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1 Apr 2008 : Column 782W—continued
Olympics
Olympic Games 2012: Construction
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics with reference to the answer of 25 July 2006, Official Report, columns 1630-31W, on the London Olympics, whether the detailed plan being developed by Constructing London 2012 to deliver locally available construction skills to build the Olympic and Paralympic infrastructure has been published. [197411]
Tessa Jowell: ConstructionSkills will be publishing its Greater London Strategy later this year, which will include skills and employment programmes for the 2012 games and other major construction projects scheduled for the capital in the next five years.
In the meantime, ConstructionSkills is part of the partnership which is delivering the Employment and Skills Strategy launched by the Olympic Delivery Authority in February. The strategy sets out how the ODA will work with a range of public and private sector partners to help its contractors recruit the 9,000-10,000 construction workers that will be needed at peak in 2009-10 while at the same time helping people develop sustainable skills and a long term career path after the games.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what steps she has taken to provide to the local workforce training in the specialist skills required to fill the 33,500 additional jobs identified by Construction Skills as necessary to complete preparations for the London 2012 Olympics. [197443]
Tessa Jowell: The London Development Agency, which leads on maximising the employment and skills benefits of the games in London, forecasts the demands for jobs on site. It also provides important recommendations about workforce training requirements, directly informing the joint construction training programme, as set out in the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA's) Employment and Skills Strategy. The strategy sets out how the ODA will work with a range of public and private sector partners to help its contractors recruit the 9,000-10,000 construction workers that will be needed at peak in 2009-10, and helps local employees develop their skills.
The Olympic site becoming a National Skills Academy for Construction (NSAfC) is a critical part of this. The NSAfC co-ordinates training provision to meet the identified needs of the project, bringing together contractors and their supply chains, colleges and private providers, funding bodies and other agencies. Detailed plans are currently being prepared, which are expected to include targets for training local people.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the (a) quality and (b) quantity of food supplies to (i) British forces and (ii) ISAF forces in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [197012]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: All food supplied to all British and ISAF forces meets EU Quality and Food Safety Standards. Quality assurance checks are carried out throughout the supply chain and food quality is continually monitored by deployed chefs and food supply staff. UK technical staff also regularly visit theatre to monitor quality.
In terms of quantity, a large reserve of both operational ration packs (ORPs) and commercial food is held in Kabul to ensure that all demands from the front line are met. Both Main Operating Bases and Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) that are catering with
ORPs are also provided with fresh food, the quantities of which are only ever impeded by the physical logistics of the challenging environment.
The feeding arrangements in main ISAF locations are the responsibility of NATO. I am aware, however, that UK NATO Food Services Staff have regular discussions with the Contractor and NATO regarding the dining facilities and that no official complaints have been received.
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to prevent menu fatigue amongst UK forces in Afghanistan issued with 24-hour operational ration packs; and if he will make a statement. [197015]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: We place the utmost importance on ensuring our troops are properly fed on operations, and indeed throughout the world. Huge effort goes into nutritional analysis, designing and planning menus, delivering food stocks and preparing food to ensure our men and women have all the proper nutrition they need to carry out their demanding and important tasks. We are aware that menu fatigue can arise, however, and every effort is made to alleviate it.
There are 10 General Purpose menus available in the 24 hour Operational Ration Packs (ORP), and plans are under way to increase this number to 14. There are also five Halal, five Sikh/Hindu and five Kosher/Vegetarian variants and five 10 Man ORP variants available. The majority of remote operating locations also receive supplies of fresh food at least once a week which are used to supplement ORPs.
Royal Logistics Corps chefs have now been deployed to all of the Forward Operating Bases, and provide cooked meals for personnel using ORPs and fresh food supplies. Meals in the larger bases are generally provided from a three to four week multiple choice menu cycle. All chefs supporting the British armed forces on operations take great pride in providing a varied and high quality menu and are very responsive to customer feedback. Unit commanders are also provided with guidance on how to ensure that personnel remain properly nourished and hydrated on operations.
Armed Forces: Fisheries
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours were spent policing fisheries legislation in the Irish Sea and North Channel by (a) RAF Nimrods, (b) RAF aircraft other than Nimrods and (c) Royal Navy vessels in the last 12 months; and what personnel were involved. [197271]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Royal Air Force does not undertake fishery protection duties.
The Royal Navy does not keep records of hourly activity of fishery protection vessels (FPVs), but records patrol days (24 hr period). In the last 12 months—1 March 2007 to 29 February 2008—FPVs were on task in the Irish sea (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea Area 107A) for 78 days: 55 days by river class vessels and 23 days by hunt class vessels. The average ships complement numbers for river class vessels is 32 and for hunt class vessels it is 37.
Armed Forces: Food
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the maximum period is that UK forces are expected to subsist on 24-hour operational ration packs alone. [197014]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: There is no defined maximum period for the use of 24 hour operational ration packs (ORP) as the main source of nutrition. A recent study commissioned by the MOD found that, providing it is consumed in its entirety, there is no nutritional evidence to suggest that healthy personnel could not subsist on 24 hour ORPs indefinitely. Personnel deployed on extended patrols usually live on ORP for the duration of their task, although whenever possible, ORPs (both the 24 hour and 10 man variants) are supplemented by fresh produce cooked by service chefs.
Armed Forces: Housing
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department’s policy is on disposing of homes which have become surplus to the needs of forces personnel; and if he will make a statement. [197417]
Derek Twigg: The majority of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties in England and Wales were sold to Annington Homes Ltd. (AHL) in 1996 and then leased to the Ministry of Defence (MOD). When they become surplus to defence requirements the properties are handed back to AHL for disposal.
Other surplus SFA in the UK is usually sold on the open market to achieve best value in accordance with Treasury guidelines, unless they are required by other public bodies (e.g. English Partnerships, Scottish Executive) or there are former owner (Crichel Down) considerations.
Where the opportunity exists for a bulk sale of SFA at market value, MOD will discuss the way forward with the local authority and registered social landlords.
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many homes his Department sold in each local authority area of Scotland in each year since 1997; and what proportion of those homes were sold or otherwise transferred to the relevant local authority or a registered social landlord in each of those years. [197418]
Derek Twigg: Records of all Service housing sold in Scotland since 1997 are either not held centrally or no longer available. It will take a time to establish what information can be provided without incurring disproportionate cost and effort. I will write to the hon. Member.
Armed Forces: Influenza
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2008, Official Report, column 24W, on armed forces: influenza, whether the supplies of (a) influenza vaccine, (b) anti-virals and (c) face masks deployed to theatre in the event of an influenza pandemic will also be made available to (i) coalition partners and (ii) local inhabitants; and if he will make a statement. [195256]
Derek Twigg: For NATO deployments, force protection is a national responsibility. The World Health Organisation is ultimately responsible for the protection of civilian local inhabitants. As with any medical supplies, decisions on their use in specific instances will be made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account operational and humanitarian factors.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department holds stocks of (a) vaccines and (b) anti-virals for use by the armed forces for the treatment of seasonal influenza; and if he will make a statement. [195352]
Derek Twigg: The Department holds stocks of both vaccines and antivirals for the treatment of seasonal influenza. These will be offered if necessary to specific groups of personnel (such as key workers in the Defence Medical Services), in accordance with the national guidance from the UK Departments of Health.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to paragraph 15 of the Defence Medical Services Department's policy letter of 20 January 2006, entitled “The use of influenza vaccines and anti-virals in the event of an influenza pandemic by the Defence Medical Services”, reference DMSD/13/1/4; whether he has any plans to use anti-virals for prophylaxis before a pandemic is established; and if he will make a statement. [195354]
Derek Twigg: MOD's policy on the use of vaccines and antivirals with regard to an influenza pandemic follows the Department of Health's national guidelines. For the majority of armed forces personnel there are no plans for prophylactic use, as this is not in accordance with the UK national policy.
Armed Forces: Labour Turnover
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) inflow, (b) outflow and (c) voluntary outflow rate was of officers at (i) OF-1, (ii) OF-2 and (iii) OF-3 levels in each service in each year since 1997. [196621]
Derek Twigg: The information requested is provided in the following tables:
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