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3 July 2008 : Column 1036W—continued


Bomb Disposal

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2008, Official Report, columns 1013-14W, on bomb disposal, what definition he uses of (a) improvised explosive device and (b) conventional munitions. [214563]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The definitions used by the Ministry of Defence for an improvised explosive device and conventional munitions are:

Defence

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with defence sector (a) manufacturers and (b) interest groups in the last 12 months. [204356]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Defence Ministers have held the following meetings with defence sector manufacturers and interest groups specifically linked to defence sector manufacture over the period 7 May 2007 to 7 May 2008.

Secretary of State for Defence


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Minister of State for the Armed Forces

Minister of Defence Equipment and Support


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Under-Secretary of State

The Secretary of State has conducted visits to defence manufacturers in his capacities both as Secretary of State for Scotland and Secretary of State for Defence. For completeness, all such visits are included.

Departmental Aviation

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in the most recent year for which figures are available; and at what cost. [215557]

Derek Twigg: The information is not held in the format requested, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Car Allowances

Sir Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what level of car mileage payment is made under his Department's travel to work scheme; and when that level (a) was last and (b) will next be reviewed. [215420]

Derek Twigg: Civilian employees eligible for assistance with travel to the normal place of work following a transfer, have the additional costs based on the method of travel. Where a vehicle is used it is calculated using the private travel rate of motor mileage allowance of 25p per mile. The Department bases this on HM Revenue and customs authorised mileage allowance payments for travel above 10,000 miles. This has not changed since it was set on 6 April 2002. The private travel rate of motor mileage allowance will next be reviewed in line with any change to the HM Revenue and Customs rate for travel over 10,000 miles. No changes were made in 2007-08.

Departmental Conferences

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) scheduled date and (b) title was of each conference proposed to be hosted by his Department
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and its agencies which was cancelled before taking place in each of the last 10 years; and what costs were incurred in respect of each. [215175]

Derek Twigg: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Expert Groups

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what expert groups his Department set up in each year since 1999. [213201]

Derek Twigg: Details of formal, standing bodies set up by Government to provide independent, expert advice to Departments and Ministers are published annually by the Cabinet Office. These bodies, known as advisory non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), are listed in the annual “Public Bodies” publication. “Public Bodies” also contains some details on short-term advisory groups and task forces. Copies of “Public Bodies” dating back to 1999 can be viewed and downloaded from:

Copies are also available in the Library for the reference of Members.

The Ministry of Defence issues a “Supplementary Document MOD Non Departmental Public Bodies” which is available on the MOD website at:

Departmental Manpower

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many permanent staff in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies are classed as (i) staff without posts and (ii) part of a people action team. [215574]

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pay

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will review salary negotiations for public sector employees in organisations within his Department’s responsibility to reflect the rise in the consumer price index to a point above three per cent. [214547]

Derek Twigg: The Government’s pay policy is guided by the following principles. Public sector pay settlements should be consistent with maintaining the necessary levels of recruitment, retention and staff engagement needed to support service delivery; ensuring that total pay bills represent value for money and are affordable within Departments’ overall expenditure plans; and consistent with the achievement of the inflation target. Timing of pay decisions for a particular work force depends on pay-setting arrangements for that work force.


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Gurkhas: Pensions

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of changing retrospectively all Gurkha and Gurkha veteran pension and gratuity arrangements so that they are the same as those relating to non-Gurkha soldiers for each year of their service. [214495]

Derek Twigg [holding answer 30 June 2008]: The pension arrangements of serving and retired Gurkhas in service on or after 1 July 1997 were examined as part of the Review into Gurkha Terms and Conditions of Service the outcome of which was announced on 8 March 2007, Official Report, columns 141-42WS. As a result, a pension transfer offer was made to all eligible Gurkhas to allow them to transfer their benefits from the Gurkha pension scheme to one of two armed forces pension schemes. The offer gave equivalent pension value only for service on or after 1 July 1997 at a cost of around £150 million.

These changes were a response to the changes in the Gurkha's role and status since the completion of the withdrawal from Hong Kong on 1 July 1997, when the Brigade became a UK based force. Before 1 July 1997 the Gurkhas were based primarily in the Far East, with an expectation that they would retire to Nepal.

The cost of extending the terms of the offer to give equivalent pension arrangements for prior service to Gurkhas serving on or after 1 July 1997 has been estimated at a total of around £320 million. No estimate has been made of the cost of including Gurkhas who ceased to serve prior to 1 July 1997 in these arrangements, although it is believed that this would run into many hundreds of millions of pounds. Such a move would also be counter to the general policy of successive Governments that there should be no retrospective improvements to pensions and similar benefits—a policy which has been applied across the public sector in the United Kingdom, not just to Gurkha veterans.

HMS Ontario

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Government has ownership of the wreck of HMS Ontario; and if he will make a statement. [212600]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I will write to my hon. Friend.

Kosovo: Peacekeeping Operations

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2008, Official Report, column 724W, on Kosovo: peacekeeping operations, whether he has received a request from NATO to extend the operational reserve force beyond 30th June. [214368]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Department did not receive a request from NATO to extend the deployment of the UK Operational Reserve Force battalion in Kosovo beyond 30 June 2008.


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Military Aircraft

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many aircraft of each type are in the Royal Air Force. [214383]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The RAF management plan for 2007-08 provides the numbers of aircraft planned to be in service with the RAF on 31 March 2009. The numbers are:

Aircraft type Fleet number

Typhoon(1)

55

Tornado GR(2)

136

Tornado F3

59

Harrier(3)

77

Nimrod MR2

15

Nimrod R

3

Nimrod MRA4(4)

1

Tristar

9

VC10(5)

16

Sentry

7

Sentinel

5

Hercules K(6)

15

Hercules J

24

C-17(7)

5

BAe 146

2

BAe 125

6

Sea King

25

Dominie

9

Hawk T1

107

Hawk 128(8)

12

Tucano

95

Vigilant

64

Viking

82

(1 )Assessment of damage to one Typhoon which crashed in USA continues. If this is retained in the departmental fleet the total fleet will increase to 56.
(2) Two fewer aircraft have been withdrawn from service than planned, therefore actual number of Tornado GR now planned to be in service is 138.
(3) Does not reflect the loss of one Harrier on 16 June 2008, nor a further airframe which had previously been assessed as Cat 4 (damaged) during a 2005 ground incident and which has now been assessed as Cat 5 (beyond economic repair).
(4) Due to slippage of the programme, no Nimrod MRA4 will be delivered in the current period.
(5) Does not reflect that one aircraft will be retired in July 2008.
(6) Does not reflect the loss of one aircraft on 23 August 2007.
(7) Does not reflect that a sixth C-17 announced by Secretary of State on 26 July 2007 will be delivered in 2008.
(8) Does not reflect that three additional aircraft are now to be delivered in year.
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