| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
3 Mar 2010 : Column 1217W—continued
Departmental Theft
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many thefts from his Department have been recorded in the last two years. [318984]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Haiti: Earthquakes
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assets his Department has deployed to Haiti since the earthquake on 12 January 2010; [319431]
(2) how many of his Department's (a) military and (b) civilian personnel have been deployed to Haiti since the earthquake on 12 January 2010; [319432]
(3) how much his Department has spent on relief and deployments to Haiti since the earthquake on 12 January 2010. [319433]
Bill Rammell [holding answer 1 March 2010]: The Department for International Development (DfID) is leading the UK response to the Haitian earthquake: at DfID's request the Ministry of Defence (MOD) sent a Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ship, RFA Largs Bay, to carry vital relief supplies to Haiti. RFA Largs Bay arrived in Haiti on 18 February, delivered its cargo of aid and is now engaged in further taskings in support of the World Food programme under the direction of DfID. This has been a high priority task and I trust it has been seen as a significant contribution by the Government to the international aid effort.
The MOD deployed an Operational Liaison and Reconnaissance Team to Haiti via 2 C-130 Hercules flights to advise DfID on the capabilities of RFA Largs Bay and on what military assistance was required. DfID does not currently require any military assistance in the region beyond that already in Haiti. The MOD continues to take an active role in the UK response, and will provide further assistance where possible if required.
Some 130 military personnel are on board the RFA Largs Bay. Five military personnel remain in Port-au-Prince in support of the ship. Eight members of a Royal Military Police close protection team for the FCO's consular Rapid Deployment Team as well as 11 military personnel and one civilian from the Operational Liaison and Reconnaissance Team were deployed initially to Haiti following the earthquake but have all since returned to the UK. A small number of UK service personnel on exchanges (with Canada, Bermuda and USA military forces) were also deployed, or were on standby to deploy, to Haiti.
Spending by the MOD in support of Operation PANLAKE, the assistance provided by MOD to Haiti on behalf of DfID, will be recovered from DfID. At present, it is not possible to provide a final costing of the operation as the work is still being completed.
Harassment
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many incidents of harassment have been reported by (a) military and (b) civilian personnel in (i) each of the armed forces and (ii) his Department in each of the last 10 years. [319927]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The following table reflects the number of harassment complaints reported since October 2006 for each service. Some Tri-Service defence organisations do not record the service to which the complainant belongs.
Statistical data prior to October 2006 are not held centrally.
| Formal harassment complaints | Royal Navy | Army | RAF | Tri-Service Organisations |
Statistics for Tri-Service Organisations have only been collected since April 2008. Armed forces personnel statistics may also include cases raised by MOD civilians against a service person.
The following table shows the number of formal complaints of bullying or harassment raised by MOD Civilians through the Department's Harassment and Bullying complaints procedure where investigation by a Harassment Investigation Officer has been requested.
| Formal bullying and harassment complaints (financial year) | MOD civil service |
Due to the way information is recorded for civilian bullying and harassment complaints, it is not possible to separate the two types of complaint except at disproportionate cost.
HMS Sheffield
Mr. Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2010, Official Report, column 351W, on HMS Sheffield, if he will lay before the House the findings of the comprehensive review of the Board of Inquiry report on the sinking of HMS Sheffield; [315473]
(2) when he plans to answer question 315473, on the comprehensive review of the Board of Inquiry report on the sinking of HMS Sheffield, tabled on 1 February 2010. [320115]
Bill Rammell: The review of the Board of Inquiry (BOI) report into the sinking of HMS Sheffield was concerned with the provision of considered advice to the then Minister of State for the Armed Forces on which documents from the BOI report should be published.
The findings of the review were never presented in a report; but led to the publication of the BOI report and associated papers, as announced on 2 November 2006, Official Report, column 23WS.
International Military Services Limited: Iran
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the legal and contractual issues between International Military Services Ltd (IMS) and the republic of Iran have been resolved; what the outcome was; and whether IMS will now be wound up. [320129]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: International Military Services Ltd (IMS Ltd) is a private limited company, albeit one owned by the Secretary of State for Defence. The company is under the direct control and management of a board of directors who are responsible for the conduct of its affairs. Questions on the legal and contractual issues between IMS Ltd and the republic of Iran are routinely for the company to address.
However, I asked my officials to consult the managing director of IMS about this case. His advice is that discussions between the two parties continue, and are leading to resolution of all of the outstanding issues.
I will update this House when these matters are fully resolved, and it is my intention at that time to wind up IMS Ltd.
Military Bases: Carbon Emissions
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the level of carbon dioxide emissions from his Department's military establishments (a) in the UK and (b) abroad in each year since 2005. [319768]
Mr. Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence's (MOD's) carbon emissions from its military establishments in the UK and abroad since 2005 are provided in the following table:
| Tonnes CO 2 | |||
| UK estate | Overseas estate | Total carbon emissions | |
The increase in carbon emissions during 2007-08 and 2008-09 is because figures for the overseas estate from Gibraltar, Cyprus, Falkland Islands, Northwood in the UK and the Army overseas estate are taken into account. In previous years these figures were not included.
The Department's headline energy figures are now published within the MOD's Defence Statistics, included for the first time in 2009. They are also published yearly in MOD's Sustainable Development Report and separately by the Sustainable Development Commission as part of their role as the Government's Sustainable Development watchdog.
Navy: Deployment
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many days each Royal Navy frigate spent on non-operational deployment for (a) diplomatic engagements and (b) defence industry exhibitions in each of the last five years. [319943]
Bill Rammell: The Royal Navy does not deploy with the sole aim of diplomatic engagements or defence industry exhibitions; this is done on an opportunity basis. These types of engagements are undertaken when a vessel is located in, or passing through the region. Details of these engagements for the past five years are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Nuclear Weapons
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey) of 28 November 2007, Official Report, column 453W, on nuclear weapons, whether any funding for the work of his Department's Warhead Pre-Concept Working Group is included in the funding allocation for the Nuclear Warhead Capability Sustainment Programme; what the cost was of work undertaken by the Warhead Pre-Concept Working Group in 2008-09 and 2009-10; and what estimate he has made of the projected cost of work scheduled to be carried out by the Working Group in the next three years. [319190]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The work previously co-ordinated by the Warhead Pre-Concept Working Group now forms part of studies being undertaken by Atomic Weapon Establishment under the Nuclear Warhead Capability Sustainment Programme. This is required to inform decisions, likely to be necessary in the next Parliament, on whether and how we may need to refurbish or replace our current warhead. Expenditure amounted to some £7.3 million in 2008-09 and is forecast to be some £16.5 million in 2009-10. Comparable levels of future annual expenditure are anticipated until final decisions are taken.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any stocks of defence special nuclear materials are held at locations other than sites owned by his Department. [319194]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Some special nuclear material is held at sites that are not owned by the Ministry of Defence. I am withholding further information on the location of this material as its release would, or would be likely to, prejudice national security and defence in the UK.
Somalia: EU Action
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many RAF (a) C-17 Globemaster, (b) C-130K Hercules, (c) C-130J Hercules, (d) Tristar and (e) VC-10 aircraft will be used for the EU Training Mission for Somalia; [319512]
(2) what recent reports he has received on the (a) military and (b) financial contribution of each EU member state planning to participate in the EU Training Mission for Somalia; [319513]
(3) how many British service personnel of each rank in each unit in each service he expects to participate in the EU Training Mission for Somalia; [319514]
(4) what NATO assets he expects to be used for the EU Training Mission for Somalia under the (a) 2003 Berlin Plus arrangements and (b) 2002 NATO-EU Declaration on the European Security and Defence Policy; [319515]
(5) how much and what proportion of the funding of the EU Training Mission for Somalia his Department plans to contribute; and how much of that funding had been disbursed on 10 February 2010. [319516]
Bill Rammell:
The European Union is currently undertaking detailed planning for the proposed EU Training Mission (EUTM) to Somalia and we are discussing
appropriate force levels and financial contributions with our European partners. We are currently assessing possible UK contributions. We do not anticipate any UK military aircraft being used in EUTM Somalia nor do we anticipate that the mission will use any wholly owned NATO assets.
The current anticipated costs to the UK, should the mission proceed, are around €0.7million (£0.636 million). This represents our proportion of common costs currently assessed at around 14 per cent. Of this €0.4 million (£0.364 million) had been disbursed by 10 February 2010.
Territorial Army: Deployment
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of Territorial Army personnel were available to be deployed on operations on the latest date for which figures are available. [319490]
Bill Rammell: As of 1 December 2009 the strength of the Territorial Army, including University Officer Training Corps cadets, was 34,520. Of the total strength approximately 1,300 are currently mobilised in support of operations. Approximately a further 19,000 are available for mobilisation, subject to their being released from their civilian commitments and completing additional pre-deployment training. This represents around 55 per cent. of total Territorial Army strength. Available for mobilisation is defined as those who have completed phase 2 training and are not bound by limitations of the Reserve Forces Act 1996.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |