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14 July 2008 : Column 159W—continued
Armed Forces: Pay
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what proportion of salary payments for personnel in all three services were paid on time in the last two years; [215422]
(2) how many RAF employees (a) received a salary payment late and (b) missed a salary payment as a result of errors in the Joint Personnel Administration system in (i) 2006 and (ii) 2007; [215423]
(3) how many armed forces personnel (a) received a salary payment late and (b) did not receive one or more salary payments as a result of errors in the Joint Personnel Administration system in 2007. [215424]
Derek Twigg: During financial years 2006-07, 99.92 per cent. of personnel in all three Services were paid on time (773 RAF personnel were paid late) and in 2007-08 all armed forces personnel were paid on time. (See notes). No member of the armed forces failed to receive a salary payment as a result of errors in the Joint Personnel Administration System in either year.
Notes:
1. The number of personnel paid on time and paid late reports the performance of the former Armed Forces Personnel and Administration Agency's (financial year 2006-07) and the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency's (financial year 2007-08) against key target 1 (timeliness of pay) as set out in the Annual Corporate Plan and Annual Report and Accounts.
2. Some individual delays in payments of some additional pay and allowances have occurred as a result of late or invalid inputs to the Joint Personnel Administration system being received from individuals, unit HR or career managers.
3. Local cash payments are always available to individuals should the need arise.
Armed Forces: Recruitment
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide a breakdown of recruitment to the armed forces against targets by region for the last five years. [218449]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: There are no recruitment targets currently set by region or nationality.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 June 2008, Official Report, column 718W, to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox), which details target and actual recruitment to the Army, Naval Service and RAF. Recruitment targets are shown from 2000-01 to 2007-08. Actual recruitment is shown from 1997-98 to 2007-08.
Armed Forces: Scotland
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service family accommodation properties in (a) Scotland and (b) Northern Ireland have been identified as awaiting (i) disposal and (ii) demolition in each year since 2002. [218437]
Derek Twigg: The following service family accommodation (SFA) properties in Scotland have been identified for disposal and demolition.
| Financial year | Identified for disposal | Identified for demolition |
In Northern Ireland, 553 properties await disposal and 142 properties are currently being demolished. Historic data for Northern Ireland is not available.
Armed Forces: Training
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact on Defence Training Review project financing of levels of demand from residential developers for his Department’s land at (a) Aborfield and (b) Bordon. [217395]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Defence Training Review (DTR) Package 1 Project plans to improve and rationalise phase 2 and phase 3 technical training. As a consequence of this rationalisation both Bordon and Arborfield Garrisons will be released for sale from 2012 onwards.
MOD has sought recent independent valuation advice for both sites as part of financial appraisals for DTR which uses prudent levels of values in its assessments.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress his Department has made on the proposed sale of sites at (a) Arborfield and (b) Bordon; and if he will make a statement. [218767]
Derek Twigg: As a result of defence training review project, which aims to improve and rationalise defence training, Bordon and Arborfield garrisons will be released for sale. The sites will be sold following the relocation of the occupying units to their new facilities from 2012 onwards.
In anticipation of this disposal Defence Estates is working with the respective local authorities to achieve master plans and prepare planning applications for both locations.
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contingency plans have been agreed by his Department for managing affordability gaps identified in the Defence Training Review. [217725]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth:
The Department continues to work constructively with the Metrix consortium on a range of issues on DTR Package 1 to achieve an affordable, value for money, acceptable and deliverable project. Cost growth and the implications of the credit crunch on borrowing have been a significant factor. The Department has been working jointly with Metrix
to drive the price down to seek to eliminate the affordability gap without materially affecting the scope of the project.
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to discuss with the Comptroller and Auditor General the treatment of the financing of the Defence Training Review programme in his Department's accounts. [217726]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence has not yet entered into a contract for the delivery of Defence Training with the Metrix consortium. The treatment of the financing of the Defence Training Review (DTR) programme does not therefore appear in the Department's accounts and consequently there are no plans to discuss DTR with the Comptroller and Auditor General. One minor entry for a contingent liability of £9.5 million will, however, be included in this financial year's account. This undertaking was laid as a departmental minute before the House for 14 working days on 29 January this year.
Defence Training Review Executive Board
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the minutes of the last meeting of the Defence Training Review Executive Board. [217394]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I am withholding the information requested as its release would, or would be likely to, prejudice commercial interest.
Defence: Expenditure
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what defence expenditure (a) including and (b) excluding the cost of operations was in the latest 12 month period for which figures are available in (i) cash terms and (ii) as an estimated percentage of gross domestic product. [217005]
Des Browne: Defence expenditure figures for 2006-07 are as follows:
| Near cash outturn (£) | Percentage of GDP | |
Departmental Car Allowances
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mileage allowance is provided to each category of entitled worker by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [218482]
Derek Twigg:
Civilian employees who use their private vehicle for official duty may claim one of two mileage rates, the Standard Rate of Motor Mileage
Allowance (SRMMA) or where there are more economic methods of travel, the Private Travel Rate of Motor Mileage Allowance (PTRMMA). Rates are:
40p per mile for the first 10,000 miles
25p per mile for travel more than 10,000 miles
25p per mile
The SRMMA is based on HM Revenue and Customs Authorised Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) and the PTRMMA on the AMAP for travel more than 10,000 miles.
There are several travel allowances which can be claimed by service personnel.
The UK Private Car Rate (PCR) is more usually claimed for duty journeys (i.e. journeys undertaken for reasons such as meetings or official visits). It is payable for journeys where there is no spare seat available in a service or private motor vehicle already scheduled to undertake a journey in the required direction and, although public transport could be used without undue detriment to the interests of the service, the use of a private motor vehicle is considered reasonable. The rate is 28.3p per mile.
The UK Official Duty Rate (ODR), which is authorised only very occasionally for duty journeys where the use of a private motor vehicle is essential and there is no cheaper alternative, is the same as the SRMMA for civilians and is also based on HM Revenue and Customs Authorised Mileage Allowance Payments AMAPs.
Service personnel who travel daily between the accommodation where they live and their place of duty may claim Home to Duty (HTD) (Public) if they live in public accommodation or HTD (Private) if they live in private accommodation. The allowance is based on the distance travelled up to a maximum of 50 miles per single journey, less a personal contribution of one mile per single journey for HTD (Public) and nine miles per single journey for HTD (Private). The rates are paid on a daily basis and vary according to the number of miles travelled. For example the daily HTD (Public) rate claimable for a distance of 30 miles each way from the place of duty is £9.94.
Departmental Early Retirement
Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff in (a) his Department and (b) his Department’s agencies have taken early retirement in the last two years. [217382]
Derek Twigg: The following table shows details of the number of Ministry of Defence civilian employees that have taken early retirement in the last two financial years.
| Financial year | Number of MOD civilian staff who have taken early retirement( 1) |
| (1) Includes all non-industrial, industrial and trading fund MOD civilian personnel but excludes Royal Fleet Auxiliary and locally engaged civilian staff for whom no information on exit reason is available. Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. | |
Departmental Equipment
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) pursuant to the answer on 19 January 2007, Official Report, columns 1363-64W, on departmental equipment, how many of the computers which have been stolen since 1998 contained information with a classification of (a) none, (b) restricted, (c) confidential, (d) secret and (e) top secret; [182387]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2007, Official Report, column 58W, on departmental computers, how many of the computers which were stolen in 2007 had a classification of (a) no classification, (b) restricted, (c) confidential, (d) secret and (e) top secret. [182390]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: As a result of the theft of the Royal Navy laptop, the Ministry of Defence has initiated an investigation into the details of all lost or stolen computers since 2003.
I will write to the hon. Member when the information is available and arrange for a copy of my reply to be placed in the Library of the House.
Substantive answer from Bob Ainsworth to Liam Fox:
I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Questions on 25 January 2008, (Official Report, columns 2246-47W) about departmental computers.
As a result of the investigation into details of electronic media lost/stolen since 2003, which I announced on 31 March 2008, (Official Report, column 517W), data on the number of laptops and desktop computers centrally reported as stolen from the Department since 2003 have been revised. Figures prior to 2003 were not centrally recorded and were limited in nature and are therefore not presented in this reply. The information is set out in the following table which identifies the highest Protective Marking (“classification”) of material which the systems were accredited to hold.
| Unclassified /None | Restricted | Confidential | Secret | Top Secret | Not d etermined | Total | |
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