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28 Jan 2010 : Column 1015W—continued
Capenhurst Nuclear Power Station
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2010, Official Report, columns 17-18W, on radioactive materials: imports, from which countries of origin the uranium which was enriched to military grade at the gaseous diffusion plant at BNFL Capenhurst was obtained; and what materials have been enriched at that plant since 31 March 2002. [313540]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Our records indicate that all uranium used in the production of highly enriched uranium (HEU) for military purposes at the Capenhurst Gas Diffusion Plant was supplied prior to the 1960s and came mainly from the Congo. No HEU for military purposes has been produced at Capenhurst since 1962.
Departmental ICT
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which departmental information technology projects have been outsourced to companies based overseas in the last three years; and what the monetary value was of each such contract. [313555]
Mr. Quentin Davies: Information on projects that have been outsourced is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Information on the MOD's PFI commitments is published in our Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which are available on the MOD internet site:
Departmental Written Questions
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what average time his Department took to answer questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day in the last 12 months. [313664]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The information is not held in the format requested. However, during the 12 months up to 31 December 2009, 67 per cent. of ordinary written questions and 74 per cent. of named day written questions were answered on time.
European Defence Agency
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which (a) initiatives and (b) programmes of the European Defence Agency the UK is participating; and what the cost to the UK is of each in 2009-10. [312652]
Bill Rammell: UK support of the EU military capability helps strengthen the Common Security and Defence Policy and Europe's contribution to NATO, both of which are in our national interest. The Ministry of Defence participates in the development of military capability through the European Defence Agency in the following areas:
Capability Development Plan and capability improvement strategy;
Collaborative Database strategy;
Computer Information Systems (CIS) Information Exchange Requirements (IERs);
Computer Network Operations;
Counter Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED);
Counter Portable Air Defence Systems (C-MANPADS);
Defence Data;
European Armaments Co-operation strategy;
European Defence Exports Market;
European Defence Research and Technology (EDRT) strategy;
European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) strategy:
Ammunitions
Depth and Diversity of Small/Medium Enterprises
Future Air Systems
Security of Supply, Offsets and the Level Playing Field;
Helicopters availability;
Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) architecture;
Maritime Mine Countermeasures (MMCM);
Maritime Surveillance Networking;
Medical Support;
Military Airworthiness and Certification Authorities (MAWA);
Military aspects of a Comprehensive Approach;
Networked Enabled Capabilities (NEC);
Satellite Communications;
Secure Management Infrastructure;
Space Situational Awareness;
Third Party Logistics Support;
The UK contributes to capability development in a variety of forms, including financial, equipment and systems testing and the sharing of knowledge, expertise and experience. As the costs of these capability development areas are shared among participating nations, including through national financial contributions to the European
Defence Agency's budget, we are unable to accurately apportion specific individual costs to the UK. Our financial contribution to the Agency's budget for calendar year 2009 was £3.03 million.
European Defence Agency: Finance
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) financial and (b) other contribution his Department has allocated to the (i) European Defence Agency and (ii) EU military staff in (A) 2008-09, (B) 2009-10 and (C) 2010-11. [312656]
Bill Rammell: The Ministry of Defence's financial and personnel contribution to the European Defence Agency (EDA) and European Union Military Staff (EUMS) are provided in the following table. The Department's wider contributions to these organisations has included the loan or use of equipment and systems in support of testing and trials, and the provision of expert knowledge and advice through the UK's military operational experience. UK support of the EU military capability helps strengthen the Common Security and Defence Policy and Europe's contribution to NATO, both of which are in our national interest.
| European Defence Agency | European Union Military Staff | |||
| Calendar year( 1) | £ million | Personnel( 2) | £ million | Personnel( 2) |
| (1) EDA uses the calendar year as its financial year. (2) Up to. (3) Estimated figures for 2010. | ||||
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will reply to the letters from the right hon. Member for North East Hampshire of 26 June and 14 August 2009 on Calthorpe Park Secondary School. [310921]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I apologise for the delay in the response. This was due to the large volume of letters this Department received on Afghanistan issues. A letter was sent on 26 January.
Military Aircraft: Helicopters
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on its Green Helicopter initiative; and if he will make a statement. [313545]
Bill Rammell: There have been no recent discussions between UK Defence Ministers and the European Commission on its Green Helicopter initiative. We remain committed to minimising the environmental impact of our equipment wherever possible.
Somalia: Piracy
Andrew Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who was authorised to inform the BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner about the attempt by
special forces to rescue Paul and Rachel Chandler; for what reasons that authorisation was given; what account was taken of the effects of the disclosure on the safety of the Chandlers; and if he will make a statement. [314090]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: It is long-standing policy not to comment on matters relating to UK special forces, as their disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
Special Forces: Disclosure of Information
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on authorising public disclosure of information on operations by special forces; and if he will make a statement. [314091]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: It is the policy of the Ministry of Defence not ordinarily to comment on UK special forces. The UK's special forces are bound by a confidentiality contract that requires express prior authority in writing from the Ministry of Defence to be given before any disclosure can be made.
Work and Pensions
Carer's Premium: Tyne and Wear
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners received a carer premium with their pension credit, housing benefit or council tax benefit in each social service authority area in Tyne and Wear in (a) 2005 and (b) 2009. [313795]
Angela Eagle: The information is not available for housing benefit or council tax benefit. The available information for pension credit is in the following table.
| Pension credit claimants in Tyne and Wear with carer's premium | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Pension credit is claimed on a household basis and therefore the number of people that pension credit helps is the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are also claiming. Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study | |
Child Benefit
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the child benefit disregard in respect of housing benefit and council tax benefit introduced on 2 November 2009 is (a) awarded without claim or (b) claimed for; and if she will estimate the number of residents of Newcastle upon Tyne to whom this disregard applies. [313279]
Helen Goodman:
Approximately 200,000 current customers benefited from the full introduction of the disregard of child benefit in the assessment of housing benefit and council tax benefit when the local authorities
reviewed their entitlement in November 2009. We estimate that a further 200,000 working families would be entitled to housing benefit and council benefit if they made a claim following the change in November 2009.
We are unable to provide an estimate of the number of residents in Newcastle upon Tyne to whom this disregard applies.
Cold Weather Payments
Mr. Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate she has made of the number of older people who do not claim the cold weather payment to which they are entitled. [313389]
Helen Goodman: Cold weather payments are paid automatically to all those who qualify for them and no one needs to make an application.
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have claimed the cold weather payment in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since its inception. [313497]
Helen Goodman: Cold weather payment information is available only by weather station, not by constituency, local authority or region. Information for Great Britain is provided in the following table. Information on cold weather payments in Northern Ireland is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
The available information is provided in the following table.
| Cold weather payments for Great Britain | |
| Number of payments made | |
| Notes: 1. Since 1991-92 people have not had to claim to receive their entitlement to cold weather payments, as payments have been made automatically following a trigger. 2. The information provided is for the number of payments made. As some people may have received more than one payment in a winter, the number of payments made is generally greater than the number of people who received a payment. 3. The cold weather payment period runs from 1 November to 31 March for each year. 4. The number of payments has been rounded to the nearest 1,000. Source: Annual reports by the Secretary of State for Social Security / Work and Pensions on the Social Fund. | |
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