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12 Nov 2008 : Column 1172W—continued
Armed Forces: Mental Health Services
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what treatment centres are available in the north of England to servicemen and women (a) suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and (b) who have recently served in Iraq and Afghanistan; how many servicemen and women and former servicemen and women have been treated in these centres in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [233583]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Within the north of England there is one military Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH), located in Catterick. DCMH Catterick is responsible for treating both regular and reserve service personnel, as out-patients, following a referral from their military general practitioner or the Reserve Mental Health Programme (RMHP) based at Chilwell. In-patient care, when necessary, is provided under contract by the Priory Group at facilities located in Darlington, Stockport, Altrincham and Bartle.
Figures on attendances at DCMHs have only been centrally recorded since the beginning of 2007 as part of the work carried out by DASA, on the Armed Forces Psychiatric Morbidity Report; figures for 2008 are currently being verified and are not available for release. In 2007 there were 720 new attendances at DCMH Catterick, of
whom 521 were assessed at their first appointment to be suffering from a mental health condition. Of those 521, 10 personnel were diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Information on the numbers of service personnel to be admitted as in-patients to the facilities named above for any cause between 2005-07 is shown as follows. Information is not held centrally on the specific diagnosis leading to their admittance.
| Admittances to in-patient care | |
The treatment of veterans is the responsibility of the NHS and as such, with the exception of those eligible under RMHP, they do not receive treatment at DCMHs. However, the MOD does recognise that it has an expertise to offer in the diagnosis and treatment of service related mental health conditions. The Department of Health, in conjunction with the MOD, has launched five community mental health pilots targeted at veterans. Each site has a trained community veterans’ mental health therapist. Veterans can access this service directly or through their GP, ex-service organisations, the Veterans’ Welfare Service, or social service departments, the initiative is NHS-led and reflects NHS best practice. This will address assessment and treatment of veterans’ mental health problems in the longer term. Within the north of England, a pilot is in operation at NHS Bishop Auckland General Hospital. Subject to the outcome of the evaluation, best practice will be identified and rolled out more widely across the UK.
In addition, to assist those veterans not in the catchment areas of one of the pilots, we have expanded our Medical Assessment Programme (MAP) based at St. Thomas’ Hospital, London, to include assessment of veterans with mental health symptoms with operational service since 1982. The clinician in charge also provides support and advice to GPs and other civilian health professional requiring advice on the military aspects of treatment.
Armed Forces: Safety
Mrs. Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures are in place in the armed forces to consider and act upon recommendations following Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigations; what HSE reports were received in 2007; and what steps were taken as a result of each. [230829]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The procedures for consideration and acting upon recommendations following Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Investigations are contained within Ministry of Defence policy documentation Joint Service Publication (JSP) 815—Defence Environment and Safety Management, Annex L and JSP 375—The MOD Health and Safety Handbook, Volume 2 Leaflet 14.
Information about HSE reports received in 2007 and the actions taken is not held centrally and officials are collating the details. Once this work has been completed I will write to my hon. Friend.
Substantive answer from Bob Ainsworth to Joan Humble:
I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question on 29 October (Official Report, column 1029W) about Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigations and reports.
In answering your question I have interpreted the phrase ‘HSE Reports’ to mean Crown Censures(1) or Crown Improvement Notices. None of the latter has been reported. The Ministry of Defence received two Crown Censures during January to December 2007.
The first Crown Censure followed the fatality of a Corporal as a result of injuries sustained from being crushed between two armoured personnel carriers being unloaded from a low loader at Teesport, Cleveland in March 2007. The second Crown Censure was a fatality as a result of crushing between a Multiple Launch Rocket System vehicle and a large fork lift truck at Albemarle Barracks, Northumberland also in March 2007.
As a result of these tragic incidents, investigations were carried out which have led to a revision of arrangements for assessing workplace transport risks in the MOD; specifically, improvements have been made in the following areas:
1. Safe systems of work are now in place, including carrying out risk assessments and taking action on the resulting recommendations before any work is undertaken.
2. All staff involved are properly trained and have access to sufficient information and instruction to enable them to carry out the work safely.
3. Staff with supervisory duties now receive improved training on those responsibilities.
4. Interfaces between the MOD internal organisations responsible for the delivery of vehicles and those operating the vehicle fleets have been improved.
5. Equipment maintenance practises have been reviewed and improved systems have been put in place.
(1) Crown Censure is an administrative procedure, whereby HSE may summon a Crown employer to be censured for a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act, or a subordinate regulation, which, but for Crown Immunity, would have led to prosecution with a realistic prospect of a conviction.
Army Benevolent Fund
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Army Benevolent Fund on their ability to fund rehabilitation for military casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan. [231466]
Mr. Kevan Jones: MOD officials have regular formal and informal contact with the ABF on a range of issues, but the subject of rehabilitation has not been formally raised.
Defence Estates: Olympic Games 2012
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which parts of the Royal Artillery estates, other than those parts designated as housing, would need to be closed to enable shooting events during the London 2012 Olympics to take place at Woolwich. [233741]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Discussions between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) and the Ministry of Defence on hosting the shooting events at the Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich are continuing. A priority is to minimise any disruption to the army units, soldiers and their families based at Woolwich but as yet no firm decision has been made on the design of the venue so it is too early to say if any areas will need to be closed.
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Minister for the Olympics on the staging of the London 2012 Olympic events at Woolwich army base. [233743]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The current Secretary of State for Defence has not had any such discussions. His predecessor had several discussions with the Minister for the Olympics about the 2012 games that included the use of Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich.
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of army families who would have to vacate their accommodation to enable shooting events to take place at Woolwich army base as part of the London 2012 Olympics. [233745]
Mr. Kevan Jones: It is a priority for the Ministry of Defence, the Department for Culture Media and Sport, and the London Organising Committee for the Olympic games to minimise any disruption to the army units, soldiers and their families based at Woolwich. However, until a decision is made on the final design of the venue, I cannot give an estimate of the number of families, if any, who may have to vacate their accommodation.
Defence Medical Services
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) required and (b) actual strength of the Defence Medical Services is, broken down by type. [234920]
Mr. Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 21 July 2008, Official Report, column 842W. Manning statistics for the Defence Medical Services are updated twice a year, in April and October. The October figures are currently being collated, and I will write to the hon. Member when these have been completed.
Departmental Civil Servants
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civil servants were employed by his Department in each year since 1998, broken down by (a) directorate, (b) role and (c) pay grade. [231460]
Mr. Kevan Jones: I have placed the information requested in the Library of the House.
Departmental Consultants
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on external consultants in each year since 1998. [231398]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Summaries for the years 1997-98 to 2007-08 of MOD expenditure on external assistance, of which consultancy is a part, are available in the Library of the House.
Departmental Health Services
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on private sector health specialists by his Department in the last five years. [231397]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The vast majority of healthcare for service personnel is provided, both at home and overseas, by the Defence Medical Services (DMS). However, there will be times when it is necessary to employ private sector health specialists, such as when a particular specialism is not available within the DMS, or when it would be impractical to provide the service using internal resources (for example, aspects of healthcare for personnel posted overseas in places such as Germany and other smaller bases and detachments).
In practice, the departmental spend on such private sector health provision is drawn from a number of individual budgets across the MOD, including at local unit level within the single services, and disproportionate effort would be required to provide the information requested.
However, we have been able to obtain a breakdown of costs from the MOD central budget and British Forces Germany which provide an insight into the figures and areas on which costs are incurred.
| MOD central budget | |
| FY | £ |
These figures are inclusive of the contract costs the MOD has with the Priory, Alliance Medical etc.
| British Forces Germany | |
| FY | £ |
These figures include secondary healthcare contacts with German hospitals, non-contracted extra-contractural costs, primary care contract costs with SSAFA Forces Help, and Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, non contracted primary care costs, and costs related to isolated detachments in European theatre.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2008, Official Report, column 1040W, on departmental manpower, what records his Department's human resources division holds of the number of permanent departmental staff who do not have a permanent post. [233646]
Mr. Kevan Jones:
As at 5 November 2008, there were some 525 MOD civil servants who were in the civilian redeployment pool because their substantive posts had reached an end, or because they were returning from overseas or extended absence. A further 446 were in the redeployment pool because their posts were due to end within six months. Those staff receive preferential consideration for posts. While in the redeployment pool, staff whose substantive posts have ended remain in their posts and continue to be funded and managed by their previous management, who assist them with their development and job search and employ them on
appropriate temporary tasks. Central records of posts and their occupants, and of membership of the redeployment pool, are held by the People Pay and Pensions Agency (PPPA) for all MOD civil servants (other than employees of trading fund agencies for whom separate arrangements are made).
Departmental Mass Media
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on media monitoring activities in each year since 2005. [234325]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Media monitoring costs for the whole Department are not held centrally. The costs for the central Media and Communications unit which is responsible for management of media issues across defence including the armed forces are as follows:
| £ | |
These costs include press cuttings, online media monitoring and of national and regional broadcast footage; these products are used across the whole of defence from MOD Head office to our headquarters on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The costs reflect the quantity of stories and level of interest in defence stories.
We have recently reviewed our contracts to assure ourselves that this represents value for money.
Departmental Paper
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of paper used (a) for photocopying and (b) in printed publications by his Department was from recycled sources in each of the last two years. [220728]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The percentage of paper used for photocopying and printed publications from recycled sources in the last two years is as follows:
For the first year, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 May 2007, Official Report, column 218W.
From October 2007 to date, 2,072,455 reams of paper have been purchased for photocopying and computer printing; 688,163 reams (33.21 per cent.) of which complied with the recycled content standard. 100 per cent. of paper used in copiers and printers in the MOD head office buildings complies with the minimum recycled content standard. The MOD is committed to improving this figure and the paper framework catalogue highlights and recommends the use of recycled paper. Also when MOD staff order non-recycled paper from the Office Depot help desk, they are challenged on why they could not order recycled paper.
From April 2007 to date, 2,185.84 tonnes of paper has been purchased for printed publications; 2,149.66 tonnes (98 per cent.) of which complied with the recycled content standard.
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