| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
27 Mar 2009 : Column 742W—continued
| National JSA Hardship Awards made in the years ending March | |
| Number | |
| (1) From July 2002 (2) To January 2009 Source: Management Information System Platform | |
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Jackal armoured vehicle in protecting frontline service personnel in Afghanistan from blasts. [267298]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The Jackal is a highly mobile weapons platform which has been subject to detailed technical assessment. While we believe that Jackal is appropriately protected given its role and the threats it faces, I cannot comment on the specific levels of protection, as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
Armed Forces: Pay
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Armed Forces Pay Review Body report for 2009 will be published; and what the reasons are for the time taken to publish the report. [267235]
Mr. Hutton: The 2009 Report of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB) will be published shortly. It is right that Ministers take time before this important report is published to consider carefully their response.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the Armed Forces Pay Review Body report for 2009 was submitted to the Prime Minister. [267236]
Mr. Hutton: The 2009 Report of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body was submitted to the Prime Minister on 29 January.
Armed Forces: Religion
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military chaplains there were in each of the armed services in each of the last five years. [266933]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The following table provides the number of military chaplains in each of the armed services as at 1 April for each of the last five years:
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
| (1) Provisional | |||||
Due to ongoing validation of data from the Joint Personnel Administration System, Army strength statistics from 1 April 2007, and Naval Service and RAF strength statistics from 1 May 2007 are provisional and subject to review.
Armoured Fighting Vehicles
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the assessment phase for the Future Rapid Effects System Scout vehicle to conclude. [264960]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The assessment phase of a project is the period during which a range of options to meet the requirement are examined and tested. The phase will not end until the evidence is sufficiently mature to allow a decision to be made on the option to be taken forward. It is not possible to be precise in advance about when this point will be reached but I hope it can conclude before the end of this year.
Colombia: Politics and Government
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Colombia; and if he will make a statement. [266071]
Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
The security situation in Colombia has improved over recent years, in particular in Colombia’s main urban centres. Violent crime and kidnappings have reduced. But serious threats to security and therefore the human rights of all Colombians remain, especially in those areas where illegal armed groups are active. We regularly call on the Government of Colombia to address these areas of concern.
Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel have been admitted to the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court (a) in each year since 2005 and (b) in each of the last 14 months. [265134]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court records the total number of patient episodes, which is the number of collated reviews for individual patients, as well as new patient referrals. The total numbers of such episodes over the last five financial years up to 28 February are provided in the following table. These figures include patient episodes at both the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre itself and the London and Overseas Regional Rehabilitation Unit which is also based at Headley Court.
| In-patients | Out-patients | Total | |
Details over the last 14 months are provided as follows.
| In-patients | Out-patients | Total | |
Patient referrals cover a wide range of injuries. Over the period covered by these statistics, there has been an increase in military operational tempo. This has led to an increase in patient activity overall and a more complex patient cohort requiring repeat admission to Headley Court. There have also been changes in the balance between the numbers of patients requiring a ward bed and those who do not, including an increase in specialist clinics such as consultant-led visiting clinics and prosthetic clinics. However, it continues to be the case that most cases treated at Headley Court have not resulted from current operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Middle East: Armed Conflict
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2009, Official Report, column 236W, on Navy: deployment, what the outcome was of the conference in London held on 13 March on contingency options directed at countering arms smuggling into Gaza; and what decisions have been made on the UK’s contribution to such operations. [266919]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: In response to concerns over the flow of weapons to the Gaza Strip, the nations represented at the London Conference on tackling arms smuggling into Gaza agreed and published a ‘Program of Action’. This initiative seeks to enhance efforts to prevent and interdict the illicit trafficking of arms, ammunition and weapon component to Gaza and, within the relevant jurisdictions prevent the facilitation of such transfers. A range of options is available for participating governments to consider, including the sharing of information and intelligence, co-ordinated diplomatic engagement and co-ordinating military and law enforcement activities.
The UK continues to explore a number of contingency options to support this initiative and will attend further meetings of participating states.
Monuments: Bury
Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Lutyens war memorial in
Bury to be replaced with an alternative structure; whether he plans to consult publicly on the form of that replacement; and if he will make a statement. [267241]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence does officially commemorate the final resting place of all those who die in service and the UK Government contributes close to £40 million each year towards the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to mark and maintain the graves, and the official memorials for those who have no known grave, of some 1.7 million Commonwealth service personnel who died during the two World Wars.
However, the Department does not have the responsibility for war memorials. This responsibility rests with the owner of the memorial, which, in the case of the Lutyens War Memorial in Bury, is the Trustees of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Museum, an independent charity.
Navy: Manpower
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) required strength, (b) actual strength and (c) percentage shortfall is in each trade in the Royal Navy. [266944]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The following table provides information on the liability and actual trained strength as at 1 February 2009 for each trade/specialisation for both officers and ratings/other ranks.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |