| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
19 Nov 2008 : Column 485W—continued
Transport: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much local transport grant was given to the City of York unitary authority in each year since its creation. [236882]
Paul Clark: The Department for Transport has provided the following grants for local transport to the City of York since it was established as a unitary authority in April 1996 in the following two tables.
| £ million | ||||
| Integrated transport block | Highways maintenance | Other funding( 1) | Total local transport funding | |
| (1) Other funding covers detrunking, road safety grants, reward funding, re-allocated supplementary credit approvals (SCA), bus real time information. | ||||
Funding allocations made prior to local transport plan funding.
| £ million | ||||
| Transport supplementary grant | Annual capital guideline | Supplementary credit approval | Total | |
| (1) Covers funding of £3.238 million for the Peasholme Green Bridge major scheme. | ||||
Revenue expenditure on transport is generally supported through the Department for Communities and Local Government’s Formula Grant.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK troops have been deployed as part of the operational mentor and liaison team programme in Afghanistan since September 2007; and how many have been killed or injured in each battalion. [234155]
Mr. Hutton: Seven UK operational mentoring and liaison teams (OMLTs) work alongside the Afghan National Army in Helmand province. These teams total between 250 and 300 personnel at any one time. Approximately 800 personnel have undertaken this role since September 2007.
Fatalities and injuries are not recorded centrally by tasking, and troops from the infantry battalions providing OMLTs undertake other tasks as well. The three battalions that have provided OMLT teams since September 2007 have suffered the following number of fatalities overall:
2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (Herrick 7): 3
1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment (Herrick 8): 2
1st Battalion, The Rifles (Herrick 9): 0
For reasons of medical confidentiality, it is our policy not to produce a detailed breakdown of injuries by unit. However the Ministry of Defence does publish information regarding fatalities and statistical details of non-fatal injuries suffered by UK service personnel and civilian employees in Afghanistan on a fortnightly basis, two weeks in arrears. This can be found on the departmental website at the following address:
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there have been any instances of aerial attacks on civilians in Afghanistan by British aircraft as a result of (a) error and (b) deception; and if he will make a statement. [236074]
Mr. Hutton: I have nothing to add to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Leyton and Wanstead (Harry Cohen) on 20 October 2008, Official Report, column 118W.
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the procedures are for ensuring that British military air strikes are not directed against civilians in Afghanistan. [236075]
Mr. Hutton: The deliberate targeting of civilians would represent a direct contravention of international law. A wide range of checks and balances exist within the UK military chain of command to ensure that this can never happen. These include provision of absolutely clear direction into theatre and the deployment of legal and other experts to ensure this direction is followed.
Sadly, on a very small number of occasions, civilian casualties inadvertently result from the use of air-launched weapons. The UK, along with our partners in the International Security Assistance Force, makes every effort possible to minimise the risks of this occurring. Release of air-launched weapons is coordinated by controllers on the ground, who are fully trained in the use of lethal force, law of armed conflict and the appropriate rules of engagement. Controllers and pilots communicate with each other to ensure that the target is accurately identified, using target designating equipment where appropriate, and the weapon and method of attack is selected so as to minimise any risk of civilian deaths or injury, or damage to civilian property.
The risk of civilians becoming involved in military operations is greatly exacerbated by the tactics employed by the insurgent forces, who frequently attack UK and ISAF forces from within civilian locations.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Harrier will be subject to a programme review in 2009 if it is withdrawn from Afghanistan (a) before and (b) after 1 April 2009. [236193]
Mr. Quentin Davies [holding answer 17 November 2008]: We keep all our programmes under regular review as part of our planning process. This applies irrespective of operational deployments.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Pakistani military personnel are (a) assigned, (b) attached and (c) embedded with UK armed forces in Regional Command South. [236451]
Mr. Hutton: There are currently no personnel from the Pakistani armed forces assigned, attached or embedded with UK armed forces in Regional Command (South).
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many anthropologists are assigned to work with UK armed forces operating in Afghanistan. [236452]
Mr. Hutton: There are no anthropologists assigned to work with UK armed forces operating in Afghanistan. Training on cultural issues is, however, provided to UK forces prior to their deployment to Afghanistan.
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many weeks passed between (a) the date of injury and the date of the decision that compensation was due and (b) the date of the decision that compensation was due and the date of first payment in the cases of each of the 18 personnel who were very seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2006 who have received compensation; [236626]
(2) how many weeks passed between (a) the date of injury and the date of the decision that compensation was due and (b) the date of the decision that compensation was due and the date of the first payment in the case of each of the 13 personnel who were seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2006 who have received compensation; [236628]
(3) how many weeks passed between (a) the date of injury and the date of the decision that compensation was due and (b) the date of the decision that compensation was due and the date of the first payment in the case of each of the 40 personnel who were seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2007 who have received compensation; [236629]
(4) how many weeks passed between (a) the date of injury and the date of the decision that compensation was due and (b) the date of the decision that compensation was due and the date of the first payment in the cases of each of the 23 personnel who were very seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2007 who have received compensation. [236635]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The time between an individual’s date of injury and the date on which they make a claim for compensation under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) varies from person to person. For this reason, any figures produced on the time between the date of injury and the date of the decision that compensation is due will be misleading. The time between the date each claim was registered under the AFCS and the date of the decision that compensation is due, has been calculated for personnel that were seriously injured (SI) or very seriously injured (VSI) in Afghanistan during 2006 and 2007.
For data protection purposes and to maintain anonymity of claimants, information cannot be provided at individual level. Table 1 as follows presents the median length of time in weeks between the date on which a claim was registered under the AFCS and the date of the decision that compensation was due, for personnel with a cleared claim under the AFCS. Figures are presented by severity and year of injury in Afghanistan.
| Table 1: Median number of weeks between the date a claim was registered and the date of the decision that compensation was due, by severity and year of injury in Afghanistan( 1) | |
| Number of weeks (median) | |
| (1) Figures are based on those that have had a decision made following their claim under the AFCS: 8 out of the 13 personnel who were SI and 16 of the 18 personnel who were VSI in Afghanistan during 2006, and 31 of the 40 personnel who were SI and 21 of the 23 personnel who were VSI in Afghanistan during 2007. | |
For data protection purposes and to maintain anonymity of claimants, information cannot be provided at individual level. Information on actual date of compensation payment under the AFCS is normally recorded on the joint personnel administration (JPA) database. JPA roll-out for the RAF, Navy and Army was 1 April 2006, 1 November 2006 and 1 April 2007 respectively. Payment dates prior
to JPA roll-out could be collected only at disproportionate cost. Table 2 presents the median length of time in days between the date of the decision that compensation was due under the AFCS and the actual date of payment, for those recorded on JPA. 63 out of 76 had a recorded payment date on JPA. Figures are presented by severity and year of injury in Afghanistan.
| Table 2: Median number of days between the date of the decision that compensation was due, and the actual date of payment, by severity and year of injury in Afghanistan( 1, 2) | |
| Number of days (median) | |
| (1) Figures are based on those that have had a decision made following their claim under the AFCS: 8 out of the 13 personnel who were SI and 16 of the 18 personnel who were VSI in Afghanistan during 2006, and 31 of the 40 personnel who were SI and 21 of the 23 personnel who were VSI in Afghanistan during 2007. (2) Figures are based on those that have payment details on JPA: two out of the eight personnel who were SI and 10 out of the 16 personnel who were VSI in Afghanistan during 2006, and 30 out of the 31 personnel who were SI and all of those VSI in Afghanistan during 2007. | |
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how much compensation has been paid to each of the 13 personnel who were seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2006 who have received compensation; [236627]
(2) how much compensation was awarded to each of the 40 personnel who were seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2007 who have received compensation; [236633]
(3) how much compensation was awarded to each of the 23 personnel who were very seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2007 who have received compensation. [236637]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Information on compensation amounts paid out to those personnel that were seriously injured or very seriously injured in Afghanistan during 2006 and 2007 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many of the 13 personnel who were seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2006 have subsequently left military service; how many weeks passed from the date of the injury to the date of their leaving military service in each case; and whether each serviceman or servicewoman received compensation for their injury; [236630]
(2) how many of the 40 personnel who were seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2007 have subsequently left military service; how many weeks passed from the date of the injury to the date of their leaving military service in each case; and whether each serviceman or servicewoman received compensation for their injury; [236631]
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |