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21 Apr 2008 : Column 1641W—continued
Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 31 March 2008, Official Report, column 514W.
The current percentage received is 19 per cent. Up to 2012 the percentage reduces year by year on a sliding scale from the date of the sale of the service family accommodation estate in England and Wales to Annington Homes Ltd.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid Annington estates in (a) rent and (b) costs of maintenance of residential dwellings in each year since the company acquired his former Department's properties. [199227]
Derek Twigg: The rental figures paid to Annington Homes Ltd for all properties are as follows (by calendar year):
| £ | |
No payments were made to Annington Homes for costs of maintenance of properties that are underleased for Service occupation.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mechanisms are in place to ensure that the Government receive from Annington estates or Annington Homes Ltd a percentage of the profit which the company makes on the subsequent disposal of former Ministry of Defence (a) housing and (b) land. [199231]
Derek Twigg: The 1996 Sale Agreement with Annington Homes Ltd includes a Profit Share Agreement. Under this, the Exchequer receives a percentage of any profit made on the subsequent disposal of properties and land that form part of a release to the company. To date the Exchequer has received some £140 million under this arrangement.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid for improvements and modernisation of residential dwellings owned by Annington Homes Ltd in Colchester constituency which have subsequently been handed back to Annington Homes Ltd in each year since the company acquired the properties. [199232]
Derek Twigg: Our records show no service family accommodation in Colchester that has been handed back to Annington Homes Ltd after having improvement or modernisation work carried out.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid for improvements and modernisation of residential dwellings owned by Annington Homes Ltd in Colchester constituency in each year since the company acquired the properties. [199233]
Derek Twigg: The Department retains responsibility for the maintenance and upgrade of service family accommodation (SFA) owned by Annington Homes Ltd.
The amount spent on improvements and modernisation of SFA in the Colchester constituency each year since 1996 is as follows:
| Total (£ million) | |
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many former residential properties of his Department were handed back for sale in each year since acquisition by Annington estates. [199234]
Derek Twigg: Since the 1996 sale of service family accommodation to Annington Homes Ltd, the following numbers have been returned in each year:
| Number | |
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the former Ministry of Defence dwellings in Colchester constituency which have been returned to Annington Homes have subsequently been demolished. [199237]
Derek Twigg: This is a matter for Annington Homes Ltd. Once surplus properties are returned to the company and the Department no longer has responsibility for them we do not need to record such information.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2008, Official Report, column 514W, on Colchester, how many of his Department's former residential properties in Colchester constituency were returned to Annington Homes Ltd in (a) 2006 and (b) 2007; and how many it is proposed to return in 2008. [199268]
Derek Twigg: No service family accommodation in Colchester was returned to Annington Homes Ltd in financial years 2006-07 or 2007-08. However, we plan to return around 100 properties in 2008-09.
Armed Forces: Income Support
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many servicemen and women are in receipt of income support; and if he will make a statement. [196869]
Mr. Plaskitt: I have been asked to reply.
The information is not available.
Armed Forces: Influenza
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total medical stock requirement is of the armed forces in the event of an influenza pandemic, broken down by type of medical stock; whether all such estimated medical stock requirements are now held in medical units, as stated in paragraph 16 of the Health Protection Agency and Defence Medical Service’s Pandemic Influenza: Infection Control guidance for military settings—guidance for military healthcare staff and their commanders, published October 2006; and if he will make a statement. [195312]
Derek Twigg: The circumstances of a pandemic, coupled with MOD operations, will dictate the actual medical requirements. However, the following table illustrates the quantities of infection control consumables that have been distributed to MOD Medical Centres, based on each Centre’s assessment of its individual requirement in accordance with the Health Protection Agency/Defence Medical Service’s guidance. Items will be used, and stocks replenished, as required during day-to-day business.
| Category | Number (total) |
| Note: Items have been summarised under MOD’s main stock categories, and the numbers rounded to the nearest 100. | |
Armed Forces: Insurance
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what level of insurance protection for injury or death may be obtained by (a) Territorial Army and (b) regular Army personnel on operational deployment; and if he will make a statement. [198709]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Life insurance is optional and is for those requiring additional cover above that provided by the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Pension and Compensation Schemes. MOD facilitates voluntary insurance arrangements through commercial providers for personnel requiring cover.
The cover provided by the PAX (for regular) and RPAX schemes (for reserve personnel including the TA) is virtually the same. Both primarily provide personal accident cover, but also include cover for injury and death resulting from war and terrorism, and (at an extra premium) death from natural causes. Both provide personal accident cover for bodily injury that causes permanent disability and also for certain fractures, burns and hospitalisation. The maximum cover for death is £150,000. The maximum catastrophic disability cover is £750,000 for quadriplegia and £400,000 for paraplegia, with up to £300,000 for other disabilities. From 1 March 2008 PAX increased its premiums, enhanced its cover for burns and added cover for flesh wounds; these changes will be replicated for RPAX in the near future.
Service Life Insurance (SLI) provides life cover and was launched by MOD on 8 May 2007. SLI guarantees Regular and Reservists (including the TA) worldwide war and terrorism cover, at competitive premiums, throughout their service and beyond. It provides this by means of a unique partnering arrangement with the commercial providers of the scheme, Sterling Life. The maximum life cover available is £200,000.
MOD’s Service Risks Insurance Premium Refunds (SRIPs) scheme contributes towards the inflated life insurance premiums which some insurers charge personnel (both regulars and reservists) in certain high risk trades and those serving on operations. The compensation available is 90 per cent. of the extra premium up to a total sum assured. The latter is increased every year in line with service pay and is currently £162,000.
Individuals requiring insurance cover can join any insurance scheme they choose and are not obliged to join PAX, RPAX or SLI.
Armed Forces: Leave
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers did not take their full entitlement to annual leave in each year since 1997. [199066]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is not held in the format requested, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers carried over leave to the next leave year in each year since 1997. [199076]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is not held in the format requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Armed Forces: Manpower
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many units in each branch of the armed forces do not have an assigned unit welfare officer; [197929]
(2) what the average number of individuals including servicemen and women's family members assigned to each unit welfare officer is. [197930]
Derek Twigg: The welfare and community support of service personnel and their families is given a high priority by the MOD business. It covers a wide remit and is provided by the chain of command as well as by dedicated welfare providers. All units within the three services have dedicated personnel with direct responsibility for the welfare of its service personnel and their families.
Armed Forces: Pay
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) soldiers, (b) sailors and (c) airmen were paid late in each year since 1997. [199545]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Information on the number of soldiers, sailors and airmen paid late is shown in the following table and is only available by financial year from 2001-02.
| Financial year | Naval service | Army | Royal Air Force |
| Notes: 1. Soldiers, sailors and airmen have been interpreted as all Royal Navy (with Royal Marines), Army and Royal Air Force personnel. 2. The definition of a late payment is when no money is paid into an individual's account on the designated day for that month. 3. The transition to the new Joint Personnel Administration system had an impact on the achievement of timeliness during FY 2005-06 and FY 2006-07. | |||
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