| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
21 Jan 2008 : Column 1588W—continued
The answer is based on the projects listed in the National Audit Office Major Projects Report (HC 98-I Session 2007-2008, dated 30 November 2007).
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's (a) pre main gate and (b) post main gate category A projects were in each year from 1997-98 to 2007-08. [178580]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Capital Investment
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) percentage and (b) value of his Department’s (i) current and (ii) capital expenditure was paid for in (A) euros, (B) US dollars and (C) other foreign currencies in each year from 1997-98 to 2006-07. [178510]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Department records all expenditure in its books of accounts in sterling, including that incurred in foreign currency. The values recorded in the accounts are the expenditure in currency converted at the general accounting rate (GAR) for the relevant month. All GARs are based on the cost to the Department of the actual purchases of the individual currencies.
The net cash requirement (NCR) reported in the departmental resource accounts reflects all cash expenditure incurred by the Department in a year, both current and capital, in all currencies. There is no central analysis by currency of the split between current (revenue) and capital expenditure and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The overall expenditure in US dollars and euros is shown as follows and as a percentage of the NCR in each year. Details of actual US dollars and euros expenditure for years prior to 2000-01 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
| US dollar expenditure | Euro expenditure | |||
| Value (£ million) | Percentage of NCR | Value (£ million) | Percentage of NCR | |
Aggregate expenditure in other currencies is relatively small and is less than 1.5 per cent. of NCR in each of the years shown in the aforementioned table.
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what products featuring departmental or Government branding were procured by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years. [179793]
Derek Twigg: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many posters or displays there are in the offices of his Department and its agencies displaying the names and photographs of Ministers; and what the cost has been of producing such posters or displays in the last five years. [179842]
Derek Twigg: Currently there are no displays or posters containing the names or photos of Ministers in the Ministry of Defence London buildings.
Between 2003 and 2004 there were no displays produced containing the names or photos of Ministers.
In May 2005 eight displays were produced for the London buildings at a cost of £2,737.75.
In May 2006 four displays for the London buildings were produced at a cost of £766.10.
Accurate information on displays produced by the Defence Agencies, top level budget areas, trading funds, joint headquarters, single service commands and military units is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any of his Department's special advisers also work for organisations outside his Department. [178482]
Des Browne: Special advisers are appointed under the terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract and Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library an index of civilian salaries of his Department's staff, rebased to 2000, for each financial year from 1996-97 to 2006-07. [180300]
Derek Twigg: Although DASA publish a military salaries index, a similar index is not available for civilian personnel. A similar index is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Procurement
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of his Department's (a) equipment and (b) non-equipment vectors of final demand for each of the years 2002-03 to 2006-07. [178504]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The final demand vectors form one part of a complex methodology for deriving the estimates of UK employment dependent on MOD expenditure and defence exports, and associated breakdowns on MOD expenditure in UK industry and commerce. The latest aggregate information on the non equipment and equipment vectors is published by the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) in Table 1.9a of “UK Defence Statistics 2007”, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
In isolation the raw underlying data used to construct these vectors will not reconcile to these final published estimates as a series of internal adjustments are made to the vectors prior to publication. Moreover, the vectors will also not reconcile to the published MOD resource accounts since they are constructed using cash rather than resource data. To correct these raw figures to make them consistent with published accounts would involve disproportionate cost.
A full account of the methodology, associated caveats and descriptions of the data sources used to construct these vectors can be found in the DASA “Defence Statistics Bulletins Nos. 5 and 5A”, both of which are available in the Library of the House.
Departmental Vehicles
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions since 1997-98 his Department has implemented (a) mileage restrictions, (b) track mileage restrictions and (c) petrol consumption restrictions. [178508]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
European Fighter Aircraft
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the reasons were for the change of specifications in relation to the Eurofighter cannon; and if he will make a statement; [178209]
(2) what the cost of adding the cannon option to the Eurofighter was; how many changes to specifications occurred over this capability; and what the end cost was of such changes. [178210]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: There is no additional fitting cost because all RAF Typhoon aircraft have always been fitted with a cannon, and nor have there have been changes to the cannon specification. Trials are currently under way to test the activation of the cannon as a potential additional means of delivering an enhanced air-to-surface capability in support of ground forces.
Farnborough Aerodrome
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much TAG paid for the acquisition of the freehold interest in the Farnborough aerodrome. [178539]
Derek Twigg: TAG Farnborough Airport Freehold Limited paid the Ministry of Defence £1 million to acquire the freehold interest of Farnborough airport. A premium of £2 million was also paid to the Ministry of Defence when the 99-year lease was granted to TAG Farnborough Airport Limited in February 2003.
Helicopters: Crew
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) inflow and (b) outflow rate was of helicopter crews in each service in the last period for which figures are available. [173725]
Derek Twigg: Available data showing the number of helicopter crew joining the trained strength and leaving each of the services are shown in the following table.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) required and (b) actual strength of helicopter crews is in each service. [173726]
Derek Twigg: The current requirement and strength for helicopter crew personnel as at 17 December 2007, broken down by service:
| Service | Establishment (requirement) | Actual strength |
Hercules Aircraft
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the out of service date for the C130K fleet is. [178002]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The out of service date for the Hercules C-130K fleet is 2012.
Hydrographic Office
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how he plans to clarify the public task of the UK Hydrographic Office, as recommended in the review of that Office; and when he plans to do so. [179398]
Derek Twigg: As owner of the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO), I commissioned a review of structural and ownership options in February 2007. The recommendations of the review were announced in December 2007. The work to clarify the UKHO public task will be led by MOD officials together with the UKHO. The officials are currently drawing up a project plan for the work.
Marines
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the peace establishment was of the 40 Commando Royal Marines before its deployment to Afghanistan; what the strength was of the Commando on deployment; how many reinforcements to the Commando were received from (a) the regular Army, (b) the Territorial Army, (c) the Royal Navy and (d) the Royal Marine Reserves; how many of all ranks were (i) left behind on recruitment duties, (ii) physically unfit to deploy and (iii) left behind in barracks to form a rear party; and what the Commando’s battle casualty replacement policy is. [177941]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Prior to deploying to Afghanistan in September 2007, the peacetime establishment of 40 Commando Royal Marines was 700; the strength of 40 Cdo RM on deployment was less than 20 short of the peacetime establishment; there were no reinforcements from the Regular Army or the Royal Navy; fewer than 10 from the Territorial Army; and 80 from the Royal Marine Reserves and Royal Naval Reserves. There were no individuals left behind in barracks on recruitment duties and on the date deployed fewer than 20 RMs remained in barracks unfit to deploy. Fewer than 30 RMs remained in barracks to form the rear party. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100 or where less than 100, to the nearest 10 as appropriate.
The policy on battle casualty replacement was to utilise appropriately trained personnel identified in theatre. In order to rectify a deficiency arising in a specific skill, trained replacements would be requested and deployed forward from the United Kingdom.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |