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26 Nov 2009 : Column 288W—continued
Air Force
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours Royal Air Force pilots spent transporting dignitaries in each of the last 12 months. [302002]
Bill Rammell: For the purposes of this question we have defined dignitaries to be Government Ministers, other parliamentarians and members of the Royal family.
Dignitaries have been transported by RAF aircraft on a number of occasions over the last 12 months. The number of hours that have been spent by RAF pilots transporting dignitaries is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Air Force: Training
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours Royal Air Force pilots spent undergoing training in each of the last 12 months. [302001]
Bill Rammell: The centralised collation to record flying hours ceased in 2007-08. This information could be obtained only from individuals in squadrons or training establishments throughout the Royal Air Force at disproportionate cost.
Armed Forces: Allergies
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what his policy is on the eligibility of people with nut allergies for service in the armed forces; [301607]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of service personnel in each armed service who have nut allergies; [301608]
(3) whether members of the armed forces with a declared nut allergy are allowed to serve on operations; [301609]
(4) if he will consider the merits of providing special ration packs for members of the armed forces who have nut allergies. [301610]
Mr. Kevan Jones: It is our policy that armed forces personnel should be recruited to be fully fit for deployment worldwide on operations. For this reason, the services do not recruit or commission personnel with existing medical conditions which require special diets, such as those with nut allergies. We currently have no plans to review this policy.
This policy is intended to protect such individuals from military circumstances which may adversely impact upon their condition and to ensure the effectiveness of the armed forces. Although it may be possible to accommodate the special dietary requirements of those with nut allergies in a UK-based unit, or possibly on a large ship or at a major overseas base, we cannot guarantee to provide a special diet in the field or when deployed on operations, and individuals are recruited on the basis that they will be able to deploy world-wide. In such circumstances, it would be quite wrong to run risks which could impact on the individual and his or her colleagues on operations. In some cases, personnel will depend on food supplied locally, and our ability to assure nut-free status would not always be possible-as would certainly be the case if an individual were to be captured by enemy forces, for example.
The single services manage individuals who develop nut allergies during their service careers according to their specific operational requirements and each case will be considered on an individual basis. While we will make every effort to retain in-service individuals who subsequently develop this and similar conditions, provided that there are worthwhile military roles for them to fulfil, they may have to be re-graded and will probably not be able to deploy on operations. Again, this will depend on the severity of the individual's allergy; those with life-threatening allergies will almost certainly not be deployed to operational theatres, due to factors such as requirement of access to emergency treatment and storage requirements of the medication required by these individuals. This also applies to other disabilities which arise in service, but the forces do not recruit individuals where they would only be able to serve in a medically restricted capacity from the outset.
The total number of individuals who were diagnosed with nut allergies while serving in the armed forces and are currently still serving is not held centrally, and could be provided only by examining the medical records of all personnel at disproportionate cost.
Since individuals with nut allergies will not usually be deployed, ration packs tailored for such individuals are not produced. Since most food consumption on deployment is delivered by mass catering, often using local sources, and for other reasons noted above, provision of such ration packs would not circumvent the barriers to deployment for those who suffer nut allergies.
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what special ration packs are provided to the armed forces to meet specific dietary requirements of service personnel. [301611]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The 24 hour operational ration pack, which is available for operations, exercises and training, includes the following variants: General Purpose, which is suitable for personnel without specific dietary requirements; Halal; Sikh/Hindu; and Vegetarian, which is also suitable for Kosher diets.
Armed Forces: Housing
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many families have been evicted from service family accommodation for failing to vacate the premises during the agreed 93-day notice to vacate period in each of the last five years; and for what reason each family was being asked to vacate premises. [301862]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Service Family Accommodation (SFA) is provided to accommodate entitled Service personnel and their families. When occupants cease to be entitled to SFA and do not vacate, the Department is required to take steps to recover possession of the property. In the first instance DE will write to the occupant advising that they are required to vacate the property within 93 days. DE will be as flexible as possible and will extend this so as to accommodate children's schooling, holidays, etc. or to allow occupants the maximum possible time to secure alternative accommodation arrangements.
The number of eviction orders served on occupants of SFA in Great Britain up to April 2008 and the UK thereafter in the last five years is set out in the following table.
| Number of eviction orders | |
Records showing the reasons why entitlement to SFA ceased in each case are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many landlords of (a) substitute service family accommodation and (b) substitute service single accommodation properties are currently members of the armed forces in each region. [302005]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The occupation of the landlords who provide substitute accommodation is not recorded by this Department.
Defence Equipment
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to provide armed forces personnel with body armour which includes groin protection. [301909]
Mr. Quentin Davies: We have spent £35 million over the last three years providing new body armour for troops on operations. We are continually seeking ways to protect our personnel, and work is well under way to research ways of providing additional protection for the perineal area.
Departmental Disclosure of Information
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many allegations of victimisation for whistleblowing have been made to his Department by its staff since 6 June 2006. [301501]
Mr. Kevan Jones: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Food
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) lamb, (b) beef, (c) chicken, (d) pork, (e) turkey, (f) other meats, (g) vegetables and (h) fruit procured by his Department that was produced in the UK in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [300186]
Mr. Quentin Davies: 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:
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 due course, and will demonstrate the work being undertaken to find opportunities to source British products, while working within the legal framework governing public procurement.
We are hoping to be able to provide specific MOD figures shortly.
Departmental Land
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) television programmes and (b) films have been filmed on locations owned by his Department in each of the last 12 months. [302335]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Recruitment
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of jobs advertised by his Department in the last 12 months were online only applications; and what provision his Department makes for those wishing to apply for jobs in his Department who do not have access to the internet. [301548]
Mr. Kevan Jones: In the 12 months up to 26 October 2009, no jobs advertised in the Ministry of Defence were restructured to online applications only.
From 26 October 2009, the Ministry of Defence is seeking to encourage the use of online applications for jobs advertised externally, via the website:
Greater online applications should deliver an improved external recruitment service and generate efficiencies. The new arrangements still permit offline applications in cases where disability prevents internet access and are fully compliant with the Office of the Civil Service Commissioners' (OCSC) principles of fair and open competition and selection on merit.
Departmental Recycling
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what weight of paper his Department recycled in each of the last five years. [300777]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence holds data on the percentage of total waste recycled but not specifically on the weight of paper recycled.
As part of reporting against the Sustainable Operation on the Government Estate targets, the MOD in 2008 agreed with the Office of Government Commerce a new waste baseline for MOD activities. In 2008-09 the Department recycled or reused 51 per cent. of its waste. Recycling and reuse figures prior to 2008-09, based on the best available data at the time and so not directly comparable, were: 34 per cent. for 2007-08; 37 per cent. for 2006-07; 38.5 per cent. for 2005-06, and 22.6 per cent. for 2004-05.
Devonport Dockyard
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Devonport dockyards have been issued with the relevant safety certificates to receive the Trident submarines for refuelling. [302003]
Mr. Quentin Davies: Devonport Dockyard holds the documentation that is necessary to allow the Vanguard class submarines to be received for refuelling. The documentation consists of a suite of safety cases which covers all aspects of Vanguard submarine operations, including berthing, movements and refuelling. These safety cases are required for Devonport Dockyard to maintain its site licence under the Nuclear Installation Act (1965).
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of Devonport dockyard's capability to meet the refuelling requirements of the Trident submarines. [302004]
Mr. Quentin Davies: Devonport Dockyard is fully capable of meeting the nuclear refuelling requirements of the Vanguard class submarines. The most recent assessment of this capability was completed on 7 October 2009.
This assessment included a review of the equipment, procedures and personnel required to undertake the refuelling of HMS Vigilant. Such assessments are undertaken before each refuelling of the Vanguard class.
Devonport Dockyard is a licensed site under the Nuclear Installations Act (1965). This licence is granted by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and approved by the MOD Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR). Operations at Devonport Dockyard are carried out in accordance with site licence conditions and the facility safety case.
Ex-servicemen: Radiation Exposure
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many decisions for war pension awards causally linked to service for any condition other than leukaemia and polcythaemia rubra vera have made a finding that a nuclear test veteran was exposed to radiation whilst participating in UK nuclear tests. [302179]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Data are not held in the format requested.
War pensions are individually determined on the basis of all appropriate medical evidence, and the War Pension Computer System (WPCS) only contains the outcomes of this detailed assessment. Therefore, although the medical conditions claimed and awarded are held, details of the specific causes of these medical conditions are not recorded on WPCS. The manual search of many thousands of files would be required to provide the information requested and this could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Iraq: Network Centre Operations
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent US and UK land-based military services in Iraq share a common information platform to support network centre operations (NCOs); and what innovations have been implemented to improve NCOs in Iraq since 2005. [300502]
Bill Rammell: Military information sharing between US and UK has improved since Operation Iraqi Freedom. In Iraq, information transfer was between national-only networks. In Afghanistan, UK land environment forces routinely work within the NATO ISAF information domain while keeping a smaller amount of national-only capability for information that is less readily shared with allies. The US have also taken up this approach, which means UK, US and other allies are routinely conducting operations using the same information domain.
Kentigern House
Ms Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (a) how much is expected to be made from the sale of and (b) what the projected costs to the public purse are over the 20 year lease period of the sale and leaseback of the MoD Kentigern House site. [301958]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The property was advertised for offers in excess of £47.4 million in return for a 20 year lease in favour of the Ministry of Defence, at an initial market rent of £3.511 million per annum with annual fixed increases of 2 per cent. per annum compounded every five years. There are no other additional costs anticipated.
Offers in excess of the asking price were received but remain subject to the completion of formal legal missives and are thus regarded as commercially confidential.
Ms Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultation was held with the Public and Commercial Services union prior to the decision being made to market the Kentigern House site on a sale and leaseback basis. [301959]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The proposed sale and leaseback of Kentigern House is an estate management initiative which does not threaten any jobs or affect the terms and conditions of employment of any Ministry of Defence employee or contractor.
Consequently, there was no need to formally consult with the trade unions, but, subject to commercial sensitivities, staff have been kept fully informed of progress by local management through a series of briefings discussions.
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