| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
14 Dec 2004 : Column WA69
Written Answers
Tuesday, 14 December 2004.
Ministry of Defence: Senior Responsible Owners
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many senior responsible owners (SROs) have been appointed by the Ministry of Defence; what are the responsibilities and dates of appointment of such SROs; and whether they plan to appoint further SROs. [HL8]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach): Senior responsible owners (SROs) are appointed to oversee the delivery of complex business change or new military capability programmes and their benefits. These typically involve planning and ensuring coherence across a number of top level budget holder areas and/or lines of development.
The MoD's major non-equipment acquisition and change programmes are brigaded into the Defence Change Programme (DCP). The principal twelve programmes within the DCP each have an SRO, as does the DCP itself and other programmes under the governance of the DCP. An SRO has also been appointed to each of six major new military capability programmes. There are other SROs outside these
14 Dec 2004 : Column WA70
areas, but there is currently no requirement to hold this information centrally.
SROs are directly responsible to the Defence Management Board. Further SROs will be appointed as required, but there are no predetermined numbers or dates for appointment, since SROs are identified and allocated as the need arises.
Lithuania: Deployment of British Forces
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many members of the British Armed Forces, and of what ranks, are stationed in Lithuania; and under what arrangements they are stationed there. [HL173]
Lord Bach: As at 4 December, a total of 107 British Armed Forces personnel were stationed in Lithuania: a permanent Defence Section at the British Embassy, Vilnius and a temporary RAF detachment conducting NATO air policing duties over the Baltic states until 12 January 2005, based mainly at Siauliai Air Base with a small contingent at Vilnius international airport.
The tables below provide a breakdown of the number and rank of all personnel.
| Number | Rank | Details |
| 1 | Lieutenant Colonel | Defence Attaché, British Embassy, Vilnius |
| 1 | Chief Petty Officer | Assistant to the Defence Attaché, British Embassy, Vilnius |
| 2 | Total |
14 Dec 2004 : Column WA69
14 Dec 2004 : Column WA69
Ministry of Defence: Urgent Operational Requirements
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress is being made by the Ministry of Defence in bringing together more information on urgent operational requirements so that these may be better evaluated, as recommended by the National Audit Office. [HL209]
Lord Bach: The Ministry of Defence is considering options for post-operational reviews, and, where appropriate, outcome measures and performance indicators should be developed and implemented in the next six to 12 months. In the next 12 to 24 months we also aim to implement a more joined-up UOR database.
14 Dec 2004 : Column WA71
National Firearms Management System
Lord Marlesford asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will announce the date on which the National Firearms Licensing Management System, as required by Section 39 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997, will be in full operation. [HL77]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: As my noble friend Lord Rooker explained in responding to the noble Lord on 4 November, a number of technical difficulties came to light during the piloting of this system and it has been necessary to suspend the roll-out programme until the New Year. I understand from the Police Information Technology Organisation that most of these technical issues have been resolved but it has been necessary to commission an audit of force communications networks. This will not be completed before the end of the year and the aim then is to analyse the report with a view to assessing the implications for individual police forces by the end of January. It is not possible to renegotiate a new roll-out schedule with forces until this information is available.
Cheque Books: Fraudulent Use
Lord Dubs asked Her Majesty's Government:
On how many occasions in the most recent 12-month period were cheque books used fraudulently after failing to reach their intended recipients through the post. [HL191]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Statistics on fraudulently used cheque books are not held centrally.
The banking industry, represented by the Association of Payment Clearing Services, is working with the Royal Mail to tackle this type of fraud.
Vehicles: All-Wheel Braking
Earl Attlee asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their best estimate of the number of: (a) motor cars without all-wheel braking; (b) privately owned light goods vehicles without all-wheel braking; (c) privately owned heavy goods vehicles without all-wheel braking; and (d) steam-driven vehicles without all-wheel braking. [HL237]
Lord Davies of Oldham: We are unable to make these estimates. On 31 December 1967 (just before the all-wheel braking requirement was implemented) there were 8,820,000 private cars licensed for the public road. Some 36 years later it is not possible to estimate reliably how many of them did not have all-wheel braking, although records show that 123,529 are still registered.
At 31 December 1967, 1,358,000 light goods vehicles and 593,000 heavy goods vehicles were registered for the road. It is not possible to estimate reliably how many of these were or are privately owned or the
14 Dec 2004 : Column WA72
numbers without all-wheel braking, although records show 7,560 of those light goods vehicles and 17,236 of those heavy goods vehicles are still registered.
At 31 December 2003, 1,800 steam powered vehicles were licensed for the road. Many—if not all—of these are likely to be without all-wheel braking because if the engine of such a vehicle is capable of being reversed it is deemed to be a braking system and thus one of the two braking systems required.
School Transport Bill
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
What the impact of the proposed School Transport Bill will be on traffic flows and the levels of congestion. [HL109]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Lord Filkin): Our aim is for pilot authorities to achieve a reduction in the number of cars on the school run as well as providing improved services which cater for local needs and priorities. However, as it will be for authorities to devise their own pilot schemes, it is impossible to predict at this stage the impact that the School Transport Bill will have on future traffic flows and congestion.
Children Trafficking: Safehouses
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will consider introducing a "safe-house" scheme for children trafficked for the purpose of prostitution, similar to the pilot "safe-houses" for women. [HL252]
Lord Filkin: It is for local authorities to decide how best to provide support and services for children in need in its area, including those who are the victims of trafficking. When a child enters the country alone and claims asylum or there are concerns that he or she may have been trafficked, the immigration service should immediately refer the child to the relevant local authority's social services department. The social services department will undertake a needs assessment and will provide services in the light of the outcome of that assessment. These services should be tailored to the individual needs of the child, just as they should be for any child in need.
| Next Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |