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23 Feb 2009 : Column 28W—continued
Departmental Lobbying
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Ministers in his Department received representations from (a) Lord Moonie, (b) Lord Taylor of Blackburn, (c) Lord Snape and (d) Lord Truscott in the last seven months. [255222]
Mr. Kevan Jones: According to our records, the only representations are 47 parliamentary questions tabled by Lord Moonie for the period 1 July 2008 to 31 January 2009.
Departmental Official Visits
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hon. Members have visited (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan in circumstances where his Department assisted in the visit in the last three years; on what dates such visits took place; and what the purpose was of each visit. [248160]
Mr. Hutton: Detailed information on all visits by Members of Parliament to operational theatres over the last three years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the maximum monthly allowance in addition to basic salary is for civilian employees of his Department working in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan. [254919]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: MOD civil servants deploy into Iraq and Afghanistan on a voluntary basis to provide specialist support to UK armed forces. They are required to work long hours, usually over a six-month period and in austere living and working conditions alongside their military counterparts where they are exposed to operational risk.
These living and working conditions are recognised through a system of taxable operational allowances:
Operational deployment allowance (ODA) takes into account the working and living conditions experienced in theatre. It is reviewed on a regular basis.
Operational working allowance (OWA) recognises the very long hours and additional duties undertaken by deployees in excess of their normally contracted employment. The minimum operational working week is 82 hours as opposed to the standard UK 37 hour week. Many work in excess of those hours.
The total sum payable to an individual will vary. It is dependent on both their grade and their location. The current maximum monthly allowance in Iraq is £8,250 before tax for a Band B civil servant based in Basra. In Afghanistan it is £8,000 before tax for an identically graded civil servant based in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province. By comparison a Band D civil servant in Basra and Lashkar Gah would be paid sums of £5,250 and £5,000 respectively.
Departmental Public Appointments
Mr. Maude:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of the public appointments for which his Department is responsible are due to be (a) renewed and (b) filled in the next 24 months; what the (i) remit, (ii) salary, (iii)
political restriction, (iv) eligibility requirement and (v) timetable for each appointment is; and what records his Department keeps in respect of such appointments. [254227]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The process for making a public appointment, including guidance on political activity and eligibility criteria, follows the Cabinet Office publication ‘Making and Managing Public Appointments’. For appointments regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the appointments process also complies with the ‘Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies’. Copies are in the Libraries of the House. Vacancies may be advertised on the Cabinet Office Public Appointments website at
Successful candidates are requested to declare their political activities. Information on MOD's Public Appointments can be found at
Departmental Recruitment
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many new recruits his Department took on in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07, (c) 2007-08 and (d) 2008-09; how many of these were taken on as (i) permanent, (ii) temporary and (iii) agency staff; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figures for (A) 2009-10 and (B) 2010-11. [254474]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Information on the numbers of recruits appointed in the Department as permanent, temporary or agency staff in years 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 is provided in the following table. The Department does not currently have firm estimates for civilian external recruitment for the years 2009-10 and 2010-11.
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | |
Departmental Staff
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff in his Department were disciplined for (a) bullying and (b) harassment of colleagues in each of the last three years. [254089]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The information requested is not held centrally for all the dates requested. However, records held centrally of civilian staff disciplined specifically for bullying and harassment of colleagues in the Department for the periods:
March 2007 to March 2008 include 16 cases of disciplinary action specifically for bullying and harassment of colleagues.
April 2008 to January 2009 include 10 cases of disciplinary action specifically for bullying and harassment of colleagues.
Departmental Working Hours
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the policy of his Department and its agencies is on granting staff time off in lieu for working (a) in lunch breaks, (b) in evenings and (c) at other times outside contracted working hours; and if he will make a statement. [252035]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Staff who work in excess of their conditioned hours have the opportunity to receive payment for those hours worked or take the time off in agreement with their local line management.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many days off in lieu were granted to staff in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies for working (i) in lunch breaks and (ii) at other times outside contracted working hours, in the last year for which figures are available. [252036]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The Department does not hold this information centrally.
EU Rapid Reaction Force
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 5 February 2009, Official Report, column 1406W, on EU rapid reaction force, what forces are available for planning purposes for EU missions. [257498]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the then Secretary of State my right hon. Friend the Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun (Des Browne) gave on 4 March 2008, Official Report, column 2348W.
Falkland Islands: Air Routes
Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next plans to review the fares applicable to the Falkland Islands Airbridge; and if he will make a statement. [257810]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The fares for civilian access to the South Atlantic Airbridge are presently governed by the 1992 Joint Policy Statement between the FCO and MOD. A new Joint Policy Statement is nearing agreement and, once signed, a new fare structure will be implemented.
HMS Endurance
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects a full assessment of the damage to HMS Endurance on 16 December 2008 to be completed; and if he will make a statement. [256718]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Work has been already undertaken to assess HMS Endurance's material state, but further investigations are required which will take place on her return to the UK at the end of March. It is estimated that a full assessment of its condition will be completed by the end of May.
Infantry: Manpower
Mr. Laws:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) full strength and (b) actual number of
deployable troops is of each infantry battalion; and if he will make a statement. [257345]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The figures requested are shown in the following table:
| Division | Unit | Actual strength | Number of deployable troops |
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