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28 Nov 2007 : Column 452W—continued
Iraq: Hercules Aircraft
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which recommendations of the Board of Enquiry into the crash of the Hercules XV179 in Iraq in January 2005 have been implemented. [167636]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Recommendations a to f, h to j and l of the XV179 Board of Inquiry have been implemented with work ongoing to implement recommendation k. The recommendations made by the board may be reviewed at the following web address:
Iraq: Military Aircraft
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether the four Army Britten Norman Defender Aircraft have been withdrawn from service in Iraq; [167748]
(2) who has been operating the four Army Britten Norman Defender aircraft while they have been on service in Iraq. [167749]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Army Britten Norman Defender Aircraft are operated by the Army Air Corps. They have not been withdrawn from service in Iraq.
Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 13 November 2007, Official Report, columns 127-28W, on the Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft, what the in-service date is of each category. [166910]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor on 3 May 2007, Official Report, column 1854W. The System Development and Demonstration phase is due to be completed in late 2013 and the other elements are dependent on when the in-service date is set.
Military Aircraft: Procurement
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what cost limit applies to the purchase of the (a) Eurofighter Typhoon and (b) Joint Strike Fighter aircraft; and how many of each he plans to buy. [167362]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth:
The estimated cost of the Eurofighter Typhoon programme is commercially sensitive information which is protected in order to maintain our negotiating position for future acquisitions on the Typhoon programme. The UK has undertaken, through international MOU arrangements, to procure 232 Typhoon aircraft in three tranches. So far, the UK has contracted for the delivery of two tranches, comprising 144 aircraft. Decisions on tranche 3 will be taken in due
course, in conjunction with our partner nations, once we have analysed and considered the relevant information.
With regard to the cost of joint combat aircraft, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 October 2007, Official Report, column 974W, and 30 October 2007, Official Report, column 1356W, noting that the procurement cost given includes development and non-recurring costs.
Military Attaches
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been undertaken to assess the impact on UK defence sales of the reduction in the number of defence attaché assigned to UK embassies and overseas missions. [166844]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The role of defence attachés is principally to promote the Government’s policies in the area of international security co-operation and to give support to current or potential UK operational commitments. Therefore, most defence attachés spend a small proportion of time dealing with defence exports. There are separate staff employed in UK embassies to promote defence exports, where it is necessary. We do not expect an adverse impact on defence sales arising from the redeployment of defence attachés.
Nuclear Weapons
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the function is of the Warhead Pre-Concept Working Group in the nuclear weapons programme; and what the projected cost is of work carried out by this Working Group over the next three years. [168880]
Des Browne: The Warhead Pre-Concept Working Group was set up to co-ordinate research in support of the detailed review described in paragraph 7-4 of the December 2006 White Paper: “The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent” (Cmd 6994). This review will examine the optimum life of the UK’s existing nuclear warhead stockpile and assess the range of replacement options that might be available to help inform decisions likely to be necessary in the next Parliament.
The value of work being overseen by the WPCWG in 2007-08 amounts to some £10 million. Comparable levels of expenditure are projected for 2008-09 and 2009-10.
Opinion Leader Research
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contracts were awarded by his Department to Opinion Leader Research in each year since 1997; and what was (a) the title and purpose, (b) the cost to the public purse and (c) the dates of (i) tender, (ii) award, (iii) operation and (iv) completion and report to the Department in each case. [165272]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth:
Opinion Leader has carried out research for Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers (SaBRE)—the MOD marketing and communications campaign that aims to gain and
maintain the support of the employers of reservists. The research entitled “Opinion Leader Attitudes into Reserve Forces” was quantitative research to capture and track opinion leader attitudes and supportiveness towards volunteer reserves. It was carried out in four waves with summary findings provided to SaBRE on 22 December 2004, 11 July and 21 October 2005 and 2 June 2006. Turnaround for each wave from commission through to delivery was two months. The first wave cost was £1,800 with successive waves costing £1,900 each. These research contracts were awarded and paid for by the Central Office of Information (COI) on behalf of SaBRE. They were not tendered as COI rule it uneconomical to tender projects under £10,000.
Trident Missiles
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Trident D5 missiles are equipped with permissive action links. [167914]
Des Browne: No. Robust arrangements are in place for the political control of the UK’s strategic nuclear deterrent.
International Development
Afghanistan: Overseas Aid
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what mechanisms exist for the monitoring of UK aid to Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [167623]
Mr. Malik: In Afghanistan, the Joint Co-ordination and Monitoring Board is the overarching body responsible for monitoring political and development progress. It was established to monitor the implementation of the Afghanistan compact and provide a forum to provide direction on major policy issues or blockages (e.g. problems with co-ordination or financing). It meets four times a year and is attended by heads of mission and chaired by the UN special representative and the Afghan President’s senior economic adviser.
In addition, various groups meet to co-ordinate international reconstruction and development work in Afghanistan:
Eight consultative groups (sector level) and 22 working groups (line ministry level) all comprising Afghan Government and international community representatives, co-ordinate and monitor the implementation of the compact, contribute to budget formulation, and monitor aid effectiveness with their sector.
The External Advisory Group meets every month and is a forum for donors to discuss progress on the Afghanistan national development strategy (ANDS). Chaired by DFID since August 2006, it is a tool for pushing the government on ANDS issues and preserving donor buy-in.
The Policy Action Group was set up by General Richards and President Karzai as a short term response to security difficulties in the south. It is chaired by the Minister of Education Hanif Atmar and UN assistance mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). There are four pillars: security, information, reconstruction and development and international.
World bank-led donor meetings are meetings of donors only, with no Government representation, to discuss Afghanistan national development strategy issues. These meetings are usually focused on economic issues.
DFID, the FCO and the Multi-Departmental Post Conflict Reconstruction Unit use a series of internal reporting mechanisms for monitoring aid delivered to Afghanistan.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the office costs for his Department’s special advisers for 2007-08 are expected to be, including costs of support staff; and how many full-time equivalent civil servants work in support of such special advisers. [164924]
Mr. Douglas Alexander: One civil servant currently supports the two special advisers in the Department for International Development (DFID); one additional civil servant is being recruited to support the special advisers from December 2007.
Individual civil servants’ salary details are not disclosed, to protect the privacy of those concerned.
Papua New Guinea: International Assistance
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what development projects his Department has in Papua New Guinea; and what their budgets are for (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09. [168142]
Mr. Malik: DFID currently funds two development projects in Papua New Guinea (PNG) through the Civil Society Challenge Fund (CSCF). These projects focus on: (i) improving the sexual and reproductive health and gender equity status of the population and; (ii) strengthening the capacity of communities to improve education and income-generation opportunities. DFID’s budget for the CSCF for PNG in 2007-08 is £343,235 and £316,010 for 2008-09. DFID also provides assistance to PNG indirectly through its contribution to the European development fund, international financial institutions and the global funds.
Somalia: Asylum
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of people displaced from Mogadishu following the latest violence between insurgents and the allied Ethiopian and government troops; and whether any changes are planned to the UK's humanitarian assistance for Somalia. [167206]
Mr. Malik: The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that 197,000 people have fled from Mogadishu since the start of October. The Department for International Development (DFID) continues to provide humanitarian assistance on the basis of need. DFID’s regional humanitarian adviser has visited Somalia in the last month to assess the situation first hand, and we continue to keep an eye on the emerging situation. So far in 2007, the UK has provided £8.6 million in new commitments to humanitarian operations in Somalia.
Somalia: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether it is Government policy to support additional security options, including the deployment of a robust multinational force or coalition of the willing in Somalia, as suggested in the UN Secretary General’s recent report (S/2007/658). [165988]
Mr. Thomas: The Government supports African Union and United Nations efforts to promote peace and security in Somalia. We have contributed financially to the current AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), most recently to facilitate the deployment of Burundian troops. We believe that AMISOM should be succeeded by an effective UN mission, provided that the conditions on the ground are right. UN Security Council Resolution 1772 requests that planning for a UN mission takes place and that the international community work to identify actions to create the conditions that would enable deployment to take place.
Sudan
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the (a) annual income per household, (b) global acute malnutrition rate, (c) literacy rate and (d) life expectancy in each state in Sudan. [167004]
Mr. Malik: As there has not been a household budget survey in Sudan since 1978, there are no up to date estimates of annual income per household. However, gross national product (GNP) per capita in 2006 was estimated to equal US$ 970. Given that the average household consists of six people, GNP per household can be estimated to be around US$ 5800.
Global acute malnutrition rates in Sudan vary significantly by region, year and season and it is not easy to give an average rate for the whole country. Due to conflict and poor harvests, some areas of Sudan have global acute malnutrition rates well above the emergency threshold of 15 per cent. during the hungry season with, for example, parts of Darfur having rates among children under five of 30-40 per cent. Using an alternative measure of malnutrition, the 2006 household health survey revealed that 31 per cent. of all children under five in Sudan were moderately underweight, while 9.4 per cent. were severely underweight.
In 2000, which is the latest year available, the literacy rate in Sudan was 61 per cent. For the whole of Sudan, average life expectancy at birth was 57 years in 2005. Figures per state are not available.
Sudan: Infant Mortality
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the (a) neonatal, (b) post-natal and (c) infant mortality rates in each state in Sudan. [167075]
Mr. Malik:
The following table provides information on neonatal, infant and under-five mortality rates in all
the states of Sudan in 2006. Child mortality rates tend to be highest in the Three Area region (specifically South Kordofan and blue Nile) and Southern states, reflecting the poor coverage of maternal and other health care services in these states. Despite the conflict in Darfur, child mortality rates in Darfur states tend to
be below the average in Sudan, although this is not the case for West Darfur. This is due to the extensive provision of healthcare services by humanitarian agencies. Post neo-natal and infant mortality rates are also higher for females than males.
| Neonatal, infant and under-five mortality rates in the five years preceding the SHHS | |||||
| Background characteristics | Neonatal mortality rate( 1) (per 1,000 live births) | Post neo-natal mortality rate( 2) (per 1,000 live births) | Infant mortality rate( 3) (per 1,000 live births) | Child mortality rate( 4) (per 1,000 live births) | Under-five mortality rate( 5) (per 1,000 live births) |
| (1) SHHS indicator 1: Neonatal mortality rate (probability of infants dying during the first 28 completed days of life, per 1000 live births (2) SHHS indicator 2: Post neo-natal mortality rate (probability of infants dying between one month and exactly one year of age, per 1,000 live births) (3) SHHS indicator 3: Infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and exactly one year of age, per 1,000 live births); MDG indicator 14 (4) SHHS indicator 4: Child mortality rate (probability of dying between the first and fifth birth days, per 1,000 live births) (5) SHHS indicator 5: Under-five mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and exactly five years of age, per 1,000 live births); MDG indicator 13 NBG = Northern Bahr El Ghazal, WBG = Western Bahr El Ghazal Source: 2006 Sudan Household Health Survey | |||||
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