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27 Mar 2008 : Column 345W—continued
AWE Aldermaston: Protest
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make arrangements to enable the making of peaceful protests at Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment; and if he will make a statement. [195371]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The MOD recognises the democratic right of individuals to participate in lawful and peaceful protest activities. Such activities have taken place at AWE for many years, and there are well-rehearsed plans in place to ensure minimum disruption and to allow peaceful protests to occur. Safety and security at AWE are paramount. Any protester action that could compromise these will always be dealt with appropriately. There were demonstrations at AWE as recently as 24 March and Thames Valley Police subsequently congratulated the organisers for organising an effective and peaceful demonstration.
Defence
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many urgent operational requirements are under consideration; and what estimate he has made of the total value of such requirements. [191552]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Some 800 UORs have been approved to date; a further 120 are under consideration. To date, the value of UORs approved for Iraq and Afghanistan is in excess of £3.5 billion. The costings for UORs that have not yet been approved are not mature enough to provide an accurate estimate.
EC Common Foreign and Security Policy
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are planned for liaison between his Department and the office of the high representative of the Union for foreign affairs and security policy. [196358]
Des Browne: If the Lisbon Treaty is ratified by all EU member states, the Ministry of Defence will liaise with the office of the high representative of the Union for foreign affairs and security policy through our permanent and military representation to the European Union, as we currently do with the office of the high representative for the common foreign and security policy.
EC Defence Policy
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what burden-sharing arrangements are planned for civilian and military assets for EU defence under the Lisbon Treaty. [196350]
Des Browne: Under the Lisbon Treaty, both civilian and military assets for European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) operations would continue to be supplied by EU member states on a voluntary basis, as they are under the current Treaty on European Union.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 March 2008, Official Report, column 1171W, regarding the funding of ESDP operations under the Lisbon Treaty.
Iran: Defence Equipment
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the financial value of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines equipment which remains in the possession of the Iranian authorities. [196599]
Des Browne: The financial value of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines equipment which remains in the possession of the Iranian authorities from the two incidents in 2004 and 2007 is approximately £500,000 in each case. This corrects the previous replacement costs I provided on 26 April 2007, Official Report, column 1253W, for the hon. Members for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) and for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis) which included the estimated replacement coast of only one Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat.
Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces were withdrawn from Iraq in each year since 2003, broken down by (a) sex, (b) age and (c) service; what plans he has to increase members withdrawn in each of the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [190878]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: During major combat operations in March-April 2003, there were some 46,000 UK military personnel committed to Operation TELIC (including those stationed outside Iraq in support of the operation). Subsequently, the number of UK military posts in Iraq decreased to 18,000 by May 2003. Year on year troop reductions beyond that point are set out in the following table:
| January each year | Approximate UK troop level | Reduction from previous year |
| (1) From May 2003 | ||
There are currently around 4,200 UK military personnel in Iraq, of whom around 4,000 are based in southern Iraq. The actual number of UK military personnel in theatre varies significantly from day to day for a variety of reasons, including leave (rest and recuperation), temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, visits, the roulement of forces and other factors.
Accurate information on the total number of personnel broken down by sex, age and service is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Work continues on the details of our future plans in consultation with our coalition partners and the Government of Iraq. For this reason, we are unable to provide a month-by-month projection for each of the
next 12 months. Our plans will, of course, be guided by the advice of our military commanders and are subject to conditions on the ground.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people serving in the British forces in Iraq hold (a) British citizenship and (b) citizenship of countries other than Great Britain; and how many personnel there are of each nationality in the latter. [197103]
Des Browne: Data on the number and citizenship of service personnel serving in Iraq are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Reserve Forces
Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the role is of formed units in the reserve forces; and if he will make a statement. [196787]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Reserves in formed units, such as Territorial Army (TA) Battalions and Regiments, and Royal Auxilliary Air Force Squadrons, are in most cases maintained to provide a framework which parallels their Regular equivalent, as over the years this has been shown as the most effective and robust method of providing a framework, upon which reservist capability can be recruited, grown, nurtured and trained.
In the case of the TA, it is the basis from which capability can be deployed on operations. Where possible, the Army tries to deploy TA personnel in 'cohorts', groups drawn from units listed on the commitments forecast. However, the current operational requirement dictates that TA capability is deployed variously as individual reinforcements, as formed sub-units and only in some exceptional cases—particularly field hospitals—as formed units. For a large-scale operation a greater proportion of the TA would be deployed as formed sub-units and units, although the latter would still be the exception.
For the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, Squadrons are established for peacetime training purposes only. For the Royal Naval Reserve and Royal Marine Reserve, there are no units formed for operational deployment; they are administrative groupings only. Individuals, within them would deploy as reinforcements to other units.
On 19 March 2008, the Secretary of State announced a review of our Reserve Forces. This will examine how the Reserve can be optimised to meet current and projected defence requirements.
Warships
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to commission a fifth Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship to provide the maximum sea-lift capability recommended in his Department’s 1998 operational analysis; and if he will make a statement. [195570]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The modernisation of the Royal Navy’s amphibious fleet was completed in 2007 with the introduction into service of RFA Lyme Bay, the fourth of the Bay class Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary). We have no plans to procure a fifth vessel of this class.
Duchy of Lancaster
Ministerial Policy Advisers
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Broxbourne, of 18 February 2008, Official Report, column 119W, on ministerial policy advisers (1) if he will provide figures for special advisers separately from the figures in the Annual Report of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments on Crown servants; [191050]
(2) which special advisers have (a) received approval from and (b) been refused by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments to take up an outside appointment on leaving office since May 2005. [191051]
Edward Miliband: Under the “Rules on the Acceptance of Outside Appointments by Crown Servants”, the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments advises on the approval of applications from the most senior civil servants, including special advisers of equivalent standing. Once a new appointment has been taken up or announced, the Committee publishes information on the application and the advice it gave on it.
Since May 2005, the Advisory Committee has published such information about the appointments of two Special Advisers: Jonathan Powell and Elizabeth Lloyd.
Applications from civil servants, including special advisers, below these levels are dealt with by their employing Departments.
Departments provide collated data annually for publication in the statistical tables of the Advisory Committee’s annual reports on the total number of applications they have received, including those subsequently referred to the Committee. These figures show the numbers that were approved unconditionally or approved subject to a condition.
The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments does not intend to collect or publish any additional data on applications under the Rules.
Electoral Commission Committee
Political Parties: Finance
Mr. Fabian Hamilton: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what criteria are used by the Electoral Commission in deciding whether to refer to the police late declarations of donations to regulated donees. [195364]
Peter Viggers:
The Electoral Commission informs me that, in deciding whether to refer to the police the late reporting of donations by regulated donees, it
takes into account, in the first instance, the sufficiency of the evidence and, if that threshold is met, whether it is in the public interest to refer the matter, having due regard to the proportionality of the case.
Mr. Fabian Hamilton: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the reasons were for the referral by the Electoral Commission of the right hon. Member for Neath to the police for late declaration of donations. [195365]
Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that this matter is the subject of an ongoing police investigation. It would therefore be inappropriate for me to comment on it.
Mr. Fabian Hamilton: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what steps have been taken by the Electoral Commission in response to late declarations of donations by (a) the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam and (b) the hon. Member for Henley. [195366]
Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that, in line with its usual procedures, it has checked these donations for permissibility and has published the details on its website. It has also written to the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Clegg) and the hon. Member for Henley (Mr. Johnson) regarding their failure to report these donations on time.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Waste Disposal
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Government have to place a levy on the purchase of farm plastic. [195663]
Joan Ruddock: The Government have no plans to introduce a levy on farm plastics. However, we intend to consult on proposals to deliver a statutory producer responsibility scheme for the collection of non-packaging farm plastics in late spring 2008.
Climate Change
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will request the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to ensure that all bodies which submit scientific data to the panel publish their data correction methodologies; and if he will make a statement. [196786]
Mr. Woolas:
The preparation of all IPCC reports and publications follows strict procedures (available on the IPCC website), and reviews by Governments and experts are essential elements of the preparation of IPCC reports, commenting on the accuracy and completeness of the content and the overall balance of
the drafts. Differing views for which there is significant scientific or technical support are clearly reflected in final IPCC documents.
The IPCC does not commission research or undertake data analysis but reviews peer-reviewed scientific literature. As such, the process of ensuring data analysis and correction techniques are robust and available to the scientific community is not the responsibility of the IPCC but that of the research community itself and the editors of the scientific journals that ultimately publish the body of research that informs the IPCC reviews.
Eaga
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what contracts there are between his Department and Eaga; [194361]
(2) how many complaints his Department has received about work carried out under the Warm Front Scheme. [194362]
Mr. Woolas: DEFRA currently holds one contract with Eaga plc, which is to perform the duties of Scheme Manager for the Warm Front Scheme.
Between 1 June 2005 and 13 March 2008 the number of complaints received by Warm Front was 7,614 from a total of 600,000 households.
2,870 of these complaints were upheld. This represents 0.48 per cent. of all households assisted.
Energy: Housing
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to encourage owners of existing housing stock to improve their energy performance rating. [196386]
Mr. Woolas: DEFRA is taking action to reduce emissions from housing through a number of initiatives such as Warm Front, the Energy Efficiency Commitment (the next phase of which will be called Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT), the ActOnCO2 carbon calculator, and the Energy Saving Trust’s Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme for Homes and its newly announced Green Homes Service.
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