---

Gulf War Illnesses

Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:

What assessment they have made of the correspondence sent to the Ministry of Defence by Dr Brian Iddon MP relating to the Report of the United States Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans Illnesses to the Department of United States Veterans Affairs and the response to the report from the Hon. Leo S Mackay, the Deputy Secretary, on 28 October; whether they will place a copy of the correspondence in the Library of the House; and whether they propose to take any action[HL790]

4 Feb 2003 : Column WA26

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach): My honourable friend Dr Lewis Moonie, the Minister for Veterans Affairs, has written to Dr Brian Iddon MP seeking his approval to place a copy of the correspondence in the Library of the House. I hope to write to the noble Lord again with our assessment as soon as we receive Dr Iddon's approval to do so.

Anthrax Vaccine

Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 20 January (WA 79), whether the anthrax vaccine used for troops deployed to the Gulf was licensed in 1990–91; whether the guidelines for its use referred to by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath were in place in 1990–91; if they were in place, why they were not followed; whether any other vaccines administered to troops in 1990–91 had similar limitations on their use; and whether the instructions for the taking of pyridostigmine bromide tablets had and have now any similar limitations regarding their use.[HL1248]

Lord Bach: I will write to the noble Lord and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Desert Clothing

Lord Vivian asked Her Majesty's Government:

On which date units deploying to the Gulf will be allocated the new desert boots, combat jacket and combat trousers which have been ordered.[HL1267]

Lord Bach: Units deploying to the Gulf will be issued with the full desert clothing ensemble in time for any potential operations.

Armed Forces: Single-room Accommodation

Lord Vivian asked Her Majesty's Government:

Where the new build and refurbishment projects for 16,000 single rooms en suite accommodation will take place: when it will start: and when it will finish.[HL1269]

Lord Bach: The Ministry of Defence awarded the prime contract for Project SLAM to the Birmingham based Debut consortium, led by Bovis Lend Lease and Babcock Services Ltd, on 18 December 2002.

The contract for SLAM is the first five-year phase of a 10-year programme. It encompasses all ranks across each of the services and will deliver in the order of 16,000 upgraded bed spaces in around 100 projects on the basis of worst first. These will be predominantly single room en suite and will include utility areas, common areas and ancillary accommodation.

4 Feb 2003 : Column WA27

The SLAM prime contract covers the period 2003 until 2007 inclusive. There are 30 projects scheduled to start during the first year of the contract, with first wave programmed to start on site between May and August 2003 and completion from May 2004 onwards. Those projects commenced during 2007 are expected to be completed for occupation some 18 months to two years later.

In addition, the prime contractor will be required to maintain each individual project following handover for occupation for a further seven years. This is to enable the prime contractor to prove the assumptions made at the design stage in the running of the facilities and to demonstrate value for money and innovation during the maintenance period. (The implication of this is that the last phase of projects completed and handed over for occupation in 2009 will be maintained by the prime contractor until 2016.)

The table below shows where the new build and refurbishment projects will take place.

PROJECT SLAM, 5 YEAR PROJECT PROGRAMME—LOCATIONS

Item	TLB	Establishment	Location
1	Army	Vimy Barracks	Catterick, N Yorkshire
2	Army	Helles Barracks	Catterick, N Yorkshire
3	Army	Alexander Barracks	Pirbright, Surrey
4	Army	RMAS Sandhurst	Camberley, Surrey
5	Army	Lichfield	Staffordshire
6	Army	Middle Wallop	Andover, Hampshire
7	Army	Bovington	Bovington, Dorset
8	Army	Rapier Barracks	Kirton-in-Lindsey, N Lincolnshire
9	Army	Bourlon Barracks	Catterick, N Yorkshire
10	Army	Albermarle Barracks	Harlow Mill
11	Army	Fulwood Barracks	Preston, Lancashire
12	Army	St David's Barracks	Bicester, Oxfordshire
13	Army	Invicta Park Barracks	Maidstone, Kent
14	Army	Dalton Barracks	Abingdon, Oxfordshire
15	Army	Gamecock Barracks	Bramcote, Nuneaton
16	Army	Azimghur Barracks	Colerne, Wiltshire
17	Army	Beachley Barracks	Chepstow, Gwent
18	Army	Duke of Gloucester Barracks	South Cerney, Gloucester
19	Army	RAF Odiham (Army)	Hook, Hampshire
20	Army	Wellington Barracks	St James Park, London
21	Army	Woolwich Barracks	London
22	Royal Navy	Culdrose	Cornwall
23	Royal Navy	CTCRM	Lympstone, Exmouth, Devon
24	Royal Navy	RM Poole	Poole, Dorset
25	Royal Navy	42 Cdo	Bickleigh, Plymouth, Devon
26	Royal Navy	Yeovilton	Yeovilton, Ilchester, Somerset
27	Royal Navy	40 Cdo	Taunton, Somerset
28	Royal Navy	Chivenor	Barnstaple, Devon
29	RAF	RAF Boulmer	Alnwick, Northumberland
30	RAF	RAF Coningsby	Coningsby, Lincolnshire
31	RAF	RAF Waddington	Lincoln, Lincolnshire
32	RAF	RAF Wittering	Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
33	RAF	RAF Marham	King's Lynn, Norfolk
34	RAF	Winterbourne Gunner	Salisbury, Wiltshire
35	RAF	RAF Honington	Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
36	RAF	RAF High Wycombe	Naphill, Buckinghamshire
37	RAF	RAF Leeming	Northallerton, N Yorkshire
38	RAF	RAF Linton-on-Ouse	York, N Yorkshire
39	RAF	RAF Fylingdales	Pickering, N Yorkshire
40	RAF	RAF Cottesmore	Oakham, Leicestershire
41	RAF	RAF Brampton (Wyton Site)	Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire
42	RAF	RAF Shawbury	Shawbury, Shropshire
43	RAF	RAF Swanwick (at Collingwood)	Portsmouth, Hampshire
44	RAF	RAF Brize Norton	Witney, Oxfordshire
45	RAF	RAF Valley	Holyhead, Gwynedd
46	RAF	RAF Innsworth	Gloucester, Gloucestershire
47	RAF	RAF Cranwell	Sleaford, Lincolnshire
48	RAF	RAF Lyneham	Chippenham, Wiltshire
49	Central	RMCS Shrivenham	Swindon, Wiltshire
50	Central	Harden Barracks	Catterick, N Yorkshire
51	DLO	DSDA Ashchurch	Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire
52	DLO	West Moors	Wimborne, Dorset

4 Feb 2003 : Column WA28

Employment Relations Act 1999

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they expect to publish the results of their consultation on the operation of the Employment Relations Act 1999.[HL1331]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville): We intend to publish a consultation document inviting comments on the review's findings shortly.

Northern Ireland Department of the Environment: Planning Appeals

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the percentage of planning decisions by the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment which were overturned at the subsequent planning appeals for each year since 1997.[HL1212]

The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn): The percentage of planning decisions by the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment overturned at the subsequent planning appeal for each financial year since 1997 is as follows:

4 Feb 2003 : Column WA27

Year	Total decisions	Number of appeals*	Number of appeals upheld*	% of total decisions overturned on appeal*	% of appeals upheld*
1997–98	17,932	212	102	0.57	48
1998–99	18,245	183	110	0.60	60
1999–2000	19,344	213	100	0.52	47
2000–01	20,467	180	88	0.43	49
2001–02	21,447	222	122	0.57	55

Note: * Appeals relates to appeals under Article 32 of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991.

4 Feb 2003 : Column WA29

Provisional IRA

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 22 January (WA 102), whether they consider the Provisional IRA to still be involved in any of the following activities: recruiting, re-arming, training, targeting and punishment beating.[HL1281]

Lord Williams of Mostyn: As I stated in my previous Answer, it is the Government's view that the IRA remains an active paramilitary organisation. In order to achieve the full implementation of the Belfast agreement, all paramilitary organisations must make the commitment to exclusively peaceful means, real, total and permanent.

Northern Ireland Ambulance Service

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they are satisfied with the response time standards set for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service; and how the standards compare with those for the rest of the United Kingdom.[HL1282]

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The current Northern Ireland Ambulance Service response time targets are set out in the plans to implement the strategic review recommendations. The aim is to achieve staged improvements to bring response times into line with those set for other United Kingdom ambulance services.

---