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10 Mar 2010 : Column 340W—continued
| Royal Air Force compulsory drug testing results for the period 1 January 2001-31 December 2009 | ||||||
| Drug types( 2) | ||||||
| Number of tests conducted | Number of positive results | Cocaine | Ecstasy | Cannabis | Others( 4) | |
| (1) Other drugs detected-Ketamine, Steroids, Benzodiazepines and Opiates. (2) Where a sample tests positive for more than one drug, the more prevalent drug is counted. (3) Other drugs detected-Heroin, Ketamine, Steroids, Benzodiazepines. (4) Other drugs detected-Benzodiazepines, Amphetamine. | ||||||
Armed Forces: Food
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on British Armed Forces Worldwide Food Supply in each year since 2001. [320752]
Mr. Quentin Davies: Catering, retail and leisure (CRL) contracts (incorporating pay as you dine arrangements) are being introduced across the UK, to cater for service personnel in UK units. Such catering contracts now account for around 60 per cent. of food consumption by service personnel. Food procured under such contracts is the responsibility of the supplier. Information on the costs of all food procured within these contracts is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
For UK armed forces personnel "in barracks", when personnel are not being fed under CRL contracts, and those serving on operations and overseas exercises, there is a single food supply contract for which the following information is available:
| FY | Spend (£ million) |
These figures represent the total of value of commercially supplied food including the cost of food, administration and transport.
The Department has also procured operational ration packs over the same period for which the following information is available:
| FY | Spend (£ million) |
Armed Forces: Parachuting
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department plans to award the Main Stores Parachuting contract. [320761]
Mr. Quentin Davies: We do not recognise this contract description. However, we are currently evaluating tenders received for the award of a medium weight air drop parachute delivery system development contract. It is too early to state when a production contract may be awarded.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has had recent discussions with his US counterpart on the development of a parachute delivery system. [320762]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The Secretary of State for Defence has not had any recent discussions with his US counterpart on the development of a parachute delivery system. However, at the working level, information is frequently shared with US counterparts.
Armed Forces: Rescue Services
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the capability of search and rescue C-130 Hercules aircraft to (a) locate casualties in darkness and poor weather conditions and (b) deploy life rafts and other support items. [321323]
Bill Rammell:
Hercules C-130 aircraft are capable of covering the entirety of the UK's search and rescue area of responsibility and have the capability to operate in
accordance with the search and rescue criteria specified in the International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Manual.
Hercules C-130 aircraft is fitted with radar which can be used in a search mode to locate vessels in the water. It can be flown by pilots using night vision goggles to assist with searches.
The C-130 aircraft is able to deploy the life-rafts and containers carried by Nimrod MR2 aircraft for the long-range SAR role. Within the containers are a variety of items that could support the survivor in the four priorities of survival: protection, location, water and food. The items include headover scarves, location aids (flares and distress signals), water and emergency rations.
Armoured Fighting Vehicles
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armoured vehicles of each type in each armed service were (a) in service and (b) available for operations on the latest date for which figures are available. [319487]
Mr. Quentin Davies: I am withholding information on the numbers of vehicles available as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
The number of armoured vehicles of each type in service is shown in the following table:
| Vehicle | Total number in service |
Departmental Interpreters
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding is available for service personnel language training in (a) Pashto and (b) Dari in 2009-10. [321155]
Bill Rammell: The majority of training for service personnel language training in Pashto and Dari is undertaken by the Defence School of Languages. In 2009-10 the funding available for Pashto language training is £1,888,157, and the funding available for Dari language training is £663,407, totalling £2,551,564.
Departmental Pensions
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what his Department's current pension liabilities are; and what projections have been made for the next 10 years; [321181]
(2) what the estimated pension deficit of his Department is based on (a) estimated liabilities and (b) budgeted allocations. [321182]
Mr. Kevan Jones [holding answer 8 March 2010]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for International Defence and Security Baroness Taylor, to the noble Lord, Lord Moonie in the other place on 9 February 2009, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA120. This provides information on the Department's historic, current and projected liabilities for pension contributions in respect of current military and civilian personnel.
The armed forces pension scheme is an unfunded occupational pension scheme. The estimate of the amount payable for this scheme, as at 31 March 2009, was £91 billion. The methodology used to produce this actuarial assessment can be found in the armed forces pension scheme resource accounts for financial year 2008-09. This estimate of the total amount that will be payable, from Crown resources, over the next 70 to 80 years in respect of pension benefits already earned by some one million current and former service personnel. In practice the pension payments for any given year are made up of the current year contributions into the scheme from the Defence budget, supplemented by HM Treasury funding through the parliamentary estimates process.
Liability for the war pension scheme is not estimated, as it is a benefit payment and not an occupational pension scheme.
It is not possible to provide the liability for the principal service pension scheme for the Department, as the information is only produced across the whole civil service and not broken out by employer.
Ex-servicemen: Health Services
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures are in place to assist the (a) rehabilitation and (b) re-integration into society of soldiers who are dismissed from the Army due to use of illegal substances. [321387]
Mr. Kevan Jones [holding answer 9 March 2010]: Drugs misuse is contrary to the service ethos, prejudicial to operational effectiveness and is not tolerated in the Army or indeed any of HM Forces. Where an individual has knowingly or recklessly consumed illegal drugs this will, other than in the most exceptional circumstance, result in an automatic discharge. This message is made extremely clear during initial training and is continuously reinforced throughout a soldier's career.
We do not provide specific drug rehabilitation services, but when an individual appears to be a regular drug misuser, they are referred to a medical officer who will consider the need for treatment of any acute medical problems before discharge.
Service personnel who are discharged compulsorily for drug misuse are not eligible or entitled to any of the
resettlement provision they may ordinarily have received. However, they all receive a mandatory resettlement brief and a one-to-one resettlement interview within their unit before they discharge. These cover advice on accessing reemployment services such as Jobcentre Plus, advice on housing, the assistance available from ex-service welfare organisations and information about preserved pensions and compensation rights. If, as part of this process, an individual is deemed to be vulnerable to social exclusion then some specialist support is also provided by service resettlement advisors.
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