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7 Jan 2008 : Column 30W—continued
Ballistic Missile Defence
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what requests he has received from the United States administration to use RAF Menwith Hill as part of the US Missile Defense System since 1st January 2001; and if he will place copies of those requests in the Library. [173866]
Des Browne: The US administration's request for missile warning data being routed through RAF Menwith Hill for use in the US missile defense system was received in a classified letter dated 29 June 2007. It is not the practice of the Government to make public the details of correspondence with foreign governments as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice international relations.
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter he received on 29 June 2007 from the United States requesting the use of RAF Menwith Hill as part of the US Ballistic Missile Defence programme. [175472]
Des Browne: It is not the practice of the Government to make public the details of classified correspondence with foreign governments as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice international relations.
Bombs
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what definition the Government uses of (a) smart and (b) dumb cluster munitions; what munitions it will ban in accordance with the Oslo process; and if he will consider banning all forms of cluster munitions. [170146]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 3 December 2007]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Dr. Howells) gave on 4 December 2007, Official Report, column 1131W.
Contracts
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average rate of increase of indices used in variation of price formulae for fixed price contracts was in each financial year since 1997-98. [176282]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provide only at disproportionate cost.
Corporate Hospitality
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which members of (a) the Defence Council, (b) the Defence Management Board, (c) Defence Equipment and Support, (d) Defence Estates, (e) Science, Innovation and Technology TLB and (f) Central TLB attended the reception hosted by defence equipment manufacturers at the Automobile Club in London on Tuesday 18 September 2007. [175951]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Defence Analytical Services Agency: Forecasts
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will place in the Library copies of each of the Defence Analytical Service Agency’s quarterly ‘what if’ fuel price forecasts issued since 2001-02; [176287]
(2) if he will place in the Library copies of each annual review of the Defence Analytical Service Agency’s ‘what if’ fuel price forecast model issued since 2001-02. [176288]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Details of these forecasts are not available for this period as the Defence Analytical Services Agency does not routinely retain this information.
Defence Analytical Services Agency: Publications
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which statistical publications have been produced by the Defence Analytical Services Agency since 1997. [176286]
Derek Twigg: The external statistical publications produced by the Defence Analytical Services Agency are available on the DASA website at:
Information in some instances goes back as far as 2001 or 2000. UK Defence Statistics, the annual statistical compendium of the Ministry of Defence is available on the website back to 1997.
Prior to the establishment of the website, the following titles were published in printed form:
TSP01 - Strength, Intake and Outflow of UK Regular Forces (Monthly)
TSP02 - UK Armed Forces Full Time Strengths and Requirements (Quarterly)
TSP03 - UK Armed Forces Trained Strengths and Requirements (Monthly)
TSP04 - Quarterly Press Release
TSP05 - Trained Outflow to Civil Life (Quarterly)
TSP06 - Global Location of UK Regular Forces(1) (Quarterly)
TSP07 - Reserve Forces (Annual)
TSP08 - Age Distribution (Annual)
TSP09 - Rank Structure of UK Regular Forces (Quarterly)
TSP10 - UK Regular Forces Stationed Location (Quarterly)
TSP11 - Marital Status by Paid Rank (Annual)
TSP13 - UK Regular Forces servicemen age on entry(2) (Annual)
TSP15 - UK Service Personnel on loan to other countries(2) (Quarterly)
TSP16 - UK Regular Forces disciplinary convictions(2) (Annual)
TSP19 - Intake to and Outflow from UK Regular Forces (Annual)
TSP20 - Male Regular Forces outflow by rank(2) (Annual)
TSP22 - UK Regular Forces comparative statistics(2) (Annual)
TSP24 - Strength of uniformed medical staff(2) (Annual)
CPS01 - Civilian Personnel Statistics (Quarterly)
CPS02 - Regional analysis of resignations for admin and science group staff(1)( )(Quarterly)
(1) TSP06 was merged into TSP10 from January 2007.
(2) Publication discontinued.
Defence Analytical Services Agency: Standards
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of all extant Defence Analytical Services Agency service level agreements. [176285]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Yes, copies of Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) extant service level agreements (SLA) are being collated. I will arrange to place copies in the Library of the House when this work is complete.
Defence Equipment and Support Organisation: Private Sector
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many secondees from the private sector are working within the Defence Equipment and Support Organisation at Abbey Wood. [173409]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 11 December 2007]: As at 1 December 2007 there were 79 non-MOD employees working at MOD Abbey Wood. The number of these who were secondees from the private sector within Defence Equipment and Support is not recorded separately.
Defence Equipment and Support: Cost Effectiveness
Mr. Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) in what ways Defence Equipment and Support encourages competition in the supply chain in order to ensure value for money; [174787]
(2) in what ways the Defence Suppliers Service encourages competition in the supply chain to ensure better value for money. [175272]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Department seeks effective competition at the prime and sub-contract level, using the Defence Contracts Bulletin and, where appropriate, the Official Journal of the European Union to publicise future requirements including competitive sub-contract opportunities.
The Ministry of Defence is currently reviewing its policy in relation to supply networks. One of the aims of the policy is to address the issue of competition and value for money in the supply chain.
Defence Equipment: Procurement
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on the programmes for (a) Type-45 destroyers, (b) Astute submarines, (c) MARS and (d) CVF; and what is expected to be spent on each project in each of the next seven years. [172144]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Expenditure up to 31 March 2007 for the Type 45 Destroyer and the Astute submarine programmes was reported on 30 November 2007 in the National Audit Office's Major Projects Report 2007 and is reproduced in the following table:
| Programme | £ million |
Expenditure up to 31 March 2007 for the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) and CVF programmes is shown in the following table:
| Programme | £ million |
Detailed spending plans are kept under review.
Defence Estates: Charities
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether his Department charges charitable organisations for public liability insurance for events held on departmental property; [171348]
(2) what arrangements are made for public liability insurance for events organised by charitable organisations held on his Department’s property; [171349]
(3) if he will make it his policy not to charge charitable organisations for events held on departmental property; [171351]
(4) whether his Department charges charitable organisations for events held on departmental property; and if he will make a statement. [171346]
Derek Twigg: Under Government Finance Accounting Regulations (Managing Public Money), there are no special arrangements for the treatment of charities, whether service or other. The fact that a charity is to be the main beneficiary of a good or service is not in itself sufficient justification to introduce a special charging regime or to set charges aside. There is the opportunity for abatement of full costs and this decision is on a case-by-case basis taking account of any special circumstances that may apply.
All privately-run events on departmental property, whether charitable or other are required to be covered by public liability insurance. This requirement is passed on to the organiser who is responsible for ensuring that appropriate cover is in place. Where commercial insurance is either not available or only at disproportionate cost, then organisers are charged under a Departmental Insurance Scheme.
Defence Manufacturers Association
Mr. Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidelines his Department issues to staff at (a) his Department, (b) Defence Equipment and Support staff and (c) members of the armed forces on attending events organised by the Defence Manufacturers’ Association. [174785]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The MOD Statement of Civilian and Service Personnel Policy Annex: Gifts, Rewards and Hospitality issued by the People, Pay and Pensions Agency, provides Departmental guidance to all MOD Civilian staff and Service personnel on the rules governing the way in which individuals should react to offers of gifts, hospitality or other considerations from private companies and defence contractors that have a contractual relationship with the MOD. This will include the Defence Manufacturers Association and associated member companies.
Defence Equipment and Support (D E and S) have issued additional separate guidelines to all D E and S officials on attendance at external events and conferences.
Defence Suppliers Service
Mr. Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Defence Suppliers' Service maintains a list of preferred suppliers. [174783]
Defence: Finance
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what recent discussions he has had with HM Treasury on payments for urgent operational requirements; [174493]
(2) whether urgent operational requirements are paid for from the Treasury Reserve; [174500]
(3) pursuant to his statement of 12 November 2007 that the defence budget will receive an additional £200 million in 2010-11, Official Report, column 500, what the revised (a) near cash resource departmental expenditure limit (DEL), (b) non-cash resource DEL and (c) capital DEL is. [174554]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The first £100 million of the additional £200 million in the defence budget for 2010-11 was included in the MOD’s capital departmental expenditure limits (DEL) announced in the comprehensive spending review. HM Treasury has agreed that a further £100 million will be added to the defence budget in 2010-11, which will bring the capital DEL funding to £8,971 million in 2010-11. There will be no change to the near cash or the non-cash resource DEL.
Defence Ministers have frequent discussions with colleagues from HM Treasury on a range of issues.
Urgent operational requirements are, and will continue to be, paid up front in full from the Treasury Reserve. We have agreed a new overall funding arrangement with HM Treasury for the funding of UORs for the comprehensive spending review period
as I set out in my statement to the House on 12 November 2007, Official Report, column 500. This arrangement is designed to be cost neutral to defence.
Defence: ICT
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the merits of switching to the Defence Information Infrastructure version F computer system from the Defence Information Infrastructure version C; and if he will make a statement. [175017]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 17 December 2007]: The long-term aim of the MOD is to implement a single information infrastructure across Defence; the Defence Information Infrastructure Future (DII(F)). The Defence Information Infrastructure Convergence (DII(C)) project was implemented at specific sites to bridge the gap between ageing legacy systems in MOD, which were going out of service, and DII(F) being available.
DII(F) is being rolled out now to become the primary information infrastructure across the MOD and is replacing many ageing legacy systems and DII(C) as planned. DII(F) will provide common core infrastructure services which meet the security, technical and interoperability demands of the MOD jointly across the business and battle space and will provide access to the applications required to support and enable the delivery of MOD’s outputs.
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost is of changing from Defence Information Infrastructure version F to Defence Information Infrastructure version C; and how many officials worked on making the change. [175018]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 17 December 2007]: Defence Information Infrastructure Convergence (DII(C)) was a precursor infrastructure to Defence Information Infrastructure Future (DII(F)) and was only implemented for a subset of the eventual DII(F) user community. DII(C) was implemented at specific sites to bridge the gap between the ageing legacy systems in MOD going out of service and DII(F) being available. DII(C) will eventually be subsumed by DII(F).
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