Written Answers to Questions
Monday 22 February 2010
Defence
Afghanistan
16. Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest assessment is of progress in military operations in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [317455]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: We continue to work with the Afghan national security forces and ISAF partners to bring security to the Afghan people. The increasing ability of Afghan security forces has been shown recently in their effective planning, leadership and execution of Operation Moshtarak, which is successfully extending the authority and influence of the Afghan Government in central Helmand Province.
19. Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent assessment is of the role of UK armed forces in the overall military strategy in Afghanistan. [317458]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Macclesfield.
20. Mr. Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the timetable is for transition of lead security responsibility to the Afghan government for (a) each district and (b) the nation as a whole. [317459]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Afghan Government wants the Afghan national security forces (ANSF) to take the lead and conduct the majority of operations within three years, and to take responsibility for physical security within five years. At the London conference, the international community agreed to support this goal by continuing to improve the capability and effectiveness of the ANSF.
We hope that a number of provinces will transition to ANSF lead by late 2010 or early 2011, with ISAF moving to a supporting role. However, the rate of transition will depend upon conditions on the ground, and the judgment of military commanders and the Afghan Government.
RAF Church Fenton
18. Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his plans are for the future of RAF Church Fenton and its parent base RAF Linton-on-Ouse; and if he will make a statement. [317457]
Bill Rammell: RAF Church Fenton and its parent base RAF Linton-on-Ouse currently provide UK military flying training. The future roles of these stations are under review as part of the UK military flying training system programme which will deliver the future flying training needs of the armed forces. No decisions have been taken yet on the involvement of individual sites that are under review as part of the programme.
Personnel: Mental Illnesses
Mr. Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements his Department has put in place to help military service personnel with mental illnesses linked to combat experience. [317454]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Defence Medical Services deploy uniformed mental health staff on major operations to provide assessment and care to personnel in theatre. In the UK, community-based mental health care is available at 15 MOD-run regional departments of community mental health (plus centres overseas), while in-patient care, when necessary, is provided in specialist NHS mental health facilities.
Defence Storage and Distribution Agency
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency no longer has agency status. [317460]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The Defence Storage and Distribution Agency (DSDA) still has agency status. The operational efficiency programme made a number of recommendations which allow removal of agency status from DSDA and my Department is therefore currently consulting with the trade unions on its removal. Once this is complete, I will make a final decision which will be announced to Parliament in the usual manner.
Accommodation: Repairs
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was charged to occupants of (1) Modern Housing Solutions accommodation for repair of damage caused by them to the accommodation in each of the last 12 months; [317328]
(2) family accommodation owned by Amec Turner for repair of damage caused by them to the accommodation in each of the last five years. [317329]
Mr. Kevan Jones: Modern Housing Solutions and Turner Estates Solutions are the prime contractors for the repair and maintenance of service family accommodation (SFA) in Great Britain. Neither company own any SFA properties.
However, charges for "barrack damage" are raised in cases where occupants vacate SFA below the required move-out standard, and are to cover the costs of remedial works required. The MOD manages over 20,000 moves in and out of SFA in the UK each year. Charges are not raised for normal wear and tear and any charges for the replacement of lifed items such as carpets will take into account the remaining life of the item. Housing officers visit every SFA property prior to move-out in order to advise occupants what work may be required to clean properties to the required standard, and to allow occupants to raise any concerns they may have. Figures are only available for the UK as a whole. For data prior to 2009, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 September 2009, Official Report, column 2124W. The following table shows data that are available for 2009.
| Amount charged (£) | |
Afghanistan and Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel have served in (a) Afghanistan since 2001 and (b) Operation Telic from 2003-09. [314562]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The following table shows the numbers of personnel endorsed for Afghanistan since 2001 and Operation Telic since 2003.
The data included in this response have been rounded. The Afghanistan figures represent the endorsed troop levels at the given time.
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the security threat posed by the Taliban in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region. [309737]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 11 January 2010]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Bill Rammell) to the hon. Member for Reigate (Mr. Blunt) on 11 January 2010, Official Report, column 740W.
Dr. McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many troops were stationed in Afghanistan in each year between 2006 and 2009. [316276]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The following table shows the number of personnel endorsed for Afghanistan between 2006 and 2009.
| Afghanistan | ||
| Number | ||
The Afghanistan figures represent the endorsed troop levels at the given time.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the effect was on the operation of the Afghan air bridge of recent severe weather conditions in the UK. [316921]
Bill Rammell: Delivery of the strategic airbridge was challenging but successful during the period of severe weather in January 2010. Some aircraft were diverted from RAF Brize Norton or pre-positioned at East Midlands airport.
In spite of the closure of RAF Brize Norton from late on 5 January 2010 until 8 January 2010, the utilisation of additional resources and the inherent flexibility in airbridge passenger tasking ensured that outbound passengers were re-allocated to the next available aircraft departing from either Brize Norton or East Midlands airport. The airbridge continued through the period of severe weather with minimal overall disruption.
Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to monitor the effectiveness of the changes to the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme announced on 10 February 2010. [318023]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The Government are committed to implementing all of the recommendations put forward by Lord Boyce in his Review of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. A report on progress will be made in 12 months time to the Central Advisory Committee on Pensions and Compensation, a statutory advisory body, whose members include representatives of Service and ex-service organisations as well as military personnel. As recommended in the Report this same body will monitor progress on implementation of the Review's recommendations and will also be the route through which any further reviews of aspects of the Scheme which might be required are conducted.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what means lifetime earnings lost by reservists as a result of injuries sustained in service be (a) calculated and (b) accounted for in the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme following implementation of the changes to the Scheme announced on 10 February 2010. [318024]
Mr. Kevan Jones: A Reservist's Guaranteed Income Payment is calculated, in the same way as a Regular's, using age and salary at time of discharge and reflecting the severity of the injury. The salary for Reservists is calculated using a military salary of equivalent rank as a Regular plus any Reservist pay supplements that an individual earns to compensate those whose gross civilian salary is higher than their gross Service pay. In line with the Review Recommendations the Guaranteed Income Payment calculation will be amended to reflect, for the most seriously injured, the average number of promotions they are no longer able to receive. This will apply to Reservists and Regulars alike.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the compensation review for people injured since April 2005 announced on 10 February 2010 to be completed. [318028]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The Government have accepted all of the recommendations put forward by Lord Boyce in his Review of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and these will be implemented as quickly as possible. Some of the changes will be completed by the summer, while those which require more time to translate into detailed legislation are expected to be complete in about 12 months' time.
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