Written Answers to Questions
Friday 25 January 2008
Culture, Media and Sport
Overseas Sports Programmes
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been allocated by (a) his Department and (b) UK Sport to overseas sports programmes until 2012. [181786]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 24 January 2008]: No firm allocations from departmental or UK Sport budgets have been made for overseas sports programmes beyond 2008-09.
Allocations to date for the years 2007-08 and 2008-09 are:
| £ | ||
| 2007-08 | 2008-09 | |
Sportsmatch UK
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the Government’s plans are for Sportsmatch UK; and if he will make a statement. [181782]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 24 January 2008]: Management of the Sportsmatch programme in England successfully transferred to Sport England’s direct control in April 2007. Sport England is in the process of developing and agreeing with Ministers their new three-year strategy for 2008-11. We envisage that small grants, with matched funding, will form a part of the new strategy. Sport England is consulting partners and stakeholders on whether the Sportsmatch brand should continue.
Trade Unions
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what meetings he has had with trades union officials since 1 July 2007; on what dates; and with which trades unions. [179857]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Ministers meet many people as part of the process of policy development. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meetings.
Northern Ireland
Departmental Accountancy
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what items of his Department’s (a) revenue and (b) expenditure are uprated using (i) the consumer prices index, (ii) the retail prices index and (iii) other measures of inflation. [179940]
Mr. Woodward: The requested information is as follows:
(a) Revenue generated by the Northern Ireland Office is based on prices set by Government legislation and therefore the Department does not increase prices through indexation or any other measure of inflation.
(b) The Northern Ireland Office carries out an annual indexation exercise on its Fixed Assets using the Price Index Numbers for Current Cost Accounting as well as the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS), Residential Land Index and the Dwellings Index in relation to Land and Buildings.
Inflation is also taken into consideration in the preparation of business cases for future expenditure in accordance with Treasury guidance.
Departmental ICT
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) male and (b) female members of staff in his Department were issued with personal digital assistants in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [181363]
Mr. Woodward: The figures shown in the following table include the numbers of personal digital assistants, including blackberries and most recently smart phones issued to staff each year within the NI0. It should be made clear however that some of these items may be re-issued when there are staff changes.
| Male | Female | |
Please note none of these devices are allowed to be connected directly to the NIO confidential ICT network.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the helicopters in Afghanistan not fitted with winches are fitted with an alternative device capable of extracting personnel from situations where landing is impossible, broken down by device. [181044]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: None of the Apache or Lynx helicopters deployed to Afghanistan are equipped with a winch or any other device designed to extract personnel from situations where landing is impossible. That is not the purpose of those helicopters. All UK Sea King and all UK Chinooks deployed in Afghanistan are equipped with winches.
Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the effect on costs of the changes in arrangements for payment of lump sums under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme coming into force on 8 February 2008. [180518]
Derek Twigg: There are at present 24 personnel with serious multiple injuries who have submitted a claim and will benefit from the change to the multiple injury rule which comes into effect on 8 February 2008. Under the rules of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, individuals have up to five years in which to make a claim, accordingly, there maybe others who have yet to claim. However, it is estimated that the 24 cases will cost an additional £2-4 million following the revised rule coming into effect.
Estimating the numbers of potential claimants and therefore future costs is always difficult. The Ministry of Defence will meet its obligations to pay entitlements to compensation in accordance with the rules of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
Armed Forces: Pensions
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what work is being undertaken by his Department on the cost and structure of the Armed Forces’ Pension Scheme. [179671]
Derek Twigg: The costs of the Armed Forces Pensions Schemes are routinely monitored by officials. The last significant review of the Armed Forces Pensions Schemes resulted in the Armed Forces (Pensions and Compensation) Act 2004 and the creation of the pension scheme known as AFPS 05 in April 2005. As part of the ongoing process of providing such benefits we are keeping under review how to manage the Schemes’ long term liabilities.
Athena Mechanism
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much expenditure from the public purse has been spent on European Security and Defence Policy military operations (a) under the Athena mechanism and (b) not under the Athena mechanism since January 2004, broken down by operation. [177526]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 10 January 2008]: The amount spent on ESDP military operations since January 2004 under the Athena mechanism is set out as shown.
The amount spent on ESDP military operations since January 2004 not under the Athena mechanism format includes national borne costs which are held theatre wide rather than for NATO/ESDP (for example in the Balkans). Further work is therefore required to
determine these costs as accurately as possible. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as this work is complete.
| EU operation | Where | When | Under ATHENA (£ million) |
Substantive answer from Mr. Bob Ainsworth to Dr. Fox:
I undertook to write in answer to your Parliamentary Question of 14 January 2007, Official Report, column 878W, with more detail on the amount spent on ESDP military operations since January 2004 not under the Athena mechanism format.
In addition to the figures already provided, the national borne cost for NATO and ESDP missions is £208.95 million for the period requested. As this figure represents a national pan-Balkans commitment it has not been possible to disaggregate further between the NATO-led mission in Kosovo and the missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, at first led by NATO and after July 2004 led by the EU.
For the EUFOR mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo mission, two staff officers were deployed, but it has not been possible to disaggregate this figure.
For the EUFOR mission to Chad and the Central African Republic, two staff officers have deployed to the French OHQ in Paris and two staff officers will deploy with the Force Headquarters to Chad, but the figure for these costs has not yet been identified.
Departmental Data Protection
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the statement of 22 January 2008, Official Report, column 1225, on MOD (data loss), whether the laptop stolen on 9 January 2008 was a departmental laptop or a privately owned laptop. [182389]
Des Browne: The laptop stolen on 9 January 2008 was a departmental laptop.
Departmental Equipment
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) pursuant to the answer on 19 January 2007, Official Report, columns 1363-4W, on departmental equipment, how many of the computers which have been stolen since 1998 contained information with a classification of (a) none, (b) restricted, (c) confidential, (d) secret and (e) top secret; [182387]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2007, Official Report, column 58W, on departmental computers, how many of the computers which were stolen in 2007 had a classification of (a) no classification, (b) restricted, (c) confidential, (d) secret and (e) top secret. [182390]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: As a result of the theft of the Royal Navy laptop, the Ministry of Defence has initiated an investigation into the details of all lost or stolen computers since 2003.
I will write to the hon. Member when the information is available and arrange for a copy of my reply to be placed in the Library of the House.
Devonport Naval Base
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which ships are base-ported at Devonport Naval Base, Plymouth. [182119]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: There are 26 Royal Navy vessels currently base ported at HM Naval Base Devonport, as shown in the following table :
| Class of vessel | Name of vessel |
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