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14 Dec 2009 : Column 831W—continued
Departmental Publicity
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on (a) Ministerial photoshoots and (b) production of videos in which Ministers appear in the last three years for which figures are available. [305514]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Photographs or video material of Ministers sourced by the Department would typically be produced by MOD photographers or video production teams and utilise existing internal resources. Therefore, individual costs cannot be easily identified and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
EU Law
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) statutory instruments and (b) other regulations his Department has brought forward to meet obligations arising from EU law in this parliament. [304175]
Bill Rammell: Central records of statutory instruments made under specific powers have only been maintained by the Statutory Instruments Registrar since 2001. There are no central records maintained of 'other regulations'. Since that time, the Department has made no statutory instruments to meet obligations arising under EU Law, under powers contained in the European Communities Act 1972.
Eurocorps
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what consideration he has given to the merits of UK (a) support for and (b) work with Eurocorps deployments; [306451]
(2) what his policy is on the role for Eurocorps in EU security; and if he will make a statement; [306458]
(3) what assessment he has made of the contribution of Eurocorps in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement; [306481]
(4) what joint missions UK armed forces are undertaking with Eurocorps; and if he will make a statement; [306487]
(5) what assessment he has made of the effect on UK force deployment of the deployment of Eurocorps to Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement; [306488]
(6) what assessment he has made of the contribution of Eurocorps to Kosovo. [306490]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The UK has no involvement with Eurocorps and is currently not undertaking any joint missions with it.
The MOD has no policy on Eurocorps' role in EU security or assessment of its operations, and has not considered the merits of either supporting or working with it in the near future.
The UK regularly assesses the effect of the deployment of overseas forces on UK force deployment in Afghanistan. However, we have not made a specific assessment of the effect of the deployment of Eurocorps forces.
Game and Wild Birds Ordinance 2008
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2009, Official Report, columns 92-3W, on Cyprus, what guidance he has issued to the Sovereign Base Areas Administration on whether the Game and Wild Birds Ordinance 2008 prohibits the trappings of wild birds in all circumstances. [307044]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The ordinance makes it clear that large scale and non-selective methods of capturing, pursuing or killing wild birds are prohibited. The exception is where such activity is carried out strictly in accordance with a licence issued in that regard by the chief officer for reasons of public health and safety or conservation. The Secretary of State for Defence has therefore not issued any guidance to the Sovereign Base areas administration in relation to the interpretation of the Game and Wild Birds Ordinance 2008.
Hebrides Range
Mr. MacNeil:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what additional expenditure his Department
plans for Hebrides Range; whether he plans to locate new equipment at the Range; and what plans he has for the Range's role. [305613]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The Ministry of Defence is committed to the future of the Hebrides Range. My officials are currently developing plans for new investment in the range to ensure that it continues to provide the required capability. The plans remain at an early stage of development and it is not possible therefore, to specify the level of investment that will be required. Such investment will, of course, have to be affordable within the overall Defence budget. These plans will not involve redundancies.
I have also asked my officials and the range operator, QinetiQ, to make renewed efforts to market the range and its facilities to overseas customers.
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the oldest missile tracking equipment in use at Hebrides Range was installed. [305614]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The oldest missile tracking systems in use at the Hebrides Range are the four Nike Digital Instrumentation Radars (NiDIRs). They were installed between 1977 and 1981.
Helicopters
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the use of tactical helicopter landing mats for operational purposes; whether his Department plans to procure them in the near future; and if he will make a statement. [305984]
Mr. Quentin Davies: Helicopter landing mats are already in use on operations in Afghanistan at Forward Operating Bases. The requirement for helicopter temporary landing sites is currently being assessed. We will consider any changes to our current equipment in line with the needs of the operation.
Improvised Explosive Devices
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of British service personnel who have been killed by improvised explosive devices was (a) on foot patrol, (b) in a vehicle and (c) killed in other circumstances. [304350]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The MOD is committed to openly publishing casualty statistics on the number of service personnel killed and wounded on operations. Information on casualties sustained on operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and information on how each individual was killed is included in their eulogies available on our website at the following link.
Iraq Committee of Inquiry
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what position each official in his Department seconded to the Iraq Committee of Inquiry held between January 2001 and December 2003; and for what matters each was responsible in each such year. [303146]
Bill Rammell: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Tessa Jowell), on 3 December 2009, Official Report, columns 974-75W.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has provided briefing papers to the Iraq Inquiry for its oral evidence sessions. [305778]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Prime Minister has said that the inquiry will have access to all Government papers. My Department has provided papers and information to the inquiry, including, at the inquiry's request, a briefing paper on the no fly zones subsequently used at the inquiry's opening hearing. It is for the inquiry, which is independent, to decide how it uses these papers.
Kentigern House
Mr. Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to ensure that the sale of Kentigern House, Glasgow on a sale and leaseback basis (a) ensures value for money for the public purse and (b) protects jobs within the building. [306466]
Mr. Kevan Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave regarding employment at Kentigern House on 26 November 2009, Official Report, column 294W, to the hon. Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Katy Clark).
The Department is satisfied that the overall transaction represents value for money for the public purse.
Members: Correspondence
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 28 October 2009, Official Report, column 377W, on Members: correspondence, when he plans to reply to the letters of 27 July 2009 and 31 August 2009 from the hon. Member for Moray on the Court of Appeal costs incurred by his Department. [303892]
Mr. Kevan Jones: I will be writing shortly in reply to the hon. Member's letters.
Middle East: Armed Conflict
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many seaborne attacks on coalition forces by armed gangs there were (a) in the Persian Gulf, (b) in the vicinity of Umm Qasr and (c) near the Basra oil terminal in (i) 2008 and (ii) 2009. [305782]
Bill Rammell: No reports of serious incidents involving attacks by non-state forces operating from the sea against coalition naval assets in these geographical areas have been recorded in 2008 or 2009.
Military Aircraft: Helicopters
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest assessment is of the helicopter fleet's fitness for purpose; and if he will make a statement. [306419]
Mr. Quentin Davies: We constantly monitor the helicopter fleet to ensure that sufficient helicopters and helicopter hours are provided to meet requirements. The helicopter fleet is currently meeting all its operational and training commitments, both in the UK and overseas.
Helicopter capability is measured in terms of flying hours rather than the number of airframes available, and we continue to review requirements and adjust as necessary.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the capability of the private sector to provide helicopters to complement existing UK defence capability in (a) Afghanistan, (b) Iraq, (c) the Balkans and (d) Somalia; and if he will make a statement. [306547]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The United Kingdom does not have enduring military commitments in the Balkans, Iraq or Somalia that require the support of civilian contracted helicopter capability. In Afghanistan, the United Kingdom already maintains a contract for medium and heavy lift helicopters to carry freight in support of military operations. In addition, NATO has a commercial contract delivering freight lift, which UK Forces utilise as part of the wider coalition.
We will always consider opportunities to enhance helicopter capability, including the use of private sector helicopters, provided that service delivery meets defence standards and operational requirements.
Official Engagements
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions (a) Ministers in and (b) officials of his Department met representatives of the defence industry in an official capacity since December 2007. [306502]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Defence Ministers and officials meet representatives of the defence industry numerous times each day. A definitive number of such meetings is not held centrally.
Rescue Services: Pembrokeshire
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times a helicopter from (a) RAF Valley, (b) RNAS Culdrose and (c) Solent Coastguard assisted in a search and rescue operation off the coast of Pembrokeshire in each of the last five years. [306656]
Bill Rammell: The number of call outs off the coast of Pembrokeshire from RAF Valley, RNAS Culdrose and the Maritime Coastguard Agency bases at Lee on Solent and Portland, are shown in the following table. Call outs have been defined as those within a 25 mile radius of the Pembrokeshire coastline.
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009( 1) | |
| (1) Please note the data for 2009 are up to 30 September. | |||||
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the purpose is of the planned operational efficiency programme for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. [306821]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The purpose of the review is to look at the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's business delivery model to consider options for the future and establish if there is scope to enhance efficiencies and deliver greater value for money.
Shoeburyness
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what quantity of radioactive material was released by the explosion in August 2002 at Shoeburyness; and if he will make a statement. [306958]
Mr. Quentin Davies: No radioactive material was released in the August 2002 explosion at Shoeburyness.
St. Kilda
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what maritime vessels are in use for the re-supply of St. Kilda; and what options for future re-supply he is considering. [305615]
Mr. Quentin Davies: A landing vessel from 17 Port and Maritime Regiment of the Royal Logistic Corps is currently in the process of completing the 2009 re-supply of St. Kilda. We are now considering whether this arrangement should continue or whether the Department should revert to a commercial solution in the future.
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contribution UK forces make to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe; and if he will make a statement. [306452]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe is the headquarters of Allied Command Operations, one of NATO's two strategic military commands. It is responsible for all NATO operations. The UK currently contributes 125 personnel to the Headquarters, and permanently holds the position of the deputy commander, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
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