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13 Oct 2008 : Column 898W—continued
Casualty statistics for UK military and civilian personnel in Afghanistan are routinely updated each fortnight on the MOD website. The tables can be found at:
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/Operations Factsheets/OperationsInAfghanistanBritishCasualties.htm
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many enemy combatants were killed by UK troops in Afghanistan in each month of operations in the last two years. [225728]
Mr. Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave on 6 May 2008, Official Report, column 832W, to the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell).
Armed Forces: Abortion
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many servicewomen requested an abortion in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) the age of the woman, (b) the grounds for the abortion, (c) the number of weeks of gestation at which the request was made, (d) the procedures used and (e) whether the operation was performed. [225671]
Mr. Kevan Jones: These figures are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Armed Forces: Alcoholic Drinks
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of the (a) Army, (b) Navy and (c) Royal Air Force alcohol strategies; and if he will make a statement. [225910]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Officials are preparing a joint service publication which will incorporate the MOD’s alcohol strategy. It is expected to be published by the end of this year. I will place a copy of the alcohol strategy element in the Library of the House.
Armed Forces: Career Breaks
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of HM Armed Forces have availed themselves of the scheme enabling them to have a career break; and if he will make a statement. [225664]
Mr. Kevan Jones [holding answer 9 October 2008]: Members of the armed forces have been able to apply to take a career break since 31 May 2005. Career breaks for service personnel are granted at the absolute discretion of the service, when manning margins allow and where they do not compromise operational capability. In that time, the number of career breaks taken has been: Royal Navy, 19 (figures only available from March 2006); Army, 45; and Royal Air Force, 35.
Armed Forces: Casualties
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made on measures to prevent blue on blue engagements by armed forces units. [223823]
Mr. Hutton: The MOD has a Combat Identification programme to improve its capability in this area and is working with NATO working groups and Coalition allies to develop interoperable solutions. Recent progress has included equipment procured for operations in response to specific theatre requirements, such as an improved aircraft targeting pod capability and improved forward air controller equipment, as well as further developing combat ID awareness and pre-deployment training. Further information can be found on page 103 of the MOD annual report and accounts 2007-08 at:
A copy is available in the Library of the House.
Armed Forces: Colchester
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department have held discussions in the last four months with Essex County Council about possible involvement by his Department or Colchester Garrison in the future of secondary school education in Colchester; and if he will make a statement. [226217]
Mr. Kevan Jones: There have been no discussions in the last four months between the Ministry of Defence and Essex county council concerning the future of secondary school education in Colchester.
Armed Forces: Education
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sources of funding there are for further and higher education payments to be made to service personnel as outlined in the Service Personnel Command Paper; and whether these payments will cover living costs. [222072]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Funding to meet this commitment comprises that already allocated as employer contributions to the Armed Forces Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC) scheme supplemented by resources made available by DIUS and the Scottish and Welsh administrations.
The commitment in the Service Personnel Command Paper (Cm 7424) applies to tuition fees. Additional living or other expenses incurred by service leavers in further or higher education are not covered, but a range of other support sources are available to help with non-tuition related costs where appropriate such as discretionary learner support funds for students in further education who need help with additional costs associated with their learning such as books, travel and child care.
Armed Forces: Finance
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual (a) operating and (b) support costs are for one unit of (a) an armoured regiment equipped with Challenger 2 tanks, (b) a formation reconnaissance regiment, (c) an engineer regiment, (d) a Royal Marine Commando battalion, (e) a Regular Army equipment support battalion, (f) a Royal Logistics Corps regiment and (g) a (National Communications) Signal Brigade. [224701]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Armed Forces: Mentally Ill
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel were medically discharged for mental and behavioural disorders in each year since 2001. [226981]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The number of service personnel medically discharged for mental and behavioural disorders in each year since 2001 is contained in the following table.
| Naval service, Army and RAF medical discharges for mental and behavioural disorders, numbers( 1) ,2001-07 | ||||||||
| All years | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| (1) Numbers may not add up to the sum of their parts due to rounding to the nearest 5. (2) Includes the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines. | ||||||||
All numbers presented have been rounded to the nearest five to avoid disclosure of individual identities.
Armed Forces: Pensions
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many out-of-court settlements there were regarding war pensions in each of the last five years; and what information his Department holds on the reasons for such settlements being made. [222531]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Details of the number of common law compensation claims brought against the MOD together with payments made and the basis for settling such claims is set out in the Department’s claims annual report. Copies of the report are available in the Library of the House for each year since it was first published in 1997-98. About 97 per cent. of such claims are settled one way or the other out of court. The 2007-08 report is scheduled to be published in the autumn and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.
Details of compensation payments made under the War Pensions Scheme in respect of War Disablement Pensions in each of the last five years are set out in the following table.
| April to March each year | Cases qualifying for payment | Ex-gratia comp for delay | Ex-gratia actual financial loss | Loss of statutory entitlement | Ex-gratia consolatory payment |
Armed Forces: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department has commissioned on post-traumatic stress syndrome and related topics in order to facilitate the discharge of its duty of care for members of HM Armed Forces. [225499]
Mr. Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave on 21 January 2008, Official Report, column 1581W, to the hon. Member for Teignbridge (Richard Younger-Ross).
Armed Forces: Resignations
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) officers, (b) non-commissioned officers or equivalent ranks and (c) other ranks or equivalent left (i) the Royal Navy, (ii) the Royal Marines, (iii) the Army and (iv) the Royal Air Force in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many from each of the above rank categories in each service were involuntarily discharged. [225142]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 8 October 2008]: The following table shows the number of trained officers, non-commissioned officers (NGOs) or equivalent ranks and other ranks or equivalent that left the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, the Army and the Royal Air Force Regular Forces(1) in each of the last five financial years.
(1) UK Regular Forces exclude Gurkhas, Full -Time Reserve personnel, and mobilised reservists.
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