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29 Jun 2009 : Column 46W—continued
Military Aircraft: Training
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average number of aircraft of each type available for training purposes was in each year since 2001. [251706]
Mr. Quentin Davies: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Substantive answer from Quentin Davies to Liam Fox:
In my answer of 2 February 2009, Official Report, columns 876-77W, I undertook to write to you about the number of aircraft available for training purposes in each year since 2001.
MOD-owned aircraft held at flying training units are counted as part of the Forward Fleet. Training aircraft in depth maintenance are not considered to be available to undertake training.
The average number of MOD-owned flying training aircraft in the Forward Fleet and therefore available for training purposes, rounded up to the nearest whole number, in each year since 2001 is provided in the following table.
| Financial year | ||||||||
| Aircraft type | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 |
| (1 )Out of service. | ||||||||
Data for Bulldog aircraft which were retired in 2002 are no longer available. Contractor owned training aircraft are contracted for the delivery of flying hours, rather than a specific number of aircraft. It is up to the contractor to decide how many aircraft are required to deliver the required hours.
All subsequent training on front-line aircraft types, including Conversion to Role, currency and pre-deployment training is achieved during routine flying hours at front-line command units, using aircraft that are also used for operational purposes.
Piracy: Navy
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for New Forest, East of 22 June 2009, Official Report, column 626W, on piracy, how many weapons of each type the Royal Navy has seized from suspected pirates in the last 12 months. [282668]
Bill Rammell: The Royal Navy has seized a total of 41 weapons during the boarding of pirate vessels in the past 12 months. These weapons consisted of 31 assault rifles, six rocket propelled grenades and four pistols.
RAF Fylingdales
Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the agreement of 5 November 2007 between the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to amend the boundaries of the land in the Register of Titles concerning RAF Fylingdales. [282518]
Mr. Kevan Jones: A copy of the agreement to amend the boundaries of the land in the Register of Titles concerning RAF Fylingdales is being obtained and will be placed in the Library of the House as soon as practicable.
Children, Schools and Families
Children: Protection
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2009, Official Report, column 234W, on children: protection, under what budgetary headings he expects the £57.8 million new spending to come. [282922]
Dawn Primarolo: The £57.8 million new investment together with the existing £73 million brings Government’s investment in the children and families’ social work workforce to £130 million between April 2008 and March 2011. This Social Work Transformation Fund is being used to fund children and families’ social work workforce commitments made in “The Children’s Plan: Building Brighter Futures; Building Brighter Futures: Next Steps for the Children’s Workforce” and the Government’s response to Lord Laming’s “The Protection of Children in England: A Progress Report”.
The Transformation Fund will increase the capacity of the system to recruit, train and support social workers, and implement change in the immediate term. The Social Work Task Force, established by the Secretaries of State for Health and for Children, Schools and Families will make recommendations on any long term reform needed in the autumn.
This funding is spent under budgetary heading RfR1: To help build a competitive economy and inclusive society by: creating opportunities for everyone to develop their learning; releasing potential in people to make the most of themselves; and achieving excellence in the standards of education and levels of skills.
Departmental Air Travel
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East of 6 October 2008, Official Report, column 477W, and pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2008, Official Report, column 741W, on departmental air travel, what distance of air travel was offset by his Department in 2007-08; and what proportion of such travel was (a) domestic, (b) short-haul and (c) long-haul. [250036]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The total distance of air travel used during 2007-08 to offset travel taken by Department for Children, Schools and Families was 1,790,103 km.
The proportion of travel is broken down as follows:
| km | |
The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) were created as a result of the machinery of government changes in June 2007. The number of air miles used to calculate the DCSF payment for the 2007-08 also includes air travel for DIUS (former DfES staff only). To separate these data would involve disproportionate cost.
Departmental Billing
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 18 May 2009, Official Report, column 1239W, on departmental billing, how much each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies paid in interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years. [282334]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department currently has nine non-departmental public bodies. They are independent organisations and records are not held centrally by the Department with regard to interest payments to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debt (Interest) Act 1998.
Departmental Mobile Phones
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) BlackBerry devices and (b) mobile telephones have been lost by (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in his Department and its predecessors in each year since 2005. [274460]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The number of items reported as lost, missing, or stolen are for civil servants and are as follows:
| Number | ||||||
| (i) Ministers | (ii) Special Advis e rs | (iii) Civil Servants | ||||
| (a) Blackberry | (b) Mobile phone | (a) Blackberry | (b) Mobile phone | (a) Blackberry | (b) Mobile phone | |
Education Maintenance Allowance: Lancashire
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many young people received education maintenance allowance in each parliamentary constituency in the Lancashire County Council area in each year since the allowance’s inception. [282075]
Mr. Iain Wright: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Geoffrey Russell, the LSC’s Acting Chief Executive, will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.
Free School Meals
Dr. Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which local authorities applied to participate in the free school meal pilots. [282021]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: 34 local authorities expressed interest in taking part in the free school meal (FSM) pilot project which will begin in September. Of these, 29 were invited to submit full bids with 13 authorities submitting full bids. Seven wanted to pilot universal FSMs to all primary school children; five opted to pilot the extension of FSM eligibility; and one authority indicated that it would like to pilot either approach. 16 authorities indicated that they no longer wished to be considered for the scheme. Summaries of expressions of interest and full bids are listed as follows:
Liverpool
Telford and Wrekin
Knowsley
Gateshead
Durham
Wakefield
Rotherham
Blackburn
Brighton
Dudley
Newham
Isle of Wight
Kent.
Wolverhampton
Luton
Croydon
Halton
West Sussex.
Reading
Waltham Forest
Bristol
Sandwell
Hillingdon
Sunderland
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