat from improvised explosive devices on current operations. The UK has procured the Mastiff vehicle from Force Protection Inc. to meet a similar requirement. This has been highly successful in service, and further Mastiff vehicles have been ordered, most recently the 140 announced by the Prime Minister on 8 October 2007, Official Report, column 24.
There are no BAE Systems mine protected vehicles in service with the UK armed forces, although the Department is examining BAE Systems vehicles along with a number of others to meet future requirements.
Army: Deployment
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average tour interval was for each battalion of the infantry in the latest period for which figures are available. [165882]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Historical data to support the calculation of average tour intervals for each infantry battalion are not held centrally and could be provided at only disproportionate cost. The most recent tour interval for each battalion is shown in the following table:
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