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14 Sep 2009 : Column 2126W—continued
Criminal convictions including drugs
Debt
Incompatible religious belief e.g. Satanists
Offensive or obscene tattoos.
Depleted Uranium: Scotland
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many times and at what locations depleted uranium shells have been test-fired in Scotland in each of the last five years; [291180]
(2) how much is Department has spent on test-firing depleted uranium shells in the last five years; [291181]
(3) how many depleted uranium shells were test-fired in Scotland in each of the last five years; [291182]
Mr. Quentin Davies: Depleted uranium shells were test-fired at the MOD-owned Kirkcudbright Range in Scotland on 11 and 12 March 2008. This is the only occasion on which depleted uranium shells have been test-fired in the last five years; 20 shells were fired in total. The estimated cost of the test-firing is £60,000.
Guided Weapons
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of (a) the Global Positioning System and (b) NIDAR radar for missile tracking. [291022]
Mr. Quentin Davies: There is no proposal to use the Global Positioning System (GPS) for missile tracking, although under QinetiQ's proposed changes to the operation of the MOD Hebrides Range, aerial targets would be tracked via GPS.
QinetiQ's proposals also include tracking missiles via the existing G Band Radars on South Uist, which have increasingly taken over from the I Band NIDIR Radars on St. Kilda. The primary capability of NIDIR Radars is tracking missiles at long range and low level.
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many missile practice camps there were at each UK missile range in (a) 2008 and (b) 2009 to date; what missiles were tested at each; how many camps there will be in (i) the remainder of 2009 and (ii) 2010; and what missiles will be tested at each. [291023]
Mr. Quentin Davies: Details of Missile Practice Camps(1) (MPCs) at UK Ranges since 2008, including those that are currently planned for 2009 and 2010, are set out as follows. Additional MPCs are likely to be added to the schedule in due course.
| MOD Aberporth | ||
| Date | Missile details | Number of MPC |
| MOD Hebrides | ||
| Date | Missile details | Number of MPC |
| MOD Manorbier | ||
| Date | Missile details | Number of MPC |
| South West Approaches | ||
| Date | Missile details | Number of MPC |
| (1) Defined as a training exercise involving air-to-air or surface-to-air missiles for UK forces. (2) Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile. (3) Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile. (4) High Velocity Missile. | ||
Helicopters: Afghanistan
Ms Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the adequacy of the provision of helicopters for use by British armed forces on operations in Afghanistan. [290663]
Bill Rammell [holding answer 9 September 2009]: I have regular discussions with my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary about all aspects of the campaign in Afghanistan. We continually monitor the level of helicopter provision and make adjustments based on the requirements of our military commanders. For example, between November 2006 and April 2009 we increased the number of airframes by 60 per cent. and the number of flying hours by 84 per cent. As well as sharing coalition helicopters, we lease hundreds of hours each month from commercial operators for routine supplies.
Met Office: Pay
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria determine the awarding of bonuses to staff at the Met Office; and if he will make a statement. [291148]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Met Office staff are eligible to receive bonuses based on performance against specific targets agreed and monitored by the Met Office Board, which are linked to the success of the Met Office at either individual, team or organisational level. Bonus payments are non-consolidated and represent part of Met Office staff remuneration which is at risk and needs to be re-earned each year.
Military Bases
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the level of use of each British military training site was in each of the last 10 years. [291164]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Oil: Scotland
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the (a) environmental and (b) safety impact of the oil spill at Faslane on 29 July 2009; and what steps he plans to take to reduce the incidence of oil spillage from naval fuel depots in Scotland. [290796]
Bill Rammell [holding answer 9 September 2009]: All Royal Navy fuel depots are subject to stringent safety regulations and are inspected and licensed on an annual basis. MOD is working closely with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to investigate the oil spillage that occurred at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde on 29 July 2009 and the findings are due to be published in the next few months. As part of this work, an independent marine biologist is assessing the environmental impact of the incident and qualified departmental staff are also carrying out daily inspections of the affected area. The initial findings are that appropriate control measures were in place to contain the spillage resulting in minimal pollution to the local environment.
The initial assessments have similarly found that the oil spillage resulted in minimal impact to safety, including to the personnel employed at the naval base. Results to date also indicate that the incident was dealt with in accordance with the naval base's Oil Spill Contingency Plan by qualified departmental personnel who had access to industry standard personal protective equipment.
The Department operates stringent safety operating procedures to ensure that the risk of oil spills is kept as low as reasonably practicable. The circumstances of the spillage are unique to the fuels infrastructure at Faslane and are not replicated across the wider naval fuel depot estate in Scotland. Any lessons learned, however, regarding both the cause of the spillage and our response will be incorporated into working practices and plans as appropriate. Associated risk assessments will also be reviewed to take into account any necessary changes.
Territorial Army: Higher Education
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on each university corps in the University Officer Training Corps in each year since 1997. [291178]
Mr. Kevan Jones: There are 19 University Officer Training Corps (UOTCs) in the United Kingdom. Their costs are calculated at regional brigade level not by individual unit.
The table shows the expenditure by each brigade for the last three financial years where information is available. The figures have been rounded to two decimal places and the sum of the component parts may not equal the total which is also a rounded figure.
| Million | ||||
| Regional brigades | UOTCs within the brigade | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 |
Information on costs prior to 2006-07 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Type 42 Destroyers
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on recycling decommissioned Type 42 destroyers to date. [291173]
Mr. Quentin Davies: MOD is committed to disposing of its ships in the most environmentally sound and cost effective manner.
Four Type 42 destroyers have been recycled to date (Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow and Newcastle). The cost of recycling HMS Cardiff, Glasgow and Newcastle was approximately £1.09 million per platform. These costs included the preparation necessary to meet environmental requirements, equipment removals, overhaul, repair, transport and storage.
Records are no longer held of the costs associated with the preparation of HMS Birmingham for disposal.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where each of the Type 42 destroyers which remain to be decommissioned will be recycled. [291174]
Mr. Quentin Davies: No decisions have yet been made on the recycling of the Type 42 destroyers which remain to be decommissioned, but all commercial options will be considered for their disposal in the most environmentally sound and cost effective manner.
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