| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
21 Feb 2008 : Column 891W—continued
Defence Estates
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many requests for re-powering consented projects submitted to the Defence Estates using his Department's developers pro forma have been objected to since its introduction. [184417]
Derek Twigg: The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However, as soon as it becomes apparent that a proposal is for re-powering of an existing scheme (as opposed to a proposal for an entirely new development) that is taken into account when deciding whether or not to raise a concern.
Recent examples where developers have addressed our concerns in regard to re-powering wind farm proposals include cases at Goonhilly, Cornwall and Blyth Harbour, Northumberland. Consequently, in those cases, the Ministry of Defence will not be objecting to the planning applications.
Defence Estates: Cost Effectiveness
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the efficiency savings target is for Defence Estates in 2007-08. [183514]
Derek Twigg: Under the spending review 2004 efficiency programme, the MOD is required to achieve £2.83 billion of cumulative input and output efficiency savings by the end of 2007-08. We are on course to overachieve against our overall efficiency programme target. Defence Estates is expected to contribute at least £95 million of this target.
As part of the 2007 financial planning round, a further efficiency savings target of £2 million was agreed with Defence Estates for 2007-08.
Efficiency savings across the Department are reinvested to fund high priority areas of expenditure, such as support to operations and our personnel, including through sustained investment in accommodation.
Defence: Lobbying
Mr. Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when (a) he and (b) his officials had meetings with lobbyists representing the interests of defence contractors over the last 12 months. [174789]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 1 February 2008, Official Report, column 702W, for a list of events organised by the Defence Manufacturers Association which MOD Ministers have attended in the last 12 months.
Records show that no MOD Ministers have met other independent lobbyists representing the interests of defence contractors over the past 12 months. Records for meetings held by MOD officials are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Carbon Emissions
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the total carbon emissions from his Department’s estate in each year since 2005; and what estimate he has made of the total carbon emissions from military establishments (a) in the UK and (b) overseas in each year since 2005. [185462]
Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence’s total carbon emissions, including those from military establishments in the UK and overseas, for 2005-06 are:
| Emissions in CO2: 2005-06 | |
| Thousand tonnes | |
Figures for 2006-07 are not yet available but will be published later this year in the Sustainable Development Commission's Sustainable Development in Government Report 2006-07 and will be available on their website at:
Departmental Security
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) special advisers and (b) ministerial appointees in possession of a security pass enabling access to his Department's main building in the month prior to the prorogation of Parliament for the 2005 general election. [182207]
Des Browne: It is established practice not to provide details on pass access to Government buildings for security reasons.
Honours
Mr. Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Senior Civil Service in his Department have received an honour. [187129]
Derek Twigg: There are currently 16 serving Ministry of Defence senior civil servants who have received honours during the past five-year period, starting from the New Year Honours List 2003 to the New Year Honours List 2008 (inclusive). Data is not routinely kept on those officials awarded honours before joining the Department or those officials who are awarded honours in recognition of activities outside the departmental duties.
Military Aircraft: Repairs and Maintenance
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of Fast Jet upgrade and repair was undertaken by the Royal Air Force in each of the last 10 years. [186780]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Civilian contractors have always been employed on certain aspects of the repair and upgrade of RAF aircraft. Since 2004, the depth maintenance of Fast Jets has increasingly been performed by joint RAF/civilian teams. Contracts for aircraft maintenance are output-based and the number of civilian personnel required to achieve the output is decided by the contractor rather than the Ministry of Defence.
Information on the relative numbers of RAF and civilian personnel engaged in Fast Jet upgrade and repair in each of the last 10 years is not centrally held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Military Bases: Colchester
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons his Department has contracted a private security firm to provide security at Colchester Garrison; how many private security employees have been engaged; when the decision to involve a private security firm was made; what competitive tendering procedure was undertaken; what the (a) value and (b) period of the contract is; and if he will make a statement. [183468]
Derek Twigg: During the deployment of 16 Air Assault Brigade on Op Herrick, as announced on 6 February 2008, Official Report, columns 68-70WS, the Department has contracted a private security firm to provide unarmed guarding during the period of the Brigade's absence at Colchester Garrison. In order to deliver this service, the contractor engaged a total of 18 security personnel.
The decision to contract a local security firm was made in September 2007 following a full investment appraisal. There was a full competitive tendering process in accordance with Ministry of Defence contracts manual and EC public procurement regulations.
The value of the contract is £652,000 and the duration is 10 months to cover the deployment of the brigade, pre deployment training and post tour leave.
Parachuting: Injuries
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many parachute-related (a) injuries and (b) deaths there were in each of the last 10 years in (i) the Army, (ii) the Royal Navy and (iii) the Royal Air Force. [187004]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The MOD introduced the Central Health and Safety project (CHASP) database in 1997 to collect health and safety incident data in the Department, mostly on duty or on MOD property. Although 65 parachute-related incidents have been recorded for the 10-year period 1997 to 2006 (data for 2007 are not currently available), difficulties with CHASP data collection suggest these are likely to represent an undercount of the true figure and details are unreliable. I am therefore unable to provide a detailed breakdown of these figures, and the instance of parachute related injuries over the last decade.
Details on annual parachute-related deaths in the UK regular armed forces for each year during the 10-year period 1997-2006, are listed in the following table.
| Table 1: Parachute related deaths in the UK regular armed forces, by service (number), 1997 to 2006 | ||||
| All | Naval service( 1) | Army | RAF | |
| (1 )Royal Navy and Royal Marines | ||||
RAF Pershore
Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the presence of any radioactive contamination at the former RAF Pershore airfield at Throckmorton as a result of its use as a Vulcan bomber dispersal site. [184059]
Derek Twigg: A land quality assessment was undertaken in 1999, on the part of the former RAF Pershore airfield at Throckmorton used by Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. QinetiQ, to whom the site was later transferred, carried out an additional assessment in 2001.
There are no records of radioactive contamination as a result of use of the site for Vulcan bomber disposals.
Sexual Harassment
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints of (a) sexual harassment and (b) sexual discrimination have been made by staff in (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies in the most recent year for which figures are available. [184687]
Derek Twigg: Statistics for complaints made by MOD civil servants prior to April 2007 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Complaints of harassment are raised through the MOD’s harassment complaints procedures. Complaints of discrimination are raised using the Department's grievance procedures. The figures for formal complaints of sexual harassment and sexual discrimination raised from April 2007 onwards are as follows:
| Table 1: Number of sexual harassment and sexual discrimination complaints in the MOD civil service (April 2007-January 2008) | |
| Number | |
The following table summarises the figures for sexual harassment and discrimination complaints in the armed forces for the most recent available year from 1 October 2006 to 30 September 2007. These figures are for formal complaints only where the complaint has been made through the service complaints procedures.
| Table 2: Number of sexual harassment and discrimination complaints in the Armed Forces (October 2006-September 2007) | ||||
| IRN | Army | RAF | Total | |
Harassment and discrimination are not tolerated within the Ministry of Defence or the armed forces. Revised harassment complaints procedures were published in January 2007. All Service personnel have the right to raise a complaint if they feel they have been treated unfairly whilst in service. This is part of their statutory right of complaint under single-Service redress procedures.
Trade Unions
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings he has had with trade union officials since 1 July 2007; on what dates; and with which trade unions. [179856]
Derek Twigg: Ministers meet many people as part of the process of policy development. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meetings.
Wind Power
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average time taken by his Department was to respond to the receipt of a wind farm developer's application using the Department's developers pro forma in each of the last five years; and what the target response time is for such applications. [184410]
Derek Twigg: The average time taken to provide an initial response to completed wind energy pre-planning consultation pro forma, in each of the past five years is:
| Response time (days) | Number of pre-planning applications | |
| (1) Note: The figures for 2003 and 2004 are estimates based on the paper records kept at that time. | ||
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |