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3 Jun 2010 : Column 71W—continued
Stockport Station
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable has been set for the refurbishment of Stockport station. [903]
Mrs Villiers: This is primarily a matter for Network Rail as owner of the station.
The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to his question:
Iain Coucher
Chief Executive
Network Rail
King's Place
90 York Way
London N1 9AG.
Vans: Speed Limits
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to oppose proposals at EU level to introduce a mandatory requirement for speed limiters on vans; and if he will make a statement. [210]
Mike Penning: Speed limiters are already required on all goods vehicles of over 3.5 tonnes maximum gross weight in the interests of road safety and environmental protection. If there were to be any proposal for limiters to be required on lighter goods vehicles we would want to review the supporting evidence from the EU on costs and benefits carefully before determining what the UK response would be.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Pakistan: British Nationals Abroad
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the number of UK citizens resident in Pakistan; and what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in that country. [701]
Alistair Burt: The number of British Nationals in Pakistan at any one time is estimated to be approximately 80,000. This figure is made up of about 40,000 visitors and 40,000 residents. The highest concentration of British Nationals is in Pakistan Administered Kashmir, in particular in Mirpur District. This figure includes those holding dual British/Pakistani nationality.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office constantly assess the security situation in Pakistan. These assessments inform our Travel Advice for Pakistan. We currently advise against all travel to several areas, including Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and much of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. We advise against all but essential travel to North and Western Balochistan, and to parts of interior Sind.
Scotland
Departmental Official Cars
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Government (a) cars and (b) drivers are allocated to Ministers in his Department. [302]
David Mundell: The current interim arrangement for the SO are (i) one car and (ii) one driver for the Secretary of State primarily but which may be used by the Advocate-General and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State if not required by the Secretary of State. This arrangement is supplemented by pool cars if needed.
The new ministerial code, published on 21 May 2010, contains changes that affect ministerial entitlement to travel by Government car. It states that
"the number of Ministers with allocated cars and drivers will be kept to a minimum, taking into account security and other relevant considerations. Other Ministers will be entitled to use cars from the Government Car Service Pool as needed".
The Department for Transport and its Government Car and Despatch Agency are working with Departments to effect the transition to the new arrangements.
The ministerial code, published on 21 May 2010, is available on the Cabinet Office website.
Defence
Aircraft Carriers
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much expenditure his Department has incurred to date on the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier programme; and what his most recent estimate is of the total cost of the programme. [659]
Peter Luff: To the end of April 2010, around £1.2 billion has been spent on the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers. Our current estimate of total programme cost is £5.25 billion.
Armed Forces: Deployment
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Army soldiers and (b) families of Army soldiers are stationed at each base in (i) Germany and (ii) Cyprus; and what the cost to the public purse was in the last 12 months. [51]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 2 June 2010]: The number of Army personnel stationed in each base in Germany and Cyprus is shown in the following table. It has not been possible to determine the number of Army dependants in Cyprus within the time available and so the total number of Service dependants (which includes Royal Air Force dependants) has been provided for these locations.
| Location | Number of Army Personnel | Number of Dependants |
The cost to the public purse associated with maintaining and operating bases over the last financial year was £94.958 million for Cyprus and £528.982 million for Germany. These figures do not include any manpower costs as we would incur the vast majority of these costs wherever personnel were based.
Some of these costs would still be incurred if those personnel currently based in Germany and Cyprus were relocated within the UK.
Armed Forces: Discharges
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were discharged from each of the armed services for disciplinary offences in 2009. [411]
Mr Robathan: The following table shows the number of service personnel who were discharged in 2009 as a result of being found guilty of an offence at a court martial:
| Number | |
Armed Forces: Housing
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what recent assessment has been made of the level of security for families living on Ministry of Defence housing estates at the Colchester Garrison; and if he will make a statement; [353]
(2) whether additional security measures will be implemented at Ministry of Defence housing estates at the Colchester Garrison during the period for which 16 Air Assault Brigade is deployed to Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement; [355]
(3) what measures have been taken to (a) maintain and (b) increase the level of security of families living on Ministry of Defence housing estates at the Colchester Garrison since the occupation of some of the houses by civilians; and if he will make a statement. [356]
Mr Robathan: The policing presence at Colchester Garrison is provided by Ministry of Defence Police, with the support of police community support officers and Essex police. Current arrangements are judged to be in line with the current threat assessment. Additional policing will be provided, with the support of the Royal Military Police, when 16 Air Assault Brigade is deployed.
For the last 10 years the Colchester Garrison housing estate has consisted of a combination of military and civilian owned homes. This arrangement has so far worked well.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the designated strength was of the Ministry of Defence Police at the Colchester Garrison (a) in 1997, (b) in 2007 and (c) on the latest date for which figures are available. [354]
Mr Robathan: The numbers of Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) officers employed at Colchester Garrison in 1997, 2007, and on the latest date as of the end of May 2010 are as follows:
| Date | Total |
The current complement of MDP provides a community policing role at Colchester Garrison. Security is provided by the Ministry of Defence Guard Service, the Military Provost Guard Service and members of the Army unit stationed at the Garrison.
Armed Forces: Recruitment
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether new recruits to each of the armed services are required to undergo Criminal Records Bureau checks. [412]
Mr Robathan: New recruits to each of the armed forces are not required to undergo Criminal Records Bureau checks as a matter of routine. However, there are some trades, such as medical and dental personnel, which may require them to routinely deal with vulnerable individuals. For these few specialisations, a Criminal Records Bureau check will be requested as part of the application process.
For service personnel who are to be appointed to posts that may expose them to vulnerable individuals or young adults, for example instructor duties, a Criminal Records Bureau check will be carried out prior to their appointment in accordance with the Safeguarding of Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the policy of each of the armed services is on recruitment of people with a criminal record; and which criminal offences are a bar to recruitment to each force. [413]
Mr Robathan: Applicants for the armed forces are required to declare any unspent convictions, in terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, as part of the application process. The general principle applied by each of the services is that any unspent convictions will be a bar to recruitment. However, in some exceptional cases applicants with unspent convictions are able to enter service, for example a one-off offence committed as a minor, but this is subject to authorisation from the appropriate single service manning authority.
There are some offences that will never be spent in terms of the Act and will permanently prevent service in the armed forces, for example, a custodial sentence of 30 months or more. Failure to disclose an unspent conviction represents a breakdown in trust and stating a falsehood on attestation. This will invariably result in dismissal.
Defence Storage and Distribution Agency
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency; and if he will make a statement. [856]
Peter Luff: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 June 2010, Official Report, column 5W.
Defence: Procurement
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any defence procurement projects have been (a) cancelled or (b) postponed pending a Strategic Defence Review. [716]
Dr Fox:
No defence equipment projects have been cancelled pending the Strategic Defence and Security Review. The whole equipment programme will be
considered by the Review; where project decisions are dependent on the Review's outcome, approval timetables are being adjusted accordingly. This may lead to delays in some projects that have not yet been approved.
Nuclear Submarines
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the safety valve faults on HMS Tireless and HMS Turbulent have been encountered on any other vessel in the UK submarine fleet; and whether the rest of the fleet has been checked for this fault. [623]
Peter Luff: The problem referred to was the failure to remove test blanks fitted as part of the Trafalgar class maintenance process. The valves themselves were not faulty.
These blanks are fitted only to the Trafalgar class because the equivalent systems on other submarine classes have a different design and do not require them. The remaining Trafalgar class submarines were checked and none of them were found to have blanks still fitted.
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where HMS Turbulent was deployed while its safety valves were faulty. [708]
Peter Luff: The safety valves on HMS Turbulent were not faulty; the safety blanks fitted as part of the refit process to the relief system were not removed. This is a backup system and other safe guards were operating correctly.
I am withholding details of the deployment area in which HMS Turbulent was operating for the purpose of safeguarding national security.
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department was made aware that the safety valves on (a) HMS Tireless and (b) HMS Turbulent were faulty. [709]
Peter Luff: The problem referred to was the failure to remove test blanks fitted as part of the Trafalgar class maintenance process. The valves themselves were not faulty.
The Department was made aware that blanks were incorrectly still fitted to HMS Turbulent on 26 February 2010, and to HMS Tireless on 27 February 2010.
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how long he estimates safety valve faults with (a) HMS Tireless and (b) HMS Turbulent went undetected. [710]
Peter Luff: The problem referred to was the failure to remove hull valve blanks fitted as part of the Trafalgar class maintenance process. The valves themselves were not faulty.
The hull valve blanks remained fitted on HMS Tireless following maintenance that completed in December 2009, and on HMS Turbulent following maintenance that completed in September 2008. In both submarines, the presence of the blanks was identified in February 2010.
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