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11 Mar 2008 : Column 289W—continued
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) longest, (b) shortest and (c) average period of time was taken to make repairs to a forces’ accommodation property after a call out in the last period for which figures are available. [142100]
Derek Twigg: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Letter from Derek Twigg to Nick Harvey:
I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question on 12 June 2007, (Official Report, column 934W) about the longest, shortest and average wait for repairs to be carried out to a forces' accommodation property after a call-out. I can only apologise for the length of time it has taken to provide a substantive response which was due to an administrative error which is very much regretted.
From January to March 2007 the longest, shortest and average time taken to make repairs to Single Living Accommodation (SLA) and Service Families Accommodation (SFA) is shown in the table below.
| Accommodation | Longest (in days) | Shortest (in days) | Average (in days) |
The above figures represent all types of repairs. While urgent and priority repairs are usually actioned within a matter of hours or a few days, routine repairs can take longer based on a number of factors, including the complexity of the work, whether accommodation is occupied or the availability of parts and materials that are required to finalise repairs.
I am placing a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Armed Forces: Cadets
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many young people are members of the (a) Air Training Corps, (b) Army Cadet Force, (c) Royal Naval cadets, (d) sea cadets and (e) Combined Cadet Force; how many were members of each in 1997; what Government funding is allocated to each organisation in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement. [174140]
Derek Twigg: Membership of the MOD-affiliated cadet forces as at 1 April in 1997 and 2007 are as follows:
| 1997 | 2007 | |
| (1) Figures unavailable Note: Item (c) ‘Royal Navy Cadets’ are covered by the RN element of the CCF and the SCC. | ||
The final Government funding allocated to each organisation is as follows for 2007-08:
| £ million | |
The mission of the UK cadet forces is to contribute to the development and preparation of young people for transition to adulthood, empowering them to meet the challenges of changing society, through dynamic, military themed, community based activities. We are very proud of the way that the cadet forces do that and especially how they welcome cadets and adult volunteers from all aspects of the community regardless of culture, religion or, social background. Being community based organisations, the majority of cadets and adult volunteers are drawn from the communities in which the units are based and they therefore represent the social mix of the local community.
The cadet forces aid the personal and social development of young people through developing in young people the attributes of good citizenship, leadership and responsibility, and promote physical and mental fitness and self reliance.
Armed Forces: Uniforms
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) required and (b) optional EU (i) patches, (ii) badges and (iii) other insignia British forces wear when serving as a part of an EU military force. [193087]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Although it is not formally mandated, British Forces serving on EU operations wear a Flag of Europe (12 golden stars on a blue background) badge on their sleeve. This is in the same way that British forces serving on NATO or UN operations wear the badge of those respective organisations.
Bombs
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Government plan to phase out cluster munitions in line with the developments of the Oslo Process. [193322]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Oslo Process aims to conclude a legally binding instrument in 2008 on those cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians. The UK is engaged in the process to that end.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Government intend to call for exemption of ballistic sensor fused munitions as part of the Oslo Process to ban all cluster munitions. [193323]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The UK is engaged in negotiations under the auspices of the Oslo Declaration and will handle the issue of individual weapon systems within that context.
Central Africa: Peacekeeping Operations
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether the force generation process for the EU peacekeeping force in Chad and the Central African Republic is complete; [193086]
(2) whether the required (a) strategic and tactical airlift, (b) helicopter support and (c) engineering capabilities are available for the EU peacekeeping force in Chad and the Central African Republic. [193088]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Following the force generation conference on 11 January, the Operation Commander considered that sufficient forces and enablers had been generated to recommend the launch of the European Security and Defence Policy mission to Chad/Central African Republic (CAR). The mission was then formally launched at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 28 January.
As in other operations, force generation is an iterative process that will respond on an ongoing basis to changes in contributions and requirements.
Colombia: Armed Forces
Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the army units of the Colombian army which entered Ecuadorian territory have been recipients of British military aid, assistance or advice in the last five years. [193335]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The UK was not involved in, nor had prior knowledge of, the Colombian operation into Ecuador against the FARC. HMG is not aware that any Colombian personnel trained by the UK in the last five years were involved in the operation. UK training to the Colombian armed forces has very specific objectives: improving human rights, assisting humanitarian de-mining, and countering the flow of illegal narcotics. The UK has not and does not provide assistance or advice to the Colombian Government for counter insurgency purposes.
Cyprus: Military Bases
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2008, Official Report, column 1490W, on Cyprus: Military Bases, how many individuals were (a) charged with and (b) convicted of poaching under the Protection and Management of Game and Wild Birds Ordinance 2004 in each of the last three years. [190933]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I will write to my right hon. Friend.
Substantive answer from Bob Ainsworth to John Spellar:
I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question on 5 March 2008, (Official Report, column 2554W) about individuals charged and convicted of poaching in sovereign base areas in Cyprus.
Under the Protection and Management of Game and Wild Birds Ordinance, there are a variety of offences involving the shooting, killing, capturing or pursuing of game and/or wild birds. Approximately 90 per cent of the figures given below are for mist netting offences and carrying a shotgun in a game reserve area.
The figures for the Sovereign Base Areas are:
| Financial year | Number charged | Number convicted | Charged but pending |
Cases pending for 2005-06 and 2006-07 are where the accused lives in the Republic of Cyprus and have chosen not to appear in front of the SBA court. In 2007-08 the pending cases are due to be heard over the next few months.
Departmental Databases
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures his Department has in place to ensure that databases containing personal information on members of the public are not accessed (a) by unauthorised staff and (b) by authorised staff for unauthorised purposes. [170837]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: It is MOD's policy that all personal data are handled in accordance with the Data Protection Act. MOD employs a system of data protection officers who implement the policies set by the Data Protection Policy Cell and advise business units about their handling and use of personal data. In the light of the recent events surrounding the loss of data on service recruits, a full review of our policies and procedures is being led by Sir Edmund Burton. It is due to report no later than 30 April 2008.
Departmental Private Finance Initiative
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what private finance initiative projects have been approved by his Department in each of the last three financial years, broken down by (a) value and (b) start date. [190883]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The capital value and start date for every signed PFI project are recorded centrally on the Treasury's website at
Departmental Security
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many security passes staff in his Department reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in (i) his Department and (ii) departmental agencies in each year since 2001. [190604]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However, records are available from 2003 and I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by the then Under-Secretaries of State on 28 January 2004, Offi cial Report, column 371W, and 4 September 2006, Official Report, column 1713W, to the hon. Members for Winchester (Mr. Oaten) and for Southwark and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes) respectively.
Figures for lost/stolen service identity cards for the period from July 2006 are as follows. It is not possible to differentiate between lost or stolen cards or whether the card relates to the Department or one of its agencies.
| Lost/stolen military identity cards | |
Departmental Travel
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on travel (a) in the UK and (b) overseas for officials in the last year for which figures are available. [191169]
Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 February 2008, Official Report, column 797W.
Departmental Vehicles
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 20 February 2008, Official Report, column 201W, on departmental vehicles, whether the vehicles to which the answer referred were leased solely from the Government Car and Despatch Agency. [192844]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The vehicles are leased under the Ministry of Defence's contract with VT Land (Whitefleet Management) Ltd. and not from the Government Car and Despatch Agency.
EU Defence Policy
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what European Security and Defence Policy missions are in the pre-operational planning stage. [193101]
Iraq and Afghanistan: Defence Equipment
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many sets of enhanced body armour are available for infantry serving in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan. [193355]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: All personnel deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan are issued with a complete set of Enhanced Combat Body Armour (ECBA) before departure. At present, between 14,000 and 16,000 sets of ECBA are being issued to personnel entering operational theatres every six months. Further stocks are also held in theatre for maintenance purposes.
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