Armed Forces Covenant
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to publish the annual Armed Forces Covenant report. [132580]
Mr Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 December 2012, Official Report, column 602W, to the hon. Member for West Dunbartonshire (Gemma Doyle).
Armed Forces: Cadets
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Cadet Force establishment is in (a) Sunderland and (b) County Durham in (i) schools and (ii) detachments. [134609]
Mr Francois [holding answer 20 December 2012]: The Sea Cadet, Army Cadet and Air Cadet units in Sunderland and County Durham do not have an establishment. However, the figures for the number of cadets in each area is shown in the following table.
| Cadet Force | Number of cadets as at 18 December 2012 |
As at 18 December 2012, the Sea Cadets have 49 cadets within Sunderland and Co. Durham.
Combined Cadet Forces (CCFs) do have establishments. There are no CCFs in Sunderland and two in County Durham schools. Barnard Castle school and Durham school have establishments of 200 and 130 respectively.
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Armed Forces: Freedom of Expression
Mr Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on freedom of speech for armed forces personnel who are opposed to same sex marriage of the case between Mr Adrian Smith and Trafford Housing Trust. [135048]
Mr Francois: All members of the armed forces are entitled to express their views on current issues privately, in the same way as any other citizen. This includes the use of social media sites to communicate opinions privately with colleagues, family and friends. However, to maintain that privacy the profile of the individual on the social media site should not reveal their status as a member of the armed forces, in order to avoid any perception that the view expressed was official policy.
Armed Forces: Housing
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) which service accommodation buildings have been upgraded since May 2010; how much was spent on each such upgrade; and what work was undertaken in the upgrade; [132438]
(2) how many new (a) service accommodation buildings and (b) service accommodation homes have been (i) built and (ii) opened since May 2010. [132439]
Mr Francois [holding answer 10 December 2012]: The Service Family Accommodation (SFA) upgrade programme targets those properties in the greatest need and upgrades them to the highest standard for condition. Under this programme, in financial years 2010-11 and 2011-12, some 1,600 SFA properties were upgraded at a total cost of some £80 million. It is anticipated that 800 further properties will be upgraded in this financial year. In addition, some 600 new capital purchase and bulk-lease hired SFA properties have come into use since May 2010.
The majority of new or upgraded Single Living Accommodation (SLA) is being delivered under Project SLAM and private finance initiatives (PFIs). Under Project SLAM some 4,715 bed-spaces have been delivered since May 2010 at a total cost of some £285 million. In the same period, some 4,790 bed-spaces have been delivered through PFIs. As SLA improvements are only one element of the work delivered under the PFIs, exact expenditure cannot be separately identified and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Armed Forces: Redundancy
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions his Department has had with internal or external groups on its redundancy policies and criteria for armed forces personnel since May 2010; and if he will provide the details of such discussions. [134659]
Mr Francois
[holding answer 20 December 2012]: The conclusions of the Strategic Defence and Security Review, incorporating plans to reduce the size of the armed forces including through redundancy measures, have been extensively debated since 2010. The terms of the redundancy schemes are laid down in statute. Detailed
7 Jan 2013 : Column 35W
internal work on redundancy policies and criteria has been conducted, and has included consultations with internal legal advisers.
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the change in the level of lifetime income for each rank of service personnel who are made redundant within one year of their independent pension point. [134660]
Mr Francois [holding answer 20 December 2012]: The information is not held in the format requested. Every redundant service person will achieve a different level of lifetime income subject to future employment, health and lifespan. This will not be dependent upon their final rank in service. The Ministry of Defence is committed to helping those leaving the service to pursue a second, rewarding career if they wish to do so.
Armed Forces: Scotland
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the statement of 18 July 2011, Official Report, column 643, on defence transformation, what the projected increase in the number of uniformed personnel to be based in Scotland were in each of the three armed services at the time of the statement. [134183]
Dr Murrison: The figure given in the statement of 18 July 2011 was a broad estimate based on the potential effect of the basing measures outlined. However, the composition of the projected change is dependent upon the outcome of a number of detailed pieces of work, including Army 2020 and the footprint strategy.
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many uniformed personnel are based in Scotland in each of the three armed services; whether the reduction to his Department's spending announced in the autumn statement will effect the number of uniformed personnel to be based in Scotland in each of the three armed services; and if he will make a statement. [134260]
Dr Murrison: The numbers of regular service personnel based in Scotland as at 31 October 2012 are shown in the following table:
| Number | |
The autumn statement has introduced some additional factors that we need to take into account. It is right that we take time to explore these options with HM Treasury to ensure the best possible basing solution is achieved.
Armed Forces: Sexual Offences
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidelines his Department gives to the Royal Military Police on whether allegations of (a) rape and (b) sexual assault made by armed forces personnel should be referred to civilian police for investigation; and if he will make a statement. [134827]
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Mr Francois: There are no specific guidelines issued to the Service Police (the Royal Military Police, the Royal Navy Police and the Royal Air Force Police) on whether allegations of rape or sexual assault made by armed forces personnel should be referred to the civilian police for investigation. There is, however, a policing protocol between the Ministry of Defence Police, the Service Police and the Home Office Police Forces which outlines, among other things, arrangements for working relationships and provision for consultation and co-operation between them. One of the key principles underpinning these arrangements is that while there may be concurrent jurisdiction, local civilian forces have primacy.
As a result, in the UK the civilian police deal with the vast majority of cases of rape or sexual assault allegedly involving a member of the armed forces. The Service Police investigate a relatively small number of cases. Decisions about which force should carry out an investigation are taken after consideration of factors such as the type of incident, jurisdiction, location, the availability of resources and the public interest. Where necessary, the prosecuting authorities are consulted.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether an individual serving in the armed forces who makes an allegation of (a) rape and (b) sexual assault is able to raise this allegation beyond the normal chain of command and direct to the (i) Royal Military Police and (ii) civilian police; and if he will make a statement. [134828]
Mr Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 December 2012, Official Report, column 896W.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidelines his Department provides to the Royal Military Police and the Service Prosecuting Authority on the definition of (a) sexual assault and (b) sexual harassment. [134829]
Mr Francois: The Royal Military Police, and their counterparts the Royal Navy Police and the Royal Air Force Police, are independent for the purpose of their investigations. The Service Prosecuting Authority is also independent and falls under the general superintendence of the Attorney-General. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not therefore advise the Royal Military Police or the Service Prosecuting Authority on the meaning of the offences they are investigating.
Sexual assault is a criminal offence under section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Sexual harassment is not a criminal offence in its own right. It is an employment law concept related to anti-discrimination. Criminal offences of harassment do exist but these do not need to involve sexual conduct, for example putting a person in fear of violence under section 4 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. The Service Police and Service Prosecuting Authority would only be involved if conduct amounting to sexual harassment also amounted to a possible criminal or disciplinary offence.
General guidance for all MOD Service and civilian personnel about how to report and respond to harassment allegations are contained in Joint Service Publication 763, The MOD Harassment Complaints Procedure.
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AWE
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of operating the Threat Reduction Division at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in each of the last five years. [133924]
Mr Dunne: The cost of the Threat Reduction Division at the Atomic Weapons Establishment undertaking its programme of work in each of the last five years is as follows:
| Financial year | £ million(1) |
| (1) At outturn prices. (2) Comprises actual expenditure to date plus projected expenditure to 31 March 2013. | |
Dalgety Bay
Mr Gordon Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when he expects the investigatory work on Dalgety Bay foreshore to be completed; [133287]
(2) on what date he expects remedial action work to start on Dalgety Bay foreshore. [133291]
Mr Robathan: The site investigation element of the foreshore at Dalgety Bay was completed on 23 November 2012.
It is for the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, not the Ministry of Defence, to determine whether any remedial work is required at Dalgety Bay.
Defence Equipment and Support
Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to be able to bring forward detailed proposals on the future of Defence Equipment and Support and the Materiel Strategy. [134983]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence is on track to make decisions on how it intends to proceed with the Materiel Strategy programme shortly. I will provide more information about the proposals when those decisions have been taken.
Defence: Exports
Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2012, Official Report, column 610W, on defence, if he will make it his policy to seek the inclusion within the work of the Defence Growth Partnership of issues around exportability of defence equipment and services; and how his Department will be represented in the work of the partnership. [134927]
Mr Dunne:
I welcome the appointment of Steve Wadey as the industry co-chair of the Defence Growth Partnership. The Ministry of Defence will work with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and industry colleagues in identifying how the partnership might best remove barriers to growth and enhance the
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competitiveness of industry in meeting UK and export requirements for defence equipment and support.
Disclosure of Information
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2012, Official Report, column 722W, on disclosure of information, if he will publish the costs to the public purse of the inquiry into the unauthorised disclosure of the letter between the former Secretary of State and the Prime Minister which appeared in The Daily Telegraph on 28 September 2010. [135408]
Mr Philip Hammond: There has been no net additional cost to the Ministry of Defence, as the work has been undertaken by staff as part of their official duties that are already resourced.
Equality
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of staff in his Department have received training in equality and diversity, and the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 in each of the last three years. [134812]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence regards compliance with all Equality and Diversity (E&D) legislation as important and to that end mandates that all new civilian entrants must undertake E&D training within six months of joining, refreshed when appropriate. Military personnel are also required to undertake regular mandatory E&D training. All E&D courses have a module that covers the requirements set out in the Equality Act 2010.
It is the responsibility of individual line managers to ensure that their staff have completed all mandatory training. We do not currently collate information on the total numbers of staff who have completed equality and diversity training in the Department.
France
Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he or his officials have had with representatives of the French Government on the FASGW(H) missile programme; and if he will make a statement. [134943]
Mr Dunne: Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (Heavy) (FASGW(H)) remains an important future capability for the UK and France. Ministry of Defence Ministers and officials have continued to hold regular meetings with the French Government to discuss the FASGW(H) programme. These include my own discussions with the French Defence Minister at Exercise CORSICAN LION in October 2012 and subsequent High Level Working Group meeting in Paris in November 2012.
Guided Weapons
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential benefits and costs of retro-fitting T4s with US MK41 vertical launch systems. [134656]
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Mr Dunne: There is currently no requirement to fit Type 45 destroyers with the US MK 41 vertical launch system.
Internet
Andrew Gwynne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on (a) strategy and planning, (b) design and build, (c) hosting and infrastructure, (d) content provision and (e) testing and evaluation for his Department's websites in each of the last two years; and how much has been
7 Jan 2013 : Column 40W
allocated for each such category of expenditure in 2012-13. [132119]
Mr Francois: From 2009-10, the costs of departmental websites have been published centrally in an annual report on central Government websites. The annual reports for 2010-11 and 2011-12, broken down by category as listed above, are available on the Cabinet Office website at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/websitemetrics2010-11
For financial year 2012-13, the information available to date is as follows:
| Strategy and planning | Design and build | Hosting and infrastructure | Content provision | Testing and evaluation | |
| (1 )Included in design and build. (2) The Army website includes additional functionality not found in the RAF and Royal Navy websites. This includes an online job application tool and integrated online recruitment campaigning. (3) MAA is hosted on the Joint Server Farm. Only Design and build and Content provision costs are individually captured. Other costs are included in the £6,000 in the table above. (4)( )£200 imagery, 1 x C2 full-time equivalent (FTE). (5) 0.5 x C2 FTE. (6)( )These costs fall within relevant campaign/communication plans. (7)( )Included in hosting and infrastructure. (8) UKHO currently has two external websites: www.ukho.gov.uk - meeting requirements as a Government Department www.admiralty.co.uk - commercial site enabling UKHO business (ie communication with customers) and promulgation of Safety of Life at Sea (ie users can download Notices to Mariners). (9) Defence Imagery was formed from the merger of the Defence Image database and Defence News Imagery. (10)( )It is not possible to allocate costs to individual websites across the categories above. | |||||
A number of Defence websites are located on a central hosting platform, Joint Server Farm. Costs for this platform are as follows:
| £ | |
| (1 )Included in design and build. | |
ISTAR
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on ISTAR since the initial deadline for the Watchkeeper programme. [134600]
7 Jan 2013 : Column 41W
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has a very large portfolio of capabilities, both in service and under development, that are classed as Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) assets. It is not possible to identify all expenditure on these capabilities since Watchkeeper's originally planned in-service date of September 2010.
Delays to the Watchkeeper programme have not affected the spending on ISTAR assets, other than on Hermes 450, the unmanned air system procured under the urgent operational requirement process that Watchkeeper is due to replace. The cost to the Government of supporting Hermes 450 in Afghanistan since September 2010 has been £61.3 million. This has been funded from the net additional cost of Military Operations element of the Treasury Reserve, which would in any case have been drawn upon to support Watchkeeper had it deployed on time.
Katrice Lee
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the outcome was of the meeting on 13 November 2012 on Royal Military Police premises between the Minister for the Armed Forces, representatives of the Royal Military Police, the hon. Member for Gosport (Caroline Dinenage) and the mother and sister of Katrice Lee regarding the disappearance of Katrice Lee in November 1981; what action points arose from the meeting; what admissions were made by the Royal Military Police in respect of the initial investigation into Katrice Lee's disappearance; and if he will make a statement. [134746]
Mr Francois: I wrote to my hon. Friend the Member for Gosport (Caroline Dinenage) on 20 December 2012 about this meeting and I will write to the hon. Member shortly as well.
However, The Royal Military Police have now acknowledged that the previous investigations were flawed, and have sincerely apologised to Katrice's family for these failings. The Royal Military Police have also undertaken, at an appropriate point, to ask an independent civilian police force to review their findings.
Substantive answer from Mark Francois to Mr Iain Wright:
As you know, I met with Mrs Sharon Lee on 13 December at Bulford to discuss the Royal Military Police's handling of their investigations into Katrice Lee's tragic disappearance from a NAAFI shopping complex in Paderborn, Germany in 1981. I am sorry that your Parliamentary commitments prevented you from joining us.
At that meeting, Brigadier Bill Warren, the Provost Marshal (Army) acknowledged that the previous investigations were flawed. He has since written to your constituent, Mr Richard Lee, to sincerely apologise for these failings. In light of your considerable efforts on Mr Lee's behalf, I thought you would appreciate sight of this letter, a copy of which is attached.
During the meeting, the Royal Military Police also discussed the current state of play on the work underway to better understand the actions taken by the police in 1981, and provided the family an opportunity to feed in their own thoughts and recollections from this period to the Senior Investigating Officer.
Rightly, the current focus remains on the ongoing investigation, but as you are already aware, the Royal Military Police continue to consider in detail the conduct of the earlier investigations, and have also undertaken to ask an independent civilian police force to review their findings.
7 Jan 2013 : Column 42W
Brigadier Bill Warren also undertook to provide a further update to the family in late Spring next year, probably around May.
Military Bases
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost in each category of expenditure was of (a) RAF Leuchars, (b) HMNB Clyde, (c) RM Condor, (d) Headquarters 2nd Division, (e) Headquarters 51 Brigade, (f) Redford Barracks, (g) Dreghorn Barracks, (h) RAF Kinloss and (i) Fort George Barracks in each of the last 10 years. [127075]
Mr Francois: Information available on the cost of the MOD establishments listed is as follows:
| £ million | ||||
| Establishment | Personnel | Infrastructure(1) | Other | Total |
7 Jan 2013 : Column 43W
| (1) Excludes the cost of service family accommodation which is provided on a regional basis and is not therefore attributed to individual establishments. (2 )The costs shown for HMNB Clyde include both of the base's constituent elements: the Naval Base at Faslane and the Royal Naval Armament Depot at Coulport (3 )These establishments are covered by a single contract for utilities and other services. The cost of this contract cannot be broken down by establishment, but the total value is around £9 million a year. This figure is not included in the table. (4 )The personnel costs of Redford Barracks, Dreghorn Barracks and Fort George Barracks are included in the costs of Headquarters 2nd Division. (5 )Service personnel pay costs are not attributable to establishment for RAF Leuchars and RAF Kinloss for 2009-10 and 2010-11. | ||||
Information on years before 2005-06 could be provided only at disproportionate cost since we are not required to retain this data for more than seven financial years, including the financial year in progress.
The figures provided for 2011-12 represent the final outturn for that year and therefore update those I gave to the hon. Member in the answer I gave him on 17 September 2012, Official Report, columns 460-62W.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost in each category of expenditure was of (a) Glencorse Barracks, (b) Defence Munitions Centre Crombie, (c) Defence Munitions Centre Beith, (d) Defence Munitions Centre Glen Douglas, (e) HMS Gannet, (f) RNAD Coulport, (g) MOD Hebrides Ranges, (h) Cape Wrath Range, (i) Cameron Barracks Inverness, (j) Black Dog training area, (k) Ben Wyvis training area, (l) British Underwater Testing and Evaluation Centre, (m) BUTEC, (n) Loch Ewe fuel depot, (o) Remote Radar Head Benbecula, (p) RAF Saxa Vord, (q) Remote Radar Head Buchan, (r) Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre (military), (s) Garelochead Defence training centre and oil fuel depot, (t) HMS Caledonia, (u) Rosyth Defence Estate, (v) West Freugh training ranges and (w) Castlelaw training area in each of the last 10 years. [127076]
Mr Francois: Information available on the cost of the MOD establishments listed is as follows:
7 Jan 2013 : Column 44W
| 2007-08 | ||||
| £ million | ||||
| Establishment | Personnel | Infrastructure(1) | Other | Total |
| 2008-09 | ||||
| £ million | ||||
| Establishment | Personnel | Infrastructure(1) | Other | Total |
| 2009-10 | ||||
| £ million | ||||
| Establishment | Personnel | Infrastructure(1) | Other | Total |
7 Jan 2013 : Column 45W
| 2010-11 | ||||
| £ million | ||||
| Establishment | Personnel | Infrastructure(1) | Other | Total |
| 2011-12 | ||||
| £ million | ||||
| Establishment | Personnel | Infrastructure(1) | Other | Total |
| n/a = Not available. (1) Excludes the cost of Service Family Accommodation which is provided on a regional basis and is not therefore attributed to individual establishments. (2) The figures given represent that element of the cost for HM Naval Base Clyde attributable to its Royal Naval Armament Depot component. | ||||
Information for the remaining establishments, and for years before 2007-08, could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Financial information of this type is not required to be retained for more than seven financial years, including the financial year in progress.
National Security
Peter Luff:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to produce a report on the implementation of the National Security Through
7 Jan 2013 : Column 46W
Technology White Paper CM 8278, published in February 2012, on the anniversary of that paper’s publication. [134942]
Mr Dunne: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central (Chi Onwurah) on 22 October 2012, Official Report, column 616W. Good progress is being made in implementing the recommendations of the National Security Through Technology White Paper (CM 8278).
We do not intend to produce a formal report one year from publication of the White Paper, although we will use opportunities around the time of the anniversary to highlight key White Paper themes and progress in its implementation.
Porton Down
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2012, Official Report, column 423W, on Porton Down: animal experiments, how many times the Animal Procedures Committee made visits to DSTL Porton Down in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 to date; and if he will make a statement. [134513]
Mr Dunne: The Animal Procedures Committee (APC) routinely meets at the Home Office in London to consider relevant Home Office project licence applications. DSTL staff who are the project licence holders attend these meetings with the APC to answer any questions the Committee has on the conduct of the work before the licence application is approved.
The Home Office inspector with responsibility for overseeing all animal work conducted at DSTL Porton Down routinely visits the site. These visits have taken place approximately once per month in each of the last three years. The Home Office inspector holds a site pass for DSTL Porton Down to allow access at any time, which DSTL fully supports.
Public Expenditure
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much unallocated provision is projected within his Department's budget in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14. [133431]
Mr Philip Hammond [holding answer 13 December 2012]:The PR12 budget showed an unallocated provision of £481 million in 2012-13, £240 million in 2013-14, and £245 million in 2014-15. We propose to carry over £481 million from 2012-13, which, together with a contribution from the departmental unallocated provision in the subsequent two years, is sufficient to cover the reductions in the Defence resource budget announced in the autumn statement of 5 December 2012, Official Report, columns 871-82.
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on the welfare and housing of armed forces personnel of the reductions in his Department's spending of (a) £245 million in 2013-14 and (b) £490 million in 2014-15 announced in the autumn statement 2012. [133432]
7 Jan 2013 : Column 47W
Mr Philip Hammond [holding answer 13 December 2012]: There will be no direct effect on the welfare and housing of armed forces personnel as a result of the reductions in the Department's budget announced at the autumn statement. However, those reductions and also the new mechanisms for accessing private capital finance announced at the same time by the Chancellor will need to be taken into account in finalising the Army Basing Strategy, which I hope to be in a position to announce early this year.
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 17 December 2012, Official Report, column 623W, on public expenditure, how much unallocated provision there will be in his Department's budget for 2012-13. [135405]
Mr Philip Hammond: The departmental unallocated provision in 2012-13 is around £500 million.
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2012, Official Report, column 623W, on public expenditure, from where his Department’s unallocated provision for 2012-13 has been found. [135407]
Mr Philip Hammond: We decided in the 2012 planning round that it would be prudent to leave a portion of the Defence budget as unallocated to deal with unforeseen events. This provision is not therefore the result of specific savings measures.
RAF Lossiemouth
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate was made during the Basing Review of the cost to the public purse of triggering break clauses in private finance initiative contracts at RAF Lossiemouth; and if he will make a statement. [134252]
Dr Murrison: The autumn statement has introduced some additional factors that we need to take into account, such as new arrangements for accessing private finance. It is right that we take time to explore these options with HM Treasury to ensure the best possible basing solution is achieved.
Until this is complete, it is premature to comment on detailed aspects of this work.
Redundancy
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence from which units civil servants of his Department have been made redundant since May 2010. [132578]
Mr Francois: The following tables show the outflow of civil servants from the MOD since 2010 through redundancy or voluntary release, including the voluntary early release scheme (VERS) which has operated since 30 September 2011.
7 Jan 2013 : Column 48W
| Voluntary release or redundancy—MOD Main | ||||
| Financial year: | 2009-10 | 2011-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 to 1 October 2012 |
| Voluntary release or redundancy—Trading Funds | ||||
| Financial year | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 to 1 October 2012 |
| (1) Less than 10 | ||||
Information pertaining to the exact units from which these personnel have left is available. However, in some cases, the number of individuals is low enough to constitute a risk of identification, particularly if considered in parallel with other data; this information is therefore being withheld.
Reserve Forces
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if provision will be made for members of the Army Reserve, following the introduction of the Army 2020 reforms, to claim back the expense incurred in travelling to training facilities; and if he will make a statement. [135413]
Mr Francois: Eligibility for reserve personnel to reclaim the cost of travel to training facilities or other duty stations is determined by the terms of their engagement. Volunteer reserves are already eligible to reclaim the cost of home to duty travel up to a distance of fifty miles per single journey, although provision exists for commanding officers to authorise home to duty travel for greater distances as appropriate.
Under Future Reserves 2020, with respect to allowances, we are considering a number of specific options and these will be subject to review and recommendation by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body. A balanced remuneration package will be developed and provided as part of Defence's new employment model. This will include an integrated approach to pay and allowances to achieve closer alignment between regular and reserve conditions of service.
Service Prosecuting Authority
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will extend the length of time that officers are deployed for duty in the Service Prosecuting Authority; and if he will make a statement. [134830]
Mr Francois: There are no current plans to extend the length of time that officers are assigned for duty in the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA). The length of time officers are assigned to the SPA is variable, and reflects the requirement both for individual career development and for a worthwhile period of service. All officers who are assigned to the SPA receive appropriate training to provide them with the right level of prosecuting and advocacy skills.
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Sodexo
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) following the reporting of faulty kitchen equipment by Army garrison personnel, in what period of time Sodexo were contractually obliged to (a) inspect the equipment, (b) carry out required maintenance and (c) replace the units in Army garrisons; and if he will make a statement; [135412]
(2) how many items of kitchen equipment in Army garrisons have (a) been referred for maintenance and (b) been replaced in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [135428]
Mr Dunne: Facilities management services to Army sites in the UK are carried out under a series of contracts by a number of companies, including Sodexo.
Information on how many items of kitchen equipment have been maintained or replaced in each of the last three years, or the contractual arrangements for Sodexo to inspect, maintain and replace kitchen units is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Tankers
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the final cost of the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability Project's order for four specialist tankers from Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering; and whether the current estimated cost of the project differs from previous estimates. [134842]
Mr Dunne: The approved budget for the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) Tanker project, which includes both the contract cost for the design and build of the four ships by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) and the further customisation package is £596 million.
The value of the contract for the design and build of the four ships is currently £458 million, which represents an increase of £6 million since the award of the contract on 9 March 2012 was announced. This increase in contract value, which does not affect the overall project cost, is as a result of the addition of essential health and safety as well as environmental features and operability changes that will provide long-term efficiencies.
The remaining approved budget for the project covers additional activities required to bring the ships into service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. These activities include a customisation package of work, to take place in the UK after the MARS tankers have been built, that will provide essential classified features required for deployment and capability assessment trials.
Translation Services
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average salary paid to UK translators and interpreters is. [134664]
Mr Francois [holding answer 20 December 2012]: Translators and interpreters in the Ministry of Defence are engaged as fee earners and paid on a fee paying basis. The average daily rate is £352.78.
7 Jan 2013 : Column 50W
Unmanned Air Vehicles
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many Watchkeepers are on order from his Department to replace the Hermes 450; [134569]
(2) what the estimated cost to the public purse is of the Watchkeeper programme in each of the next three years; [134601]
(3) what steps his Department is taking to speed up the certification process of the Watchkeeper programme. [134602]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is procuring 15 Watchkeeper ground control stations and 54 air vehicles. The estimated cost of the Watchkeeper equipment and support programmes combined in each of the next three financial years is £73 million, £59 million and £28 million respectively.
The release-to-service process, including airworthiness certification, is taking longer than originally expected. The MOD and Thales UK are working closely together to expedite the process. As the first large unmanned air system to fly in UK airspace, Watchkeeper is breaking new ground and it is essential that the process is thorough.
Veterans
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average time taken by the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force was to verify the past service of individuals to charities assisting veterans in the latest period for which figures are available. [134807]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence does not maintain statistics specifically in relation to requests for information received from charities assisting veterans.
Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of likely changes in demand in the next 12 months for services provided by armed forces charities which give advice to Afghanistan veterans. [135066]
Mr Francois: We continue to greatly appreciate the work done by the service charities in support of both our current and former armed forces personnel and their families. We have made no formal assessment of the type described by the hon. Member, but we maintain a close dialogue with the voluntary and charitable sector on these matters.
Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what support his Department provides to armed forces charities which give advice and emergency financial support to Afghanistan veterans; [135067]
(2) whether his Department plans to provide additional support to armed forces charities which give emergency financial aid to Afghanistan veterans. [135068]
Mr Francois:
The Ministry of Defence works in partnership with a range of charities providing support to serving and former members of the armed forces, including
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Afghanistan veterans. The extent of partnership working depends upon the individual charities involved.
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 13 November 2012, Official Report, columns 172-3W, on veterans, when he expects Lord Ashcroft to report on how the Government can further support those leaving the armed forces. [135368]
Mr Francois: It is expected that Lord Ashcroft will produce an interim report to the Secretary of State for Defence by the end of 2013, with more comprehensive recommendations being made during 2014.
World War II: Military Decorations
Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for York Central of 22 October 2012, Official Report, column 609W, on Arctic Convoy veterans, when his Department plans to announce the outcome of Sir John Holmes' review on military medals, with regard to the Arctic Convoy veterans. [134527]
Mr Francois [holding answer 20 December 2012]: The Prime Minister announced on 19 December 2012, Official Report, column 841, that the Government have accepted the recommendation of Sir John Holmes' review that a medal should be awarded to veterans who saw active service on the Arctic Convoys.
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure that the Arctic Convoy Star medal and Bomber Command clasp can be claimed posthumously by next of kin. [135778]
Mr Francois: The eligibility criteria for the Arctic Convoy medal and Bomber Command clasp are currently being drawn up. An announcement will be made as soon as this work is completed.
Education
Bookstart Scheme
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding he plans to provide to the Bookstart programme in 2013-14. [122708]
Elizabeth Truss: Grant funding for Booktrust has been approved for the next two years (2013-14 and 2014-15) with a grant of £6 million per annum to provide a new book gifting programme including Bookstart.
Booktrust
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much in grants has been awarded to Booktrust by his Department since May 2010; over what period such funding has been allocated; and from what budgets. [133953]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 17 December 2012]: The following table sets out the grant funding allocated to Booktrust by the Department for book gifting from the families group programme funding budget.
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| Grant funding allocation | |
| Financial year | £ million |
The Department is currently in discussion with Booktrust about the shape of the book gifting scheme they will deliver for the £6/6 million grant funding that they have been offered for 2013-15.
In addition, in 2010-11 they received a grant of £150,000 for the Everybody Writes Project, which was paid from the Standards in English budget.
Care Proceedings: East of England
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children have been the subject of new care proceedings in (a) Suffolk, (b) Bedfordshire, (c) Cambridgeshire, (d) Essex, (e) Hertfordshire and (f) Norfolk in each of the last three years. [134838]
Mr Timpson: Information on the number of children who have been the subject of new care proceedings is not available.
The Department does collect information on the number of looked after children who became subject to a care order or placement order. The number of these children for the local authorities, (a) Suffolk, (b) (i) Bedford Borough, (b)(ii) Central Bedfordshire, (c) Cambridgeshire, (d) Essex, (e) Hertfordshire, and (f) Norfolk is shown in the following table. Information is shown for the last three years.
Information on the number of children for whom an application has been made to the courts for either a care order or placement order, but where the application has not been granted, is not available.
| Children who became subject to a placement order or a care order during the year ending 31 March, by local authority(1). Years ending 31 March 2010 to 2012. Coverage: local authorities listed | ||||||
| Number | ||||||
| Placement order(2) | Care order | |||||
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| (1) England totals have been rounded to the nearest 10. Other numbers have been rounded to the nearest five. (2) Some looked after children who have become subject to a placement order will previously have been the subject of a care order. (3) In 2009 Bedfordshire LA split into Bedford borough and Central Bedfordshire. (4) Figures not shown in order to protect confidentiality. Source: SSDA903 | ||||||
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Children in Care
John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to address barriers to Ofsted sharing information on the names and locations of children's homes with local police forces. [134323]
Mr Laws: We are currently consulting on proposals to enable Ofsted to share its register of the names and addresses of children's homes, on a monthly basis, with the police and the Office and the Children's Commissioner. Ofsted is already able to share the information with local authorities.
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) primary, other than small primary, and (b) secondary schools in each local authority had more than three per cent of pupils in care in the latest period for which figures are available. [135334]
Mr Timpson: For the year ending 31 March 2012, there were 53 state-funded mainstream primary schools and two state-funded mainstream secondary schools with more than 3% of pupils looked-after.
The table shows the local authorities where these schools are located.
To answer the question fully, small primary schools with fewer than 100 pupils on roll have been excluded from the figures.
| Number of maintained primary and secondary schools(1, 2 )where more than 3% of pupils are looked-after children(3, 4, )by local authority | |
| Year: 2012 | |
| Local authority | Number of schools |
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| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Based on children looked-after continuously for at least six months at 31 March 2012, matched to their school census return for January 2012. (4) Based on the child's latest episode of care during the year ending 31 March 2012. | |