Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 19 January 2010
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Sir Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the cost of the UK's mission to Afghanistan was funded from (a) contingency reserve funds and (b) other sources in 2007-08. [311386]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The net additional cost of military operations is funded from the Reserve. For the financial year 2007-08 this amounted to £1.504 billion for Afghanistan. Costs that the Department would have incurred anyway, such as wages and salaries, are not included and are met from the core Defence budget. Savings on activities that have not occurred because of the operation, such as training exercises, are taken into account in arriving at the net claim on the Reserve.
In addition to the cost of military operations there is separate funding for various activities in Afghanistan aimed at promoting peace and stability. In 2007-08 these activities were carried out by the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the Ministry of Defence under the auspices of the Global Conflict Prevention Pool, which is not part of the Defence budget. These activities amounted to approximately £147 million.
Given the number of Departments involved in our activities in Afghanistan, I am unable to express my Department's spending in percentage terms.
Sir Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of all Urgent Operational Requirements for expenditure in Afghanistan in the year 2007-08 was funded from (a) the contingency reserve and (b) his Department's core budget. [311391]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The net additional cost of military operations, including that for Urgent Operational Requirements (UORs) for theatre-specific equipment, is funded in-year from the Treasury Reserve. For financial year 2007-08 one hundred percent of expenditure on UORs was funded from the Treasury Reserve.
Armed Forces: Estonia
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what visits were made to Estonia by (a) units and (b) personnel of HM armed forces in 2009. [311356]
Bill Rammell: HMS Illustrious was the only unit to visit Estonia, in June 2009. There were a number of HM armed forces visits made during the course of the year which are listed as follows:
| Representatives from | Visiting/Reason | Date |
|
Permanent Joint Headquarters, supported by the Royal Air Force | ||
|
Attending a Remembrance service of a soldier killed in Afghanistan | ||
Armed Forces: Housing
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many of his Department's properties managed by Modern Housing Solutions have reached the EcoHomes06 standard of (a) pass, (b) good, (c) very good and (d) excellent; [312066]
(2) what recent estimate he has made of the cost to Modern Housing Solutions of upgrading properties it manages under contract to his Department to the energy efficiency standards laid out in the EcoHomes06 sustainability model. [312067]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Given that the Ministry of Defence has only recently started to use the EcoHomes06 standard for major Service Family Accommodation (SFA) improvement projects in England and Wales, no data are yet available. Work to verify assessments for recently completed upgrade projects is under way. No assessment has been made of the cost to upgrade all SFA to the EcoHomes06 standard.
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints were received by Amec Turner about accommodation for service personnel and their families in each of the last 12 months. [312068]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Turner Estates Solutions took over responsibility for repair call outs in Scotland from Amec Turner in December 2007. During the past 12 months they have received the following complaints about accommodation (both single living and family):
| Month | Number of complaints |
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many requests for repair call-outs were received by Amec Turner in each of the last 12 months. [312069]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Turner Estates Solutions took over responsibility for repair call outs in Scotland from Amec Turner in December 2007. During the last 12 months they have received the following repair call-outs:
| Month | Number of repair call outs |
| (1) Not available until end of January 2010 | |
This covers the whole of Regional Prime Contract Scotland, including accommodation, both single living and family, and other properties.
Armed Forces: Pensions
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what effect the negative level of retail price index inflation in September 2009 will have on the level of armed forces pensions in the next 12 months. [309734]
Mr. Kevan Jones [holding answer 11 January 2010]: Public service pension upratings are linked by primary legislation to those for additional state pensions, such as the state second pension, and the uprating in April 2010 will take account of the rate of inflation over the year to September 2009. As announced at the pre-Budget report 2008, legislation governing uprating for additional state pensions means that in the event of a negative Retail Price Index (RPI), benefit rates will be protected at least in nominal terms (i.e. not reduced on account of deflation), thereby providing an increase in support in real terms. The RPI change for September 2009 was minus 1.4 per cent., so benefits will remain at current levels.
Armed Forces: Vehicles
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of deferring the Operational Utility Vehicle System programme for two years; and what assessment he has made of the likely trends in (a) production and (b) deployment of small and medium support vehicles during that period. [311277]
Mr. Quentin Davies:
The deferral of the Operational Utility Vehicle System (OUVS) competition will give the MOD the opportunity to consider the latest products from industry, including those from the companies that
withdrew from the original OUVS competition. This will allow the MOD to determine the best method of delivering an operational utility vehicle capability for the future. During the period of the two year deferral, the Tactical Support Vehicles purchased as Urgent Operational Requirements will fulfil the OUVS role in Afghanistan. The Department will conduct a thorough review of the commercial and acquisition strategy for OUVS during 2010. This will consider production and delivery schedules, and the capability requirement informed by our operational experience.
Baltic States: Military Aircraft
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what air policing cover is in place to assist in fulfilling NATO's commitment to the Baltic states. [311357]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Baltic states receive the same level of protection and security as all NATO nations. They provide their own Air Surveillance and Command and Control capabilities to support the air policing mission. Fighter aircraft are generated and deployed to the Baltic states by other NATO nations.
Departmental ICT
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cases of computer (a) hacking, (b) fraud and (c) theft his Department recorded in each of the last five years. [311086]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The MOD takes any attacks on, or misuse of, its information networks and associated media storage devices very seriously and has robust procedures in place to militate against and investigate such occurrences. Furthermore, new processes, instructions and technological aids are continually being implemented to mitigate human errors and raise the awareness of every individual in the Department with regards to cyber security.
It is not in the public interest or in the interests of the UK's national security for this Department to release any information regarding any hacking attempts on its IT systems as this would enable individuals to deduce how successful these efforts are against the network and so assist such persons in establishing the effectiveness of the UK's IT defences.
Within the MOD, there have been no recorded incidents of the perpetration of fraud where an IT system was a material factor. Although a number of suspected incidents have been investigated, statistics relating to those submitted on-line via IT-based systems could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The following table shows the number of official issued desktops and laptops centrally reported as stolen from the Department from 2005 to 2009. Figures will continue to be adjusted to incorporate subsequent recoveries of items and the reporting of additional thefts and subsequent clarification of historical incidents. The following figures reflect the latest data held as of 14 January 2010.
| Stolen computers 2005 to 2009 | ||
| Desktop | Laptop | |
Iraq Committee of Inquiry
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what allowances are available to be paid to witnesses called to give oral evidence to the Iraq Inquiry. [305776]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 6 January 2010, Official Report, column 430W, to the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski).
Military Aircraft: Helicopters
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 6 January 2010, Official Report, columns 453-55W, on military aircraft: helicopters, what estimate he has made of the cost of extending the service life of the (a) Merlin Mk3, (b) Merlin Mk3a, (c) Sea King Mk4, (d) Sea King Mk7, (e) Apache, (f) Chinook Mk2 and (g) Chinook Mk2a; and when he expects a decision to be made on such an extension in each case. [311917]
Mr. Quentin Davies: It is not until Main Gate approval for specific upgrades has been obtained that their content, value and time scales can be confirmed.
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