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23 Apr 2009 : Column 811W—continued
Some DII(C) printers are over five years old and do not support two-sided printing. DII(C) is, however, being replaced progressively by DII(F) and all printers procured for use on DII(F) have a two-sided print capability.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of IT products in each category procured for each division of his Department were compliant with the Government's Buy Sustainable-Quick Win standard in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [269631]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The Department currently has no mechanism for measuring compliance with the Government's Buy Sustainable-Quick Win standard but we are currently considering how to address this. Options include the introduction of regular audits and improved management information. One of the Department's largest IT programmes, Defence Information Infrastructure Future (DII(F)), will incorporate the standard into the next phase of the contract which is due to be let this year.
Future Large Aircraft
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the delays to the A400M announced by Airbus Military. [268970]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The A400M is proving to be a challenging programme, and significant delay has been announced. The implications of these delays are being studied by the Nations and by OCCAR, and a strategy to engage with Airbus Military is under discussion between the partner nations.
As the full extent of these delays is not yet known, it is not possible to estimate what the cost might be.
Mediterranean Region: Navy
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what British warships have deployed in the Mediterranean in 2009; and what the mission of each has been. [270082]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: In 2009 the following warships have deployed to the Mediterranean: HMS Bulwark, HMS Ocean, HMS Somerset, HMS Argyll and HMS Talent; HMS Westminster and HMS Edinburgh have been involved in gunnery training, while HMS St. Albans and HMS Brockleby have been part of the Standing NATO Maritime Groups.
Military Aircraft
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force aircraft of each type are (a) in service, (b) in the forward air fleet and (c) fit for purpose. [Official Report,3 June 2009, Vol. 493, c. 4MC.][269167]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The numbers of aircraft of each type which are in service, in the forward fleet and fit for purpose are provided in the following table. The figures shown are the average for February 2009 and have been rounded to the nearest aircraft.
“In service” has been taken to mean the effective fleet, which covers all aircraft barring those which are redundant, declared as surplus or awaiting disposal.
The number of aircraft in the forward fleet comprises aircraft which are serviceable and those which are short term unserviceable. Short term unserviceable aircraft
are undergoing minor works, forward maintenance or any other unforeseen rectification work that can arise on a day-to-day basis. Serviceable aircraft available to the front-line commands for operational and training purposes are termed fit for purpose.
| Aircraft type | In service fleet | Forward fleet | Fit for purpose |
Monuments
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy that no organisation be deterred from showing a cross or military emblems on war memorials on the grounds that to do so may offend ethnic minority groups; and if he will make a statement. [270377]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence officially commemorates the final resting place of all those who die in service and the UK Government contribute close to £40 million each year towards the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) 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. CWGC memorials, by design, carry no religious or military emblems.
The Department, however, does not have the responsibility for war memorials. This responsibility rests with the owner of the memorial, which is normally a local authority, a private individual or organisation.
West Africa: Military Aid
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the cost of the British Military Advisory Team in West Africa has been in each of the last five years; [270547]
(2) how many UK (a) military and (b) civilian personnel are serving in the British Military Advisory Team in West Africa; [270570]
(3) what the reasons are for discontinuing the British Military Advisory Team in West Africa. [270546]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The British Military Advisory and Training Team (West Africa) based in Ghana currently comprises eight personnel, seven military and one civilian, with a focus of effort supporting two institutions, the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre and the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College. The team will be withdrawn by September 2009.
The cost of the team and its activities is provided in the following table.
| Financial year | Expenditure (£000) |
| (1 )Allocation—final spend to be confirmed. | |
The demand of international peacekeeping and stabilisation operations continues to increase. While the UK supports these efforts, in the case of the United Nations paying a significant share (7.8 per cent.) of the rising costs, the increased costs have forced the UK Government to review its funding of discretionary activity, in conflict prevention, management and resolution, and post-conflict stabilisation. The finite funding available has been prioritised and effort focused on those countries or regions where the risk and impact of conflict is greatest. Ghana has shown with its successful elections and transfer of power that it has developed a stability lacked by many others in Africa.
It has always been our Government's long-term goal to enable the Staff College and Peacekeeping Training Centre in Ghana to become self-supporting with a commensurate reduction in the UK's direct assistance. Prioritisation of effort has required this process to be accelerated.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Civil Proceedings
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many legal proceedings his Department has lost in each of the last five years; and what the cost to the public purse was in each case. [264559]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Department lost two cases in 2008; and the cost to the public purse resulting from the legal proceedings was £49,012 in first, and £42,841 in the second.
The resources needed to obtain the information in relation to each of the four years 2004 to 2007 would be disproportionate and over the £750 threshold.
Climate Change
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 6 March 2009, Official Report, column 1875W, on climate change, for what reasons statutory clarification on the legal status of the section 46 notice was needed. [269884]
Jane Kennedy: The amendment to the relevant section of the Environmental Protection Act introduced in the Climate Change Act 2008 provides a single, clear point of reference in legislation for local authorities on this point.
Departmental Buildings
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps have been taken by his Department to improve the thermal efficiency of its buildings in the last 12 months. [266766]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs can confirm that DEFRA has recently commissioned a series of thermal efficiency surveys on 10 key properties on its estate. The surveys took place during February and March 2009.
The findings of the surveys will inform a programme of works to improve the thermal efficiency of these buildings. Further thermal efficiency surveys are planned for winter 2009.
Departmental ICT
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 12 November 2008, Official Report, columns 1226-7W, on departmental ICT, what the (a) expected completion date and (b) expected cost was at the outset of each project. [242152]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The following table details current major Information Technology projects in DEFRA and its largest executive agencies—the Rural Payments Agency and Animal Health.
The projects detailed are those that cost more than £1 million over the life of the project. The costs, as listed, exclude day-to-day running costs after the completion of the project.
Projects costing less than £1 million and those within smaller executive agencies have been excluded, as data collection for these would incur a disproportionate cost to the Department to compile.
| Project | Initial completion date | Initial estimated costs (£) |
|
Rural Payments Agency single payment system upgrade (including CAP health check) | ||
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