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19 Oct 2009 : Column 1217W—continued
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what items of military equipment British forces in Afghanistan have (a) borrowed from and (b) lent to other coalition forces. [293622]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: As part of a 42 country coalition in Afghanistan, the United Kingdom has agreements in place with the majority of members. These agreements include the capability to loan and borrow equipment. I am withholding the details of these activities as its disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and other participating states.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) armoured personnel carriers and (b) tanks have been deployed in Afghanistan in each month since January 2006. [293792]
Bill Rammell: There have been no tanks deployed in Afghanistan. I am withholding the information about the number of armoured personnel carriers deployed in Afghanistan as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy personnel have been stationed in Afghanistan in the last 18 months. [293819]
Bill Rammell: The number of UK service personnel in Afghanistan fluctuates on a daily basis but as at 1 October 2009, approximately 5,030 Royal Naval personnel have been identified as having deployed to Afghanistan in the last 18 months.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force personnel have been stationed in Afghanistan in the last 18 months. [293837]
Bill Rammell: The number of UK service personnel in Afghanistan fluctuates on a daily basis but as at 1 October 2009, approximately 7,870 Royal Air Force personnel have been identified as having deployed to Afghanistan in the last 18 months.
Armed Forces: Christmas Deliveries
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements his Department has put in place to ensure Christmas deliveries to members of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan. [294113]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence will be making all possible efforts to ensure deliveries of Christmas mail to members of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan. Additional aircraft will be chartered as necessary to transport mail to theatre and there will be increased resources dedicated to mail movement within Afghanistan.
We also have plans to mitigate the impact of any industrial action by the Communications Workers Union; however, prolonged industrial action will inevitably impact on mail deliveries to armed forces.
We are also doing all we can to channel the public's generosity away from unsolicited parcels which have the ability to overload the system and cause delays for mail from families.
Armed Forces: Food
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of (a) all food, (b) beef and (c) lamb supplied to UK forces based in (i) the UK, (ii) Germany, (iii) Iraq and (iv) Afghanistan was sourced from UK producers in the latest period for which figures are available. [294064]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The information is not held in the format requested. However, a report on the proportion of domestically produced food used by Government Departments, and also supplied to hospitals and prisons under contracts negotiated by NHS Supply Chain and HM Prison Service, was published in November 2008, covering the year from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. This report, and the first one covering the previous year, can be found at the following link:
Overall, the proportion of domestically produced food procured by MOD has increased from 43 per cent. in 2006-07 to 59 per cent. in 2007-08.
The third report of this nature will be published in November 2009, and will demonstrate the work being undertaken to find opportunities to source British products, while working within the legal framework governing public procurement.
Armed Forces: Housing
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service families have been placed by Modern Housing Solutions in (a) Premier Travel Inns and (b) other hotels in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement. [294042]
Mr. Kevan Jones: For information related to 2005 to June 2007, the hon. Member is referred to the answer given by my predecessor on 26 July 2007, Official Report, column 1246W, to the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey).
Information on the number of service families placed in Premier Travel Inns or other hotels between July 2007 and today is not held centrally. I will therefore write to the hon. Member with the information requested once it has been collated.
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of service families' accommodation was deemed uninhabitable in each year since 2004. [294043]
Mr. Kevan Jones: We do not use the term 'uninhabitable'. Sometimes properties are unable to be occupied for various reasons including demolition or major refurbishment. Our records do not separately identify such properties from other unoccupied Service Family Accommodation (SFA).
All currently occupied SFA is recorded as being of a habitable standard.
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on substitute services accommodation in each year since 2004. [294044]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The Department is required to accommodate entitled service personnel within 10 miles of their duty station (or 20 miles with permission of their Service Commander). When no Service Family Accommodation (SFA) is available within this area, service families may be offered Substitute SFA (SSFA), which personnel are entitled to retain for the duration of their tour, to avoid disruption to family life.
Substitute Single Service Accommodation (SSSA) is granted to entitled single personnel when Single Living Accommodation (SLA) is not available at or close to their duty station.
The amount spent on SSFA and SSSA in each year since 2004 is as follows:
| £ million | |||
| SSSA | SSFA | Total | |
Armed Forces: Postal Services
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of the British Forces Postal System; and if he will make a statement. [293671]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The information was published in Defence Internal Brief, Serial 2009DIB/37 dated 6 October 2009, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
Armed Forces: Rehabilitation
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on rehabilitation for wounded soldiers in each of the last 12 months. [293795]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The Defence Medical Services manage a widespread armed forces rehabilitation network that has some 180 Primary Care Rehabilitation Facilities and 15 Regional Rehabilitation Units (RRUs) as well as the flagship Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court in Surrey. Patients from all the armed services requiring rehabilitation are treated at the facility and location that is most appropriate.
The annual running costs of Headley Court are approximately £13.5 million. Responsibility for the individual management of the primary care and RRU facilities is shared between the single service commands, with oversight from the Joint Medical Command. However, each service funds its respective RRUs differently. Owing to the number of different internal budgets to which costs would be attributable, any detailed analysis of local rehabilitation expenditure would therefore incur disproportionate costs.
Where an individual requires specialist rehabilitation services or equipment that can best be provided by a non-MOD organisation (such as some aspects of neurological rehabilitation and specialised prosthetics) this will be arranged at additional cost. In the financial year 2008-09, about £1.6 million was spent on such services by the Joint Medical Command.
Colombia: Military Aid
Mr. Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether his Department has refused to provide assistance to any (a) individuals and (b) units of the Colombian security forces on human rights grounds in the last five years; [293604]
(2) which official in his Department is responsible for monitoring the human rights performance of members of the Colombian security forces who have received training or other assistance from the United Kingdom. [293613]
Bill Rammell [holding answer 16 October 2009]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln (Gillian Merron) on 12 March 2009, Official Report, column 621W, to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington).
Mr. Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Colombian security forces personnel have received United Kingdom counter-narcotics assistance in each of the last five years. [293614]
Bill Rammell [holding answer 16 October 2009]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave on 14 January 2009, Official Report, column 737W, to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs. Moon).
Cyprus
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which UK units are deployed as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus; which units will replace them on the next rotation; and if he will make a statement. [293731]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The 27 Regiment Royal Logistics Corps are currently deployed as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. They will be replaced, in April 2010, by a Territorial Army unit from 2 Division and 40 Signal Regiment. Based on current plans, the units will rotate every six months between Regular units and Territorial Army units.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the strength is of the UK contingent in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNFICYP) in Cyprus; what the cost was of the UK UNFICYP contingent in the latest year for which figures are available; and how much of that cost is to be reimbursed from each source of reimbursement. [293737]
Mr. Kevan Jones: As at 16 October 2009 there were 288 personnel deployed on Operation TOSCA, the UK contribution to UNFICYP. The cost for this deployment in the financial year 2008-09 was £16 million; charged to the tri-departmental (FCO, MOD and DfiD) peacekeeping budget, of which we expect around £2.5 million will be reimbursed by the United Nations.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in the refurbishment of the Ledra Palace to provide better accommodation to the UK United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus contingent; who paid for that work; what the cost of that work has been; and if he will make a statement. [293739]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The renovation and refurbishment of the Ledra Palace Hotel continues as part of an agreed three year programme between 2007 and 2010 between the Republic of Cyprus and the UN. All work on the external fabric of the building is complete providing a watertight structure. All roofs have now been repaired and/or replaced, the fire detection and alarm systems have been installed, asbestos removal in the boiler rooms and cellars is complete, the floor covering in the gymnasium has been replaced and the ration store refurbished. The recommissioning of rooms in the west wing is complete and a total of 35 rooms have been handed over to the UN Forces in Cyprus (UNFICYP). In addition to this the renovation of the Ledra Palace Hotel Medical Centre is nearing completion.
There is no direct cost to the UK for this work. The work is being carried out by the Republic of Cyprus in an arrangement with the United Nations and we do not have visibility of the associated costs.
Cyprus: Armed Forces
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British servicemen are stationed at the British Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. [293453]
Bill Rammell: As at 1 September 2009 there were 2,550 UK service personnel stationed in the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus.
This figure has been rounded to the nearest 50 in order to provide a meaningful level of detail as there are constant service personnel movements in and out of the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus.
Cyprus: Military Aircraft
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many fixed wing aircraft of each type are stationed at the British Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. [293452]
Bill Rammell: There are no fixed wing aircraft stationed in the British Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus. RAF Akrotiri does however routinely support movements of fixed wing assets through Akrotiri as part of its role as a forward mounting base for current operations.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed on a (a) full-time and (b) part-time basis at each of his Department's bases in Scotland [294105]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Validated figures below the local authority level have not been compiled and can not be supplied without incurring disproportionate cost.
The table shows the number of civilian personnel in Scotland as at 1 July 2009, broken down by local authority, and full and part-time status.
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