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24 Jun 2009 : Column 898W—continued
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK military personnel are (a) embedded with Pakistani military units and (b) based in Pakistan to co-ordinate military operations in support of UK military operations in Regional Command South. [279963]
Bill Rammell: There are currently no UK military personnel embedded with Pakistani military units. As part of normal military relations, UK non-embedded military staff based at the British high commission in Islamabad provide a liaison and co-ordination function between the Pakistani military and UK and NATO operations in Afghanistan.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many fatalities of civilian contractors supplying British forces in Afghanistan there have been in each year since 2001. [280192]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 16 June 2009]: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department holds on the number of casualties sustained by forces from each NATO member state participating in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan in each of the last three years. [281197]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence holds statistics on the number of casualties suffered by UK forces in Afghanistan since 2001, which are published on the Ministry of Defence website at:
We do not comment on the casualties suffered by other nations, which are matters for the countries concerned.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times the UK has commanded Regional Command South in Afghanistan since 2003; and how many UK troops were part of that command on each occasion. [281443]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The UK has commanded Regional Command (South) once, between May 2007 and February 2008, since it was established in 2006. In February 2007 the endorsed force level for British troops in Afghanistan was 7,700.
Armed Forces: Northern Ireland
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers were stationed in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [281333]
Bill Rammell: The Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) organisation produce these figures quarterly in Tri-Service Publication 10—“UK Regular Forces Stationed Location” report, which is available on the DASA website at the following address:
http://www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/index.php?page=67&;pubType=0&thiscontent=1800&date=2009-05-29
Defence
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department plans to conduct its next strategic defence review. [281442]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: No date has been set for a defence review.
Departmental Food
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the (a) meat, (b) fruit and (c) vegetables procured by his Department in the last 12 months was produced in the UK. [281946]
Mr. Quentin Davies: A second report on the proportion of domestically produced food procured by Government Departments and also supplied to hospitals and prisons under contracts negotiated by NHS Supply Chain and HM Prison Service was published in November 2008, covering the year from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. This report and the first one covering the previous year can be found at:
The report gives details of the proportion of individual meat, fruit and vegetable categories purchased.
Although it is too early to show a trend, the report indicates that the amount of domestically produced food consumed by Government Departments in England is increasing. The proportion of domestically produced food procured by MOD has gone up from 43 per cent. in 2006-07 to 59 per cent. in 2007-08. A third report is expected to be published at the end of 2009.
Employment Tribunals Service
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many actions under employment law have been brought against his Department in each of the last three years; how many such actions were brought under each category of action; and how many such actions were contested by his Department at an employment tribunal. [277411]
Bill Rammell: The number of employment related matters involving the Ministry of Defence in the last three financial years are provided in the following table.
| Financial year | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 |
The figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland represent the total number of cases brought against the MOD before employment tribunals or other courts in the past three financial years. The case categories for Scotland and Northern Ireland are set out in the following table.
In contrast the figures for England and Wales represent the number of cases opened by the Treasury Solicitors on behalf of the MOD in England and Wales in the financial years 2006-07 to 2008-09. Not all of the cases opened by the Treasury Solicitors have resulted in proceedings being started in an employment tribunal or other courts. To provide information on the number of cases brought to an employment tribunal in England and Wales could have been provided only at disproportionate cost. For the cases opened by Treasury Solicitors the case categories are provided as follows.
| England and Wales | |
| Case category | Number of cases |
In Scotland a total of 30 cases were brought in the financial years 2006-07 to 2008-09. 25 cases were brought to an employment tribunal, four other cases were brought in other courts or other specialist tribunals and one case was transferred to be dealt with in England and Wales. Not all of the cases brought to a tribunal or court went through the full tribunal or court procedure; several were settled or withdrawn. The case categories are set out as follows.
| Scotland | |
| Case category | Number of cases |
In Northern Ireland a total of 17 cases were brought to an industrial tribunal or the Fair Employment Tribunal in the financial years 2006-07 to 2008-09. Not all of these cases would have gone through the full tribunal procedure; several were settled or withdrawn, some remain outstanding and one case was transferred to the Treasury Solicitors. The case categories are set out as follows.
| Northern Ireland | |
| Case category | Number of cases |
| (1) This includes one part time equal pay claim which has been transferred from the Crown Solicitors Office to the Treasury Solicitors and which covers a total of 1,053 claimants. | |
Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) operational control, (b) administrative control, (c) technical control, (d) tactical control and (e) other command relationship between UK and non-UK forces operating in Iraq is at the lowest unit level for which data is available. [279967]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Within Baghdad, the Senior British Military Representative and Deputy Commanding General Multi-National Forces-Iraq is under operational command of the UK's Chief of Joint Operations, working within the US command chain to fulfil the duties implicit in his coalition appointment. The Senior British Military Representative-Iraq has operational control of all UK staff officers embedded in the Multi-National Force-Iraq structure and delegate's tactical command of these individuals as appropriate.
A number of UK forces in Baghdad are assigned to the NATO Training Mission -Iraq, where fully embedded UK staff officers are under operational command of NATO and a UK infantry platoon providing force protection at the Iraqi Military Academy is under the operational control of the Senior British Military Representative Iraq and tactical command of NATO. All UK staff assigned to the NATO Training Mission are under administrative control of NATO for routine life support.
Within southern Iraq the UK currently has command of Coalition Task Force Iraqi Maritime which overseas the protection of the Iraqi offshore oil platforms and maintenance of the security of Iraqi Territorial Waters.
UK forces who remain on the Contingency Operating Base in Basra are under the operational control of the UK's Joint Force Logistics Commander, for the purposes of withdrawal. While no formal command and control relationships exist between these individuals and hosting US Forces, the US are responsible for their security and life support.
The Prime Minister set out our future plans for Iraq in the House on 15 June 2009, Official Report, column 22. Permissions for UK operational and training activities in Iraq expired on 31 May and we have paused in our support to the Iraqi military.
Nuclear Weapons
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2009, Official Report, column 1344W, on USA: military alliances, on what date and at which location the June 2009 Stocktake meeting between the Government and the US administration under the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement is scheduled to take place; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the programme for the meeting. [280421]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The 33rd meeting of the UK/US Stocktake was held in the Ministry of Defence, Main Building, Whitehall, London on Tuesday 9 June. The programme comprised discussions on nuclear threat reduction, warhead, and platform issues, together with a consideration of potential future exchanges.
I am withholding a copy of the programme for the purpose of safeguarding national security.
Nuclear Weapons: Public Opinion
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department’s most recent opinion poll data are on public opinion on the retention of the United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrent. [281402]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 22 June 2009]: Questions on the retention of the UK’s nuclear deterrent were included in the public poll on perceptions of the Ministry of Defence and UK armed forces conducted in December 2003.
The following figures were collated for the public opinion poll on whether the UK should keep its nuclear weapons:
8 per cent. strongly agreed
35 per cent. tended to agree
25 per cent. tended to disagree
9 per cent. strongly disagreed
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