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5 Jan 2010 : Column 26W—continued
Departmental Pay
Mr. Kilfoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) full-time employees of his Department with 25 years or more service and (b)
full-time employees of his Department earn £15,000 per annum or less. [307909]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The total number of full-time employees in the Department with 25 years or more service is 9,971 of whom 144 earn less than £15,000.
The total number of full-time employees in the Department who earn £15,000 or less is 5,185.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the 2009 Pre-Budget Report affects his Department's spending plans for (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; and if he will publish an updated version of Table 1.2 on pages 20 and 21 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2008-09. [309066]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Pre-budget Report (PBR) did not change the Ministry of Defence's budget up to the end of the current spending review period in 2010-11. The only change announced at the PBR that will affect the MOD's spending plan is the 0.5 per cent. further increase in national insurance, which will cost approximately £35 million per annum from 2011-12.
We currently have no plan to reissue the total departmental spending table until the next publication of the Departmental Annual Report and Accounts in July 2010.
Future Large Aircraft
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings his Department has had with EADS on renegotiating the initial contract for the Airbus A400M. [308623]
Mr. Quentin Davies: Officials from the UK, along with those from partner nations and OCCAR, have participated in a range of meetings with both EADS and Airbus Military and I have myself had several meetings with them.
As these discussions are ongoing, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on them at this stage.
Germany: British Forces Post Office
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding will be provided to the British Forces Post Office in Germany in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) 2012. [304327]
Bill Rammell: The British Forces Post Office (BFPO) mail service to and within Germany comprises two services.
The first is a six day a week return contracted road container service from BFPO Northolt to Dulmen, which takes outward mail from Northolt and returns UK-addressed mail from Dulmen. This service is controlled and funded by BFPO, at a cost of £530,000 per annum.
The second service, within Germany, comprises the distribution of outward mail from Dulmen to forces post offices and to units, and the collection of inward mail from forces post offices for delivery to Dulmen.
The forecast costs to provide the postal support role, including personnel, equipment and infrastructure costs are provided as follows.
| Financial year | Approximate cost (£) |
Gibraltar: Navy
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Royal Navy warships are stationed in British Gibraltar territorial waters. [309100]
Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 15 June 2009, Official Report, column 8W.
Hotels
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hotel room nights were booked by officials in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each year since 2007; and how much (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies spent on the fees of third party agents in booking hotel accommodation in each of those years. [309057]
Mr. Kevan Jones: This information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Iraq Committee of Inquiry
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) documents and (b) other items of information held in electronic format at each security classification have been submitted to the Iraq Inquiry by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [309364]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 14 December 2009, Official Report, column 840W. My Department is in the process of providing the Iraq Inquiry with all the documents and electronic information it holds that has been requested to date. This information spans every level of Government security classification.
Iraq Committee of Inquiry: Reserve Forces
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many reservists from each branch have (a) been called up and (b) volunteered to assist with the Iraq Inquiry; [309236]
(2) what length of time the reservists appointed to assist the Iraq Inquiry are expected to serve in that role; [309237]
(3) what steps his Department is taking to (a) accommodate in military barracks the reservists aiding the Iraq Inquiry and (b) reimburse their living costs. [309238]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: No reservists have been deployed to assist the Iraq Inquiry.
Iraq: Oil
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK armed forces personnel are involved in the protection of Iraqi oil facilities. [308617]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: To the nearest 50, there are 200 UK armed forces personnel involved in the protection of Iraq's off-shore oil platforms. No UK personnel are involved in defending oil facilities on land.
The precise number of personnel in theatre fluctuates on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, the roulement of forces, visits and a range of other factors. We do not therefore publish actual figures for personnel deployed in theatre.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions UK armed forces have had to engage hostile forces in the defence of Iraqi oil facilities. [308618]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Iraq: Prisoners
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the Statement by the Secretary of State of 26 February 2009, Official Report, column 396, on records of detention (review conclusions), what recent legal advice his Department has received on its responsibilities to the two individuals detained by British forces in Iraq in 2004 and transferred to the Bagram Theater Internment Facility in Afghanistan. [307061]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Department takes legal advice where appropriate and necessary. Any such advice is subject to legal professional privilege because communications between lawyers and their clients are confidential.
Met Office
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings are planned for the Met Office Review Group; whether the group plans to consider the Cabinet Office Asset Portfolio; and if he will make a statement. [308394]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The Met Office Review Group plans to meet regularly over the coming months to continue the work of the Operational Efficiency Programme review as outlined in the Asset Portfolio.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department next plan to meet the Shareholder Executive to discuss the future of the Met Office; and if he will make a statement. [308395]
Mr. Kevan Jones:
Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Shareholder Executive officials are represented on the Met Office Review Group, which next plans to meet in
early 2010. There are no plans for MOD Ministers to meet Shareholder Executive officials to discuss the Met Office.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the composition of the Met Office Review Group will be changed in consequence of the publication of the Cabinet Office's Asset Portfolio; and if he will make a statement. [308396]
Mr. Kevan Jones: There are no plans to change the composition of the Met Office Review Group.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the publication of the Cabinet Office's Asset Portfolio on the work of the Met Office Review Group; whether any consequential changes will be made to the terms of reference of the Met Office Review Group; and if he will make a statement. [308397]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The Asset Portfolio gave an update on the findings of the Met Office Operational Efficiency Programme Review to date, and set a direction for future work which will be taken forward by the Review Group over the coming months.
There are no plans to change the terms of reference of the Met Office Review Group.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department plan to meet representatives from private sector weather companies to discuss the recent publication of the Cabinet Office's Asset Portfolio; and if he will make a statement. [308398]
Mr. Kevan Jones: There are no current plans for Ministry of Defence Ministers or officials to meet representatives from private sector weather companies to discuss the recent publication of the Asset Portfolio.
Shareholder Executive officials have met with private sector weather companies as part of the Met Office Operational Efficiency Programme review.
Military Aircraft: Deployment
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where will the Joint Force Harrier be deployed to when RAF Cottesmore closes. [309143]
Bill Rammell: As announced by the Secretary of State for Defence on 15 December 2009, Official Report, column 803, RAF Cottesmore will close and the Harrier Force will be consolidated at RAF Wittering.
Military Aircraft: Procurement
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effects on the economy of the procurement of 24 Chinook helicopters from Boeing. [308608]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The procurement of the new Chinook replaces the planned future medium helicopter competition, for which there was no guaranteed UK work content.
The Chinook programme provides significant through-life opportunities for UK industry, for example these new aircraft, as with our current Chinook fleet, will be supported onshore. Furthermore, we anticipate that much of the investment required to deliver other elements of the new Rotary Wing Strategy announced on 15 December 2009, such as the modification of Merlin helicopters, will be made in the UK, supporting UK jobs, and sustaining key onshore skills as well as delivering value for money.
Mr. Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on military aircraft procured from BAE Systems since 1997. [308659]
Mr. Quentin Davies: Complete information on the costs of aircraft procured from BAE Systems since 1997 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Such information as is available, relating to initial procurement costs, is contained in the following table. The table excludes the costs of enhancements and modifications to aircraft originally procured before 1997.
| Aircraft | Procurement cost (£ million) |
| (1) Costs to date of development and manufacture programme. (2) Costs to date of design and development contract and manufacture contract. | |
Since 1997, MOD has also made payments for work performed by BAE Systems on the Typhoon aircraft. The Typhoon is procured by the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA), which manages the programme and funding arrangements on behalf of the four partner nations (UK, Germany, Italy and Spain). Payments for work on Typhoon are made to NETMA. Information on monies paid for work performed by BAE Systems therefore is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, total expenditure on the Typhoon acquisition programme since 1997 is £9.3 billion.
Military Bases: Edinburgh Castle
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next plans to meet representatives of Historic Scotland to discuss basing arrangements at Edinburgh Castle. [308726]
Bill Rammell: My officials met with Historic Scotland on 17 December 2009 to discuss both the Army's and Historic Scotland's development needs at Edinburgh castle and areas of mutual interest. Such meetings take place roughly every six months.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to downsize or close the military garrison at Edinburgh Castle; and when a decision will be made on the future of the garrison. [308727]
Bill Rammell: There are no plans to downsize or close the garrison at Edinburgh castle.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what decisions have been made on the future role of the Governor of Edinburgh Castle. [308730]
Bill Rammell: There are no plans to alter the role of the Governor of Edinburgh Castle, which is currently performed by General Officer Commanding 2 Division.
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