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10 Nov 2009 : Column 232W—continued


10 Nov 2009 : Column 233W

Mr. Quentin Davies: Construction work on Project Mensa will be subject to the same safety rules that apply to all construction projects at the Atomic Weapons Establishment. The overarching legislation is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which includes, for example, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. There is also a comprehensive suite of AWE plc company processes and procedures in place to ensure the safety of operations, including those associated with the construction of new and/or replacement facilities.

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Lewes of 11 June 2008, Official Report, column 258W, on AWE Burghfield, how many of the work packages remain uncompleted. [298618]

Mr. Quentin Davies: All the work packages have been completed.

Departmental Postal Services

Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with which providers (a) his Department and (b) its agencies had a contract to provide postal services in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008, (iii) between 1 January 2009 and 1 July 2009 and (iv) since 1 July 2009. [299429]

Bill Rammell: The MOD contracts solely with Royal Mail Group for the provision of mail services through the Forces Mail Settlement.

Departmental Visits Abroad

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on overnight accommodation for (a) Ministers and (b) officials while overseas in each of the last three years. [294686]

Bill Rammell: Information on accommodation costs is not held centrally. The overseas visits by all Ministers list however provides aggregate information on overseas travel expenditure, including the cost of travel and accommodation. This also contains details on the number of officials accompanying them where non-scheduled travel was used. The latest list for the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 was published in July 2009. Details for the 2009-10 financial year will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year. All travel is made in accordance with the ministerial code.

Disposal Services Agency

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what contractors have been approved by the Disposal Services Authority to sell surplus British defence equipment; [298192]

(2) what items were sold by the Disposal Services Authority in 2008-09; how much each item was sold for; to whom each item was sold; and who approved each sale. [298193]


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Mr. Quentin Davies: The list of DSA's current contractors that sell surplus MOD equipment is provided as follows.

UK contracts

Overseas contracts

DSA's sales range from large capital items such as ships to individual items such as computers. Details of the disposal of all individual surplus items could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The DSA gross total receipts for FY 2008-09 were £89 million.

Approval for each sale is given at the appropriate level commensurate with the value of the asset, in accordance with the MOD approvals process.

Helicopters: Afghanistan

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helicopters are (a) required and (b) available (i) for training and (ii) to support operations in Afghanistan. [297933]

Bill Rammell: I will not comment on the specific number of helicopters deployed to Afghanistan as our longstanding policy is that to do so would, or would be likely to, provide information prejudicial to the capability, effectiveness and security of our armed forces.

I will say, however, that we are planning to further increase helicopter capability in Afghanistan over the next 12 months. By January next year, the number of flying hours will have increased by 130 per cent. compared to November 2006 levels.

The requirement for helicopter training is measured in terms of flying hours rather than the number of airframes. All helicopters in the Forward Fleet which
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are not deployed on operations are available for training, including pre-deployment training. The actual numbers employed on training will therefore fluctuate continuously according to need. There are sufficient helicopters available to ensure that our crews are fully prepared for front line operations. The Forward Fleet are those aircraft available to Front Line Commands and training units.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have received requests to give evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry; and if he will make a statement. [293567]

Bill Rammell: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 19 October 2009, Official Report, column 1210W.

Met Office

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times the Met Office Review Group has met; and if he will make a statement. [298877]

Mr. Kevan Jones: The Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP) Met Office Review Group meets regularly in undertaking the review.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 October 2009, Official Report, column 239W.

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) agenda and (b) minutes of the meetings of the Met Office Review Group; and if he will make a statement. [298878]

Mr. Kevan Jones: The Secretary of State for Defence has no plans to place in the Library the agenda and minutes of the meetings of the Met Office Review Group.

An update on the Met Office review will be provided around the next pre-Budget report.

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who the members are of the Met Office Review Group; and if he will make a statement. [298879]

Mr. Kevan Jones: The Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP) Met Office Review Group comprises officials from the Ministry of Defence, Shareholder Executive, HM Treasury and the Met Office.

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any Ministers have attended meetings of the Met Office Review Group; and if he will make a statement. [298880]

Mr. Kevan Jones: Ministers have not attended Met Office Review Group meetings, attendance is at official level with regular reports to Ministers.


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Military Aircraft

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is of the level of immediately available combat air power. [299146]

Bill Rammell: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Nuclear Submarines: Decommissioning

Mr. Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sites his Department is considering for the submarine dismantling and radioactive waste storage elements of the Submarine Dismantling Project. [297838]

Mr. Quentin Davies: There are currently four regions where there are MOD or defence-related commercial sites that are likely to be considered for Submarine Dismantling Project activities. These regions are Devon, Fife, Argyll and Bute and Berkshire. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Bill Rammell) has written to certain elected representatives, including my hon. Friend, in those regions.

The project is at an early stage in the process to develop an effective public consultation and associated strategic environmental assessment. This work has included identification of existing nuclear sites, both defence and civil, that are technically capable of submarine dismantling or storing the resultant radioactive waste. At this stage, two sites have been identified that could be technically capable of carrying out dismantling activities and 12 sites have been identified that could be technically capable of carrying out waste storage. Technical capability is only one aspect and the wider suitability of sites has not yet been assessed.

Further analysis work is still required and, until the public consultation is complete, no decisions will be taken on sites for either submarine dismantling or waste storage. I am withholding details of the individual sites identified at this time, as the MOD intend to publish this information in the future as part of the planned public consultation and strategic environmental assessment.

Nuclear Weapons

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the terms of reference are of the Nuclear Warhead Sustainment Steering Group; and whether US personnel will participate in the work of the group. [298099]

Bill Rammell: The Nuclear Warhead Sustainment Steering Group (NWSSG) is an internal MOD committee providing oversight and direction of the Nuclear Warhead Capability Sustainment Programme (NWCSP). It meets quarterly and its specific responsibilities are to:


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The committee is attended by representatives of MOD's Strategic Technologies branch, Chemical, Biological, Radiation, Nuclear (CBRN) policy branch, the Deterrent capability branch, and the Strategic Weapons project office.

Independent members from the MOD's scrutiny branch also attend and other representatives are called as necessary. There are no plans for US personnel to participate in the work of this committee.

Nuclear Weapons: Inspections

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the next inspection of the nuclear weapons convoy and associated support establishments is planned to take place. [297801]

Mr. Quentin Davies: Both the nuclear weapons convoy and associated support establishments are subject to regular inspection and assessment. I am withholding the information on the next planned inspection as its release would, or would be likely to, prejudice national security.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many activities were assessed in the last inspection of the nuclear weapons convoy and associated support establishments; and how many such activities received (a) satisfactory and (b) unsatisfactory ratings. [297802]

Bill Rammell: At the last nuclear weapons convoy inspection, 700 separate activities were inspected. Individual activities do not receive ratings. The overall assessment of the inspection was a satisfactory rating and the inspection did not identify any concerns over safety of operations.

Radioactive Materials: Transport

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 30 April 2008, Official Report, column 484W, on radioactive materials: transport, what the expected in-service date is for the refurbished truck cargo heavy duty trailers. [297786]

Bill Rammell: The refurbished truck cargo heavy duty trailers, on current plans, are to be brought into service by the end of 2010.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the average cost of a round trip made by a truck cargo heavy duty convoy. [297787]

Bill Rammell: The costs of a convoy move are wide-ranging and include, for example, the Atomic Weapons Establishment operations, Ministry of Defence Police and Royal Marine support, the monitoring of the operation, activities at the Royal Naval Armament Depot Coulport and nuclear accident response assets held in readiness during convoy operations.

This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of an original truck cargo heavy duty mark 2 vehicle at the time of initial purchase. [297797]


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Mr. Quentin Davies: The order for these vehicles was placed in the late 1980s. Officials have requested the relevant files from archive and I will write to the hon. Member once the information has been retrieved.

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