| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
Iraq: UK Personnel Costs of WMD Searches
The Earl of Sandwich asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the estimated cost of United Kingdom personnel who are continuing the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq; and how this compares with the cost of personnel engaged in reconstruction. [HL3950]
Lord Bach: The Ministry of Defence identifies the costs of operations in terms of the net additional costs it has incurred. The costs that the department would have incurred regardless of the operation taking place such as wages and salaries are not included. Savings on activities that have not occurred because of the operation—training exercises for example—are deducted from the total costs of the operation.
Neither the net additional costs incurred by United Kingdom personnel engaged in the search for WMD in Iraq, nor the net additional costs of those engaged in reconstruction can be differentiated from the total net additional cost of UK personnel deployed to the Gulf region. For example, stock accounting records will identify the recipient of stock as entitled UK military personnel, not whether they are engaged in reconstruction work or in the search for WMD. It is therefore not possible to identify costs related solely to the WMD search team.
Army Training and Recruiting Agency
Lord Vivian asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How much money has been allocated for Army recruits and their training in the financial year 2003–04; and how many people can be recruited. [HL3970]
Lord Bach: For the financial year 2003–04, the Army Training and Recruiting Agency (ATRA) has been allocated a resource departmental expenditure limit (DEL)—or budget—of £1,039 million, and a capital DEL of £23 million. This sum covers the recruiting of soldiers and officers (including advertising and marketing activities) and the cost of initial, specialist and career and professional development training. ATRA's target for recruitment in this year is 15,545 soldiers and 690 officers, although it is anticipated that not all of these will complete the selection and training process.
Armed Services Ammunition: Propellant
Lord Vivian asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What guarantees RO Defence Ltd have given to provide sufficient propellant whenever necessary, especially in time of operations; which firms currently make ammunition for the armed services; and whether propellant should be in this country prior to its use in the manufacture of ammunition. [HL3975]
Lord Bach: The Ministry of Defence has a 10-year framework partnering agreement with Royal Ordnance plc (ROD), a British-based subsidiary of BAE Systems, for the supply of ammunition which includes propellant. There are robust agreements with subcontractors to ensure that MoD's future requirements are met and security of supply is taken into account when competing all requirements for ammunition including propellant.
The United Kingdom planning process ensures that we maintain sufficient stocks of ammunition to meet current operational planning assumptions; this includes maintaining a qualified source of propellant to meet forecast ammunition requirements.
The following firms currently supply ammunition to the Armed Forces as prime contractors: Bofors Defence Ltd Denel Dynamit Nobel Edgar Brothers Eley Ltd Eurometal FN Herstal General Dynamics Hull Cartridge Co Ltd Leafield Engineering Ltd MilKor (PTY) Ltd Nammo NICO Pyrotechnik Primetake Ltd Pyrotechnik Silberhutte GmbH Royal Ordnance plc Ruag Ammotech GmbH
Whether propellant, as a component of ammunition, should be in this country prior to its use in the manufacture of ammunition, is judged to be a matter for the supplier.
Service Personnel: Medical Care
Lord Vivian asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What measures or proposals are in place to accelerate medical consultations and operations for Her Majesty's Armed Forces personnel. [HL3971]
Lord Bach: Service personnel are entitled to the full use of NHS hospitals on the same basis as other United Kingdom citizens if appropriate military provision is not available. They will therefore benefit from the sustained investment through the NHS Plan which will reduce waiting times. Provision for accelerated diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation to return service personnel back to fitness faster than would otherwise be the case is available through service level agreements (SLAs) with NHS trusts that host the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM) in Birmingham and Ministry of Defence Hospital Units
(MDHUs). These SLAs also include provision for fast-track out-patient appointments if service personnel are needed for immediate operational deployment. In addition, in 2003–04, up to £8 million for accelerated diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation is available for use in the NHS or, as appropriate, with private healthcare providers. A pilot scheme for fast-tracking orthopaedic cases is currently being run at MDHU Northallerton. Finally, the joint MoD/Department of Health reception arrangements for military patients (RAMP) ensure that in times of conflict casualties are returned to the UK and receive the care that they need in NHS hospitals.Iraq War: Costs
Lord Fearn asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What were the estimated costs of the Iraq war. [HL4056]
Lord Bach: The Ministry of Defence identifies the costs of operations in terms of the net additional costs it has incurred. The costs, which the department would have incurred had the operation not been undertaken—expenditure on wages and salaries or on conducting training exercises for example—are deducted from the total costs of the operation.
Calculating all the costs of military action will take some time to determine since it will include the cost of ammunition, bombs and guided weapons consumed in excess of peacetime levels and equipment destroyed and damaged. Excluding those costs, the latest estimate is that the net additional cost of operations in Iraq for 2002–03 is around £700 million. This is less than the £1 billion set aside at Spring Supplementary Estimates 2002–03.
Items in the £700 million estimate include costs for the procurement of equipment or modifications under the heading of urgent operational requirements, increased maintenance and stock consumption, civil sea and air charter and provision of infrastructure in the theatre of operations. It is most likely that a comprehensive and robust figure for 2002–03 will be available only when the National Audit Office has approved the departmental resource accounts.
It is too early to estimate the costs likely to arise in 2003–04. Once these are known, additional funding will be sought in the normal way through Supplementary Estimates.
Iraq: Cluster Bombs
Lord Hoyle asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many unexploded cluster bombs there are in Iraq. [HL4172]
Lord Bach: We have no means of knowing the number of unexploded cluster bombs there are in Iraq.
Lord Hoyle asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many people have been killed and injured by cluster bombs in Iraq since the end of the war. [HL4173]
Lord Bach: We have no means of knowing the number of people who have been killed or injured by cluster bombs since the end of the war.
Lord Hoyle asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What steps are being taken to clear unexploded cluster bombs in Iraq.[HL4174]
Lord Bach: United Kingdom and other coalition Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams in the UK's area of responsibility have completed over 1,000 tasks and destroyed over 100,000 individual munitions. We do not record types of munitions destroyed.
A full survey of sites where unexploded munitions exist is now under-way. The survey is being conducted in concert with other coalition forces, non-governmental organisations and demining companies.
Iraq: WMD Investigations
Lord Redesdale asked Her Majesty's Government:
- In relation to the two vehicles found in Iraq and suspected of being involved in the production of weapons of mass destruction, what were (a) the components of British manufacture and (b) the companies that produced them.[HL4186]
Lord Bach: The investigations into these two vehicles are continuing and we will take as long as necessary to conduct a thorough examination. As the Prime Minister has said in the past, we are going to assemble evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and present it properly to people at the appropriate time. I am withholding details of components and companies under Exemption 1c of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, which relates to information received in confidence from foreign governments.
Lord Redesdale asked Her Majesty's Government:
- In relation to the two vehicles found in Iraq and suspected of being involved in the production of weapons of mass destruction, how long the investigation into these vehicles will take; and whether they will publish the report of the investigation.[HL4187]
Lord Bach: The investigations into these two vehicles are continuing and we will take as long as necessary to conduct a thorough examination. As my right honourable friend the Prime Minister has said in the past, we are going to assemble evidence of Iraq's WMD and present it properly to people at the appropriate time.
| Next Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |