Written Answers to Questions
Friday 12 June 2009
Defence
Air Force: Housing
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his plans are for use of the vacant United States’ European Command housing units at (a) RAF Molesworth and (b) RAF Chevelston; and if he will make a statement. [278984]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The United States Department of Defence announced on 15 April 2009, that the two residential estates at RAF Molesworth and RAF Chevelston were to be released to the Ministry of Defence.
If they are not required for defence purposes, the estate will be disposed of in accordance with HM Treasury guidelines (Managing Public Money).
Armed Forces: Pensions
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse would be of extending eligibility for a full armed forces pension to those who retired from the armed forces before 1975; and what percentage of his Department's budget this would represent. [278881]
Mr. Kevan Jones: It is not practical to make an accurate estimate of the cost of making pension awards to those service personnel who served less than 22 years (16 years for officers) reckonable service prior to 1975.
Given the similarities with other schemes, the cost of providing pensions for pre-1975 service on a retrospective basis across the public sector would be prohibitive—exceeding tens of billions of pounds.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will consider extending eligibility for an armed forces pension to those who retired from the armed forces before 1975; [278882]
(2) if he will review the criteria for entitlement to a full armed forces pension for people who retired from the armed forces before 1975; and if he will make a statement; [278919]
(3) when the criteria for entitlement to a full armed forces pension for people who retired from the armed forces before 1975 were last reviewed; and if he will make a statement. [278920]
Mr. Kevan Jones: There remains no realistic prospect that this or any Government could afford to address these public sector pension legacy issues. For further details I refer the hon. Member to the speech given by the then Minister of State for the Armed Forces in the Adjournment Debate on 31 January 2007, Official Report, column 338-340, which clearly set out the legislative and policy background to this matter.
There are therefore no plans to review the criteria for entitlement for an armed forces pension.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people who retired from the armed forces before 1975 and are (a) disabled, (b) injured and (c) have ill health as a result of their service do not receive an armed forces pension. [278916]
Mr. Kevan Jones: This information is not held. If an individual had been invalided from the armed forces with a disability attributable to or aggravated by service they would have been considered for an armed forces pension. Should the disability arise after the individual had left the armed forces, and it is proved that the disablement was caused by service, they may be eligible to receive an award under the War Pension Scheme.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people who retired from the armed forces before 1975 and who had served in (a) Northern Ireland, (b) the Second World War, (c) Greece, (d) Korea, (e) Cyprus and (f) Palestine do not receive an armed forces pension. [278921]
Mr. Kevan Jones: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Crown Dependencies: Armed Forces
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what UK armed forces are based in (a) St. Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, (b) South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands and (c) the Falkland Islands. [279093]
Bill Rammell: There are some 1,250 UK armed forces personnel based in the South Atlantic Islands, the majority on the Falkland Islands, supported by a small detachment based on Ascension Island. This figure varies during the year due to individual posting plots and unit moves. There are no UK armed forces based in St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands.
Departmental Billing
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of invoices his Department and its agencies paid within 10 days of receipt in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [278827]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Information currently available for the Department, its agencies and trading funds is provided in the following table:
| MOD and agencies | UK hydrographic office | Met office | Defence science and technology laboratory | |||||
| Month | Total invoices | % paid within 10 days | Total invoices | % paid within 10 days | Total invoices | % paid within 10 days | Total invoices | % paid within 10 days |
We are working with the Defence Support Group towards a target to pay trade creditors’ invoices within 10 days of receipt.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to answer question 273046, on Somali piracy, tabled on 29 April 2009. [278570]
Bill Rammell: My predecessor, the right hon. Member for Coventry, North-East (Mr. Ainsworth) replied on 4 June 2009, Official Report, column 627W.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
British Overseas Territories:
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether records of DNA profiles are held on the Overseas Territories Regional Crime Intelligence System. [279080]
Chris Bryant: There are no records of DNA profiles held on the Overseas Territories Regional Criminal Intelligence System.
British Overseas Territories: Nature Conservation
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 May 2009, Official Report, column 357W, on British Overseas Territories: environment protection, what projects were funded from the £65,058 granted to the British Virgin Islands. [279075]
Chris Bryant: The following projects have been funded from the £65,058 granted under the Overseas Territories Environment Programme to the British Virgin Islands:
Assisting the Jost Van Dyke Preservation Society to advance environmental protection and sustainable development;
The publishing and launch of an Environmental CD Atlas and Teaching Resource for schools;
Improving management of marine protected areas through assessment of the Marine Conservation Programme;
Construction of a Mangrove Wetland Interpretive Centre;
Working with the Conservation and Fisheries Department on a National Environmental Action Plan.
Demos
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has any contracts with the think-tank Demos. [279505]
Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no current contracts with Demos.
Departmental Billing
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the average number of days taken to pay an invoice by (a) his Department and (b) each of its executive agencies was in each month since November 2008. [279525]
Chris Bryant: The average number of days taken to pay an invoice in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) are as follows:
| Days | |
FCO Services is a trading fund that has a separate payments system. FCO Services figures for these months are
| Days | |
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