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It is not possible to separately identify from centrally held records those sites which might be regarded as technical from other sites. However, the other sites that the Department owns in Greater London are provided as follows:


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Gurkhas: Pensions

Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to amend the terms and conditions of the Gurkha pension scheme; and if he will make a statement. [289998]


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Mr. Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence has no reason, or plans, to amend the terms of the Gurkha Pension Scheme (GPS), which is now a closed scheme. New entrants to the Army join Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) 2005. The MOD will continue to operate the present GPS for those 25,000 members in the scheme.

The GPS was designed for retirement in Nepal and provides an income that equates to a good working wage there. Gurkhas who served as members of the GPS were able to retire on an immediate pension after only 15 years service, at an age as young as 33 years. They may therefore receive benefits under the scheme for many years while still of working age. The early age from which Gurkhas take their pension compared with their British counterparts means that over a lifetime most Gurkhas will receive equivalent or better pension value than those in AFPS 75.

The value of the GPS pension has been maintained over time through annual uplifts for inflation in Nepal and by reference to the Indian Central Pay Commission 10-yearly reports. Gurkha pension rates are maintained at levels that are at least double the rates of the Indian Army pension scheme.

Gurkha soldiers today serve on the same terms and conditions of service as the wider Army. Gurkhas who served on or after 1 July 1997 have also been given the option to transfer to the AFPS and many have chosen to do so. Service on or after 1 July 1997 was given a year-for-year value, while service before 1 July 1997 was converted using an actuarial factor to give broadly equivalent pension value in AFPS for that period. This is normal practice across the public sector for those transferring between pension schemes.

Marines: Manpower

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the trained strength of the Royal Marines was (a) in 1997 and (b) on the latest date for which figures are available. [289983]

Bill Rammell: In April 1997 the trained regular strength of the Royal Marines including the general, band and career services was 6,060. The most recent trained regular strength figures, as of August 2009, was 6,840.

Met Office

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been (a) identified and (b) taken to improve the Met Office's business model as a consequence of the conclusions of the Operational Efficiency programme; and if he will make a statement. [289291]

Mr. Kevan Jones: The Operational Efficiency programme (OEP) Review of the Met Office has not yet concluded. Work is now under way on the next steps set out for the Met Office review in the OEP final report published in April 2009. Progress will next be reported at the pre-Budget report 2009.

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment his Department has made of the accuracy of long-range weather forecasts by the Met Office; and if he will make a statement. [291504]


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Mr. Kevan Jones: The Met Office is a World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) designated centre for long-range forecasts and carries out assessments of its forecasts using procedures required by WMO. The most recent assessment for the Europe/UK region was carried out in September 2009.

There are limits on predictability at long-range, however seasonal forecasting is a developing science and the Met Office expects substantive improvements to follow from current research programs. Results show that, for the Europe/UK region, forecasts correctly discriminate below or above normal temperature and rainfall levels by about 60 per cent. of the time, with percentages somewhat better for temperature. This reflects state-of-the-art skill for seasonal forecasting in the extratropical regions and is thus similar to that available from other leading WMO centres.

The nature of influences on seasonal conditions means that forecast skill is considerably higher in tropical regions than in the middle latitudes. This has led to use of Met Office global forecasts by many National Met Services worldwide, including in climate vulnerable regions such as parts of Africa.

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse has been of the (a) operation and (b) staffing of the Met Office in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [291665]

Mr. Kevan Jones: The Met Office is a trading fund and provides weather and climate services under contract to a range of Government and commercial customers. In 2008-09, revenue from these services, including maintenance of the underpinning infrastructure, amounted to £184.8 million, of which £150.7 million was from Government customers. Staff costs were £84 million. The Met Office returned a dividend of £17.2 million to MOD in relation to this period.

Independent research has shown Met Office services for the public provide excellent value for money and an exceptional return on investment, creating value to the UK economy in excess of £600 million per year.

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons his Department provides funding for the Met Office to make weather forecasts; if he will assess the merits of privatising the Met Office; and if he will make a statement. [291666]

Mr. Kevan Jones: The Met Office provides crucial support to the armed forces, advising on the impacts of weather and other environmental factors on operations and developing cutting-edge technology to assist with decision-making and provide a battle-winning edge in theatre.

In addition, the MOD provides funding on behalf of Government for the Met Office to deliver the UK's Public Weather Service (PWS).

The asset management and sales strand of the Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP) is examining a number of assets, including the Met Office, to consider the potential for alternative business models, commercialisation, new market opportunities, and where
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appropriate, alternatives to public ownership. An update on progress will be provided with the 2009 pre-Budget report.

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make an assessment of the merits of linking the amount of funding allocated to the Met Office to the accuracy of its forecasts. [291667]

Mr. Kevan Jones: There are no current plans to make an assessment of the merits of linking the amount of funding allocated to the Met Office to the accuracy of its forecasts.

Military Aircraft: Crew

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to increase retention and recruitment rates of aircrew personnel in the UK armed forces. [290354]

Mr. Kevan Jones: Currently, within the armed forces, the level of aircrew manning is sufficient to meet the tasks that they are required to undertake. The outflow rates of aircrew are constantly monitored and the inflow is carefully matched to ensure that there are always enough aircrew. There remain, however, a number of specific areas of concern.

Financial retention incentives (FRIs) represent an important mechanism to achieve manning levels. There is an existing £50,000 FRI payable to eligible Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Air Force (RAF) career stream senior officer aircrew with an additional £50,000 payable to RN and RAF career stream senior officer pilots only.

Other recruitment and retention measures include the professional aviator pay spine which enhances the pay and terms and conditions and specialist pay (SP). SP is subject to quinquennial review, as part of a rolling programme.

Generally, across the services, recruitment of aircrew is healthy. However, within the Naval Service various forms of advertisements have been used. For example, the Royal Navy screened a television advertisement campaign for pilots incorporating an online game which simulated an aircrew aptitude test. Within the Army and RAF, recruitment of aircrew is robust and no specifically targeted recruitment initiatives are currently running for aircrew.

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