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12 Nov 2009 : Column 702W—continued
Barnet Territorial Army Centre (TAC)
Bognor Joint Cadet Centre
Building at Pease Pottage (Met Office)
Burgess Hill ATC
Chichester Army Careers Information Office
Chichester Cadet Centre
Crawley ATC
Crawley TAC
East Grinstead ATC
Government Pipeline and Storage System-Chichester Depot
Grave Snell Hatch Cemetery
Haywards Heath Cadet Centre
Horsham Cadet Centre
Hurstpierpoint (Army Cadet Force-ACF)
Littlehampton (ACF)
New Barnet Army Training Centre (ATC)
Plot at Clymping Cemetery
Semi-Automated Observation Site (Met Office)
Shoreham Cadet Centre
Steyning Joint Cadet Centre
Storrington ATC
Thorney Island TAC
Worthing ATC
Worthing TAC
There are in addition a number of combined cadet forces facilities connected with colleges or schools in the area.
Defence Medical Services
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many agency staff of each speciality have been employed in the Defence Medical Services in each of the last five years; and what expenditure was incurred on such staff in each year. [295647]
Mr. Kevan Jones:
Where a particular cadre or specialism is in short supply within the regular and reserve staff of the Defence Medical Services, a limited number of civilian locums may be employed to provide essential
support to deployed operations. These are known as Contractors on Deployed Operations (CONDOs), and the following table lists the numbers employed and the costs for the last five years. Individual CONDOs are not deployed for the full financial year-a typical deployment
period would be from around six weeks for nurses to three months for neurosurgeons and pharmacists.
In the table provided, ITU stands for intensive treatment unit and EN for emergency nurse.
| Financial year | Specialism | Operation | Number of individuals employed as civilian locums | Cost (£ million) |
Medical locums are also employed to cover military posts in the UK when cover is required, for example when personnel deploy on operations. Their employment is arranged locally by the units for which it is required, and managed from within local budgets. Comprehensive data for the last five years from all such units are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Defence: Research
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Lancaster and Wyre (Mr. Wallace) of 1 September 2009, Official Report, column 1799W, on "defence: research", what research programmes will be (a) cancelled and (b) reduced in scale as a result of the reduction in planned science innovation and technology expenditure in 2010-11. [297589]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The scope of future research programmes in the following areas: Maritime, Land, Air, Weapons, C4ISTAR and ballistic missile defence will be reduced compared to previous plans, as a consequence of the reduction in research expenditure.
There are no plans to cancel existing contracts.
Departmental Data Protection
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department's information assurance procedures have been subject to an independent audit. [299372]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The Department's information assurance procedures have been subject to regular independent audit or reviews. These are typically conducted by the Communications-Electronic Security Group (CESG) as the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance, by auditing firms, or by independent third parties.
Departmental Energy
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with which organisations his Department has had exclusivity agreements relating to information technology (a) hardware and (b) software in each of the last five years. [299298]
Mr. Quentin Davies: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Departmental Statistics
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the statistical datasets collected by his Department are published. [299670]
Mr. Kevan Jones: As a matter of course, the MOD publishes all of its datasets which meet the definition of 'official statistics' set out in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. The statistics are published in accordance with the requirements set out in the 'Code of Practice for Official Statistics' and the 'National Statistician's Guidance on the Presentation and Publication of Official Statistics'.
Helicopters
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helicopters of each type are (a) in service, (b) in the forward fleet and (c) fit for purpose. [297886]
Bill Rammell: I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested shortly.
Hotels: Expenditure
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on hotel bills in 2008-09. [299149]
Mr. Kevan Jones: We spent some £50 million on hotel bills in 2008-09. This figure represents the expenditure incurred through the central Defence Hotel Reservation Service, through which the majority of the MOD's hotel bookings are increasingly being made.
Included in this figure is expenditure by both military and civilian staff in the Department, the Defence Agencies and the Defence Support Group Trading Fund. Excluded is expenditure by our other trading funds and our advisory non-departmental bodies, which do not use the central contract. Also excluded is expenditure incurred outside the Defence Hotel Reservation Service; for example, where the costs of accommodation are included in a residential training package or where overnight accommodation is arranged at the last minute.
Iraq/Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what expenditure his Department has incurred on engaging private security companies and private military companies for work undertaken in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan in each of the last three years. [291780]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested shortly.
Navy: Casualties
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many Royal Navy personnel have been injured whilst taking part in operations in the (a) Indian Ocean, (b) Atlantic and (c) Pacific in the last two years; [293814]
(2) how many Royal Navy personnel have been injured whilst taking part in Operation Active Endeavour in the last two years. [293817]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Between 1 October 2007 and 30 September 2009 there have been two seriously injured Royal Navy personnel while taking part in operations in the Indian Ocean, including one seriously injured Royal Navy personnel injured on Operation Telic. There were no seriously injured Royal Navy personnel injured on operations in the Atlantic ocean and no seriously injured Royal Navy personnel injured in the Pacific ocean.
Between 1 October 2007 and 30 September 2009 there have been two seriously injured Royal Navy personnel while taking part on Operation Active Endeavour.
These data include those listed as very seriously injured and seriously injured as reported through the notification of casualties reporting system. Individuals have been included if they have been injured while assigned to a ship whilst taking part in operations in the Indian ocean (including those injured within the joint area of operation for Op. Telic), Atlantic or the Pacific, or on Operation Active Endeavour.
Nuclear Submarines: Decommissioning
Mr. Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2009, Official Report, column 41W, on nuclear submarines: decommissioning, whether the Scottish Executive have accepted the invitation to participate in the initial scoping phase of the Strategic Environmental Assessment for the Submarine Dismantling Project; and when the scoping phase is due to commence. [298361]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The Scottish Executive have accepted this invitation.
The initial scoping phase is due to commence following a period of engagement with elected representatives in areas with sites that have the potential to undertake Submarine Dismantling Project activities. The precise date, however, has yet to be determined.
Reserve Forces: Pensions
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 9 November 2009 to Question 298468, in what ways the Reserve Forces Pension Scheme differs from the pension scheme offered to regular armed forces. [299821]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The two pension schemes are broadly similar. Copies of MMP/123 "Reserve Forces Pension and Compensation Benefits" and MMP/124 "Armed Forces Pension Scheme 05: Your Pension Scheme Explained" will be placed in the Library of the House. These booklets can also be found on the Ministry of Defence website at the following link:
The main differences between the two pension schemes are in the areas of qualification period for benefits, the ability to accrue additional periods of service, the payment of an Early Departure Payment and the timing of pension payments.
Territorial Army
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how much of the £20 million allocated to the Territorial Army has been spent; [299971]
(2) what recent orders have been issued to Territorial Army commanders on training and training costs; [299972]
(3) when Territorial Army commanders will be permitted to resume training; [299973]
(4) what timetable has been set for the disbursement to Territorial Army (TA) units of the £20 million allocated for the TA. [299977]
Mr. Kevan Jones: On 2 November 2009, orders were issued providing direction to restore most of the activity that had previously been identified as unaffordable. Commanders have been given discretion to reinstate activity within the context of this guidance as soon as they are able. The guidance directs commanders to focus training activity on those TA personnel earmarked for operations and to undertake limited training activity to ensure continuity of service for those not deploying immediately on operations.
It is not possible to confirm how much of the £20 million allocated to the Territorial Army (TA) has already been spent. An initial disbursement has already been made to the regional divisions. The remaining funds will be disbursed at intervals throughout the financial year.
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