Defence Business Services
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department expects to spend on its contract with Serco for Defence Business Services in each of the next three years. [105786]
Mr Robathan: The value of the contract is around £36 million over the four-year contract period. This is a payment by results contract, and all of Serco’s incentive is linked to delivering efficiencies. Therefore, if Serco do not deliver any of the savings they will be paid zero. A breakdown of costs over the four years is not available as this is dependent on the savings delivered by Serco.
Defence Equipment and Support
Mr Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed by Defence Equipment and Support at Abbey Wood; and what the cost of their salaries was in the latest year for which figures are available. [103534]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 18 April 2012]: On 1 March 2012, there were 18,920 staff within Defence Equipment and Support, of which 7,930 service personnel and civilian staff were employed at Ministry of Defence Abbey Wood. The estimated annual gross pay cost is approximately £400 million.
Civil service staff reductions are being made across Defence, and Abbey Wood is not immune from this.
Defence Exports Support Group
Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 718W, on the Defence Exports Support Group, if he will name the Director of Exports and Commercial Strategy. [106131]
Mr Gerald Howarth: Susanna Mason was appointed Director Exports and Commercial Strategy on 1 January 2012 to co-ordinate the Department's export effort in support of UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation (DSO).
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Defence: Procurement
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) Babcock International Group plc, (b) Finmeccanica SpA, (c) QinetiQ Group plc, (d) BAE Systems plc, (e) Hewlett-Packard Company, (f) Rolls-Royce Group plc, (g) EADS NV3, (h) Lockheed Martin Corporation and (i) Thales SA was in each year since 2006; [29807]
(2) what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) BAE Systems plc, including payments made to BAE Systems/Rockwell Collins Data Link Solutions LLC, (b) Corda Ltd, (c) Detica Group plc, (d) Detica Ltd, Europaams SAS, (e) IFS Defence Ltd, (f) MBDA France, (g) MBDA UK Ltd, (h) Piper Group PLC, (i) SAAB AB (Publ), (j) SAAB AB Gripen, (k) SAAB Barracuda AB, (l) SAAB Bofors Dynamics AB, (m) SAAB Seaeye Ltd and (n) SAAB Training Systems AB in each year since 2006; [29808]
(3) what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) Aerosystems International Ltd, (b) Atlantic Inertial Systems Ltd, (c) BAE Systems (Defence Systems) Ltd, (d) BAE Systems (Hawk Synthetic Training) Ltd, (e) BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd, (f) BAE Systems Australia Ltd, (g) BAE Systems Bofors AB, (h) BAE Systems Defence Ltd, (i) BAE Systems Electronics Ltd, (j) BAE Systems Hagglunds AB, (k) BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc, (l) BAE Systems Information and Electronic Warfare Systems, (m) BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies Ltd, (n) BAE Systems Land Systems (Bridging) Ltd, (o) BAE Systems Land Systems (Munitions and Ordnance) Ltd, (p) BAE Systems Land Systems (Weapons and Vehicles) Ltd, (q) BAE Systems Marine Ltd, (r) BAE Systems National Security Solutions Inc, (s) BAE Systems Pinzgauer Ltd, (t) BAE Systems PLC, (u) BAE Systems Regional Aircraft Ltd, (v) BAE Systems Surface Ships Integrated Support Ltd, (w) BAE Systems Surface Ships Ltd, (x) BAE Systems Surface Ships Maritime Ltd, (y) BAE Systems Surface Ships Portsmouth Ltd, (z) BAE Systems Surface Ships Support Ltd and (aa) BAE Systems (Aviation Services) Ltd in each year since 2006; [29809]
(4) what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) Ascent Flight Training (Management) Ltd, (b) AWE Management Ltd, (c) AWE plc, (d) Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, (e) Lockheed Martin Aerospace Systems Integration Corp, (f) Lockheed Martin Canada Inc, (g) Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors Ltd, (h) Lockheed Martin Overseas Corp, (i) Lockheed Martin Sippican Inc, (j) Lockheed Martin UK Insys Ltd, (k) Lockheed Martin UK Integrated Systems and Solutions, (l) Lockheed Martin UK Ltd, (m) Lockheed Martin UK Strategic Systems Ltd and (n) Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin Joint Venture in each year since 2006; [30085]
(5) what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) ASAP Calibration Services Ltd, (b) Boldon James Ltd, (c) Graphics Research Corporation Ltd, (d) HVR Consulting Services Ltd, (e) QinetiQ Commerce Decisions Ltd, (f) QinetiQ Group plc, (g) QinetiQ Ltd and (h) QinetiQ Target Services Ltd in each year since 2006; [30086]
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(6) what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) Agustawestland International Ltd, (b) Aviation Training International Ltd, (c) DRS C3 Systems Inc, (d) DRS Data Services Ltd, (e) DRS Technologies UK Ltd, (f) Europaams SAS, (g) Galileo Avionica Spa, (h) MBDA France, (i) MBDA UK Ltd, (j) Selex Communications Ltd, (k) Selex Galileo Ltd, (l) Selex Sensors and Airborne Systems Ltd, (m) Selex Systems Integration Ltd, (n) Vega Consulting Services Ltd and (o) Westland Helicopters Ltd in each year since 2006; [30087]
(7) what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) EDS Defence Ltd, (b) Hewlett-Packard Ltd and (c) HP Enterprise Services Defence and Security UK Ltd in each year since 2006; [30088]
(8) what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) Airbus UK Ltd, (b) Astrium Ltd, (c) EADS Defence and Security Systems Ltd, (d) EADS Deutschland GmbH, (e) EADS France SAS, (f) EADS Test and Services (UK) Ltd, (g) EADS Test Engineering Services (UK) Ltd, (h) Eurocopter, (i) Eurocopter UK Ltd, (j) Europaams SAS, (k) Infoterra Ltd, (l) MBDA France, (m) MBDA UK Ltd, (n) Paradigm Secure Communications Ltd and (o) Paradigm Services Ltd in each year since 2006; [30089]
(9) what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) Babcock Dyncorp Ltd, (b) Babcock Integrated Technology Ltd, (c) Babcock International Group PLC, (d) Babcock Marine (Clyde) Ltd, (e) Babcock Marine (Rosyth) Ltd, (f) Babcock Support Services Ltd, (g) BNS Nuclear Services Ltd, (h) Debut Services (South West) Ltd, (i) Debut Services Ltd, (j) Devonport Royal Dockyard Ltd, (k) Frazer-Nash Consultancy Ltd, (l) Holdfast Training Services Ltd, (m) LSC Group Ltd, (n) Rosyth Royal Dockyard Ltd, (o) Rosyth Royal Dockyard Pension scheme and (p) Strachan and Henshaw Ltd in each year since 2006; [30090]
(10) what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) Industria de Turbo Propulsores S.A., (b) Optimized Systems and Solutions Ltd, (c) Powerfield Ltd, (d) Rolls-Royce Corporation, (e) Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd and Co KG, (f) Rolls-Royce Marine Electrical Systems Ltd, (g) Rolls-Royce Marine Power Operations Ltd, (h) Rolls-Royce PLC, (i) Rolls-Royce Power Engineering PLC, (j) Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Ltd and (k) Vinters Engineering PLC in each year since 2006; [30114]
(11) what the monetary value was of payments made by his Department to (a) Europaams SAS, (b) Quintec Associates Ltd, (c) Thales Air Defence Ltd, (d) Thales ATM Ltd, (e) Thales Avionics Electrical Systems Ltd, (f) Thales Avionics Ltd, (g) Thales Communications Inc, (h) Thales Communications Ltd, (i) Thales E-Security Ltd, (j) Thales Missile Electronics Ltd, (k) Thales Naval Ltd, (l) Thales Nederland BV, (m) Thales Norway AS, (n) Thales Optronics (Bury St Edmunds) Ltd, (o) Thales Optronics Ltd, (p) Thales Systemes Aeroportes SA, (q) Thales Training and Simulation (ACE) Ltd, (r) Thales Training and Simulation (Eagle Middle Wallop) Ltd, (s) Thales Training and Simulation (Merlin) Ltd, (t) Thales Training and Simulation Ltd, (u) Thales UK Ltd and (v) Thales Underwater Systems Ltd in each year since 2006. [30115]
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Peter Luff: General information on Ministry of Defence spending with individual companies is available in UK Defence Statistics 2010 at table 1.17. Organisations paid £5 million or more in 2009-10. I will write to the hon. Member with additional information as soon as this is available.
Substantive answer from Peter Luff to Angus Robertson:
I undertook to write to you in response to your Parliamentary Questions answered on 14 December 2010 (Official Report, column 714W-715W) about the value of payments made to the subsidiaries of a range of our largest suppliers.
Providing this information has taken far longer than it should have done, and I can only apologise for the delay in answering your questions.
I am now in a position to provide you with the information that you have requested, and details of the past five financial years, for which data is available, have been placed in the Library of the House.
Departmental Manpower
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has saved as a result of the changes in the number of civil servants announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review. [105763]
Mr Robathan: The changes in the number of civil servants announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review take place over the four years of the Spending Review 2010 period. The first of these years was financial year 2011-12. We shall disclose the civilian manpower costs for both 2010-11 and 2011-12 in Note 9.2 of the Ministry of Defence's 2011-12 Annual Report and Accounts which we plan to lay before Parliament on 4 July 2012.
Diamond Jubilee 2012: Medals
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2012, Official Report, column 543W, on diamond jubilee 2012: medals, whether those who have not qualified in the financial year 2011-12, but are still serving in the regular forces, are liable for call-up duties. [104750]
Mr Robathan: All regular members of the armed forces, providing they are assessed as fit to do so, are liable for worldwide deployment. This is a fundamental condition of service and is fully accepted.
Falkland Islands
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed service personnel were killed in military action in the Falklands war; and how many service personnel who served in the war have since committed suicide. [104902]
Mr Robathan: The number of UK armed forces personnel who died during the Falklands conflict in 1982 was 237. In this, the 30th anniversary year of the Falklands conflict, our thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives.
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The Ministry of Defence is currently undertaking research into the causes of death (including suicide) among all UK armed forces personnel who served in the 1982 Falklands campaign. The results of this research will be published when complete.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 27 March 2012, Official Report, column 1052W, on the Falkland Islands, how many military helicopters will be stationed in the Falkland Islands following the privatisation of search and rescue services; and if he will make a statement. [105521]
Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence is currently examining the provision of search and rescue helicopter capability in the Falkland Islands from 2016 onwards. This work is at an early stage and no decisions have been taken.
Flag Officer Sea Training
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what aspects of Flag Officer Sea Training take place in Scotland. [103917]
Mr Gerald Howarth: Flag Officer Sea Training (Faslane), based in HM Naval Base Clyde, delivers a broad spectrum of training, from specialist individual instruction to the complex collective training of multi-national task groups comprising ships, submarines and aircraft. This training is both sea-based, for submarines and minor war vessels, and shore-based using simulators to train and certify command teams and specialist branches.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much revenue his Department received from training sailors from other countries in Flag Officer Sea Training in each of the last five years, broken down by country. [103918]
Mr Gerald Howarth: Information is not held in the format requested. However, it is possible to consolidate total revenue received from training Naval personnel from other countries by Flag Officer Sea Training for each of the last five years. This information is provided in the following table:
| Financial year | Revenue (£ million) |
| (1) The figure given for 2011-12 is estimated as all costings have not yet been evaluated. | |
These figures are rounded to the nearest million.
Gulf War Syndrome
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will publish all information held by his Department on his Department's policy on Gulf War syndrome; [105766]
(2) what his policy is on Gulf War Syndrome. [105787]
30 Apr 2012 : Column 1139W
Mr Robathan: The UK and the USA have undertaken a substantial amount of research into Gulf veterans' illnesses, which has indicated that there is no illness which is specific to Gulf veterans. It has been Ministry of Defence (MOD) policy for many years to publish key reports and information on Gulf issues and to make this material available on the MOD website at:
www.mod.uk
The policy on Gulf War Syndrome has remained unchanged since 2005 when the MOD responded to concerns by proposing in a Pensions Appeal Tribunal case that the application of the umbrella term Gulf War Syndrome could be used to cover accepted conditions causally linked to the 1990-91 Gulf conflict.
Gurkhas
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of former members of Gurkha regiments living in the UK have the right to vote in general elections. [105765]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence does not hold information on the proportion of former Gurkhas able to vote in general elections.
HMS Caroline
Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what long-term plans his Department has developed for HMS Caroline. [106227]
Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive on the future of HMS Caroline; and if he will make a statement; [106156]
(2) what plans his Department has for the future of HMS Caroline. [106157]
Peter Luff: We have agreed in principle to gift HMS Caroline to the National Museum of the Royal Navy. This is subject to the development of a viable heritage business plan for the ship and parliamentary approval. As well as the National Museum being able to fund the day-to-day responsibility for the ship, following decommissioning on 31 March 2011, a heritage plan is required to be developed in consultation with the Northern Ireland authorities and others.
Discussions are continuing between the National Museum of the Royal Navy and authorities in Northern Ireland. An announcement will be made when a decision has been made on the future of the former HMS Caroline, which we expect to be in the summer.
Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) which Minister in his Department attended the meeting at the Canadian Embassy in Washington to discuss the F35 programme; [105773]
(2) what the implications for the UK carrier programme were of the meeting at the Canadian Embassy in Washington to discuss the F35 programme. [105780]
30 Apr 2012 : Column 1140W
Peter Luff: Due to the short notice of the meeting, called by the Canadian Government while I was in Afghanistan, a senior official from the British embassy represented me. It provided an opportunity to exchange information on Joint Strike Fighter programme issues and improve coordination among partner nations regarding Joint Strike Fighter matters. There were no direct implications for the UK carrier programme.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the unit cost of the F35B aircraft. [105852]
Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence does not publish cost estimates for the elements of a programme that is not yet approved, as this disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the likely maintenance cost per plane of the (a) F35C and (b) F35B in (i) five and (ii) 10 years from the anticipated in-service date of each. [105909]
Peter Luff: The in-service phase of the UK element of the Joint Strike Fighter programme has not yet been through the formal departmental approval process. The Ministry of Defence does not publish cost estimates for the elements of a programme that are not yet approved, as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many F35B aircraft his Department plans to (a) procure and (b) operate. [106172]
Peter Luff: We have yet to make a final decision on the overall number of joint strike fighter aircraft we intend to procure and will not do so before the next planned strategic defence and security review.
Libya: Armed Conflict
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking as a result of Operation Ellamy, unilaterally and with allies, to improve refuelling and Istar capacity and resilience for international expeditionary operations. [101713]
Mr Gerald Howarth [holding answer 23 March 2012]: The UK made effective use of its Air-to-Air Refuelling (AAR) assets throughout Op Ellamy and was able to contribute to and benefit from international interoperability in this area.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) will be delivering a major AAR capability uplift with the introduction into service of the new Voyager aircraft (formerly Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft). The Entry-into-Service phase for Voyager is currently ongoing and by the contractual In-Service Date of May 2014, nine aircraft will be available for AAR operations.
The MOD routinely conducts lessons-learned exercises as part of military operations and assesses opportunities for collaboration with allies. As an AAR platform, the Voyager, will be capable of refuelling aircraft, both Fast Jet and transport types, from many different nations.
30 Apr 2012 : Column 1141W
UK personnel deployed on Op Ellamy were also able to train alongside US personnel on US Rivet Joint aircraft and develop joint manning operations, allowing an effective means of gathering intelligence and preparing for the entry into service of the UK's Airseeker in 2014. These assets made a vital contribution and demonstrate the flexibility and importance of ISTAR.
We are developing programmes to maintain our capabilities on Unmanned Aerial Systems, imagery intelligence, signals intelligence, airborne surveillance and base/force protection within the next decade. ISTAR also relies heavily on relationships with allies. We regularly share and receive access to the products of other nations' ISTAR capabilities and we expect these relationships to continue into the future.
Medal Review
Mr Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list the full membership of the Medal Review; [104671]
(2) when he last met with representatives of the Medal Review; and what matters were discussed; [104672]
(3) when he expects to receive the conclusions of the Medal Review. [104673]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 24 April 2012]: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister today.
Military Aircraft
Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking on development of European air-to-air refuelling capabilities. [103569]
Peter Luff: The UK has invested in its own air-to-air refuelling (AAR) capability to replace the ageing VC10 and Tristar fleets, and we are planning to introduce the Voyager aircraft into service as an AAR aircraft from May 2014. The Department is looking to work bilaterally and multilaterally with partners to explore opportunities to provide access to UK potential AAR unallocated capacity.
Additionally, the UK endorsed a political declaration on AAR at the European Defence Agency Steering Board on 22 March 2012. This is in response to an identified gap among European nations' AAR capability, through lessons learnt in operations in Libya.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how long it takes to train an individual to operate STOVL aircraft; [105531]
(2) how much it costs to train an individual to operate STOVL aircraft. [105532]
Peter Luff [holding answer 26 April 2012]: The F-35 training syllabus and delivery method has not yet been finalised. Therefore the length of time and associated cost to train an individual to operate Joint Strike Fighter aircraft is not quantifiable at this time.
30 Apr 2012 : Column 1142W
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel his Department plans to train to operate STOVL aircraft. [105535]
Peter Luff [holding answer 26 April 2012]: No decisions have been taken on final training requirements for the joint strike fighter (JSF). We are currently finalising the 2012-13 budget and equipment plan including the Carrier Strike programme and will not make a decision on final numbers of JSF aircraft and associated support until the next Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015.
Military Aircraft: Helicopters
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress he has made on the Defence Rotary Wing Capability Study; and if he will make a statement. [105898]
Peter Luff: The Defence Rotary Wing Capability Study has concluded and its findings will now be taken forward as part of routine departmental business. While there are no major changes to our previously announced plans, given the parliamentary interest I will make a statement summarising the results of the study shortly.
Military Bases: Criminal Investigation
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with police forces local to RAF, Army and Royal Navy bases about the investigation of crimes on those bases; what protocols have been established for the conduct of investigations; and if he will make a statement. [106029]
Mr Robathan: No such specific discussions have taken place. However, the Ministry of Defence police and the three Service police forces routinely have discussions with police forces local to RAF, Army and Royal Navy bases about crimes committed on those bases.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has two protocols with the Association of Chief Police Officers that cover the investigation of crimes at Defence establishments. Responsibility for the investigation of defence-related crime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is detailed in a Memorandum of Understanding between the Association of Chief Police Officers and the MOD dated 6 January 2008 that was communicated under cover of Home Office circular 028/2008. A separate protocol providing guidance on the investigation of deaths on land or premises owned, occupied or under the control of the MOD was signed in January 2008. Both documents are currently being reviewed.
Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason he did not make an oral statement on Ministry of Defence police redundancies on 27 March 2012. [105777]
Mr Robathan:
No decisions on redundancies for Ministry of Defence police (MDP) officers have yet been made. Applications for early release under the current Ministry of Defence Voluntary Early Release Scheme will continue to be accepted, as long as operational effectiveness is not adversely affected, and other officers will leave of
30 Apr 2012 : Column 1143W
their own accord. The need for any MDP redundancies can only be confirmed after the consultation process on the changes has been concluded and the full range of surplus mitigation measures have been applied.
MOD Bicester
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost to the public purse was of spending by MOD Bicester on third party logistics organisations in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) 2011; and what proportion of such spending in each such year was allocated to (i) Palletings, (ii) Hacklings, (iii) Metcalfe Farms Haulage, (iv) Kenyons, (v) Reason Transport, (vi) Andover Transport, (vii) Pertemps agency drivers, (viii) City Sprint, (ix) other private hauliers and (x) other couriers. [105565] [Official Report, 10 May 2012, Vol. 545, c. 1MC.]
Peter Luff [holding answer 26 April 2012]: The freight and courier contracts used by Logistic Commodities and Services Bicester to transport defence equipment are managed by Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) and are available for use by all Ministry of Defence (MOD) units. The cost of these contracts cannot be attributed to individual sites.
The total expenditure incurred in financial years (FY) 2010-11 and 2011-12 against each enabling contract is shown in the following table:
| £ million | ||
| Contract | FY 2010-11 | FY 201142 |
The total expenditure incurred for the use of Pertemps agency drivers by MOD Bicester in FYs 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 is shown in the following table:
| £ million | |||
| Contract | FY 2009-10 | FY 2010-11 | FY 2011-12 |
30 Apr 2012 : Column 1144W
For those elements of this question for which we have not provided information, it has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
NATO
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pilots participated in the NATO Flying Training in Canada programme in each of the last five years. [103921]
Mr Gerald Howarth: 20 trainee pilots and seven qualified flying instructors participated in the programme in 2007. No further trainee pilots entered the programme; however one qualified flying instructor has remained with the programme in a liaison role.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pilots participated in the Euro-NATO joint jet pilot training programme in each year since 1982. [103922]
Mr Gerald Howarth: UK pilots and instructors participated in the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Training programme during the 1980s and 1990s, but have not done so for some years. We do not hold records of the information requested.
Navy: Pensions
Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that serving Royal Navy personnel on deployment have accurate information on proposed changes to their pensions; and whether there will be a consultation exercise on proposed changes to the pension scheme that includes the views of those on deployment. [104132]
Mr Robathan: Since the outset of the Hutton review, the Royal Navy has kept its personnel informed of proposed pension changes through a series of written briefings from the Second Sea Lord as Principal Personnel Officer. These are distributed through the chain of command to all units, irrespective of location, and are available on the Ministry of Defence (MOD) intranet.
An initial consultation exercise for the new Armed Forces Pension Scheme was launched on 29 March 2012. As part of this consultation, all service personnel are being asked their views on the new scheme. A comprehensive package of material has been issued to personnel via the chain of command. Additionally, a series of information briefings and focus groups is being undertaken around the UK and overseas. The presentation slides and script are available on the MOD intranet and internet for those unable to attend. Service personnel will be informed of the outcome of the initial consultation exercise when an outline scheme design is published in late spring.
Netherlands: Armed Forces
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many Netherlands Marine Corps personnel served with British 3 Commando Brigade in each of the last 10 years; and whether such troops have taken part in combat action as part of that military unit; [105667]
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(2) how many service personnel from the Netherlands armed forces served with the Special Boat Service in each of the last 10 years; and whether such personnel have taken part in combat action as part of that military unit; [105668]
(3) what co-operation there is between the Royal Marines and the Netherlands Marine Corps on (a) operations, (b) logistics, (c) materials and (d) procurement. [105669]
Nick Harvey: Since 1973, there has been and continues to be close co-operation between the Royal Marines (RM) and the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps (RNLMC) operating together regularly and sharing resources in joint exercises. These include the NATO Exercise Cold Response 2012 in Norway, Exercise Caribbean Anchor 2011 in the Dutch Antilles, and current exercise planning includes Norway and Joint Warrior 13-1 in 2013. Additionally there is an arrangement in place for RNLMC personnel to undertake various courses at the Commando Training Centre RM, Lympstone. The RNLMC and RM also utilise similar equipment, for example the Viking Protected mobility troop carrier and Bowman communications and this supports interoperability.
Royal Netherlands Marine Corps exchange officers have deployed on two occasions with 3 Commando Brigade to Op Herrick and once to the EU Battle Group Operational Headquarters on Op Atalanta in the last 10 years.
It is the long-standing policy of the Government that we do not comment on UK special forces, unless in exceptional circumstances.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Netherlands regarding the sale of the Global Combat Ship to that country. [105670]
Mr Gerald Howarth: The Secretary of State for Defence, has not held any discussions on the Type 26, Global Combat Ship with his counterpart in the Netherlands.
However, we are supporting exports of Global Combat Ship through an active and innovative defence diplomacy initiative. Ministers and officials from across Government are promoting the UK's defence and security industry with overseas counterparts where appropriate. This has included briefings by officials with the Netherlands.
Procurement
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on procurement in (a) the fourth quarter of 2010-11, (b) the first quarter of 2011-12 and (c) the second quarter of 2011-12. [105877]
Peter Luff: Total procurement spending by the Ministry of Defence for the periods requested was:
| Procurement spending (£ million) | |
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Procurement spending is defined as the total value of payments made to third party suppliers, excluding VAT.
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of departmental procurement spend went to small and medium-sized enterprises in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12. [105882]
Peter Luff: The figure for the percentage of departmental procurement spend going directly to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2011-12 is not yet available.
The percentage of overall departmental procurement spend going directly to SMEs in 2010-11 was 3.8%. This figure reflects spending on a number of large long-term contracts, to which the Department has been committed for some time. The percentage of new contracts awarded to SMEs during 2010-11 was 13% by value and 42% by volume.
The Department did not calculate a robust figure for financial year 2009-10. However, in practice, a much larger proportion of the Department's procurement spending benefits SMEs. This is because, for many of its larger procurement projects, the MOD works through a primary contractor. This contractor then lets a number of further contracts to SMEs. As a result, the figures above considerably underestimate the true impact of Defence procurement spending on SMEs.
Public Expenditure
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the likely savings to the public purse of his decision to rationalise vehicle acquisition during the spending review period. [104763]
Peter Luff [holding answer 23 April 2012]: As the previous Secretary of State for Defence, announced to the House on 18 July 2011, Official Report, columns 643-45, the Army's vehicle requirements are currently under consideration and rationalising vehicle acquisition is being considered as part of this year's annual budget setting process, known as the planning round. The process of vehicle acquisition will also take into account the large numbers of vehicles purchased for operations in Afghanistan.
Work on the planning round is not yet complete, but an announcement will be made once decisions have been taken.
Renewable Energy
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the report entitled Renewable Energy Capacity Model/Methodology dated March 2011 written by Rolton Group Limited for the Property Directorate, Defence Estates; and what plans he has to implement the measures proposed in the report. [105488]
Mr Robathan: The Rolton Group was jointly commissioned by the Carbon Trust and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as part of the support the Trust provides in reducing carbon emissions. The report provides a valuable reference to assist project managers and planners to identify low carbon energy opportunities.
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MOD officials are working with the Cabinet Office and Government Procurement Services on how best to engage with industry on procuring low carbon energy solutions.
Rescue Services
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many (a) training and (b) flying hours were undertaken by crews in search and rescue services in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement; [105520]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 27 March 2012, Official Report, column 1061W, on the Falkland Islands, how many (a) training and (b) flying hours are flown by crews in search and rescue services provided by the RAF; and if he will make a statement. [105907]
Mr Gerald Howarth: Information on search and rescue operational and training flying hours flown by the Royal Navy’s Sea King Mk 5 and the RAF’s Sea King Mk3/3a fleets for financial year 2011-12 is shown in the following table. All flying activity, including operational flying, contains a training element.
During this time the RN and RAF crews responded to approximately 1,850 call outs.
| Operational flying hours | Training flying hours | |
Rescue Services: Helicopters
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the replacement of the fleet of helicopters used for search and rescue; and if he will make a statement. [10128]
Mr Gerald Howarth:
[holding answer 20 July 2010]: I refer my hon. Friend to the written statements given
30 Apr 2012 : Column 1148W
by the Secretary of State for Transport, on 28 November 2011,
Official Report,
columns 52-53WS, and by the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning), on 8 February 2012,
Official Report,
columns 26-27WS.
Research
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on (a) research and (b) development in each of the last three years; and what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on (i) research and (ii) development in each of the next three years. [102618]
Peter Luff: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 48W, to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central (Chi Onwurah). The hon. Member may note that there have been revisions to the 2009-10 figures due to improved data coverage of Research and Development spend in Top Level Budgets other than those covered in the main survey by the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA). The 2010-11 figures for Research and Development are now available, and the 2010-11 MOD Science and Technology Programme expenditure figures have now been confirmed at £422 million; beforehand they could only be forecasted.
As stated in my answer of 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 49W, the Ministry of Defence (MOD)'s Science and Technology budget will rise in cash terms over the comprehensive spending review period. This Government is committed to this, along with the intention to sustain investment at a minimum of 1.2% of the Defence budget in the recently published White Paper ‘National Security through Technology'.
The updated figures are provided in the following table:
| £ million | ||||
| Financial year | Net MOD Research and development expenditure | Total MOD development expenditure | Total MOD research expenditure | Science and Technology programme expenditure |
| (1) Revised. (2) Confirmed. | ||||
Reserve Forces
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to review the reserve liability policy for each of the three services; and if he will make a statement. [105808]
Mr Robathan: Both the Army and the RAF are currently reviewing their reserve liability policy. The Army review is part of the Future Reserves 2020 and Army 2020 work. The Royal Navy has no current plans to review their reserve liability.
Royal Air Force Medical Services
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel from the Royal Air Force Medical Service were based in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) England, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) other countries in each year since 2009. [104287]
Mr Robathan: The information requested is set out in the following table:
30 Apr 2012 : Column 1149W
| As at 1 January each year | ||||
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| Data has been rounded to the nearest 10 and “—” denotes a number less than or equal to five. | ||||
Royal Flying Corps
Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Royal Flying Corps. [106190]
Mr Robathan: There will be a number of local ceremonies where units or establishments have a historic connection with the Royal Flying Corps and will be marking their centenaries.
Royal Military Academy
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which military leaders from foreign armed forces have received UK military training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. [106286]
Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence does not maintain information about the future careers of those overseas officers trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst who return to serve in their respective national armies.
In the 40 years since its establishment in 1972, it is estimated that some 3,000 overseas officer cadets have attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
Sentry Aircraft
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the E-3D Sentry fleet will return to non-operational routine flying. [105930]
Nick Harvey: The RAF chain of command has reviewed the safety evidence relating to the E-3D Sentry and has no remaining safety concerns. Non-operational routine flying with the E-3D Sentry fleet resumed on 24 April 2012.
Serco
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contracts his Department holds with Serco; and what the (a) purpose and (b) monetary value of each such contract is [58656]
Peter Luff: In financial year 2010-11, the Ministry of Defence made payments against 74 contracts with Serco or associated companies, in the following value ranges:
| Contract value banding | Number of active contracts |
30 Apr 2012 : Column 1150W
Detailed information on the specific purpose of each contract is not held centrally; I will write to the right hon. Member with further details.
Substantive answer from Peter Luff to Keith Vaz:
I undertook to write to you in response to your Parliamentary Questions answered on 30 January 2011 (Official Report, column 922w) about the value and purpose of contracts placed with IBM, Serco and G4S by the Ministry of Defence.
Providing this information has taken far longer than it should have done, and I can only apologise for the delay in answering your questions.
I am now in a position to provide you with all that you requested, and copies have been placed in the Library showing details of the current active contracts with IBM, Serco and G4S where the contract value is over £5 million.
Tanks
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many main battle tanks are in the supported fleet for the Army. [106364]
Peter Luff: After the strategic defence and security review, the Army's supported main battle tank fleet consists of 227 Challenger 2 tanks.
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will estimate (a) the number of each type of main battle tanks to be disposed of following the Strategic Defence and Security Review and (b) the value of each such tank; [106365]
(2) what option he is considering for the disposal of unsupported challenge main battle tanks. [106366]
Peter Luff: It is currently planned that 118 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks will be disposed of following the Strategic Defence and Security Review. The variants are a mix of gun tank and command tank. I am withholding the information on the current value of each vehicle as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
Disposal options currently being considered are: selling, using the disposal fleet for spares; and recycling.
Theft
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written answer of 16 April 2012, Official Report, column 77W, on theft, if he will publish details of the case that resulted in prosecution and conviction; and if he will make a statement. [106026]
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Mr Robathan: The case referred to, relates to the theft of diesel fuel. The offender was sentenced to carry out 200 hours of community service, and pay compensation for the amount of fuel stolen (£974) and £85 costs.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written answer of 16 April 2012, Official Report, column 77W, on theft, how many identified suspected perpetrators faced internal disciplinary action; and what sanctions were applied in each of the last three years. [106027]
Mr Robathan: The information requested by financial year is provided in the following table:
| Theft | |
| Sanctions applied | Number of internal disciplinary |
Departmental Travel Costs
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many journeys (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department made by (i) train, (ii) coach and (iii) Government car in an official capacity in each of the last six months. [103642]
Mr Robathan:
Defence Ministers do not make use of the Government Car and Despatch Agency's car service.
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Official road transport for the Secretary of State for Defence is normally provided by the Metropolitan police; it is not the practice to comment on journeys made for security reasons. Defence Ministers (other than the Secretary of State) share a central Ministry of Defence (MOD) car pool with senior military officers and senior officials working in the MOD Main Building; they made 450 journeys in cars from this pool between 1 October 2011 and 31 March 2012. Information on train and coach travel by Defence Ministers over a six-month period could be provided only at disproportionate cost as a manual checking and verification of all individual journeys would be necessary.
Over the same period, officials made 82,246 train journeys booked through the central Defence Travel contract, through which most travel arrangements are made. Coach travel by officials is not recorded separately, but is included in an expenses category that also covers some other road, rail and sea travel, such as by bus, underground or taxi. Officials do not use the Government Car and Despatch Agency's car service but may use an MOD-provided car, whether with a driver or self drive, where this is justified by the work they are expected to do and gives value for money. Information on such use is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Job Vacancies
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many job vacancies there were for (a) staff posts and (b) senior Civil Service posts in his Department on 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012; and if he will make a statement. [104555]
Mr Robathan: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the number of Defence job vacancies advertised on 31 March for each year requested is as follows:
| Number of vacancies advertised | |||
| 31 March 2010 | 31 March 2011 | 31 March 2012 | |
| (1) Covering 720 individual vacancies. (2) Covering 410 individual vacancies. (3) Covering 520 individual vacancies. Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. 2. The figures include both advertisements seeking internal candidates and external competitions. | |||
Veterans
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2012, Official Report, column 541W, on veterans, if he will consider extending the monitoring period of the Career Transition Partnership beyond six and 12 months after leaving the armed forces. [104897]
Mr Robathan:
The majority of service leavers make a successful transition to civilian life and will not necessarily see a need to contact the Ministry of Defence again after having left. As a result, new contact details are not
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provided by individuals and so maintaining contact to understand their employment status becomes more difficult. Service leavers can draw on the services and support provided by the Career Transition Partnership up to two years after leaving, but there are no plans to extend the survey conducted by them beyond the first year of discharge.
Service leavers are entitled to lifetime support job finding through either the Officers Association or the Regular Forces' Employment Association. They can also contact the Veterans' Welfare Service at any time, as well as accessing the variety of support and services provided across Government as part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2012, Official Report, column 541W, on veterans, what research his Department has supported into the circumstances of veterans for the purposes of ensuring policies are effectively targeted. [104901]
Mr Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 March 2012, Official Report, column 441W, in which I set out the types of research we access to ensure our policies are correctly targeted. In addition, the Government commissioned Professor Hew Strachan of Oxford university shortly after the election to lead an independent taskforce into novel ways of rebuilding the Armed Forces Covenant.
We are determined to tackle disadvantage encountered as a result of service and have published a new Armed Forces Covenant setting out the key relationships between the armed forces, families and veterans, the Government and society as a whole. At the same time, we published a programme of measures “The Armed Forces Covenant: Today and Tomorrow” and our response to Professor Strachan’s work, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. We have a clear sense in what we are aiming to achieve and will report each year on our progress.
War Widows
Dr Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what comparison he has made of net payments for service widows bereaved (a) before and (b) after 2005; and what plans he has for regularising net payments to service widows to remove the discrepancy between pre and post-2005 widows. [104737]
Mr Robathan: For deaths prior to 6 April 2005 where the death is caused by service, widow(er)s receive a tax-free, index-linked war widow(er)s pension under the War Pensions Scheme.
The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) provides bereavement benefits for deaths caused by service on or after 6 April 2005. Benefits may include a tax-free bereavement grant plus a taxable monthly index-linked income payable for life in the form of the Survivors Guaranteed Income Payment (SGIP). The SGIP is designed to guarantee a minimum level of income for individuals which reflects earnings lost as a result of bereavement. As this payment takes into account future
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lost pension as well as salary it is adjusted by the amount of pension that an individual receives. The taxation of AFCS awards is determined by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs legislation under which SGIPs are classed as income replacement and are therefore subject to income tax.
The question of whether improvements made to the AFCS should be extended to war pensioners was considered by Admiral, Lord Boyce in his review, published in February 2010, CM7798, of the scheme. He recommended that this should not take place and there are no plans to do so.
Dr Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the potential cost to the public purse of making all survivors' guaranteed income payments tax free. [104739]
Mr Robathan: Although the survivor's guaranteed income payments are taxable, the payments are calculated in such a way as to make an element of the award effectively tax free, therefore such a calculation would not be appropriate. The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme was reviewed in 2010 by Admiral Lord Boyce and he concluded that the provisions are generally more generous then those found in other schemes.
Justice
Alternatives to Prison
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to extend the intensive alternatives to custody pilot schemes to other parts of England. [103910]
Mr Blunt: The Intensive Alternatives to Custody (IAC) pilot programme ran from 2008-09 to 2010-11. In July 2011, the MOJ published a short report with the main findings from a range of research exploring the learning from the pilot schemes. Further process evaluations of the IAC pilot sites are currently being concluded and will be published in due course. Additionally, the recently published consultation on Community Sentences explores the use of a robust and intensive punitive community disposal, for offenders who deserve a significant level of punishment, but who are better dealt with in the community, building on the experience of IAC.
Civil Disorder
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2012, Official Report, column 431W, on civil disorder, in how many cases compensation orders have been issued to those convicted of offences relating to the August 2011 public disorder as part of their sentence. [105661]
Mr Blunt: Pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2012, Official Report, column 431W, the data reported centrally to my Department by the courts on offences resulting from the August 2011 public disorder do not include the level of detail to identify how many compensation orders were issued.
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As at midday, 1 February 2012, the number of defendants sentenced for offences resulting from the August 2011 public disorder is 1,483. To answer how many compensation orders were imposed would require us to manually check court files which would incur disproportionate costs.
Crime: Victims
Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how plans for local commissioning of victims services will ensure a minimum quality standard across England and Wales; [104713]
(2) what account his Department has taken of the views of victims and witnesses in developing its proposals for the local commissioning of victims services; [104714]
(3) what account his Department took of the views of (a) Victim Support and (b) other organisations in developing its proposals for the local commissioning of victims services. [104715]
Mr Blunt: Our proposals for the future commissioning model for victims' services were developed with input from organisations which support or represent victims and witnesses.
Members of the public and other interested parties were encouraged to respond to the consultation ‘Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses', which began on 30 January, and there was an opportunity to participate in a number of consultation events around the country.
The consultation closed on 22 April. We plan to publish the Government response to the consultation in the summer.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what steps he plans to take to ensure (a) the quality and consistency of support and (b) fair and equal access to services under proposals for local commissioning of victim and witness services; [105017]
(2) if he will publish all material related to risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis of the proposals for local commissioning of victim and witness services; [105018]
(3) what assessment he has made of any additional costs and bureaucracy resulting from the local commissioning of victim and witness services. [105019]
Mr Blunt: In the consultation document ‘Getting it right for Victims and Witnesses' we set out our proposals for the future commissioning of support services for victims. An impact assessment and equality impact assessment were published at the same time.
Any new commissioning model would involve changes to administration costs. Should we move to such a model the Government would keep these and the associated bureaucracy to a minimum, with services commissioned through a single process in each area.
The consultation closed on 22 April. Subject to responses received we will consider what might need to be done to ensure the quality of victims' services, should we move to a local commissioning model.
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Early Guilty Plea Scheme
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the early guilty plea scheme; and if he will make a statement. [105809]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The information is as follows:
The Early Guilty Plea Scheme is a judicial initiative of the Senior Presiding Judge.
The Early Guilty Plea Scheme is a process intended to produce an effective and prompt disposal of Crown court guilty pleas but still producing a just and expeditious outcome for all concerned, including victims and witnesses.
The pilots were evaluated by the judiciary in November 2011 and following positive findings it was agreed that implementation in the Crown court in England and Wales would be commenced from January 2012.
The phased implementation of the Early Guilty Plea Scheme is being led by resident judges and overseen by the senior presiding judge.
Any future evaluation of the Early Guilty Plea Scheme will be made by the judiciary.
Employment Tribunals Service
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employment cases were won by (a) employees and (b) employers at each tribunal court in each of the last three years, by category. [105894]
Mr Djanogly: A claim to an employment tribunal can be made on a number of different grounds, known as jurisdictional complaints. HMCTS publishes annually and quarterly data on how jurisdictional complaints are determined, or otherwise disposed of. Those data are further broken down by main jurisdictional subject matter, but not to individual tribunal centre level.
Due to the volume of data involved I will arrange for the information necessary to answer the question posed to be placed in the Library of the House. The tables produced will, for each of the last three financial years, set out the number of jurisdictional complaints determined judicially at each employment tribunal office, either in favour of or against a claimant. Data for the financial year 2011-12 will relate only to the first three quarters of that year, as published Official Statistics for the final quarter are not yet available. In summary of those data, the following table sets out the annual grand totals, showing how many claims were successful and unsuccessful at tribunal without being broken down either by jurisdictional type, or tribunal office.
| Employment tribunal claims determined judicially | |||
| Won by claimant | Won by respondent | Total | |
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| Notes: The above data should be read in light of the following comments. 1. The outcomes of cases are recorded relative to the claimant, so a case that is successful for the claimant would be unsuccessful for the respondent (generally the employee or worker). The above tables show, in relation to employment tribunals across Great Britain, the number of jurisdictional complaints that can be considered won by the claimant, i.e. cases that were successful at tribunal, or default judgments that were successful for the claimant; or won by the respondent/employer, i.e. cases that were unsuccessful at tribunal, struck out at a preliminary hearing or a default judgment that was unsuccessful. 2. Rounding: All figures are independently rounded and thus may not add to totals. The following schema is used through out the tables: Values less than 100 remain as unit values; Values from 101 to 999 are rounded to the nearest 10; and Values over 1000 are rounded to the nearest 100. 3. Status of data: 2009-10 and 2010-11 from ET Central Annual Statistics databases. Q1-3 2011-12 Management Information, provisional and subject to change. 4. Approximately 60% of jurisdictional complaints are either privately settled or ACAS conciliated and a smaller percentage of complaints are invalid, i.e. struck out without a hearing. These categories cannot be attributed to a ‘win’ for either side and so are not included in the figures. Further data are available in published HMCTS statistics. | |||
European Convention on Human Rights
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the initiation of infringement proceedings by the Committee of Ministers under Protocol 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights; and if he will make a statement. [105973]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: Article 46(4) of the European Convention on Human Rights, as introduced by Protocol 14 to the convention, allows the Committee of Ministers by a two-thirds majority to refer to the European Court of Human Rights the question whether a state party to the convention has refused to fulfil its obligation under article 46(1) to implement a judgment of the Court. This procedure, which came into force on 1 June 2010, has not yet been used. The Government would consider any proposal for its use on a case-by-case basis.
European Union
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which EU measures in justice and home affairs matters falling under the responsibility of his Department the UK has sought to accept after their adoption by the EU; and in which such cases the European Commission or the Council of the EU decided to require the UK to fulfil particular conditions before it could be bound by the relevant EU measure; what those conditions were in each such case; and whether the UK fulfilled them. [105921]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice is responsible for two measures which the UK opted into after their adoption by the participating member states. The decisions were made under the previous administration. They are:
30 Apr 2012 : Column 1158W
Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the law applicable to contractual obligations (Rome I), and
Council Regulation (EC) No 4/2009 of 18 December 2008 on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of decisions and cooperation in matters relating to maintenance obligations.
In neither case did the European Commission require the UK to fulfil conditions.
Family Courts: Expert Evidence
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 25 April 2012, Official Report, column 920W, on Family courts: expert evidence, if he will bring forward proposals to allow non-legally qualified people who are not party to the proceeding to refer expert reports in family proceedings to regulators. [106221]
Mr Djanogly: The Government is currently considering ways in which greater information can be released from the family courts, bearing in mind the sensitive issues I set out in my response to question 105146 of 25 April 2012, Official Report, column 919W.
As I made clear in my earlier reply to question 105163 of 25 April 2012, Official Report, column 920W, individuals who are not legally qualified may make a complaint to health regulators about the activities of a doctor or other registered health professional about whom they have concerns and request that their fitness to practise be investigated.
Fraud: Fuels
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people were arrested for offences related to fuel fraud in each of the last 10 years; [103722]
(2) how many people have been convicted of offences related to fuel fraud in each of the last 10 years; and how many such people received a custodial sentence in each such year. [103723]
Miss Chloe Smith: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Treasury.
Data on the number of arrests for offences related to fuel fraud are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Details of convictions and custodial sentences for the most recent complete years available are given in the following table. Figures for the United Kingdom as a whole are only available for the years 2006-07 to 2011-12. Figures for 2002-03 to 2005-06 are for Northern Ireland only.
| Financial year | Convictions | Custodial sentences |
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| (1 )Of which one was suspended. | ||
Judges: Working Class
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of judges from a working-class background. [105804]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: I am unable to provide any assessment of the overall proportion of judges from a working-class background as we do not collect information on this.
We will shortly be bringing forward proposals to move faster towards a more diverse judiciary that is reflective of society with appointment processes that are more transparent and open.
Juries: Doctors
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many medical doctors were summoned for jury service in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many medical doctors (a) asked for a deferment of, (b) were granted a deferment of, (c) asked to be excused from and (d) were excused from jury service in the latest period for which figures are available. [105493]
Mr Djanogly: I am unable to provide the information requested, since these data are not collected. The jury summons form does not request information about the occupations of potential jurors, unless they are employed by the police force, HM Prison Service or a prosecuting authority.
Justice for All Programme
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how he monitors the effectiveness of police training provided through his Department's Justice for All programme. [105839]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for International Development.
The Justice for All programme works on police training in Nigeria. Effectiveness of training is measured through independent annual public perception surveys conducted in each partner state. Surveys are also conducted in two comparable non-supported states to have comparative evidence.
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice to which countries his Department's Justice for All programme has provided police training since November 2010. [105840]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for International Development.
The Justice for All programme works with the police in Nigeria. The programme trains the Nigerian Police Force on community policing in five states and supports the roll-out to all 36 states of a federal Police “force order” (policy) on community policing.
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Ministerial Meetings
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had any meetings with (i) Simon Hoare, (ii) CGMS, (iii) Freshwater UK, (iv) Intermodality LLP, (v) BNP Paribas Real Estate, (vi) Helio Europe and (vii) Bircham Dyson Bell LLP since May 2010; and whether he has received any recent representations from each such individual or organisation since May 2010. [105190]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: Neither I nor my ministerial team have held meetings with (i) Simon Hoare, (ii) CGMS, (iii) Freshwater UK, (iv) Intermodality LLP, (v) BNP Paribas Real Estate, (vi) Helio Europe and (vii) Bircham Dyson Bell LLP since May 2010.
The Department publishes quarterly meetings between Ministers and external organisations as well as meetings between permanent secretaries and external organisations. Quarters from October 2011 will be published in due course. This information can be found at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports
The Ministry of Justice does not centrally record meetings attended by all officials in the Department. The Ministry of Justice receives a variety of representations from a number of legal representatives and companies on behalf of a wide range of clients. To collate this information for the time period stated would exceed the cost limit for answering parliamentary questions.
Members: Correspondence
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Witham of 8 February 2012 on the release of Bradley Wernham. [105651]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: I wrote to my hon. Friend on 24 April to explain that my officials will be responding to her questions under the Freedom of Information Act. She will receive a response by 9 May. I apologise for the delay.
Offenders
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders have (a) 50 to 100 and (b) 100 or more convictions. [105658]
Mr Blunt: The table provides a summary of the number of previous convictions for an offender with a conviction which occurred between the years 2007 and 2010, in England and Wales.
These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
| Number of previous convictions for offenders with an index offence between 2007 and 2010, in England and Wales | |
| Number of previous convictions | Number of offenders |
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Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions are held by the 10 recorded offenders with the most convictions. [105659]
Mr Blunt: The table shows the number of previous convictions for the 10 recorded offenders with the most convictions. The number of previous convictions included in the answer are prior to the offender's most recent conviction between the years 2007 and 2010, in England and Wales.
These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
| Number of previous convictions for the 10 recorded offenders with the most convictions, with an index offence between 2007 and 2010 | |
| Number of convictions | |
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders have (a) one conviction, (b) two convictions and (c) three or more convictions for a (i) knife related, (ii) firearms related and (iii) rape offence. [105662]
Mr Blunt: The following table shows the number of previous convictions for knife, firearms and rape offences for those offenders convicted of the same offence in 2010 in England and Wales. The Ministry of Justice is unable to identify offences which may be knife-related or firearms-related but are not specifically knife or firearms offence. These are the latest available figures for a calendar year.
The figures have been derived from dataset used for table A7.18 of Crime Justice Statistics, England and Wales 2010 published by MOJ on 26 May 2011. The figures relate to separate sentencing occasions in 2010; where an offender was sentenced on the same occasion for several offences, it is the primary offence that has been counted. The Crime Justice Statistics, England and Wales 2010 report can found at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/statistics/criminal-justice-stats/criminal-stats-quarterly-dec10.pdf
These figures have been drawn from the police’s administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
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| Offenders sentenced for knife, firearms or rape offences in 2010 by number of previous convictions for the same offence | |||||
| Previous convictions for same offence | |||||
| All offenders | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3+ | |
| (1) Figures include knife possession offences and offensive weapon possession offences. (2) Figures include firearms possession offences, firearms certificate-related offences and miscellaneous firearms offences. | |||||
Police and Crime Commissioners
Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what steps he will take to ensure in any plans for local commissioning that there is a minimum quality standard in all areas; [106011]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of devolved commissioning of victims' services to police and crime commissioners on the current level of victims services provided. [106012]
Mr Blunt: In the consultation document “Getting it right for Victims and Witnesses” published on 30 January we set out our proposals for the future commissioning of support services for victims including the proposal that police and crime commissioners take on local commissioning responsibilities. An impact assessment and equality impact assessment were published at the same time.
The consultation closed on 22 April. Subject to responses received we will consider what might need to be done to ensure the quality of victims' services, should we move to a local commissioning model.
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) if he will consider ring fencing resources spent on victims’ services when they are devolved to police and crime commissioners; [106185]
(2) what account he took of the views of victims and witnesses in developing his proposals for local commissioning of victims’ services; [106186]
(3) how plans for local commissioning of victims’ services will ensure a minimum quality standard across England and Wales. [106187]
Mr Blunt: Our proposals for local commissioning took account of input from organisations which support or represent victims and witnesses. The consultation closed on 22 April. As we consider the many responses we have received, we shall take account of points made to us about ring-fencing and about quality standards.
Prisoners’ Release
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many prisoners were released early on (a) compassionate and (b) medical grounds in each of the last five years; and how many such prisoners had their release authorised by the (i) Secretary of State and (ii) prison authorities; [105631]
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(2) how many prisoners serving (a) indeterminate sentences and (b) life sentences were released on (i) compassionate and (b) medical grounds in each of the last five years; [105632]
(3) how many prisoners who were released from prison on (a) compassionate and (b) medical grounds were, after release, (i) recalled to prison for a breach of licence and (ii) convicted of a further offence in each of the last five years; [105633]
(4) how many convicted (a) murderers, (b) rapists, (c) child sex offenders, (d) sex offenders and (e) violent criminals were released early from a custodial sentence on (i) compassionate and (ii) medical grounds in each of the last five years. [105634]
Mr Blunt: Under section 36 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991, section 248 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (for determinate sentences) and section 30 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 (for indeterminate sentences), the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), may release a prisoner on licence at any point in the sentence if he is satisfied that “exceptional circumstances” justify the prisoner's release on compassionate grounds. These decisions may be taken by the Secretary of State, or officials acting on his behalf.
When considering applications for release on compassionate grounds, the following criteria are applied:
the release of the prisoner will not put the safety of the public at risk;
a decision to approve release would not normally be made on the basis of facts of which the sentencing or appeal court was aware; and
there is some specific purpose to be served by early release.
Compassionate release may be considered on the basis of a prisoner's medical condition or as a result of tragic family circumstances. In medical circumstances, the criteria to be applied are:
the prisoner is suffering from a terminal illness and death is likely to occur soon; or the prisoner is bedridden or similarly incapacitated; and
the risk of re-offending is past; and
there are adequate arrangements for the prisoner's care and treatment outside prison; and
early release will bring some significant benefit to the prisoner or his/her family.
Consideration for compassionate release as a result of tragic family circumstances (which only applies to determinate sentence prisoners) may, for example, be given where a spouse has died or is seriously ill and there is no-one to care for young children. Whether such an application is successful will depend upon the risk to the welfare of the children and the availability of support from other family members, friends or social services. Similarly, if a partner or parent is terminally ill, much will depend on what other help and support is available to him or her.
A full dataset for the information requested is available only for the past three years. Information prior to this will be contained within individual prisoner case files; to retrieve these files and provide the information would exceed cost limits.
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The number of prisoners released on compassionate grounds, in the past three years, by sentence type and reason for release is shown in table 1.
Of these, nine had their release authorised by officials on behalf of the Secretary of State and 19 were authorised by Ministers.
| Table 1 | ||||
| Sentence type | Reason for release | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
A prisoner released on compassionate grounds must comply with the conditions imposed upon him and is liable to be recalled to prison if he fails to do so.
One prisoner released on compassionate grounds in the past three years was recalled for breach of licence in 2011.
We have not been notified of any prisoner who has been released on compassionate grounds over the past three years and who was subsequently convicted of a further offence.
Compassionate releases by the specified offence categories and reason for release are shown in table 2. Other offences are shown for completeness.
| Table 2 | ||||
| Offence category | Reason for release | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
Prisoners: E-mail
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which prisons participate in the email a prisoner scheme; what checks are in place at such prisons to monitor such emails; and what estimate he has made of the number of contacts through the scheme each prisoner has had in each of the last three years. [105803]
Mr Blunt: There are currently 119 prisons using the services of Emailaprisoner.com and these are spread widely across the prison estate—Annex A shows a full list of the participating prisons.
The system does not allow prisoners or their correspondents to directly exchange e-mails, it is merely an alternative way for a prisoner’s family or friends to send an ‘electronic’ letter (e-mail) to the prison as opposed to the normal postal service. The ‘e-mail letter’ is printed by staff and then passed to the prisoner and therefore monitored in the same way as postal correspondence.
It is not possible to provide an estimate of the number of contacts through the scheme each prisoner has had in the last three years as such information is not held
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centrally. To provide such an estimate would require the collection of data from each prison and this could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
Emailaprisoner.com is operating in the following establishments:
Altcourse
Ashfield
Askham Grange
Bedford
Birmingham
Blantyre House
Blundeston
Brinsford
Bristol
Bronzefield
Buckley Hall
Bullingdon
Bullwood Hall
Bure
Canterbury
Chelmsford
Coldingley
Dartmoor
Deerbolt
Doncaster
Dorchester
Dovegate
Dover
Downview
Drake Hall
Durham
East Sutton Park
Eastwood Park
Erlestoke
Everthorpe
Exeter
Featherstone
Feltham
Ford
Foston Hall
Frankland
Full Sutton
Garth
Gartree
Glen Parva
Grendon
Guys Marsh
Hatfield
Haverigg
Hewell
Highpoint
Hindley
Holloway Hull
Huntercombe
Isis
Isle of Wight Cluster (Albany, Camp Hill and Parkhurst)
Kennet
Kingston
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Kirkham
Kirklevington Grange
Lancaster Farms
Leeds
Leicester
Lewes
Leyhill
Lincoln
Lindholme
Littlehey
Liverpool
Long Lartin
Low Newton
Lowdham Grange
Maidstone
Manchester
Moorland
Morton Hall
New Hall
North Sea Camp