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15 Jun 2009 : Column 5W—continued
We are working with the Defence Support Group towards a target to pay trade creditors' invoices within 10 days of receipt.
Departmental Press
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) newspapers and (b) periodicals are delivered to the private office of each Minister in his Department; and at what cost in the latest period for which figures are available. [279418]
Mr. Kevan Jones: A list of newspapers and periodicals centrally contracted for delivery to the private offices of Ministers in the Department is provided in the table. The total cost for these newspapers and periodicals for March 2009 was £729.41.
| Newspaper | Frequency | Total number of copies |
Departmental Responsibilities
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how he plans to allocate responsibility for defence procurement matters to his Ministers. [279986]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The right hon. Lord Drayson will be Minister of State for Strategic Defence Acquisition Reform, leading on the reform of Defence acquisition, Defence Research and Development, and championing new technologies in Defence. As the architect of the Defence Industrial Strategy he will lead work on the next version of the strategy. He will also have responsibilities as Minister of State, Department of Business Innovation and Skills, for Government policy on science and innovation.
Quentin Davies MP will remain as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, with his existing responsibilities for the Defence Equipment Programme through life, performance management of Defence Equipment and Support and its agencies, and the MOD interest in Defence exports. He will work with Lord Drayson on acquisition reform. He will also assume the UK lead responsibility for the High Level Working Group with the French Government on equipment cooperation.
Heroes Return 2 Scheme
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding had been allocated to veterans under the Heroes Return 2 scheme on the latest date for which figures are available. [278308]
Mr. Kevan Jones [holding answer 8 June 2009]: The Ministry of Defence has allocated no funding for veterans under the Heroes Return 2 scheme, which is being funded by the Big Lottery Fund. The Heroes Return 2 scheme will provide funding to help World War II veterans resident in the UK or the Republic of Ireland to participate in commemorative visits, both within the UK and overseas, to mark the 65(th) and other anniversary events that led to the end of WWII.
The scheme opened on 1 April 2009 and up to 29 May it had received 1,115 applications and made 599 awards with a total of £920,275.
MOD Ministers and Chiefs of Staff participated in the 65(th) anniversary events in Normandy at the invitation of the Royal British Legion and Normandy Veterans’ Association. There was significant representation by our armed forces with over 1,000 participating in events across Normandy and standing alongside veterans. MOD is also discussing with Westminster Abbey the possibility of a commemoration service in the autumn as requested by the Normandy Veterans Association.
Korean War: Anniversaries
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many veterans he expects to attend the commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the ceasefire in the Korean War on 27 July 2010; and if he will make arrangements to facilitate their attendance through (a) financial support and (b) other means. [279656]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The end of the Korean war is due to be commemorated in 2013, the 60th( )anniversary of the armistice. It is too early to say how this anniversary might be officially marked or indeed how many might attend. My officials have been in contact with the Korean Veterans Association who are content that the commemorations should take place in 2013.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 14 April 2009 on Trident (reference: MC01616/2009). [279917]
Bill Rammell: My predecessor replied to the hon. Member on 8 May 2009.
Military Aircraft
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) planned and (b) actual usage hours for (i) TriStar and (ii) VC10 aircraft there were in each year since 2003. [280067]
Mr. Quentin Davies: For figures covering financial years 2003-04 to 2007-08 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the then Minister of State for the Armed Forces, on the 10 July 2008, Official Report, column 1748W, to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox). The planned and actual flying hours for 2008-09 are shown in the following table:
| 2008-09 | |
Navistar Defence Husky
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the Navistar Defence Husky was selected for the Tactical Support Vehicle: Medium requirement; and what other tenders for the contract for that requirement were received. [279646]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The Navistar Defence vehicle which forms the base for Husky was selected for the Tactical Support Vehicle (TSV) Medium requirement because it met or exceeded all of the key user requirements, and the very demanding delivery schedule, while also providing the best overall value for money.
11 companies returned expressions of interest, of which six were within the scope of the TSV Medium. The six expressions of interest were from Iveco, Mercedes-Benz, Navistar Defence, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, Renault Trucks Defense and Penman Engineering Ltd.
Navy: Gibraltar
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy warships are based in UK waters off Gibraltar. [279046]
Bill Rammell: Two Royal Navy warships, HMS Sabre and HMS Scimitar, are based in Gibraltar. These are 16-metre fast patrol launches and form the Gibraltar Squadron.
Northern Ireland
Departmental Billing
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days on average (a) his Department and (b) each of its executive agencies took to pay an invoice in each month since November 2008. [279787]
Paul Goggins: The following table shows the average number of working days taken to pay an invoice by the Northern Ireland Office, including the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland (PPS), and its agencies in each month since November 2008.
| Average number of working days taken to pay an invoice | |||||
| NIO Core (inc. PPS) | NI Prison Service | Forensic Science NI | Compensation Agency | Youth Justice Agency | |
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