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18 Feb 2008 : Column 86W—continued
Armed Forces: Working Hours
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) average and (b) highest number of working hours for personnel in the (i) Army, (ii) Navy, (iii) RAF and (iv) all services was in the last 12 months. [182329]
Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally on administration systems. However, the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) carries out a continuous survey of working patterns which is used to provide estimates of average hours(1) worked by each service. This information is contained in the following table.
| Table of estimated average hours worked( 1) per week by service personnel( 2) in 2006-07 | |
| Service | Average number of hours worked per week |
| (1) Hours worked includes time spent carrying out normal work, secondary duties, compulsory fitness training, organised sports and representational activities, but excludes annual leave, meal and tea breaks and time spent on call. (2) Survey excludes personnel of Major General rank and above (or equivalents). (3) Naval Service includes the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines. | |
Because the continuous survey of working patterns is a sample survey, it cannot be used to identify the highest value in the population as a whole.
The 2006-07 copy of the continuous survey of working patterns report will be available in the Library of the House shortly.
Armoured Fighting Vehicles
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2007, Official Report, column 55W, on armoured fighting vehicles, what key user requirements the Cheetah vehicle did not meet; and what the key user requirements will be for future (a) protected and (b) unprotected military vehicles. [175209]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Cheetah vehicle did not meet the minimum internal space requirement. With regard to future protected/unprotected military vehicles, I am withholding information about the key user requirements, as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much expenditure his Department has incurred repairing armoured vehicles damaged as a result of operations in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan since 2001. [186036]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 13 December 2007, Official Report, column 777W.
Army: Commonwealth
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Commonwealth citizens were recruited to the British Army in the last 12 months, broken down by nationality. [183149]
Derek Twigg: The following table shows the intake from civilian life to the UK Regular Army of officers and soldiers who have a Commonwealth nationality recorded. The intake is for the period 1 March 2006 to 28 February 2007 as flows for the last 12 months are currently unavailable.
Army: Dogs
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will hold discussions with the Kennel Club on increasing the supply of working dogs entering into service with the Royal Veterinary Corps of the British Army. [185246]
Derek Twigg: Any individuals or breeders, including members of the Kennel Club, are welcome to approach the dog procurement section at the Defence Animal Centre if they feel they have suitable dogs to supply to the Ministry of Defence. However, there is currently no shortage in supply of military working dogs.
Army: Manpower
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of each of his Department’s (a) Army monthly manning report and (b) Army cascade returns for each month since 2005-06. [185722]
Derek Twigg: Copies of the Defence Analytical Services Agency Army monthly manning report since April 2005 will be placed in the Library in due course. The last monthly manning report was produced in March 2007.
I am withholding the Army cascade returns because their release would disclose personal information, and preparing them for disclosure would incur disproportionate cost.
Army: Northern Ireland
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people from Northern Ireland joined the British Army in 2007. [185673]
Derek Twigg: In 2007, 257 people from Northern Ireland, who applied through one of the four Armed Forces Careers or Army Careers Information Offices in Northern Ireland, joined the Army.
Army: Recruitment
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the recruitment (a) requirement and (b) actual number achieved for the (i) infantry, (ii) Royal Artillery, (iii) Royal Logistic Corps and (iv) Royal Signals was in each month in 2007. [186041]
Derek Twigg: Recruiting targets are set against an annual, not monthly, requirement across financial years. Officers are not recruited against arm or corps targets but against a whole army requirement. The annual enlistment targets for soldiers for the arms and corps requested are shown below, together with the figures actually achieved.
| Financial y ear | ||||
| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |||
| Arm or corps | Enlistment achievement | Annual target | Enlistment achievement to 31 December | Annual target |
Statistics have been rounded to the nearest 10, and numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.
Ballistic Missile Defence: RAF Menwith Hill
Mr. Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the Government received the formal request from the United States administration for Menwith Hill to be used in the US Missile Defence System. [185849]
Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 7 January 2008, Official Report, column 30W, to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker).
Chad: EC Defence Policy
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the status of the European Security and Defence Policy mission to Chad. [186300]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Deployment of the ESDP mission to Chad/Central African Republic had been temporarily suspended owing to the internal security situation in Chad. However, following the operation commander's assessment of the prevailing situation in Chad and discussions in the EU Political and Security Committee on 8 February, deployment has now resumed. Initial operating capability is still expected to be achieved by the end of March as previously planned.
Chelsea Barracks
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the sale of Chelsea Barracks; what his most recent estimate is of the capital to be realised from the sale; and whether the receipts will be hypothecated as funding additional to current provision for new and improved accommodation for service personnel. [184498]
Derek Twigg: On 31 January 2008, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) completed the sale of Chelsea Barracks to Project Blue (Guernsey) Ltd for £959 million. Exchange of contracts took place in April 2007, and the receipts from the sale were anticipated as part of the MOD’s plans for investment in service accommodation both in 2007-08 and as part of the comprehensive spending review. More than £200 million will be spent on service accommodation in the current financial year, and £550 million will be spent between 2008-09 and 2010-11 as announced in the comprehensive spending review White Paper. The balance of the proceeds will also be allocated for service accommodation as part of the next spending review. In addition, the Department has made available a further £80 million for investment in single living accommodation over the next three years.
Christmas Cards
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on (a) Christmas cards and (b) postage of Christmas cards in 2007. [176919]
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on (a) Christmas cards and (b) postage of Christmas cards in 2007-08. [179548]
Derek Twigg: MOD expenditure on Christmas cards and postage of Christmas cards for 2007 is £500 and £200 respectively.
These figures include printing, purchase and postage, but exclude a small amount spent by Defence Attachés (for permitted representational purposes) which could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department's agencies spent on (a) Christmas cards and (b) postage of Christmas cards in each year since 1997. [182443]
Derek Twigg:
In 2005, £1,100 was spent on Christmas cards and postage and £200 was spent in 2006. No money was spent by the Department's agencies on Christmas cards or postage in 2007. The information
for previous years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Trading funds’ expenditure is not included in this response, as they are outside the MOD's departmental boundary for financial reporting purposes.
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