| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
29 Apr 2008 : Column 265W—continued
Armed Forces: Training
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what specific training in tropical medicine medical officers undertaking the Army's Entry Officers course receive. [200944]
Derek Twigg: Medical officers undertaking the Army's Entry Officers course undergo two days of training in travel medicine. Specific topics for study include: Malaria and its prevention, practical parasitology, blood borne viruses, Leishmaniasis and its prevention, immunisation schedules and sources of information for travellers. Another day is spent at the Institute of Naval Medicine where students look at the effects of heat and cold injuries. In addition to these specific topics all subjects on the 13 week course include an environmental component which incorporates the treatment of casualties in hostile and remote situations.
Students also undertake public health training which includes looking at the needs of refugees and misplaced persons and their associated temporary camps.
Armoured Fighting Vehicles
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2008, Official Report, column 791W, on armoured fighting vehicles, how many individual shipments were required to transport the first tranche of Mastiff armoured vehicles into the theatre of operations; and what the (a) lowest, (b) highest, (c) mean and (d) mode number was of individual shipments of Mastiff armoured vehicles to (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan during the delivery period of the first tranche. [201233]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The chosen method for the deployment of all tranche 1 Mastiff vehicles was by commercial air.
The number of individual consignments to Iraq was 21 and to Afghanistan was 18.
I am withholding the details of individual shipments since disclosure could reveal the strength and capability of UK forces operating in theatre, and could prejudice operational security.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2008, Official Report, column 791W, on armoured fighting vehicles, how many individual shipments were required to transport all Bulldog armoured vehicles into the theatre of operations; and what the (a) lowest, (b) highest, (c) mean and (d) mode number was of individual shipments of Bulldog armoured vehicles to (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan during the delivery period. [201234]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Bulldog armoured vehicles have not been deployed to Afghanistan.
The number of individual shipments required to transport all Bulldog armoured vehicles to Iraq was three.
I am withholding the details of individual shipments since disclosure could reveal the strength and capability of UK forces operating in theatre, and could prejudice operational security.
Defence: Internet
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the UK's contribution is to NATO's Cyber Defence Management Authority; and if he will make a statement. [201678]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: As part of the Department's cooperation on cyber defence operations with our allies, the MOD, together with other Government Departments, are fully engaged with the development of NATO's Cyber Defence Management Authority. Such cooperation would include the sharing of intelligence, experience and expertise. However, it is Government policy not to make comments on details of protective measures, techniques and strategies applied to protecting communication and information systems as these could assist potential attackers.
Departmental Publications
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance is issued to members of his Department on the authorship and publication on the internet of material relating to their official duties; and if he will make a statement. [196739]
Derek Twigg: The Civil Service Code, the Civil Service Management Code and Propriety Guidance on Government Communications, all provide guidance to staff on the publication of material relating to their official duties. Copies of each of these are in the libraries of the House. They are also available on the Cabinet Office website at:
Armed forces and MOD staff publishing material on the internet as part of their official duties, for example on the MOD's own website, are governed by a number of internal MOD documents including training manuals and style guides.
HMS Southampton
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where (a) HMS Southampton and (b) HMS Exeter have been deployed in 2008; what plans he has for further deployments prior to their decommissioning; and if he will make a statement. [201914]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: HMS Southampton and HMS Exeter have been engaged in Maritime Security operations in UK waters during 2008. I am withholding information about these ships' future programmes as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our armed forces.
Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many Land Rovers have been lost due to damage sustained from an improvised explosive device or landmine in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan; [201566]
(2) how many WIMIK equipped vehicles have been lost due to damage sustained from an improvised explosive device or landmine in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan; [201567]
(3) how many Vector patrol vehicles have been lost due to damage sustained from an improvised explosive device or landmine in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan; [201568]
(4) how many service personnel have been (a) injured and (b) killed by improvised explosive devices or landmines in WIMIK equipped vehicles in (i) Afghanistan and (ii) Iraq; [201569]
(5) how many service personnel have been (a) injured and (b) killed by improvised explosive devices or landmines in Vector patrol vehicles in (i) Afghanistan and (ii) Iraq; [201570]
(6) how many service personnel have been (a) injured and (b) killed by improvised explosive devices or landmines in Land Rovers in (i) Afghanistan and (ii) Iraq. [201584]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I am withholding the details as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
Iraq: Ports
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which projects his Department (a) initiated, (b) oversaw, (c) directed and (d) funded in connection with the modernisation of the port of Umm Qasr; and if he will make a statement. [196916]
Des Browne: Since 2003 the British Military have initiated, overseen and directed 15 reconstruction projects in the vicinity of Umm Qasr to a value of approximately £500,000. These projects have been funded by the Multi-National Force Commanders Emergency Response Programme (CERPs).
Regeneration plans for the port are now being led and co-ordinated by the government of Iraq, supported by UK and US personnel in Baghdad and southern Iraq.
Karian and Box
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value was of each contract awarded by his Department to Karian and Box since 1997. [199646]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: There are no records held centrally of any contract awarded to Karian and Box by the Ministry of Defence since 1997.
Information on contracts awarded by Defence agencies, top level budget areas, trading funds, joint headquarters, single service commands and military units is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
War Graves: Seas and Oceans
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps the Government have taken to protect military shipwrecks as final resting places. [201656]
Derek Twigg: The Protection of Military Remains Act (PMRA) 1986 allows the MOD to protect the remains of aircraft and ships lost while in military service from unauthorised interference. The latest tranche of wrecks designated under the Act will come into force on 1 May 2008, raising the total number of designations to 58.
Wales
Departmental Freedom of Information
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many freedom of information requests made to his Department were (a) answered (i) within 20 days, (ii) within 40 days, (iii) within 60 days, (iv) after 60 days, (b) not answered and (c) answered citing an exemption in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 as a reason not to provide the requested information in each year since the Act came into force. [201733]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Ministry of Justice has published two annual reports containing statistical information on freedom of information requests received by monitored bodies (including central Government Departments) in 2005 and 2006. These reports can be found at the following address:
The 2007 annual report is currently being drafted for publication in June 2008. However, statistics on requests received in each quarter of 2007 have been published and can be found via the MOJ website:
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires public bodies to respond to written requests within 20 working days of receipt, but allows additional time for the consideration of the public interest in disclosing the requested information.
The published reports provide statistics on the number of “non-routine” requests received during each period where: an initial response was provided within 20 working days; an initial response was given outside this time but a public interest test extension had been applied; an initial response was given outside this time and no public interest test extension was applied, and where no initial se had been given at the time the statistics were collected.
The 2006 annual report provides statistics on the duration of the public interest test extensions in that year. Corresponding statistics for 2007 will be available when the 2007 annual report is published.
Information requests where deadlines were extended beyond 40 days is not collected in the form requested; however the proportion of resolvable requests the Department answered “in time” (i.e. meeting the deadline or with a permitted extension) in 2007 was 89 per cent.
For 2005 and 2006, the reports show the number of requests received by the Department which were withheld, either in full or in part, where an FOI exemption or EIR exception was applied. For 2007, the number of such requests was three based on aggregated quarterly statistics from 2007. Requests withheld solely under the exemption applicable to “information available by other means” are not included; statistics on these are not collected centrally because they are dealt with as routine business.
Departmental Manpower
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) permanent civil service posts, (b) permanent non-civil service posts and (c) agency workers there were in his Department in each month since May 2005. [200215]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The following table shows the number of staff employed by the Wales Office from May 2005.
Details for agency staff were not kept in the format for the financial year 2005-06 and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
| Number of staff employed from April 2005 until March 2008 | ||||
| £ | ||||
| Permanent civil servants | Permanent non civil servants | Temporary staff | Agency staff | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |