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13 July 2009 : Column 17Wcontinued
14. Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Navistar Defence Husky tactical support vehicle in each theatre of operation in the last two years. [285634]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The Husky Tactical Support Vehicle is specifically designed for Afghanistan. As it will enter service later this year, there has not yet been an assessment of its performance in theatre. The vehicle has, however, successfully passed stringent mine blast protection tests. I cannot comment on the levels of protection afforded by the vehicle, as disclosure could prejudice the security of the armed forces.
17. Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the projected costs of military operations in Afghanistan in each of the next three years. [285637]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East (James Duddridge).
20. Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent assessment is of the security situation in Afghanistan. [285640]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Hornchurch (James Brokenshire).
18. Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made towards procurement of the next generation of the nuclear deterrent; and if he will make a statement. [285638]
22. Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made towards procurement of the next generation of the nuclear deterrent; and if he will make a statement. [285642]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Members to the answer given earlier today to the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham (Mr. Hands).
19. Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of his Department's budget headings are planned to have reductions in the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [285639]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Defence Plan 2008-12, available in the Library of the House, sets out in Section IV the planned Defence budget up to 2010-11, reflecting the outcome of the 2007 comprehensive spending review.
This includes a high level breakdown of the planned budgets for top level budget holders in the Department. The detailed allocation of these are reviewed during regular planning rounds to reflect current Defence priorities and commitments. It is not our practice to announce these detailed allocations-although major changes to the Defence programme, when made and appropriate, are announced in the usual way.
Departmental expenditure limits have not yet been set for the years beyond 2010-11.
21. Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his plans are for future numbers of infantry regiments; and if he will make a statement. [285641]
Bill Rammell: There are currently 36 infantry battalions. While we constantly review the structure of the infantry, we currently have no plans for this to change.
23. Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what upper limit has been placed on the number of troops participating in Operation Herrick. [285643]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The endorsed force level for Operation Herrick is 8,300.
On 29 April 2009, Official Report, column 869, the Prime Minister announced the deployment of additional troops to Afghanistan to provide extra security during the Afghan election period. This has for the present increased troop numbers in Afghanistan to 9,000.
Mr. Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the contribution towards UK defence requirements of his Department's facilities at Kyle of Lochalsh and the surrounding area; and if he will make a statement. [285635]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The maritime ranges in the area around Kyle of Lochalsh make a valuable contribution to UK defence capabilities. However, work by QinetiQ, which operates the ranges on our behalf, shows that the service could be delivered more efficiently by centralising range control at a single base at Kyle of Lochalsh. We are investigating separately whether this change could be combined with an enhancement to range capability.
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is of the cost to his Department of replacing Trident. [285636]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The estimated procurement costs for replacing the Trident nuclear deterrent are £15-20 billion, at 2006-07 prices for a four-boat fleet. Once the new fleet of submarines comes into service annual in-service capital and running costs of the deterrent, which includes the costs of the Atomic Weapons Establishment, are expected to be similar to today. This cost is currently around 5 to 6 per cent. of the annual defence budget.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the defects at the service family accommodation at Jubilee Buildings, Queens Terrace, St. John's Wood; what his Department's remedial plan for this accommodation is; and what the (a) timetable and (b) budget is for its repair. [274748]
Mr. Kevan Jones: As might be expected after decades of underinvestment there are many issues arising from these properties and the accommodation is not of the high standard to which we aspire.
Although essential maintenance and repairs continue to be carried out and issues raised by occupants are addressed, these properties are not required beyond 2011 and accordingly no major modernisation or improvement works are planned.
I have also asked for an update on these buildings and will write following this.
Substantive answer from Kevan Jones to Andrew Murrison
In my answer of 14 May 2009 Official Report, column 937W I promised to write to you with an update regarding the Service Family Accommodation (SFA) at Jubilee Buildings, Queens Terrace, St John's Wood.
As stated in my earlier answer, due to decades of underinvestment there are issues arising from the SFA at Jubilee Buildings, which is leased by the Department to house the families of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery (KTRHA) based at St John's Wood Barracks. The SFA is no longer required after the KTRHA's planned relocation to Woolwich in 2011, so it would not be an appropriate use of defence funds to carry out any major maintenance, modernisation or upgrade work.
However, we remain committed to carrying out essential maintenance and repairs and address any issues raised by occupants. In addition to the frequent visits made by Modern Housing Solutions, the contractor responsible for the maintenance of the SFA, the Department's Area Housing Manager visited the SFA on 29 May 2009 to better understand current issues, discuss concerns with occupants, identify immediate solutions to some and hasten outstanding essential maintenance work.
I have asked officials to keep me updated on progress and I will ensure you are also kept informed.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the new spend on (a) each married quarters estate and (b) married quarters in total (i) was in 2008-09 and (ii) is projected to be in each of the next five years. [276803]
Mr. Kevan Jones: In 2008-09 the Ministry of Defence spent some £48 million on new projects and upgrades relating to its worldwide holdings of Service Family Accommodation (SFA). Of this expenditure around £40 million was in respect of SFA in the UK, £7 million in Cyprus and £1 million in Germany.
A breakdown of the major elements of expenditure on the UK SFA, by location is shown in the following table.
Location | £ million |
The Department was planning to spend £48 million in each year of the next five years on the upgrade of SFA to its highest standard for condition. However as the hon. Member will know from the Budget statement on 22 April 2009, this Department is bringing forward £50 million to be spent on accommodation.
The details of this expenditure have yet to be determined. I will write to the hon. Member when a decision has been taken.
Substantive answer from Kevan Jones to Andrew Murrison:
In my answer of 1 June 2009 (Official Report: Column 36W) I undertook to write to you with details of how the £50 million of advanced funding will be spent on improving Service accommodation.
Both single Service personnel and Service families will benefit from this expenditure which will be spread across 19 locations in Great Britain. As well as the provision of new accommodation, the £50 million will be spent on upgrading existing accommodation and other improvements such as new fixtures and fittings. Projects benefited by the £50 million advance will include, SFA at South Cerney, Cirencester, and Peninsula Towers, Knightsbridge, London. Single Living Accommodation (SLA) at Lille Barracks, Aldershot; Mooltan Barracks, Tidworth; and at Woolwich; Marchwood; Minley; Chivenor, Stonehouse; Culdrose; Condor; Plymouth; Lympstone; Yeovilton; Halton; Waddington; Wittering; Marham; and Lossiemouth, will also benefit.
This forms part of the more than £3 billion which the Government plans to spend on improving Service accommodation over the next 10 years.
Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the number of current and former armed forces personnel likely to experience mental illness during the next 10 years as a result of their military service. [285644]
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the number of current and former armed forces personnel likely to experience mental illness during the next 10 years as a result of their military service. [285645]
Mr. Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Mid-Bedfordshire (Nadine Dorries).
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed services have been diagnosed with swine flu. [284034]
Mr. Kevan Jones: I will answer shortly.
Substantive answer from Kevan Jones to Mike Penning:
As at 6 July 2009, the MOD was aware of 47 military personnel having been confirmed or clinically diagnosed as having the H1N1 (swine flu) virus.
This number only includes cases that have been formally reported to the Department. There may be other cases, for example where military personnel have been assessed by a civilian GP or hospital, but have not then reported it through the military medical chain or chain of command.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) instructors and (b) recruits there are in each training establishment listed in the Ofsted report on the duty of care for recruits and trainees in the armed forces. [284529]
Bill Rammell: The instructor and recruit numbers for the training establishment listed in the Ofsted Report on the duty of care for recruits and trainees in the armed forces for financial year 2008-09 are shown in the table (rounded to the nearest 10):
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