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1 Sep 2009 : Column 1803W—continued
Military Aircraft: Helicopters
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helicopters there are in the British armed forces. [288239]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The MOD departmental fleet consists of 585 helicopters as at 30 June 2009.
This figure excludes helicopters that are leased by the MOD.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the maximum (a) loaded weight and (b) take-off weight for all variants of helicopters used by UK forces is when operating in ambient temperatures of 50 degrees celsius at a density altitude of 6,000 feet. [289129]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The operation of helicopters in hot conditions and at high altitudes, such as those experienced on current operations, is particularly demanding. Details of helicopter operating parameters, such as maximum loaded and take-off weights, is operationally sensitive information and cannot be released as it would or would be likely to prejudice the effectiveness and security of the armed forces.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helicopters of each type are in service with each service. [289132]
Mr. Quentin Davies: "In service" has been taken to mean the effective fleet, which includes all aircraft barring those that are redundant, declared as surplus or awaiting disposal.
The number of effective aircraft within each helicopter type and service, as at 30 June 2009 is provided in the following tables.
| Royal Navy | |
| Number | |
| Army | |
| Number | |
| Royal Air Force | |
| Number | |
These figures do not include aircraft leased by the MOD.
Navy
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of operating a (a) Type 22, (b) Type 23 and (c) Type 42 vessel was in the last year for which information is available; and what the estimated annual cost of operating a Type 45 vessel is. [287196]
Mr. Quentin Davies: Operating costs for Royal Navy vessels are not held centrally. Officials are, however, in the process of compiling this information and I will write to you once the work has been completed.
Nigeria: Military Aid
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has received any recent requests for military assistance from the Nigerian government. [289016]
Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 June 2009, Official Report, column 340W, to my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith).
In addition we provide support to enhance the Nigerian peace-keeping capacity, advice on defence management, and professional officer education and training. We maintain a regular dialogue with Nigeria on defence and security matters.
Puma Helicopters
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how long after contract signature he expects the first upgraded Puma helicopter to be (a) delivered and (b) available for operational deployment; [288837]
(2) whether he has plans to deploy the upgraded Puma helicopter to Afghanistan. [288838]
Mr. Quentin Davies: We expect to place the Puma Life Extension contract with Eurocopter later this year, though this remains subject to negotiations and final approvals. It would not be appropriate to make public any specific details of the proposed programme schedule while negotiations are ongoing.
It is for the chain of command to determine how many and which of their aircraft should be deployed and when.
Royal Hospital Haslar
Sir Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent consideration he has given to the future use of the Royal Hospital Haslar site; and if he will make a statement. [288769]
Mr. Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement published on 20 July 2009, Official Report, column 95WS.
The MOD ran an Expressions of Interest campaign earlier this year and a number of bids were received by the closing date. I have announced today that Our Enterprise, a community interest company that brokers and delivers bespoke commercial partnerships between charities, social investors, commercial operators and the public sector to deliver large-scale integrated regeneration projects, has been chosen as our preferred bidder for the site. Our Enterprise has been chosen as our preferred bidder for the site in accordance with Government policy on the disposal of historic buildings. We expect to exchange contracts with the purchaser and complete the transfer by the autumn, if not earlier.
Our Enterprise has a vision of promoting the quality of life for both individuals residing on the site and for Gosport as a whole. I believe that the choice of preferred bidder for Haslar is good news for the local community, and will preserve the heritage and visual aspects of this important site.
Royal Military Academy: Foreigners
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many foreign nationals of each nationality passed out from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in (a) 2006, (b) 2007 and (c) 2008. [288414]
Bill Rammell: The information requested is provided in the following tables. In accordance with MOD release protocols that protect us from unintentionally revealing the identity of an individual, any number less than five is represented by a asterisk (*) and any number equal to zero is represented by an Em dash (-).
| Commonwealth and dual nationality officer cadets who commissioned into the British Army in 2006, 2007 and 2008 | ||||
| Nationality/year | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | Total |
| Overseas officer cadets who commissioned into a Foreign Army in 2006, 2007 and 2008 | ||||
| Nationality/ year | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | Total |
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