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1 Apr 2009 : Column 1272W—continued
Saab Bofors Dynamics AB
Westland Helicopters Ltd.
A.W.S.R. Shipping Ltd.
Alenia Marconi Systems Ltd.
Alvis Vickers Ltd.
BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd.
BAE Systems Electronics Ltd.
MBDA UK Ltd.
QinetiQ Ltd.
Rolls Royce Power Engineering
Royal Ordnance plc
Thales Underwater Systems
Alenia Marconi Systems Ltd.
BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd.
BAE Systems Defence Ltd.
BAE Systems Electronics Ltd.
MBDA UK Ltd.
QinetiQ Ltd.
Raytheon Company
Rolls Royce Power Engineering
Thales Underwater Systems
Vickers Engineering plc
Alenia Marconi Systems Ltd.
BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd.
BAE Systems Avionics Ltd.
BAE Systems Defence Ltd.
BAE Systems Electronics Ltd.
EDS Defence Ltd.
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Matra BAE Dynamics (UK) Ltd.
Rolls Royce Power Engineering
Royal Ordnance plc
Directorate of Management and Consultancy Services
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what Directorate of Management and Consultancy Services studies have been issued since 1997-98: [249709]
(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of each Directorate of Management and Consultancy Services study produced in 2008. [249723]
Mr. Kevan Jones: I will place a copy of the list of substantive studies completed by the Ministry of Defence’s Directorate of Management Consultancy Services between January 2000 and December 2008 in the Library of the House. While every effort has been made to ensure the completeness of the list over that period, it has not been possible to confirm absolutely that all substantive studies have been included due to a lack of consistency in recording information during a period of restructuring and change. Records prior to 2000 are not held on a central database and could be accessed and verified only at disproportionate cost.
I will place copies of the reports produced in 2008 in the Library of the House, subject to a check to ensure they do not contain information that should be withheld. I will write to the hon. Member when this has been done.
Substantive answer from Kevan Jones to Liam Fox:
I undertook to write to you on 28 January, (Official Report, column 509W) about the Directorate of Management and Consultancy Services.
Officials have now completed the reports and I have placed copies in the Library of the House. I attach a copy for ease of reference.
Ex-servicemen: Mental Health
Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the average cost to his Department of commissioning psychological reports in connection with cases raised by veterans in the last 12 months, broken down by category of expenditure. [267836]
Mr. Kevan Jones:
This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Responsibility for veterans’ health care delivery lies with the NHS. The Department of Health and Devolved Administrations, with support from the Ministry of Defence have launched a number of community mental health pilots for veterans at six NHS Trusts across the UK. Centred on the patient and GP, these arrangements should make it easier for veterans with concerns about their mental health to seek and access help. For those veterans not in the catchment area of one of the pilot
sites and who are not satisfied with the support provided to them through the NHS, MOD’s Medical Assessment Programme, based at St. Thomas’s hospital London, provides expert mental health assessments.
Ex-servicemen: Tribunals
Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) veterans’ tribunals and (b) reviews of cases before veterans’ tribunals there have been in each year since 2000. [267837]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Appeals from former service personnel under the War Pensions Scheme and from both service and former service personnel under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, are heard by the First-tier Tribunal, War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation, which is administered by the Tribunals Service, an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice. It was formerly known as the Pensions Appeals Tribunal.
The records for the number of appeals in respect of War Pensions Scheme (WPS) start in 2001 and relate only to veterans. The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) came into existence in April 2005 and the cases provided in the following table relate to both the serving and veterans communities.
| WPS number | AFCS number | |
Data are not kept in a format that can identify reviews of cases before veterans’ tribunals, therefore, this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Falkland Islands: Aviation
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilian places are available each week on the RAF aircraft services between the UK and the Falklands Islands. [267937]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: There are currently two return South Atlantic Airbridge flights each week operating between RAF Brize Norton and the Falkland Islands via Ascension Island. On each flight there are 26 seats available to fare paying passengers between the UK and Ascension Island and a further 29 seats available to fare paying passengers between the UK and the Falkland Islands. This reflects the requirements requested by the Governments of the Falkland Islands, Ascension and St. Helena.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on how many occasions in each of the last three years flights between the UK and the Falklands Islands were cancelled because weather conditions prevented aircraft from landing on Ascension Island; [267938]
(2) what alternative routes between the UK and the Falkland Islands are available in the event of a closure to aircraft of Ascension Island. [267939]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Since September 2006 no flights between the UK and the Falklands Islands have been cancelled owing to weather conditions preventing aircraft from landing on Ascension Island. Records prior to this are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In the event of Ascension Island being closed to aircraft, alternative routes between the UK and the Falkland Islands would be managed on a case by case basis.
Iraq: Security
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many private military and security companies are operating in Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [245285]
Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office currently contracts four private military and security companies to protect its property and staff in Iraq. Those companies are Control Risks Group, GardaWorld, Minimal Risks and ArmorGroup. There is no information available to ascertain how many other companies are also operating in Iraq.
Iraq-Kuwait Conflict
Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on examining matters raised by Gulf War veterans in each of the last five years. [267834]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the needs of Gulf veterans and their dependants remain a priority for the Government. Appropriate medical treatment is provided by the NHS. Financial support is available to eligible Gulf veterans and dependants through MOD war pensions and armed forces occupational pension schemes. The UK has undertaken a substantial amount of research into the possible causes of Gulf veterans’ illnesses costing some £9 million from 1997 onwards. The focus of our research effort is now on rehabilitative therapies for those veterans with persistent symptoms as recommended by the Medical Research Council. A contract has been awarded to Cardiff university, acknowledged experts in this field, and work has begun on a rehabilitation research programme.
Navy: Manpower
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) trained, (b) actual strength and (c) numbers fit for duty requirement is for the Royal Navy's Submarine Service. [267070]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The submariner liability at 1 February 2009 is provided in the following table:
| Submariner liability | |
The submariner trained regular strength at 1 February 2009 is provided in the following table:
| Submariner trained regular strength | |
The apparent surplus of submariner officers and the near balance of submariner ratings masks significant shortfalls in the sea-going population where some ranks/specialisations have insufficient numbers of suitably qualified and experienced personnel.
Information regarding fit for duty requirement is not currently available. I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Under-Secretary of State my hon. Friend the Member for North Durham (Mr. Jones) gave on 20 January 2009, Official Report, columns 1262-64W, to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox). Further information should be available by summer 2009 (subject to validation exercises) using data from the Defence Medical Information Capability programme as identified in the House of Commons Defence Committee Readiness Inquiry.
Peacekeeping Operations
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what main injuries were sustained by each (a) very seriously injured or wounded and (b) seriously injured or wounded member of the armed forces personnel in (i) Iraq in each year since 2003 and (ii) Afghanistan in each year since 2002. [258864]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence publishes the numbers of personnel categorised as very seriously injured and seriously injured as a result of Operations TELIC and HERRICK on its website
The figures are updated fortnightly.
We do not routinely sub-classify VSI and SI by the type of injury sustained, although academic work is in hand examining the nature of injuries sustained, which subject to security applications will be considered for publication.
Some figures have previously been collated on amputee numbers. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence informed the House in a written answer on 16 December 2008, Official Report, column 554W, between 1 December 2007 and 30 November 2008 a total of 24 service personnel have suffered amputations due to injuries sustained while on operational deployment; one in Iraq and 23 in Afghanistan. These amputations can range from the loss of part of a finger or toe up to the loss of entire limb(s).
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average pay was for (a) lance corporals and (b) privates serving in Iraq and Afghanistan at the latest date for which information is available. [267651]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Service personnel receive the same basic pay regardless of where in the world they are serving. The average annual basic pay of lance corporals and privates and their equivalents in the RN/RM and RAF is provided in the table. The averages shown are based on pay rates for 2009-10 as announced by the Government on 31 March 2009 and service numbers as at January 2009.
| Rank | Average annual basic pay |
Service personnel serving a six month tour in Iraq and Afghanistan will also be eligible for the following: tax free operational allowance currently £2,380; tax free council tax relief currently £145; and longer separation allowance, of which the minimum level currently payable is £1,194.
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