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Allocation to the higher or lower pay range is on the basis of job evaluation, which is a well-established and objective means of assessing the weight of an individual job by analysing it as a series of elements or factors and giving it a numerical score. The six key factors used to determine job weight are: knowledge, skills and experience; complexity and mental challenge; judgment and decision-making; use of resources; communications; and working conditions. The results of job evaluation for all other rank trades are applied on a whole trade basis against the evaluation of a range of jobs selected as being representative of the main types of employment carried out across a particular trade, but with each rank being judged on its own merits.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has adopted the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management Programme. [266729]


1 Apr 2009 : Column 1269W

Mr. Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) set up a partnership agreement with the Carbon Trust in July 2004, the scope of which goes wider than the Carbon Management Programme. We are currently taking the necessary steps to achieve the Carbon Trust Standard which is a key enabler in achieving the Carbon Reduction Commitment.

The MOD is continuing to work with the Carbon Trust on a number of specific carbon reduction projects. Examples include, the Catterick Garrison Carbon Management Energy Efficiency Project which, once implemented, is expected to result in a reduction of approximately 12,900 tonnes of CO2.

Departmental Magazine Press

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on the production of in-house magazines in the Department in each year since 1997. [265411]

Mr. Kevan Jones: The armed forces and MOD produce a range of in-house publications, aimed at keeping our people informed and maintaining cohesion in our wider organisation. These range from major print journals with large circulations, which offset costs through advertising, to small electronic newsletters produced at little or no cost.

Production costs of all in-house publications produced within the MOD are not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, details of production costs (excluding staff costs) of the principal central MOD publication, Defence Focus, for each year since 1998-99 are as follows:


1 Apr 2009 : Column 1270W

 £000

1998-99

168

1999-2000

174

2000-01

162

2001-02

165

2002-03

205

2003-04

179

2004-05

180

2005-06

203

2006-07

198

2007-08

166

2008-09

187


Departmental Redundancy

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008, Official Report, column 1558W, on redundancy, how many staff left his Department under staff exit schemes with a severance package worth (a) between £100,000 and £125,000, (b) between £125,001 and £150,000, (c) between £150,001 and £200,000, (d) between £200,001 and £250,000, (e) between £250,001 and £500,000, (f) between £500,001 and £1,000,000 and (g) over £1,000,000 in each year since 2005-06. [264311]

Mr. Kevan Jones: To provide this specific information would require a departmental-wide trawl to ascertain the number and cost of involuntary and voluntary staff exits in each year since 2005-06. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.

We do hold information centrally on the departmental-wide voluntary early release schemes which were launched in March 2005 and March 2008 (early retirement or early severance). The following table shows the number of staff who voluntarily left the Ministry of Defence in each year between 2005-06 and 2007-08, grouped by the cost of their severance package (over £100,000); and those who are due to leave in years 2008-09 and 2009-10. These early release schemes are expected to reduce the MOD Salary Costs by around £90 million over the period 2005-10. These early release schemes are expected to reduce the MOD salary costs by around £90 million over the period 2005-10.

 £100,000-£125,000 £125,000-£150,000 £150,000-£200,000 £200,000-£250,000 £250,000-£500,000 £500,000-£1 million £1 million plus Total

2005-06

62

47

43

10

5

0

0

167

2006-07

37

43

60

16

8

0

0

164

2007-08

103

70

107

16

8

0

0

304

2008-09

35

19

31

21

10

0

0

116

2009-10

32.

21

35

17

7

0

0

112

Total

269

200

276

80

38

0

0

863


These figures include all those early departure costs met by the Ministry of Defence, including the cost of lump sum severance payments and the additional costs of benefits beyond the normal Principal Civil Service Pension scheme (PCSPS) benefits in respect of employees who retire early, and the capitalised costs of early payment of pension benefits.

Departmental Research

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding for research and development his Department has provided to defence companies in each year since 2000; and which 10 companies received the most funding. [267394]

Mr. Quentin Davies: Table 1.8 of UK Defence Statistics (UKDS) provides statistics on the Departments annual expenditure on Research and Development (R and D) activities. These are compiled in accordance with internationally agreed definitions. Expenditure is broken down into intramural (i.e. (R and D) activity undertaken within the Department) and extramural (i.e. that R and D activity undertaken outside the Department).


1 Apr 2009 : Column 1271W

The extramural figures cover the Department's expenditure on tasks undertaken by UK and overseas industry as well as small amounts tasked to Universities and Research Councils. Copies of the latest and previous editions of UKDS are held by the Library of the House and are available online at:

Gross extramural expenditure on R and D as published in the latest UKDS (2008) is provided in the following table. These figures are currently subject to a data quality review and will be published once approval has been received from the UK Statistics Authority. Figures before 2001-02 are not directly comparable because from 2001-02 Government expenditure has been formally accounted for on a resource basis only.

£ million (inclusive of non-recoverable VAT at current prices )

 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Research and Development (R and D)

Total Gross Extramural Expenditure on R and D

1,698

2,502

2,364

2,288

2,229

Research

Total Gross Extramural Expenditure on Research

388

379

384

474

455

Development

Total Gross Extramural Expenditure on Development

1,311

2,123

1,980

1,814

1,775


The following lists provide the top 10 defence companies (in alphabetical order) which have received most of the annual expenditure on R and D tasks in each of the years from 2000-01 to 2007-08, the latest year where complete data are available.

2007-08

2006-07


1 Apr 2009 : Column 1272W

2005-06

2004-05

2003-04

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