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2 Jun 2008 : Column 672W—continued
Armed Forces: Military Aid
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times the (a) Royal Air Force and (b) Army have trained for conducting humanitarian airdrop operations in each of the last five years. [207373]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: None. Should a request be made for a humanitarian airdrop, appropriate training will be given as necessary.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 May 2008, Official Report, column 7W, on Air Force: military aid, how baseboards are (a) replaced and (b) recovered after use in humanitarian airdrop operations. [207413]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Baseboards are replaced as they are used and are not routinely recovered.
Armed Forces: Monuments
Michael Fabricant:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will visit the Armed Forces Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum near Lichfield to
discuss issues arising from increased visitor numbers; and if he will make a statement. [207598]
Derek Twigg: Ministers have visited the National Memorial Arboretum a number of times over recent months and both they and officials have discussed and corresponded with trustees and the Royal British Legion on issues arising out of the increase in numbers of visitors following the dedication of the Armed Forces Memorial in October of last year. Officials are due to meet representatives of the trusts involved and the Royal British Legion on 29 May to discuss the issues raised by this increase.
Armed Forces: Pay
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel were entitled to the Long Service Advance of Pay in each year since 2003; and what estimate he has made of the number of entitlements in the next three years. [206154]
Derek Twigg: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how much was paid via Long Service Advance of Pay scheme in each year since its inception; [206340]
(2) how many service personnel took up the Long Service Advance of Pay in each year since its inception; [206341]
(3) what the annual cost of the Long Service Advance of Pay scheme was in each year since its inception. [206342]
Derek Twigg: The date of inception of Long Service Advance of Pay (LSAP) was 1965 for the Royal Navy, and 1996 for the Army and RAF. Information for the period 1965 to financial year 2000-01 could be supplied only at disproportionate cost. The amount paid since financial year 2000-01 is shown in the following table:
| Financial year | Value (£ million) |
The number of service personnel who took up LSAP in each year since financial year 2001-02 is shown in the following table:
| Financial year | Number of service personnel |
Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs treat LSAP as a benefit in kind liability for national insurance contributions. The Ministry of Defence has therefore made an average annual payment of £300,000 in each of the last six financial years to satisfy this requirement. A more detailed breakdown could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much local overseas allowance service personnel received to travel back from (a) Germany and (b) Cyprus in each year since 2000. [206911]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Local overseas allowance is not payable for the purpose of Service personnel travelling back to the UK from Germany, Cyprus and other overseas locations.
Armed Forces: Peacekeeping Operations
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 20 May 2008, Official Report, columns 15-18WS, on helicopters on operations, (1) what the budget for the Helicopter Fund is in 2008-09; and what percentage of that budget will be met by the UK; [207650]
(2) how much the UK contributed to the seed fund for the helicopter support initiative. [207653]
Des Browne: The UK has made a one off contribution of £5.75 million to this fund. We continue to seek additional contributions and have not yet considered applications for programmes to be resourced from the fund.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 20 May 2008, Official Report, columns 15-18WS, on helicopters on operations, whether (a) NATO or (b) the EU is responsible for the Helicopter Fund. [207652]
Des Browne: The Helicopter Fund is currently facilitated by NATO (SHAPE) but neither NATO nor the EU is responsible for the fund. Contributing nations will decide how resources are allocated.
Armed Forces: Training
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2008, Official Report, column 1519W, on armed forces: training, how many of the eight Fighting in Built-up Areas facilities have been specifically designed to replicate Afghan villages. [207110]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Copehill Down, Wiltshire was extended in 2005 to simulate an Iraqi urban area for units to train prior to deployment in the Middle East.
However, there are, at present, no equivalent facilities on the defence estate specifically designed to replicate Afghan villages. Plans exist for “Middle East” style compounds/hamlets to be constructed in the future, but no timeframes are as yet available.
Armed Forces: Vehicles
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of his Department’s vehicle capitation rates. [207050]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: No. Placing the vehicle capitation rates in the Library of the House would prejudice the Department’s commercial interests.
Armoured Fighting Vehicles
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he received from the French government in support of Nexter's bid to supply the Future Rapid Effect System utility vehicle requirement; and if he will make a statement. [207123]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Ministers and officials often exchange correspondence and discuss defence issues with their French counterparts. The French Government have supported Nexter’s bid for the Utility Vehicle design of the Future Rapid Effect System, both in writing and during discussions.
Army: Deployment
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2008, Official Report, column 1307W, on Army deployment, what the (a) mean, (b) mode and (c) median interval is between tours of duty for Army units. [207109]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Tour intervals are calculated for units within the Infantry, Royal Armoured Corps and Royal Artillery. In relation to the last tour intervals for these units the mean interval is 25 months. The mode and median figure for these units is 23 months.
Bombs
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on possible outcomes of the Dublin Diplomatic Conference on cluster munitions. [207457]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I discussed the outcome of the Dublin Diplomatic Conference on cluster munitions with Bob Gates on 1 June 2008.
Cyprus: Armed Forces
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Army, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy personnel are based in Cyprus as (i) part of Operation Tosca and (ii) outside Operation Tosca; and what their respective missions are. [208159]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth:
Currently, there are some 250 British Army personnel based in Cyprus as part of Operation Tosca. There are no Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel deployed in support of that operation. The mission of the armed forces personnel assigned to Op Tosca is to contribute to the implementation of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) mandate, which is to prevent a recurrence of fighting, maintain a stable
environment and de-escalate the military presence along the buffer zone in order to enable a just and lasting political solution.
Excluding Op Tosca, as of 28 May 2008, there are some 1,880 Army, 40 Royal Navy and 1,160 Royal Air Force personnel based in Cyprus. These personnel contribute to the mission of British Forces Cyprus which involves: the maintenance of the sovereign base areas and retained sites for their effective use as military bases; the provision of security and protection for key facilities, British Forces Cyprus and sovereign base area administration personnel, their dependants and other designated personnel; the operation, sustainment and development of the forward mounting base; and the provision of other operational capabilities in support of wider UK operations.
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