Parliamentary Answers - to 24th January 2013

Another long one this…

Tom Watson (West Bromwich East, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the effect of unmanned aerial vehicle strikes on the mental health and wellbeing of civilians in Afghanistan.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 December 2012, c707W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
We have no reason to believe that aerial strikes from whatever platform have had an adverse effect in general on the mental health and wellbeing of civilians in Afghanistan. Weapons released by the UK’s Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft System are no different to those from other airborne platforms. Attacks are carried out under the command of a pilot bounded by Rules of Engagement which are no different to those used for manned combat aircraft. Targets are always positively identified as legitimate military objectives and strikes are prosecuted in accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict and UK Rules of Engagement.

Patrick Mercer (Newark, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) names of members of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) killed on operations were read out during ceremonies at ISAF-headquarters to honour the dead, (b) Afghan nationals were killed on operations and (c) members of the Afghan National Army were killed on operations in each week of 2012 to date.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 December 2012, c708W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Headquarters holds a service every Sunday morning, during which the names of ISAF personnel who have been killed in the intervening period are read out. Details of fatalities are released publicly as they are confirmed, not on a weekly basis. These press releases are available at the ISAF website at:

http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/casualty-report/index.php

Between 1 January 2012 and 18 December 2012, 274 ISAF soldiers have died on operations.

While we investigate carefully all alleged incidents involving UK forces, the Government does not record total figures for insurgent or civilian casualties in Afghanistan because of the immense difficulty and risks that would be involved in collecting robust data. The UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan released its own most recent report on civilian casualties in July 2012, which recorded a total of 1,145 civilian deaths from 1 January to 31 June 2012, 80% of which were attributed to anti-government forces, and 10% of which could not be attributed.

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan does not release figures for Afghan National Security Force fatalities.

Menzies Campbell (North East Fife, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on buildings for the use of civilian contractors at (a) RAF Leuchars, (b) RAF Lossiemouth and (c) RAF Marham in each of the last five years.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 December 2012, c708W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
Details of expenditure on buildings for the use of civilian contractors across all three stations over each of the last five years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Menzies Campbell (North East Fife, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place a copy of the capacity review of the Army estate in Scotland in the Library.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 December 2012, c708W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
Until a basing announcement is made it would be premature for me to place a copy of the capacity review of the Army estate in Scotland in the Library of the House.

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the statement of 14 May 2012, Official Report, columns 261-4, on defence budget and transformation, what maritime patrol capabilities are part of the Core Equipment Programme.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 December 2012, c709W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
Since the previous Government withdrew the Maritime Patrol Aircraft a range of complementary assets have been used to conduct maritime patrol including T23 Frigates, Merlin helicopters, attack submarines, Hercules and Sentry aircraft. All of these assets are in the core programme. A decision on any future requirement will not be made until the Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015.

The maritime patrol boat capabilities in the core equipment programme consist of the following current in-service capabilities:

Hunt Class Mine Countermeasures Vessels

Sandown Class Mine Countermeasures Vessels

River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels

Clyde Class Offshore Patrol Vessels (Helicopter)

P2000 Patrol Boats

Gibraltar Patrol Boat Squadron

Ocean Survey Vessel

Coastal Survey Vessels

Zac Goldsmith (Richmond Park, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to paragraph III. 4 of the report of the UN Secretary-General on Effects of the use of armaments and ammunities containing depleted uranium, dated 17 September 2010, what assessment he has made of the recommendation by the UN Environment Programme that action be taken to clean up and decontaminate the polluted sites and that there should be a policy of awareness-raising among local populations; and if he will take steps to implement these recommendations.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 December 2012, c709W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The scientific consensus is that DU intakes are only likely to be a concern for those in or on vehicles at the time they are struck by DU or for those who enter immediately afterwards.

Menzies Campbell (North East Fife, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether (a) he, (b) Ministers or (c) officials of his Department have (i) received written communication from or (ii) met representatives of (A) Thales Training and Simulation Ltd, (B) Infrastructure Investment Ltd or (C) Robertson Group in relation to his Department’s Basing Review.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 December 2012, c710W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
It will take a little time to co-ordinate details of any possible written communications from Thales Training and Simulation Ltd, Infrastructure Investment Ltd or Robertson Group in relation to the Basing Review. I will write to the right hon. and learned Member when the information is available.

Zac Goldsmith (Richmond Park, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for unmanned underwater vehicle programmes in the Royal Navy; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 December 2012, c711W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Royal Navy Fleet Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) Unit and the Fleet Diving Squadron operate a number of UUVs for trials, evaluation and the development of training, tactics and doctrine. As part of a wider programme, the Mine Countermeasures, Hydrographic and Patrol Capability project team is investigating exploitation of UUVs to deliver elements of these capabilities in the future. The programme is in its concept phase so the Department is not in a position to set out detailed plans at this stage.

Patrick Mercer (Newark, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to make a quarterly report to the House on the weekly totals of fatalities of (a) International Security Assistance Force forces, (b) Afghan civilians and (c) Afghan National Army forces.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 19 December 2012, c829W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The UK Government publishes monthly progress reports on Afghanistan which, when appropriate, contain details of casualties in Afghanistan. These are laid in the Library of the House and are also available online at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghanistan-progress-reports

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) publishes casualty reports on its website after each ISAF fatality sustained on operations in Afghanistan at the following link:

http://www.isaf.nato.int/article/casualty-report/index.php

Although we investigate carefully all alleged incidents involving UK forces, the UK Government does not record total figures for civilian casualties in Afghanistan because of the immense difficulty and risks that would be involved in collecting robust data. The United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) releases its own report, every six months, which records details of civilian casualties. These reports can be accessed through UNAMA’s website at the following link:

http://unama.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=12265&language=en-US

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan does not release figures for Afghan National Army casualties.

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many native translators and interpreters are working for the armed forces in each country in which the armed forces are based.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 19 December 2012, c830W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
holding answer 17 December 2012

Locally engaged civilian staff working for our armed forces in Afghanistan and across the world make an invaluable contribution to the UK’s efforts to help support the spread of security, stability and development. We do not have a consolidated database of all those working as translators and interpreters for the armed forces, but approximately 600 are employed in Afghanistan alone.

Priti Patel (Witham, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) which EU directives his Department transposed in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which EU directives his Department expects to transpose in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such directive to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector;

(2) which regulations his Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date; which regulations his Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2013 and (ii) the next two years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 19 December 2012, c830W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the then Minister for Defence Personnel Welfare and Veterans, my right hon. Friend Mr Robathan, on 6 February 2012, Hansard, column 17W, which provided the direct costs associated with transposing EU Directive 2009/81/EC, which remain unchanged. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is unable to estimate the wider cost of this directive to the public purse. The private sector has estimated that it cost around £2.7 million for industry to become familiar with the new

The MOD is not responsible for any further EU measures requiring transposition into UK law, nor have any other regulations been introduced as a result of EU legislation. No directives or regulations are due to be transposed or introduced as a result of EU legislation during 2013-15.

Gordon Marsden (Blackpool South, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what official guidance his Department issued to service personnel based in Germany on legal assistance insurance between 2004 and 2011.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 19 December 2012, c831W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
holding answer 17 December 2012

A range of guidance and information is available to personnel serving in Germany, including on insurance issues. However, the Ministry of Defence does not provide advice specifically related to legal assistance insurance, which is not a term we recognise.

Service personnel, their dependants and UK based civilians working in Germany are able to seek free, confidential, legal assistance on personal issues from the Army Legal Assistance (ALA) scheme, which has been in place since 1960. The ALA scheme exists to reduce some of the disadvantage of serving overseas by offering soldiers and their families access to the sort of legal advice and assistance which would normally be readily accessible when stationed in Britain.

Paul Flynn (Newport West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) civilians based in the UK, (b) military personnel based in the UK, (c) civilians based in Saudi Arabia and (d) military personnel based in Saudi Arabia worked on the Saudi Arabia National Guard Communications Project as at 1 April 2012.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 19 December 2012, c837W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
As at 1 April 2012, one Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilian and no military personnel based in the UK worked on the Saudi Arabia National Guard Communications Project. The project employed 20 military personnel and 50 MOD civilians based in Saudi Arabia.

Paul Flynn (Newport West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of UK support for the Saudi Arabia National Guard Communications Project in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12; and whether any of the cost was met by the Government of Saudi Arabia.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 19 December 2012, c837W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
The costs of UK support for the Saudi Arabia National Guard Communications Project are met by the UK Ministry of Defence in the first instance and then recovered in full from the Government of Saudi Arabia. I am withholding information about costs as disclosure would prejudice relations between the UK and another state.

Paul Flynn (Newport West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the relationship is between the Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Project and the Saudi Arabia National Guard Communications Project.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 19 December 2012, c837W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Project and the Saudi Arabia National Guard Communications Project are established under separate memoranda of understanding. They carry out different functions in support of separate governmental organisations in Saudi Arabia.

Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) whether the discount rate given to his Department on rent levels in those former homes of his Department purchased by Annington Homes will continue if Annington Homes is sold;

(2) whether officials in his Department have had any communication with Terra Firma on their interest in buying Annington Homes.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c898W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The purchase of Annington Homes Ltd (AHL) by Terra Firma is a matter for the companies concerned and does not affect the terms of the agreement with the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

To the best of my knowledge there has been no communication between MOD officials and Terra Firma regarding their interest in buying AHL.

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people with coeliac disease have been discharged from the (a) Royal Air Force, (b) Army and (c) Royal Navy in each year since 2010.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c898W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
holding answer 18 December 2012

Between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2012 (the latest date for which data are available) there were less than five UK Regular Army personnel and less than five UK Regular Naval Service personnel medically discharged with a principal or contributory cause of coeliac disease. No UK Regular RAF personnel were medically discharged with a principal or contributory cause of coeliac disease.

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) internal discussions have taken place in and (b) representations have been received by his Department on rules applying to deployment of serving personnel who are diagnosed with coeliac disease while in service.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c898W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
holding answer 18 December 2012

MOD policy regarding service personnel presented with coeliac disease has recently been reviewed by the Joint Service Publication 950 Medical Employment Standards Working Group, and has been staffed and accepted, and is now awaiting publication. Internal consultations have taken place between, among others: Headquarters Surgeon General, the Medical Employment Standards (MES) Working Group (including Consultant Occupational Physicians from each of the single Services, Defence Consultant Advisors in Medicine and Surgery) and the Surgeon General’s Medical Policy Steering Group.

When developing policy, the MES Working Group does not seek specific input from special interest groups, as this would be impracticable. However, policy is developed in light of current medical evidence including guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, and with specialist input from the appropriate Defence Consultant Advisers and/or Civilian Consultant Advisers. If specific issues are raised by external bodies including special interest groups, these are staffed appropriately, and may be discussed at the MES Working Group.

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department’s rules are for deployment of serving personnel who are diagnosed with coeliac disease while in service.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c899W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
holding answer 18 December 2012

Service personnel who present significant conditions of the alimentary system such as coeliac, which either degrades the functional capacity and performance, and/or fails to respond satisfactorily to treatment, may require to be downgraded non-deployable, or recommended for medical discharge. Each case is considered on its individual merit.

Service supply chains cannot guarantee access to a gluten free diet for service personnel in all circumstances, especially on operations. It is not possible to guarantee an individual’s ability to self police an exclusion diet through labelling or identification of trigger constituents. This poses an unacceptable risk to the individual, and to their colleagues on operations.

Karen Lumley (Redditch, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has contributed to assist injured service personnel with care and rehabilitation in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13 to date.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c899W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence provides a broad range of medical care, treatment and rehabilitation services delivered through a combination of military and contracted (with the NHS and private sectors) medical capabilities. The aim is to provide entitled armed forces personnel who have been injured (e.g. on operations, exercises/training etc) with world class treatment and rehabilitation that best meets the medical needs of the service person and the occupational needs of their service.

The Department spend by financial years for the care and rehabilitation of injured service personnel is shown in the following table:

Financial year £ million
2010-11 101.277
2011-12 108.873
2012-13 to end of November 2012 63.491
The figures above cover the following elements of care provision and are based on audited costs for FY 2010-11 and FY 2011-12 and estimated costs for FY 2012-13:

Acute medical care at The Royal Centre for Defence Medicine

Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court—including complex trauma rehabilitation and neurological rehabilitation

Regional rehabilitation units.

Other facilities also treat and rehabilitate injured personnel, but it is not possible, without incurring disproportionate cost, to break down the costs for treating injured personnel with other episodes of care that do not relate to injuries.

John Robertson (Glasgow North West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was paid from the public purse to shipyards on the River Clyde in (a) 1997, (b) 2005, (c) 2010 and (d) 2012 to date.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c900W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) no longer holds records of the amount paid to BAE Systems Maritime—Naval Ships (BAES MNS) Govan and Scotstoun shipyards on the River Clyde in 1997. In financial year (FY) 2005-06 the MOD paid £337 million, in FY 2010-11 the amount was £513 million and for the current financial year (beginning April 2012), the amount to November 2012 is £287 million. These figures cover expenditure on the Type 45 Destroyer and Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier programmes.

A contract valued at £127 million was awarded to BAES MNS for the Assessment Phase of the Type 26 Global Combat Ship programme in 2010. Work under this contract is being carried out at a number of sites, including the Govan shipyard, but it is not possible separately to identify the payments by location.

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the statement of 14 May 2012, Official Report, columns 261-4, on defence budget and transformation, whether any of the contingency funding for defence equipment and support has been allocated.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c901W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
During the course of Planning Round 12 a small proportion of the overall contingency provision was allocated. I am withholding details of the amount and the projects concerned as their release would be prejudicial to the Department’s commercial interests.

During the course of Annual Business Cycle 13, the Department is reviewing the level of contingency in the light of our current understanding of the risk position in our major procurement projects. This will inform a decision on the levels of contingency we will require in the future.

Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion, Green)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the projected cost is of the Future Nuclear Facilities programme for refurbishing the submarine refit complex at Devonport Dockyard.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c903W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The total estimated cost of the Future Nuclear Facilities programme for refurbishing the submarine refit complex at Her Majesty’s Naval Base Devonport is £243 million, which provides the capability to defuel the Swiftsure and Trafalgar class nuclear-powered attack submarines, and enables the ongoing deep maintenance of the Trafalgar class and, in time, the Astute class nuclear-powered attack submarines.

Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost to his Department is of the (a) light and (b) heavy future air-to-surface guided weapons.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c903W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
To protect our commercial position, the Department does not normally publish cost estimates in advance of main investment decision points, which are planned for both Future Anti Surface Guided Weapon Light and Heavy missiles in 2013.

Gareth Thomas (Harrow West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c904W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence takes any theft of, loss of, attacks on, or misuse of, its information, networks and associated media storage devices very seriously and has robust procedures in place to mitigate against and investigate such occurrences. Furthermore, new processes, instructions and technological aids are continually being implemented to mitigate human errors and raise the awareness of every individual in the Department.

The following table shows the number of reported lost or stolen computers, mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and other pieces of IT equipment centrally reported within the Department in financial year (FY) 2010-11 and FY 2011-12 as of 6 December 2012.

Items FY 2010-11 FY 2011-12
Computers 371 206
Mobile Telephones 3 24
BlackBerrys 4 34
Other IT 537 794
Following thorough investigations, the Joint Security Co-ordination Centre has not received any evidence that demonstrates that the information has been compromised. A significant number of the incidents involve information that had been encrypted to government standards and, while the data was lost, the chance of compromise of encrypted information is deemed to be minimal.

Priti Patel (Witham, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the additional cost of the delivery of those public services for which his Department is responsible arising from inward migration since 1997.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c904W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence provides services to the nation as a whole, rather than to individuals per se. It would therefore be impossible to quantify any extra costs arising from inward migration since 1997, if such costs existed.

Iain Wright (Hartlepool, Labour)
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 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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c904W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
I wrote to my hon. Friend 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

Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what date the transfer of RAF Merlin MK3s to the Fleet Air Arm will be complete.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c905W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
It is currently planned that responsibility for the Merlin Mk 3/3a will transfer from the Royal Air Force to the Royal Navy Commando Helicopter Force in financial year 2014-15.

Bridget Phillipson (Houghton and Sunderland South, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) permanent and (b) casual members of staff in his Department do not receive contributions for their pensions.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c905W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
holding answer 12 December 2012

All permanent and casual members of staff have the option to be in one of the Civil Service Pension Schemes. 123 members of the Department’s staff have opted out of these schemes and no employer’s contributions are made to their pensions. 82 of these are permanent employees and 38 are casual members of staff with a further three on fixed term appointments exceeding two years.

Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effects of the changes announced in the autumn statement on the affordability of his Department’s (a) equipment programme and (b) science and technology budget; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c906W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The autumn statement had no effect on the core equipment programme.

The Department has committed to maintain science and technology spending at 1.2% of the overall Defence budget. That commitment is also unchanged by the autumn statement.

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total size was of the unallocated provisions in his Department’s budget in 2011-12.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c906W)

Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
holding answer 18 December 2012

Nil; we started making unallocated provision from 2012-13.

Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion, Green)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on the purchase of special nuclear materials in each of the last 10 years.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c906W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence has not purchased any special nuclear materials in the last 10 years.

Mike Freer (Finchley and Golders Green, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last 12 months.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c906W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
External recruitment to the Ministry of Defence for grades below the senior civil service is carried out by Defence Business Services (DBS). Where external recruitment for senior civil service level posts is required, recruitment agencies may be asked to carry out an initial search for suitable candidates. In financial year (FY) 2011-12 the Ministry of Defence spent £81,380 on recruitment agency fees in connection with SCS level recruitment.

Support to staff who are leaving the Ministry of Defence on redundancy or voluntary release includes access to the outplacement service (MODOPS). MODOPS is a contractor-operated service which helps staff to find work outside the civil service, giving guidance on subjects including job-searching, CV writing, interview preparation and financial planning. Expenditure under MODOPS for FY 2011 -12 was £251,900.

The Defence Academy is the primary provider of training and education to civilian personnel, both through courses run on-site, and through the provision of e-learning, including the running of the Defence e-learning centres. Specialist and functional training is also procured from a range of external suppliers. Some training is delivered locally, usually by civilian or military staff for whom training is not a full-time responsibility, but the costs of locally delivered training are not separately identified and could only be compiled at disproportionate cost. Details of expenditure on staff training in FY 2011-12 are not available. However, the Defence Academy outturn for FY 2011-12 was £115 million, compared with £118.6 million in FY 2010-11 and £124.4 million in FY 2009-10.

Paul Flynn (Newport West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many employees of (a) BAE Systems, (b) Babcock Marine and (c) Rolls-Royce have been seconded to his Department to work on the Trident replacement design programme.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c907W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
No BAE Systems employees have been seconded to the Ministry of Defence to work on the Successor Submarine Programme.

One Babcock Marine full-time and two part-time employees and one Rolls- Royce employee have been seconded to work on the programme.

John Woodcock (Barrow and Furness, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of operation of a continuous at-sea deterrent replacement system over the likely lifespan of such a system.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c907W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
holding answer 18 December 2012

As stated in the White Paper, The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent (Cm 6994) published in December 2006, we expect that once the new successor nuclear deterrent submarine comes into service the in-service costs of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, which will include Atomic Weapons Establishment’s costs, will be similar to today (around 5% to 6% of the defence budget).

John Woodcock (Barrow and Furness, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is for the cost of design and build for a replacement continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent system.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c908W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
holding answer 18 December 2012

Current forecast costs, including planned Submarine Enterprise Performance Programme efficiency measures, indicate that we remain within the 2006 White Paper estimates of £11 billion to £14 billion (at 2006-07 prices) for the Successor platform costs (assuming a four boat fleet).

Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion, Green)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2012, Official Report , column 238W, on Trident missiles, what the cost was of the (a) recent refit and (b) post refit Demonstration and Shakedown Operation for HMS Vigilant; and what the cost is of an individual Trident D5 missile to the UK.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c908W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The cost of HMS Vigilant’s recent long overhaul period (refuelling) (LOP(R)) and the demonstration and shakedown operation (DASO) are still being finalised. However, the LOP(R) is expected to be around £345 million. The cost of the DASO for HMS Vigilant is expected to be approximately £15.6 million. The current net book value of a Trident D5 missile is £8.86 million.

Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion, Green)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of the programme management and engineering services contract between the Royal Navy and Lockheed Martin for support to the Trident D5 missile system in each of the last three years.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c908W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
I am withholding the information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Zac Goldsmith (Richmond Park, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2012, Official Report, column 616W, on unmanned air vehicles, what consideration his Department has given in the development of Maritime Unmanned Aerial Systems Strategy to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to tackle illegal piracy and fishing in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c908W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The maritime unmanned air systems strategy paper will consider potential future capability needs for unmanned air systems, but it will not consider in detail their use in particular scenarios.

Chuka Umunna (Streatham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 10 December 2012, Official Report, column 40W, on vetting, what (a) safeguards, (b) processes and (c) checks his Department and its agencies put in place prior to the introduction of the Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010 and subsequently by its suppliers to prevent blacklisting of employees on construction projects.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c909W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
It has been the long-standing policy of the Ministry of Defence to include provisions in its contracts requiring suppliers to abide by the law, to adhere to principles of equality and to ensure that these requirements are included in any sub-contracts.

Chuka Umunna (Streatham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 10 December 2012, Official Report, column 40W, on vetting, what representations on blacklisting his Department received prior to the introduction of the Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c909W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
To the best of my knowledge there have been no representations made on blacklisting prior to the introduction of the Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010.

Hugh Bayley (York Central, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK armed forces personnel will remain in Afghanistan after 2014; and what tasks and roles they will perform.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c32W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
The UK and the international community are committed to Afghanistan for the long term. At May’s NATO Summit at Chicago, ISAF nations confirmed that a new NATO-led mission will be established in Afghanistan after transition is completed at the end of 2014. This mission will be based on the principles of train, advise and assist and will not involve international troops deployed in a combat role.

NATO is currently working to develop its post-2014 mission, which the UK as a NATO member, will support. Until that planning has matured, it remains premature to speculate what residual military presence the UK will have in Afghanistan after 2014 beyond our firm commitment as lead coalition partner at the new Afghan National Army Officer Academy.

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) what the preferred length is of the harmonisation period between tours of Afghanistan;

(2) how many service personnel have had less than the 18 month harmonisation period between tours of Afghanistan in each of the last three years.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c32W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
holding answer 20 December 2012

The ‘Harmony Guidelines’ are used by the Army in particular to strike a balance between deployment, training and time with families. Current policy directs that where possible, an individual service person should not be away from home for more than 415 days in a rolling 30-month period. The 415-day period includes both training for a deployment and undertaking the deployment itself. Furthermore, it is policy for personnel to undertake only one six-month tour in each 24-month period. This principle is also used by the Naval Service and the RAF, but at slight variance to the Army. The Naval Service uses the metric of 660 days away in a rolling 36-month cycle and the RAF uses 280 days in a rolling 24-month period.

Although not common practice there are occasions when personnel can deploy shortly after returning from one six-month deployment so long as they are not in breach of these guidelines. This practice generally only happens when an individual moves to a new unit which is due to deploy or has volunteered to undertake another tour. While this may occur in the Naval Service and Army, the RAF do not permit it. The information on such redeployments in each of the last three years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

David Burrowes (Enfield, Southgate, Conservative)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c34W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
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.

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
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;

(2) how many new (a) service accommodation buildings and (b) service accommodation homes have been (i) built and (ii) opened since May 2010.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c34W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
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.

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c34W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
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 internal work on redundancy policies and criteria has been conducted, and has included consultations with internal legal advisers.

Menzies Campbell (North East Fife, Liberal Democrat)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c35W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
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.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c35W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
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.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c36W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
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.

Gordon Brown (Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) when he expects the investigatory work on Dalgety Bay foreshore to be completed;

(2) on what date he expects remedial action work to start on Dalgety Bay foreshore.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c37W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
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.

Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c37W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
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.

Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c37W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
I welcome the appointment of Steve Wadey as the industry co-chair of the Defence Growth Partnership. The Ministry of Defence will work with BIS and industry colleagues in identifying how the partnership might best remove barriers to growth and enhance the competitiveness of industry in meeting UK and export requirements for defence equipment and support.

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c38W)

Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
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.

Kate Green (Stretford and Urmston, Labour)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c38W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
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.

Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c38W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
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.

Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View, Labour)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c38W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
There is currently no requirement to fit Type 45 destroyers with the US Mk 41 vertical launch system.

Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on ISTAR since the initial deadline for the Watchkeeper programme.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c40W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c41W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
I wrote to my hon. Friend 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 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.

Brigadier Bill Warren also undertook to provide a further update to the family in late Spring next year, probably around May.

Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)
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 Technology White Paper CM 8278, published in February 2012, on the anniversary of that paper’s publication.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c45W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to Chi Onwurah on 22 October 2012, Hansard, 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.

Henry Smith (Crawley, Conservative)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c46W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
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.

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c46W)

Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
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, Hansard, columns 871-82.

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c46W)

Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
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.

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 174 December 2012, Official Report, column 623W, on public expenditure, how much unallocated provision there will be in his Department’s budget for 2012-13.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c47W)

Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
The departmental unallocated provision in 2012-13 is around £500 million.

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c47W)

Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
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.

Menzies Campbell (North East Fife, Liberal Democrat)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c47W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
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.

Bob Russell (Colchester, Liberal Democrat)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c48W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
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.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c48W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
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.

Bob Russell (Colchester, Liberal Democrat)
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;

(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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c49W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
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.

John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington, Labour)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c49W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
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.

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average salary paid to UK translators and interpreters is.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c49W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
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.

Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) how many Watchkeepers are on order from his Department to replace the Hermes 450;

(2) what the estimated cost to the public purse is of the Watchkeeper programme in each of the next three years;

(3) what steps his Department is taking to speed up the certification process of the Watchkeeper programme.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c50W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
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.

Stephen Doughty (Cardiff South and Penarth, Labour)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c50W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
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 (Cardiff South and Penarth, Labour)
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;

(2) whether his Department plans to provide additional support to armed forces charities which give emergency financial aid to Afghanistan veterans.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c50W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence works in partnership with a range of charities providing support to serving and former members of the armed forces, including Afghanistan veterans. The extent of partnership working depends upon the individual charities involved.

Andrew Griffiths (Burton, Conservative)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c51W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
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.

Caroline Dinenage (Gosport, Conservative)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c51W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
holding answer 20 December 2012

The Prime Minister announced on 19 December 2012, Hansard, column 841, that the Government has 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 (Livingston, Labour)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c51W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
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.

Tom Blenkinsop (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the effect of the under-occupancy penalty on servicemen and their families.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 9 January 2013, c285W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
I have had no discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend Mr Duncan Smith, on the effect of the under-occupancy penalty on service personnel and their families.

Bob Russell (Colchester, Liberal Democrat)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration his Department has given to providing the Adaptable Force, as set out under the Army 2020 reforms, with access to communication and survey suites for training purposes; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 10 January 2013, c386W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
The Adaptable Force, as envisaged under Army 2020, will deliver a diverse set of capabilities from both the Regular Army and Reservists. The capabilities and their training requirements are currently being developed. However, these will be appropriate to the role and readiness criteria required from theAdaptable Force.

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) captains, (b) lieutenants, (c) 2nd lieutenants, (d) warrant officers, (e) staff sergeants, (f) sergeants, (g) corporals, (h) lance corporals and (i) privates are serving in the British Army (i) in total and (ii) serving in Afghanistan; and how many army personnel of each rank are on each pay scale level (A) in total and (B) in Afghanistan.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 10 January 2013, c386W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The information relating to the total number of Army personnel at the specified rank and in each pay scale will be placed in the Library of the House.

Although the number of military posts established in Afghanistan has been reduced to 9,000, the precise number of personnel in Afghanistan fluctuates on a daily basis for a variety of reasons. This will include mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, the roulement of forces, visits and a range of other factors. We do not, therefore, publish actual figures for personnel deployed.

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) flight lieutenants, (b) pilot officers, (c) flying officers, (d) chief technicians, (e) sergeants, (f) corporals, (g) junior technicians, (h) senior aircraftmen and (i) aircraftmen are serving in the Royal Air Force (i) in total and (ii) serving in Afghanistan; and how many air force personnel of each rank are on each pay scale level (A) in total and (B) in Afghanistan.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 10 January 2013, c386W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
A copy of the information requested for total RAF personnel numbers will be placed in the Library of the House.

Bob Russell (Colchester, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on returning to their units members of HM armed forces sentenced for detention at the Military Corrective Training Centre; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 10 January 2013, c387W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
There is no specified policy on returning armed forces personnel who serve a period of detention at the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) to their units. Each individual is dealt with on a case by case basis. In general however, those personnel who are being retained in service on completion of their sentence will be returned to their own unit but in cases where the nature of the offence or some other factor makes this inappropriate, they will be sent to another unit. For those personnel who are not being retained, either because they are to be dismissed as part of their sentence, or their Commanding Officer has been given authority to administratively discharge them, they will be discharged as soon as practicable on completion of their sentence. That may be directly from MCTC or if there are outstanding administrative matters at their unit, they may be returned there to be discharged.

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people from the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force have been given redundancy notice within one year of their immediate pension point since May 2010.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 10 January 2013, c388W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
holding answer 20 December 2012

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor, my right hon. Friend Mr Robathan, on 4 July 2012, Hansard, column 679W, to Sir Bob Russell. Because of the complexity of pensions calculations, the exact number of non-applicant service personnel who fall into this category would require a manual analysis of the records of those selected for redundancy, which could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost. However we now estimate that for tranches 1 and 2 the figure is below 70, rather than the previously estimated 80.

Bob Russell (Colchester, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) how many members of HM armed forces sentenced for detention at the Military Corrective Training Centre have been selected for compulsory redundancy (a) while undergoing their sentence and (b) while having been returned to their unit to continue their sentence in the last 12 months;

(2) what guidance his Department gives to those selecting armed forces personnel for compulsory redundancy on references in service records to having served a sentence at the Military Corrective Training Centre; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 10 January 2013, c388W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
Departmental records indicate that no service person undergoing sentence at the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) was selected for compulsory redundancy while undergoing sentence in the last 12 months. Service personnel are not returned to their unit before completion of their sentence so none were selected for redundancy in this category either.

The guidance given to the single services when selecting personnel for redundancy was that discipline records could form a part of the selection process for redundancy. References to having served a sentence at the MCTC would not, in themselves, determine a redundancy selection decision.

Jonathan Edwards (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, Plaid Cymru)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) what representations he has received from the Welsh Government in respect of his Department’s assessment of the casualty rate in West Wales consequent on any Trident-related accident in Milford Haven;

(2) what assessment he has made of the casualty rates in West Wales consequent on any Trident-related accident in Milford Haven.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 10 January 2013, c389W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
I am not aware of any assessment having been made by the Ministry of Defence of the potential effect on casualty rates in West Wales consequent on any Trident-related accident in Milford Haven nor of any representation having been received from the Welsh Government in respect of such an assessment.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2012, Official Report, column 619W, on Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency, what the investigation responsibilities of the Royal Military Police are; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 10 January 2013, c390W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The service police (the Royal Military Police in respect of the Army, the Royal Navy Police and the Royal Air Force Police) are responsible for conducting independent and effective investigations in order to establish the facts surrounding an allegation and determine if a service offence has been committed. Service offences include criminal or non-criminal conduct offences, as outlined in the Armed Forces Act 2006.

If the service police believe there is sufficient evidence to charge a person with a service offence, they must refer the case to a commanding officer or, for more serious matters, the independent Service Prosecuting Authority. It is their role to determine what charges, if any, should be brought

Jon Trickett (Hemsworth, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) how many procurement officers are currently employed by his Department;

(2) how many civil servants in his Department regularly deal with procurement services;

(3) how many procurement officers in his Department have relevant procurement qualifications.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 10 January 2013, c391W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
Ministry of Defence (MOD) procurement activity ranges from the purchase of low value consumable items through to complex equipment acquisition and support. Information on the number of military and civilian personnel in the MOD that are involved in some form of procurement activity is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The MOD currently has around 1,200 staff in the commercial function whose specific role is to manage negotiations and contracts with suppliers, although this is undertaken as part of wider multidisciplinary teams that include other specialists in areas such as project management, engineering, finance and logistics.

Commercial staff must demonstrate the necessary levels of functional competence and experience to be licensed and receive a formal commercial delegation. In addition, the MOD is running a commercial skills programme to supplement this with externally recognised, formal qualifications. Some 47% of MOD commercial staff currently hold qualifications at various professional levels of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply. This figure is anticipated to rise to 60% by April 2013 and to around 75% by 2015.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that service complaints systems work efficiently, effectively and fairly.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c588W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Government remain committed to an efficient, effective and fair system of service complaints, and draws on the advice of the independent service complaints commissioner in achieving this. She has highlighted the fundamental importance of the timely handling of complaints. Learning from her recommendations, our continuous improvement work and our recent review of the system, we are making changes focused on improving timeliness.

In addition, from January this year we have a new arrangement for working with the commissioner, so that she can comment on live cases if she sees the kind of procedural delay which can lead to escalation, dissatisfaction and additional time taken to reach resolution. We are also restructuring the way we monitor progress on complaints, to help identify the causes of undue delay, so that we can act to prevent recurrence.

Mike Gapes (Ilford South, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the options for military assistance to the Syrian opposition.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c589W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
We continue to believe that a diplomatic and political solution is the best way to resolve the crisis in Syria, but do not however rule out any option in accordance with international law that might save innocent lives and prevent the destabilisation of the region.

Tessa Munt (Wells, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how an ex-serviceman who has legally changed his name to escape harassment can obtain a revised copy of his RAF Form 856B Certificate of Qualifications document in his new name.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c589W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The RAF form 856B Certificate of Qualifications no longer exists. As such, it is not possible to obtain a revised copy if a person has legally changed their name. I wrote to the hon. Lady about this issue in November as did my predecessor in August and September.

Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the Defence Attaché network.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c589W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence keeps the Defence Attaché Network under constant review. It forms a key element of international Defence engagement and is central to our cross-departmental commitment to overseas security co-operation.

Simon Hughes (Bermondsey and Old Southwark, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent steps his Department has taken to tackle homelessness among veterans; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c589W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence works closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the devolved Administrations which have responsibility for this issue. We also work with other Government Departments, ex-service organisations and other service providers to ensure a co-ordinated and structured approach. Our aim is to prevent new service leavers becoming homeless and to provide an effective safety net for ex-service personnel.

The Department for Communities and Local Government have introduced measures to make it easier for ex-service personnel to access social housing. They recently regulated that local authorities shall not apply residence criteria to members and former members of the armed forces, and will also seek to introduce regulation so that local authorities give them additional preference.

Following the success of Mike Jackson House, a 25-unit supported housing project for ex-service personnel which opened in Aldershot in 2008, The Beacon was officially opened in March 2012 in Catterick. It provides a 31-bed facility for veterans at risk of homelessness. These houses are both managed by Riverside English Churches Housing Group on land donated by the MOD, and offer short-term housing, training and employment support while ex-service personnel plan their return to independent living.

Stephen Gilbert (St Austell and Newquay, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to encourage other NATO member states to contribute to operations.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c590W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
We are constantly engaged in discussions with our Allies about contributions to operations. The UK is a leading advocate for Allies prioritising their defence spending to deliver deployable capabilities for operational purposes. As important as having the right capabilities is the political will to use them: this is a point we stress constantly both bilaterally and when NATO Defence Ministers meet, as they will, in Brussels next month.

Bob Blackman (Harrow East, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the likely proportion of reservists who will participate in future operational deployments.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c590W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The proportion of reserves deployed on future operations will depend on the type of operation, taking account of factors such as its scale and complexity. The Government has already announced, however, that under Army 2020 we expect the reserves to play an increasingly important and integrated role in the future, operating in formed combat and support units in addition to providing augmentation and particular specialisms as they do already.

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2012, Official Report, column 491W, on Afghanistan, from which ranks those personnel who have served tours of more than (a) eight, (b) nine, (c) 12, (d) 18 and (e) 24 months came.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c590W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
holding answer 6 December 2012

Providing this information may lead to the identification of those individuals who are serving or have served in Afghanistan. As such, I am withholding further details as their disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the security of the members of the armed forces.

Liam Fox (North Somerset, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent by his Department on cases brought by public interest lawyers against the Government on behalf of Afghan nationals.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c591W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The total cost to date of cases brought by Public Interest Lawyers Ltd on behalf of Afghan nationals (including cases brought on behalf of UK nationals relating to the interests of Afghan nationals) is approximately £1,451,000, excluding the cost of Ministry of Defence (MOD) staff time.

In addition, the MOD has incurred costs of around £683,000 on cases brought on behalf of Afghan nationals by other firms including Leigh Day and Co.

Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the cost of repatriating equipment back to the UK following the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c591W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence is still in the process of determining what pieces of equipment and materiel should be repatriated from Afghanistan, and by what means. We are therefore currently unable to give accurate figures for the cost of doing so.

Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the required budget of the Afghan security forces from 2015; and what contribution the UK will make.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c591W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The initial annual budget will be $4.1 billion. We believe this will be sufficient for the force levels required and it will be reviewed regularly against the developing security environment. At the 2012 Chicago summit, the UK announced an annual contribution of £70 million towards this total, which is in addition to maintaining our current development assistance of £178 million a year.

As the Afghan economy and the revenues of the Afghan Government grow, Afghanistan’s yearly share will increase progressively from at least US$500 million in 2015, with the aim that it can assume, no later than 2024, full financial responsibility for its own security forces. In the light of this, during this so called ‘Transformation Decade’ we expect international donors will be able to reduce their financial contributions commensurate with the Afghan Government taking over financial responsibility.

Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the combat-enabling functions of the Afghan National Army.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c591W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
We carry out formal assessments on the capability of the Afghan National Security Forces on a routine and regular basis.

There has been real progress in the development of the Afghan National Army (ANA) since the NATO Training Mission—Afghanistan was established in 2009. Their capacity and capability has improved significantly in this time. They are now deploying in formed units, carrying out their own operations and conducting their own training. Nationally, the Afghan National Security Forces as a whole now lead 80% of conventional operations and carry out 90% of their training.

The ANA still depend on ISAF allies for some key enablers. Ensuring the ANA’s ability to sustain and enable its own operations will be a major focus of ISAF’s efforts in Afghanistan over the next two years. The NATO Training Mission—Afghanistan recognise that developing their logistic capability, medical care and air support in particular will be essential to ensuring they become a fully sustainable force.

Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the UK’s long-term contribution to the Afghan National Military Academy will be; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c592W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The National Military Academy of Afghanistan (NMAA) is located at the Qargha site, outside Kabul, which will also be home to the Afghan National Army Officer Academy where the UK will be the coalition lead partner.

At its peak UK support to the Afghan National Army Officer Academy will include approximately 90 mentoring staff. UK military personnel will also be deployed to sustain and protect our advisory footprint.

The NMAA modelled after the US Military Academy at West Point, is a US-sponsored officer training institution running since November 2008. It is not directly supported by the UK.

Together the National Military Academy of Afghanistan and the Afghan National Army Officer Academy will form part of the Afghan National Defence University.

Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of the metrics his Department uses to assess the effectiveness of Afghan security forces.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c592W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
Much of our assessment on the development of the Afghan National Security Forces effectives is based on International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) data. My right hon. Friend will understand that this information is both classified and owned by ISAF and therefore cannot be released.

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) which radars and control centres in Scotland will be upgraded as a part of Project Marshall; and when he expects Project Marshall to begin;

(2) whether (a) Remote Radar Head Saxa Vord, (b) Remote Radar Head Benbecula and (c) Control and Reporting Centre Buchan will have a military role under plans set out in Project Marshall;

(3) how much will be spent under Project Marshall in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) overseas; and what proportion of total spending under the project will be allocated to each such area.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c592W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
Radars and control centres at RAF Kinloss, RAF Lossimouth, Hebrides Ranges (St Kilda and Benbecula) RAF Tain, West Freugh Range, Cape Wrath Range (Garvey Island) and HMS Gannet (Prestwick) are currently within the scope of Project MARSHALL. It is planned that the Terminal Air Traffic Management capability provided by the equipment at these locations will in future be provided through a service provision under Project MARSHALL, the exact location of equipment to support these services being subject to the detail of the winning bidder’s proposed solutions. Project MARSHALL is currently in the Assessment Phase and bidders have yet to present their proposed solutions. As such, information on the possible expenditure by location has yet to be determined. Contract award is planned for 2015, at which point MOD would move forward with the chosen solution.

Saxa Vord, Benbecula and Buchan are Air Defence sites and their military role is unaffected by Project MARSHALL.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which services are not offered to armed forces personnel who are victims of crime where they refuse to give their consent for their commanding officer to be notified; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c593W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
All armed forces personnel who are victims of relevant criminal conduct wherever it occurs (United Kingdom or overseas) are entitled to and offered, if practical, immediate unfettered access to victim support services, regardless of whether they choose to consent for their commanding officer to be notified. The service police will ask for consent to pass their details to victim support services who are completely independent of the military chain of command. They will also provide the victim with the contact details of such support services, should the victim wish to make independent contact at a later date. In the United Kingdom, serving personnel who are victims can access the same services as their civilian counterparts. For those serving (and their dependents) overseas, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association run an accredited independent victim support scheme for the military community.

Recognising the unique nature of military service the Ministry of Defence has a non statutory Code of Practice on services to be provided by the armed forces to victims of crime (Joint Service Publication 839). This is modelled on the Ministry of Justice Code which was originally issued by the Home Office under section 32 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, but tailored to meet the requirements of the armed forces. It is mandatory and governs the minimum level of service to be provided. The Code requires among others, for commanding officers to provide certain services in addition to the professionally trained victim support detailed above.

Withholding consent for a commanding officer to be informed does not preclude a victim from approaching their own unit welfare services which, if they deem it appropriate, can provide all of the services a commanding officer would be mandated to in accordance with the Joint Service Publication.

The victim liaison officer is a person appointed by the suspect’s commanding officer and is responsible for keeping the victim informed of events in respect of relevant conduct concerning the suspect or accused. In the event that the suspect and the victim are from within the same unit, and the victim does not wish the Commanding Officer to be informed, the unit welfare services are, again, empowered to appoint a victim liaison officer while maintaining the confidentiality of the victim.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of JSP 839 in (a) recording losses of equipment and (b) preventing future losses; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c594W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The reporting and categorisation of materiel losses is undertaken in accordance with JSP 886 (Defence Logistics Support Chain Manual), This JSP is routinely reviewed to assess and maintain the effectiveness of our procedures for recording losses; the last major review was undertaken during financial year 2010-11. This confirmed that the JSP provides robust policy advice but also recommended improvements to the reporting framework which have been implemented.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role the Royal Military Police has in investigating allegations of (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) assault by penetration in the (i) Royal Navy and (ii) Royal Air Force.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c594W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Royal Military Police normally only investigate allegations of rape, sexual assault or assault by penetration involving Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel if an incident is alleged to have occurred in an overseas base or theatre of operations for which the Royal Military Police have the Service Police lead. More generally, allegations involving members of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel are dealt with by their respective Service Police force (the Royal Navy Police or the Royal Air Force Police) or by the civilian police.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role the Office of Standards of Casework has in reviewing data in relation to (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) assault by penetration; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c594W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Office for Standards of Casework (Army) is responsible for reviewing proven Summary Hearing cases, Courts Martial and administrative casework (where a major sanction has been awarded) for all offence types, including rape, sexual assault and assault by penetration, in order to ensure that casework is dealt with fairly and in a timely manner. While this responsibility relates primarily to Army cases, in instances where there are joint units and organisations for which the Army is the Higher Authority for disciplinary and administrative matters, these cases may include some Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel.

Offences of rape, sexual assault and assault by penetration can only be dealt with by Court Martial. The role of the Office for Standards of Casework (Army) is to review the paper and electronic records held in relation to each Court Martial to ensure that the processes which have been followed are in accordance with regulations and that the records held are accurate. It is also responsible for identifying and sharing best practice and identifying remedial action to eliminate delay and inefficiency.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the guidance in relation to the selection of court martial juries in cases of (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) assault by penetration; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c595W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
A court martial is constituted in accordance with section 155 of the Armed Forces Act 2006, which is available from the Government’s legislation website:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/52/contents

The composition of a board of members for a court martial is governed by specific statutory provisions within the Armed Forces Act 2006 (section 156 and section 157) and The Armed Forces (Court Martial) Rules 2009 (rules 29, 31, 32, 33, 34 and 36), which are a Statutory Instrument and also available on the same website at the following address:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2009/2041/contents/made

Specification of board members (effectively the equivalent of jury selection in a civil court) is conducted by or on behalf of the Ministry of Defence’s court administration officer, a civil servant appointed by the Defence Council who is independent of the armed forces chain of command. The court administration officer, or his representative, is responsible for specifying court martial board members to ensure they are eligible in accordance with the Armed Forces Act 2006 and The Armed Forces (Court Martial) Rules 2009. In general terms, the size of a court martial board is primarily dictated by the seriousness of the offence. Lesser offences have boards of three members while the more serious offences (including sexual offences) generally attract boards of five members or more. All board members must be of at least the same rank or senior to the defendant.

Beyond complying with the law, the court administration officer does not specify board members by rank, sex, ethnicity, age etc. However, if, upon representation from the prosecution and/or defence, the Judge Advocate directs that one or more board members are to be of a particular type or to have a particular qualification, the court administration officer complies with the direction.

Robert Flello (Stoke-on-Trent South, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had on the potential effect of benefit changes on members of the armed forces and reserves.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c596W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence maintains regular contacts with the Department for Work and Pensions, on how changes to the benefit system could impact on service personnel, and on what action might need to be taken in consequence.

Alun Cairns (Vale of Glamorgan, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to conclude his Base Review.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c596W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s autumn statement, on 5 December 2012, Hansard, columns 871-82, introduced some 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 funding opportunities.

We will make an announcement on the outcome of the basing review as soon as possible.

Zac Goldsmith (Richmond Park, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the suitability of (a) unmanned underwater vehicles and (b) unmanned aerial vehicles for the task of the protection of the waters of British Overseas Territories from illegal fishing.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c596W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer the then Minister for the Armed Forces, Sir Nick Harvey, gave on 7 February 2012, Hansard, column 182W. As the Royal Navy is not tasked to carry out this role, no such assessment has been made.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many climate assessments have been completed by his Department since 2010; if he will place a copy of each climate assessment in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c596W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
Since financial year 2009-10 the Ministry of Defence has carried out some 38 Climate Impact Risk Assessments. This work is part of an ongoing commitment to ensure the Ministry of Defence estate is resilient to the direct and indirect impacts of current and future climates and extreme weather events.

Given the security implications of these assessments it would not be appropriate to place them in the Library of the House.

Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the cost of recuperating non-urgent operational requirements equipment lost, damaged or prematurely worn out will be met from the core defence budget or the Treasury Special Reserve.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c597W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
HM Treasury reimburse Ministry of Defence for the net additional costs associated with the demonstrable increase in wear and tear on non-urgent operational assets as a consequence of operational use.

Ben Wallace (Wyre and Preston North, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Typhoon airframes for export to Oman under the contract signed by BAE Systems in December 2012 will be assembled in Lancashire.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c597W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
It is planned that final assembly of all 12 of the Typhoon aircraft ordered from BAE Systems by the Government of Oman in December 2012 will be undertaken in Lancashire.

Luciana Berger (Liverpool, Wavertree, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual cost of operating the Government Pipeline and Storage System was in each of the last three years.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c597W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The annual operating costs of the Government Pipeline Storage System are in the region of £30 million.

I am withholding details of the exact operating costs as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice commercial interests during the future sale of the Government Pipeline Storage System.

Luciana Berger (Liverpool, Wavertree, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the market value of the Government Pipelines and Storage System.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c597W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The value of the Government Pipelines and Storage System (GPSS) was estimated in 2011 to inform the economic justification for the legislative provisions required to allow the sale of the system. These provisions form part of the Energy Bill. The valuation will be updated during the sale process and will be used in a final value for money assessment prior to sale.

Given the commercial sensitivity it would be inappropriate to disclose any valuation of the GPSS at this stage.

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) what assessment he has made of damage to the rudder of HMS Vigilant; and what estimate he has made of the cost of its repair;

(2) how long it will take to repair the rudder of HMS Vigilant;

(3) how the damage to the rudder of HMS Vigilant was caused.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c597W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
While returning from her Demonstration and Shakedown Operations, HMS Vigilant suffered a defect to her lower rudder. Initial remedial action was carried out while the submarine was alongside in the US and she has subsequently returned to the UK. Investigations into the cause of the defect are ongoing, but initial investigations suggest this was not the result of grounding or collision.

Further repair work will be undertaken during the submarine’s next planned maintenance period; the total cost of repairs has not yet been calculated.

Iain Wright (Hartlepool, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2012, Official Report, columns 904-5W, on Katrice Lee, if he will (a) list and (b) publish the specific failings of the previous investigations; and if he will confirm that an independent civilian police force will have access to all papers and evidence from the original 1981 investigation.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c598W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Royal Military Police are re-investigating the circumstances surrounding Katrice Lee’s disappearance. Among other things, they are analysing the earlier investigative material, and putting it onto the Home Office Large Major Enquiry System (HOLMES) to ensure that it is properly allowed for in the current investigation. This work is ongoing but the Royal Military Police have already acknowledged that the previous investigations were flawed, and have sincerely apologised to Katrice’s family for these failings. However, they will not be in a position to report on any failings until they are certain that this would not impact on the current investigation.

The Provost Marshal (Army), the Chief Officer of the Royal Military Police, has undertaken to meet with the Lee family again in the spring, to update them on the investigative strategy and to give the family a further opportunity to air their concerns. He has also confirmed that on conclusion of the current investigation, he will ask an independent civilian police force to review the current investigation and to review the Royal Military Police’s findings in relation to the earlier investigations. The civilian force will have full access to all the papers and evidence, including those from the 1981 investigation.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) how many (a) civilians and (b) armed forces personnel have had deductions from their pay following the investigation of lost equipment in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement;

(2) how many individuals identified as being responsible for the loss of military equipment have faced internal disciplinary action, and what sanctions have been applied in each such case in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c598W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Department takes the loss of equipment, for whatever reason, very seriously. All reported and discovered losses are thoroughly investigated and, where appropriate, recovery action is taken against those responsible.

Information on internal disciplinary action relating to the loss of military equipment over the last three years is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The number of civilians and Service personnel who had deductions from their salaries is recorded but whether it was attributable to equipment loss cannot easily be extracted from the data and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2012, Official Report, column 619W, on Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency, whether fraud investigations are only triggered if fraud affects defence capability rather than fraud which constitutes a financial loss to his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c599W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
A financial loss to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) may affect defence capability and as such it is one of a number of factors in determining whether a fraud investigation by the MOD Police should commence.

John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when recent trends in the number of UK Merchant Navy seafarers were last discussed with the First Sea Lord; and whether he plans to have such discussions in the next year.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c599W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The Secretary of State for Defence has frequent dialogue with senior armed forces personnel although no specific discussions have taken place with the First Sea Lord on trends in the number of UK Merchant seafarers.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Defence is aware of the trend in the numbers of UK Merchant seafarers through the First Sea Lord’s membership of the Chamber of Shipping.

Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2012, Official Report, column 626W, on sick leave, if he will make an assessment of the contribution mindfulness-based practice can make to reducing workplace stress and staff absences in his Department.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c599W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has no plans to make such an assessment, although my officials remain aware of evolving best practices in health and well-being. We recognise that the health of the Department’s civilian staff is central to their performance at work, and the contribution they make to Defence outputs. While the MOD compares favourably with other large departments in terms of sickness absence rates, we are not complacent. The Permanent Under-Secretary of State has very recently nominated a ‘Health & Wellbeing Champion’ at a senior level who will be responsible for supporting and encouraging progress on particular aspects of the Department’s health and well-being agenda, as well as promoting the topic throughout the organisation.

Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to ensure a permanent Royal Naval presence in the South Atlantic.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c600W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The Royal Navy has a permanent presence in the South Atlantic in the form of the Falkland Islands Patrol Vessel HMS Clyde. Clyde is supported by a Royal Fleet Auxiliary Tanker. In addition, Atlantic Patrol Task (South) is a standing Navy commitment for a Frigate or a Destroyer which provides a wide ranging presence in the South Atlantic all year round. Throughout the austral summer, the RN Ice Patrol Vessel, HMS Protector is present in the region.

Jon Trickett (Hemsworth, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many temporary staff have been recruited in his Department in each month from July to December 2012.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c600W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence uses a process called “manpower substitution” to engage temporary staff through a number of contracts. Manpower substitutes are agency workers employed for up to 11 months to fill vacant, funded posts until permanent recruitment action is taken. The majority of these staff are brought in to fill medical and dental requirements at military medical centres to cover for military positions that are vacant due to deployment into operational theatre. Other types of manpower substitutes include specialist IS staff, project managers, accountants, clerical and administration and drivers.

The number of temporary staff recruited in each month from July to December 2012 is set out in the following table:

2012 Number of staff
July 324
August 261
September 256
October 303
November 228
December 127
Total 1,499

Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what amount his Department has spent to date on procurement of new submarines and weapons systems in advance of the main gate decision on Trident replacement in 2016.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c600W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
holding answer 7 January 2013

Expenditure on the concept and assessment phases for the Successor submarine programme, up to 30 November 2012, the latest date for which figures are available, amounted to some £1.38 billion.

As the hon. Member will be aware, no decision has yet been taken on whether to refurbish or replace the existing warhead design. Studies are, however, under way to inform this decision. Expenditure on these studies up to 30 November 2012, the latest date for which figures are available, amounted to some £54.6 million.

Paul Flynn (Newport West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the report, Trident Alternatives Review and the future of Barrow, published in December 2012 by the Nuclear Education Trust.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c601W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
None. The BAE Systems shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness is the only facility in the UK that can build nuclear submarines, and the Government’s policy remains as set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010, that we will maintain a continuous submarine-based deterrent and will begin the work of replacing the Vanguard class submarines. The Ministry of Defence is therefore continuing work on the assessment phase of the Successor submarine programme, to inform a Main Gate decision in 2016. In order to help the Liberal Democrats consider the case for alternatives, the Cabinet Office is leading a review into whether there are alternative systems and postures that could maintain a credible deterrent. That review is being overseen by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander.

Paul Flynn (Newport West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a list the members and affiliations of the joint Industry/MOD Integrated Programme Management Team (IPMT) established to oversee the development of the Trident nuclear submarine replacement programme; if he will set out the time period over which IPMT has developed the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) to align the different processes of the programme; and if he will publish the IMS.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c601W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The role of the Integrated Programme Management Team (IPMT) is to manage the delivery of the Successor submarine programme. It comprises 29 personnel from the Ministry of Defence, 18 from BAE Systems Maritime—Submarines, eight from Babcock Marine and nine from Rolls-Royce. I am withholding the names of the individual members of the IPMT as this is personal data that cannot be released.

The Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) is the consolidated plan linking all the activities required to deliver the Successor submarine programme. It is maintained on a continuous basis. I am withholding publication of the IMS as its disclosure would prejudice national security and commercial interests, and because it relates to the formulation of Government policy.

Bill Esterson (Sefton Central, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what support his Department is providing for local authorities to support veterans and military communities.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 14 January 2013, c602W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
We launched the Armed Forces Community Covenant Scheme in 2011 to complement the armed forces covenant at the local level. I am encouraged by the success of these local partnerships, made between the armed forces in a given region and their local authority, joined by local businesses, organisations, charities and other bodies as appropriate. Well over 200 have now been signed.

Community covenants have the common aim of encouraging local communities to support the armed forces community in their area and for the service community to promote understanding and awareness by the public of issues affecting them. Also, in this context, many local authorities have already appointed local armed forces champions, working locally to improve access to services and support for serving and ex-service men and women, and their families.

We have established the Community Covenant Grant Scheme to support the community covenant funding local projects that bring together the civilian and armed forces communities. Some £5 million has already been allocated to projects ranging from drop-in centres to children’s play areas.

Bernard Jenkin (Harwich and North Essex, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department intends to announce its decision on the UK’s continuing membership of the European Defence Agency; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 January 2013, c674W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
Ministers are considering the case for UK membership of the European Defence Agency and will be making an announcement shortly.

Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to prevent unlawful incursions of Spanish vessels in Gibraltar territorial waters.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 January 2013, c674W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 October 2012, Hansard, column 808W.

The Royal Navy patrols and continues to challenge all unlawful incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters by Spanish state vessels by issuing appropriate warnings. This forms an important part of Her Majesty’s Government’s commitment to uphold our sovereignty against unlawful incursions with a range of proportionate naval, police and diplomatic responses.

Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to combat piracy off the coast of Togo and the Gulf of Guinea.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 January 2013, c674W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The UK Government takes a cross-government, holistic regional approach to combating piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. There are a number of work streams contributing to tackling threats to maritime security in this region. The MOD has specifically supported this by:

Building a Joint Maritime Shared Training Centre (JMSTC) in Nigeria and Sierra Leone and having a warrant officer based there to support the tactical level training it provides. We have also supplied the JMSTC with rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBS) to support their work.

Financing a maritime liaison officer to support the creation and implementation of an integrated maritime strategy by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Providing a defence adviser in Sierra Leone who has a remit to cover maritime security for West Africa.

Contributed to US led project in Nigeria to build radar along the coast to improve their national information capability.

Places on UK courses like the exclusive economic zone and single services courses in the UK and sometimes in the region.

In addition, last year, HMS Dauntless and HMS Edinburgh were involved in tactical training and manoeuvring exercises in the region, activity which we will replicate this year.

Paul Flynn (Newport West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to the proposal made by the British Pugwash Group in December 2012 that the Government should establish an international disarmament institute in the UK.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 January 2013, c675W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence asked British Pugwash to undertake a peer review of its programme on the verification of nuclear weapons dismantlement in March 2011. The report was submitted to the Department in December 2012, and its recommendations are being considered.

Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Royal Navy ships are currently deployed in the Gulf; and on what duties.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 January 2013, c675W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
There is typically at least one Royal Navy destroyer or frigate deployed in the Gulf region, supported by a tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), plus a four-strong squadron of minehunters with an RFA support ship at short notice, in the Gulf region.

The maritime presence in the Gulf will vary over time dependent upon the operational requirement and exercises such as those involving the Navy’s high readiness Response Force Task Group which might be taking place in the region.

Maritime forces are inherently flexible and can conduct multiple tasks simultaneously. Tasks may typically include supporting maritime security operations including counter piracy, training, surveying and logistical support. Operations may be conducted on a national basis, under European Union or NATO aegis, or as part of a multinational taskforce.

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average period is between a serviceman completing a tour of Afghanistan and commencing pre-deployment training ahead of another tour.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 16 January 2013, c798W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
holding answer 20 December 2012

The average period between tour completion and the start of the next pre-deployment training is 18 months. This is based on a policy of having 24 months between six-month tours, for which pre-deployment training starts six months previously. This remains unchanged from the policy in place prior to May 2010.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent guidance has been issued to armed forces personnel in relation to the transportation of serviceable weapons from theatres of operation back to the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 16 January 2013, c798W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The policy for transporting serviceable weapons from Theatres of Operations back to the UK is contained in Joint Services Publication 440 (The MOD Security Handbook). This defines the standards of physical security to be applied to the storage and movement of arms, ammunition and explosives held by, or under the control of, the UK MOD.

An internal Defence Instruction and Notice sets out the policy governing the retention of captured enemy equipment as operational memorabilia by the Ministry of Defence, and situations where an individual believes they have a valid reason to import a firearm or weapon from an operational theatre, including those obtained by gifting from another nation’s forces or, in the case of antique weapons, purchased in theatre.

Both of these documents are circulated widely and are available to armed forces personnel

Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on his Department’s plans to reinstate two P 2000 class coastal training craft, Dasher and Pursuer, at the Sovereign base areas on Cyprus.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 16 January 2013, c798W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
We have no such plans.

Jonathan Ashworth (Leicester South, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how often his Department produces a staff magazine.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 16 January 2013, c799W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence staff magazine aimed at the entire military and civilian audience is “Defence Focus”. The magazine is produced 11 times a year in both online and printed formats with 20,000 print copies of each issue distributed to Defence sites throughout the world.

Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the oral answer by the Prime Minister of 19 December 2012, Official Report, column 841, on Arctic convoys, if he will provide an update on the criteria and eligibility of Arctic convoy veterans for the Arctic Convoy medal.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 16 January 2013, c799W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The details, including the eligibility criteria, application process, design and manufacture of the new medal are being worked on by the Ministry of Defence. We are mindful of the age of the remaining veterans and are progressing these matters as quickly as possible.

Tom Watson (West Bromwich East, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times (a) Hellfire precision guided missiles and (b) laser guided bombs employed by the UK Reaper remotely piloted air system have fallen outside their given circular error probability since operations commenced in Afghanistan.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 January 2013, c889W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
holding answer 17 December 2012

The Reaper Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS) currently employs two types of munitions, the GBU-12 laser guided bomb and the Hellfire AGM114 precision guided missile. Both are highly accurate munitions, and every effort is made to ensure the risk of civilian casualties is minimised. I am withholding further information as its disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Angus MacNeil (Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of those attacked and either killed or wounded in a Green on Blue attack in Afghanistan had not been issued with a side arm to date.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 January 2013, c889W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
holding answer 15 January 2013

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend Mr Hammond, on 19 December 2012, Hansard, column 869. All deployed personnel are issued with a personal weapon. The mix of weapons carried on a daily basis, is decided by commanders on the ground reflecting the tasks to be undertaken. I am withholding any further information as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our armed forces.

Jonathan Ashworth (Leicester South, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) staff and (b) special advisers in his Department have use of a Government Procurement Card.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 January 2013, c891W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
Currently, 11,614 Government Procurement Cards (GPC) are in issue with the Ministry of Defence. This is a reduction of over 25% compared to the figure of 16,009 GPC cards in issue in 2009. Not all cards are issued individually to staff on a one to one basis. The special advisers have not been issued with a GPC.

Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to his meeting with his French counterpart in November 2012, when he expects to meet his French counterpart to discuss the Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon Heavy; and what his estimate is of the likely delay before any new guided missile can be deployed.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 January 2013, c892W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend Mr Hammond, communicates regularly with the French Defence Minister on a range of issues. The In-Service date of the Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (Heavy) will be confirmed later this year.

Nick Harvey (North Devon, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current status is of the Major Projects Review Board.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 January 2013, c892W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Major Projects Review Board was established in June 2011 to ensure that the most significant Ministry of Defence projects keep to the cost and time parameters agreed by the Department’s Investment Approvals Committee and HM Treasury at the major investment decision point. The board continues to meet on a regular basis.

Crispin Blunt (Reigate, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when contingency planning began for potential deployment in support of French forces in Mali in (a) his Department and (b) Permanent Joint Headquarters.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 January 2013, c892W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence, including Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood, began contingency planning for potential UK deployments in support of French forces in Mali on 11 January 2012.

Ministerial authority for detailed planning and subsequent execution was granted on 12 January.

Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department holds on the size of the (a) Afghan National Army, (b) Afghan National Police and (c) Afghan local police; and what part the UK plays in their recruitment and training.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 January 2013, c961W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
holding answer 14 January 2013

In October 2012 International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) reported that the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP) had reached their surge targets of 187,000 and 157,000 respectively. These figures include all personnel who have been recruited, but not all have yet been inducted at the training centres. The most recent figures published by ISAF show that at 20 November 2012 the ANA stood at an inducted/fielded force of 174,645 and 148,499. By the end of February 2013 all recruited personnel are expected to have been inducted into their respective Service with all personnel fully trained, equipped and fielded by the end of 2013. Nationally, the Afghan Local Police (ALP) currently stand at approximately 18,500 at the end of December 2012, with approximately 600 of these at the UK mentored sites in central Helmand.

The NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A) brings together national training efforts in Afghanistan under one single umbrella. The NTM-A is responsible for generating and sustaining the Afghan National Security Forces and oversees their training and equipping. The UK is one of a number of nations who contribute personnel to the NTM-A.

In Task Force Helmand, specific responsibility for the development of the fielded ANSF is primarily provided by the UK Brigade Advisory Group (BAG) and the Police Mentoring and Advisory Group (PMAG). As transition continues, the level at which we mentor the ANA and ANP is lifting so that by the end of 2013 we no longer expect to routinely mentor the ANSF below Brigade level. In tandem, the Afghan Uniformed Police are also taking greater responsibility for the training and recruitment of the ALP. The UK’s role in both has therefore decreased and we now have limited involvement with their recruitment and a reduced role in their training.

Stephen McCabe (Birmingham, Selly Oak, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to advertise the introduction of the Defence Discount Card.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 January 2013, c962W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Government website

www.gov.uk

and Ministry of Defence (MOD) intranet website carry details about the new Defence Privilege Card following its December launch and subsequent coverage in the national press. MOD internal announcements were cascaded to the armed forces and a range of articles in service and veteran publications about the Defence Privilege Card are being published or are scheduled to be published in the coming weeks.

Promotion of the Defence Discount Service and Privilege Card on a national and local level will continue throughout 2013 via our websites, in service and veteran publications, and in promotional visits to military establishments. The scheme also has its own website:

www.defencediscountservice.co.uk/

on which further details can be found.

Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of new recruits to the Army at (a) soldier and (b) officer level previously attended state school.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 January 2013, c962W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The proportion of soldier recruits that had previously attended a state school is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Including the most recent intake of officer cadets to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, in January 2013, 53.5% of the UK educated intake over the last 12 months came from state schools. While the remainder will have come from independent schools, it is possible that some will have attended a state school at an earlier point in their education.

Susan Elan Jones (Clwyd South, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the hourly rate of pay is for a rifleman earning £18,841.72 a year in the armed forces.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 January 2013, c962W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
Members of the armed forces have a commitment to service worldwide and their remuneration package is structured accordingly. The level of pay for service personnel is set by the Government based on the recommendations of the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body (AFPRB). The 2012 AFPRB report states that average working hours for junior ranks, which for the Army is private to corporal across all services were 45.5 hours per week during 2010-11, which equates to an hourly base pay rate of £7.28. On a comparable basis, a soldier earning around £18,842 a year would equate to an hourly base pay rate of £7.96.

It is inevitable that when soldiers are on operations they will work longer than average hours. However, where eligible, soldiers will receive the operational allowance and the longer separation allowance. The operational allowance is £5,281.64 for a six month tour.

The total remuneration package for service personnel—which includes free medical care, an excellent pension, subsidised accommodation to acknowledge the lack of choice over where a service person can choose to live, and a range of allowances, such as operational allowance and, where applicable, longer separation allowance, on top of basic salary—is generally a very good one.

Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what regulations there are on facial hair for personnel in the Army.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 January 2013, c963W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The regulation governing facial hair for personnel in the Army is laid down in Army General Administrative Instruction as follows:

“Hair is to be well cut and trimmed, except where authority has been granted otherwise on religious grounds. Style and colour (if not natural) is not to be of an exaggerated nature. Moustaches are to be trimmed and not below the line of the lower lip. Beards and whiskers may be worn only with authority, and this will usually be granted only on medical or religious grounds, or where tradition permits. The appearance of the beard and whiskers is to be neat and tidy. Sideburns are not to descend below the mid point of the ear and are to be trimmed horizontally.”

Nick Harvey (North Devon, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Life Extension Programme that the CHARM-3 propellant charge is subject to will involve test firing at (a) the Eskmeals VJ Battery Firing Butt in Cumbria and (b) the Dundrennan Range in Dumfries and Galloway.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 January 2013, c964W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
A site for testing the propellant charge for the CHARM 3 Round has not yet been selected. A suitable trial site will be selected at the appropriate stage in the Life Extension Programme.

Julian Huppert (Cambridge, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the long-term public health and environmental effects of firing depleted uranium rounds during conflict and peacetime test firing.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 January 2013, c964W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
Our own environmental monitoring and that carried out by the UN Environment Programme in areas where DU munitions have been used has confirmed the presence of DU at levels far too low to have any detectable health impact. The results of battlefield and range monitoring and the collection and analysis of urine samples from veterans and range workers support this view.

John Glen (Salisbury, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Crowsnest early warning system will come into service; and if it will be fully operational and in service before the first Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier enters service.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 January 2013, c964W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
Crowsnest has not yet passed its main investment decision point, and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment on its specific in-service date.

The broad planning assumption, however, is that entry to service of Crowsnest is expected in time for the Initial Operational Capability for Carrier Strike, scheduled for 2020.

Crispin Blunt (Reigate, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel will be deployed to (a) France and (b) Mali in support of the two CI7s operating in support of French forces in Mali.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 January 2013, c964W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
holding answer 17 January 2013

The UK has provided two C-17s to provide logistical support to the French. There are currently approximately 100 UK personnel deployed to France, including air and logistical support crew for the C-17s. In addition, there is currently a small team based in Bamako providing further logistical support.

Numbers will vary depending on the operational requirements at any time.

Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) how many Merlin Mk3 helicopters are to be (a) fully marinised and (b) earmarked for partial modification;

(2) when he expects the (a) partially modified Merlin Mk3s and (b) fully marinised version of the Merlin Mk3 to be in service;

(3) what the estimated difference in cost is between a partially modified Merlin Mk3 and a fully marinised version.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 January 2013, c965W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Merlin Life Sustainment Programme is currently in its Assessment Phase. This is considering options to enhance the Merlin Mk3/3A aircraft’s ability to support amphibious operations, including the number of platforms to be upgraded and the nature of the upgrade.

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what Government Pipelines and Storage System facilities are in Scotland; and how many miles of this pipeline system are in Scotland.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 January 2013, c966W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
There are two stretches of the Government Pipeline and Storage System (GPSS) in Scotland. One runs from Linkswood GPSS Depot to RAF Leuchars. The other runs from Inverness GPSS Depot to RAF Kinloss and RAF Lossiemouth.

The pipeline length from Inverness via RAF Kinloss to RAF Lossiemouth is 40.6 miles and from Linkswood to RAF Leuchars is five miles.

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the value of the Government Pipelines and Storage System in each constituent part of the UK.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 January 2013, c966W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Government Pipeline and Storage System is located in England and Scotland. No estimation has been made of the sale value by country.

Oliver Colvile (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs regarding Spanish fishing boats entering Gibraltarian waters.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 January 2013, c966W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
Ministry of Defence and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers are in regular contact on such matters.

Zac Goldsmith (Richmond Park, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with other G8 Defence Ministers on the security situation in Syria.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 January 2013, c966W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The UK’s objective for Syria is clear: an end to the violence and a political transition to a more democratic Syria. To that end, the Ministry of Defence is supporting the diplomatic efforts led by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend Mr Hammond, has regular discussions with G8 counterparts, both bilaterally and in multilateral meetings, on a range of issues, including the security situation in Syria.

Jim Shannon (Strangford, DUP)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that aircraft carriers do not sail without proper air support.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 21 January 2013, c66W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The level of air support required by the Queen Elizabeth carriers will be assessed prior to deployment by the appropriate operational authority taking into account all relevant factors, including the level of threat.

Chris Heaton-Harris (Daventry, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential effects on matters for which his Department is responsible of the recently adopted Directive 2012/29/EU establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 21 January 2013, c66W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) worked closely with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to ensure MOD interests were taken into account as MOJ led the negotiations on the UK Government position on directive 2012/29/EU. This included a joint assessment of provisions in the directive where we judged that clarification of the intended effect on the Service Justice System was required, as applied both inside and outside of the EU. The directive, as adopted, addresses these areas such that any associated administrative burden on the Service Justice System has been mitigated. At the same time, it ensures a commitment to safeguarding the rights of victims in cases that involve the armed forces.

Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of his Department’s procurement projects are on hold pending the announcement of the French Government’s defence spending review.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 21 January 2013, c67W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
Under the Lancaster House treaty, the UK and France agreed to take forward a broad portfolio of co-operation on equipment and capabilities to meet our present and future defence and security interests. These are set out in the summit declaration on security and defence made in February 2012.

The French Government is currently conducting a defence review. This is informing the French Government’s approach to the Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (Heavy), on which the Ministry of Defence continues actively to engage with France at all levels, including my own discussions at the High Level Working Group in November 2012 and subsequently with senior French officials. Other co-operative equipment projects with France are at present unaffected.

Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department’s top three policy implementation (a) successes and (b) failures have been since May 2010.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 21 January 2013, c67W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
I refer the hon. Member to the second annual report of progress in implementing the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review, presented to the House on 29 November 2012, Hansard, column 26WS, by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister and other members of the National Security Council.

Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion, Green)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which UK ports other than HMNB Clyde have a safety case that permits the berthing of an armed Vanguard class submarine.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 21 January 2013, c68W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR) has not been asked to provide advice on the feasibility of berthing, including docking, an armed Vanguard class submarine at any site other than Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde.

As the Secretary of State for Defence’s independent regulator of defence nuclear activities, DNSR specifies safety goals and objectives; operators are responsible for demonstrating that activities are safe, and for identifying and implementing suitable procedures and systems. DNSR reserves final judgment on a given matter until regulatory consent is officially sought. This position is fundamental in ensuring DNSR remains objective when assessing the safety implications of an activity.

DNSR has granted permission for the berthing of armed Vanguard class submarines at Loch Goil in the UK. Permission to use an anchorage in the Firth of Clyde is currently under consideration. Armed Vanguard class submarines may also berth in suitable US and French naval facilities, accepting that, as operators of nuclear powered warships (NPW), both nations have suitable facilities for UK NPW.

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the structural durability of the bulkhead of the F-35B aircraft.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 21 January 2013, c68W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
All aircraft variants of F-35 are currently within the development test phase of the overall programme. The aim of the development test phase is to reveal issues through testing so that solutions can be developed in order to deliver a capable aircraft to the armed forces.

A planned element of the development test programme is laboratory-based fatigue and durability testing of the aircraft structure. The fatigue and durability tests are intended to highlight structural deficiencies prior to their appearance on production aircraft, thus allowing fixes or redesigns to be implemented.

The fatigue and durability tests that have been conducted have highlighted some structural issues that will require design solutions to resolve, which are currently being developed. This is normal aircraft development.

Julian Lewis (New Forest East, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what capabilities the UK armed forces have to utilise fixed-wing strike aircraft in defence of the Falkland Islands, other than from an airbase on those islands; what assessment he has made of the extent to which those capabilities address the shortfall in strike aircraft arising from the decommissioning of HMS Ark Royal; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 21 January 2013, c69W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence is confident that we have right capabilities to ensure the defence of the Falkland Islands. We retain the ability to reinforce the Falkland Islands should the need arise.

Paul Flynn (Newport West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what resources have been allocated to nuclear disarmament-related research by (a) his Department and (b) the Atomic Weapons Establishment in each year since 2010-11.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 21 January 2013, c69W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not undertake nuclear disarmament research internally. The MOD funds Nuclear Arms Control and Verification Research at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) where a core team of five personnel are dedicated to the programme drawing on expertise and resources from other parts of AWE and the MOD as necessary.

In financial year 2010-11 the funding was £2.227 million and in financial year 2011-12 it was £2.125 million. Figures for those additional resources drawn from other AWE programmes could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Paul Flynn (Newport West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the recent National Audit Office report on Ministry of Defence Major Projects 2012, if he will place in the Library copies, redacted as necessary, of (a) the Review Note on progress with the successor submarine programme that was submitted to his Departmental Investment Approvals (IA) Committee in July 2012, (b) the Review Note on the successor Common Missile Compartment regarding the build location which was submitted to the IA Committee in 2012 and (c) the Whole Boat Strategic Concept Design review report for the successor nuclear submarine programme.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 21 January 2013, c69W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The United Kingdom’s Future Nuclear Deterrent: 2012 Update to Parliament was placed in the Library of the House on 19 December 2012 and includes information taken from the documents requested.

I am withholding further information from these documents for the purpose of safeguarding national security and because their disclosure would prejudice commercial interests, international relations and the defence of the UK and because they relate to the formulation of Government policy.

Paul Flynn (Newport West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the Coalition Agreement Programme for Government, page 45, published May 2010, when the stockpile of operationally available nuclear warheads was reduced to fewer than 120; when the overall number of nuclear warheads was reduced to no more than 180; what has been done with the fissile material from the withdrawn warheads; and whether this nuclear material has been placed under international safeguards.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 21 January 2013, c70W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
These changes to the nuclear weapon stockpile were announced in the strategic defence and security review (SDSR) in October 2010.

The Government does not comment upon the operational programme and therefore more detail of this implementation programme will not be given at this time. As we set out in the SDSR, we will reduce the overall stockpile of nuclear warheads to no more than 180 by the mid 2020s.

Once processed, the material from dismantled warheads is returned to the MOD nuclear material stockpile. It is not government policy to place this material under international safeguards.

John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of vessels chartered by the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Royal Fleet Auxiliary and (c) Ministry of Defence were (i) non-UK flagged and (ii) crewed by non-UK nationals in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 21 January 2013, c70W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
For the movement of cargo by sea, strategic support is primarily provided through the private finance initiative Strategic Sealift Service, which comprises four British flagged roll-on/roll-off vessels, manned by British mercantile marine officers and crews. If required, additional sealift capacity is chartered by means of competitive tenders and in 2012, three commercial ships were chartered in this way. All three were non-British flagged and operated by non-British officers and crews.

A further three commercial vessels were also chartered in 2012 under separate arrangements to provide marine recovery and salvage assistance. One of these vessels was non-British flagged and manned by non-British officers and crew.

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any plans for the use of MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles in Afghanistan after 2014 in an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance role.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 21 January 2013, c70W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
No decisions have yet been taken on what, if any, equipment platforms will remain in Afghanistan post 2014.

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which sectors those leaving the armed forces in 2011-12 found long-term employment.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 21 January 2013, c70W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
holding answer 18 January 2013

Service leavers leave the military with a range of skills and abilities which are transferable for civilian life and civilian employment. Consequently, personnel who leave the military enter a wide range of civilian employment sectors; from security to engineering, from health care to senior management roles. We continue to work with industry to ensure sufficient opportunities are afforded to our servicemen and women and that our people are prepared and suitably qualified in order to make a successful transition to civilian life.

Jonathan Edwards (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, Plaid Cymru)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons his Department (a) opposed the Bryn Llywelyn wind farm within TAN 8 Strategic Area G and (b) did not oppose the proposed Brechfa West development within the same strategic area.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 21 January 2013, c71W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence does not now object to either wind farm proposal.

However, Carmarthenshire council have objected to the Bryn Llewellyn application.

Peter Luff (Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the UK National Space Security Policy will be published.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 22 January 2013, c136W)

David Willetts (Minister of State (Universities and Science), Business, Innovation and Skills; Havant, Conservative)
I have been asked to reply

on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Following the Cabinet Office led drafting of the UK National Space Security Policy, I can confirm that we intend to publish the policy as soon as is feasible and officials in this Department and in the Ministry of Defence are working towards this.

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many meeting requests the Minister for the Armed Forces has received from the Scottish Minister for Transport and Veteran Affairs since 4 September 2012; and how many visits the Minister for the Armed Forces has made to Scotland since that date.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 22 January 2013, c136W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
holding answer 10 December 2012

I have received one personal letter from the Scottish Minister for Transport and Veteran Affairs, in which he requested a meeting. The Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, my right hon. Friend Mr Francois, and he have subsequently met. Since 4 September 2012, the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend Mr Hammond, together with the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, my hon. Friend Mr Dunne, and I have each made one visit to Scotland.

Since 2010, I have visited Scotland six times as a Defence Minister; met with the Scottish Minister for Housing and Communities; and offered to meet with the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, but he declined the offer.

Andrew Rosindell (Romford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) how many UK personnel are deployed on anti-piracy operations;

(2) how many UK ships are on deployments aimed at stopping piracy.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 22 January 2013, c135W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
As at 21 January 2013, HMS Northumberland is available to support the Combined Maritime Force counter-piracy operation in the Gulf. There are approximately 200 personnel aboard. The UK also provides the Operational Commander together with 50% of the HQ staff in the UK-based Operational Headquarters (Northwood). As the opportunity arises, the Royal Navy contributes ships which are transiting through the area of operations to support counter-piracy operations.

There is also one UK Lynx flight, with approximately 15 personnel, on board the French ship Surcouf supporting the European Union counter-piracy operation, Operation Atalanta. The UK also contributes five counter-piracy liaison officers to Atalanta who are based in Bahrain, Dijbouti, Mombassa, the Seychelles and Tanzania.

Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the findings of the National Audit Office’s Major Projects Reports 2012, published in January 2013, whether he plans to extend the life of the VC10 and Tristar fleets.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 22 January 2013, c135W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
A decision was taken in late December 2012 to resource an extension of the VC10 fleet until September 2013, but the Ministry of Defence currently has no plans to extend the out of service date for TriStar beyond that mentioned in the National Audit Office’s Major Projects Report 2012.

Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made on developing UK computer emergency response teams.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 22 January 2013, c135W)

Chloe Smith (Norwich North, Conservative)
I have been asked to reply

on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

Three significant Government computer emergency response teams (CERT), MODCERT (for defence), GOVCERTUK (for Government Departments) and CSIRTUK (for the CNI), have been in place for some time, as well as others across the public and private sectors.

On 3 December 2012, Hansard, column 41WS, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend Mr Maude, informed the House on progress in support of the UK Cyber Security Strategy, which announced our intention to establish a UK National CERT. This will build on existing structures and enhance national co-ordination and international liaison regarding cyber incidents.

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse of the UK-based defence estate was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 22 January 2013, c133W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
holding answer 6 December 2012

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is responsible for the management of the Defence estate in the UK. In financial year 2011-12 DIO expenditure on the UK estate was some £2.9 billion.

Jonathan Ashworth (Leicester South, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2013, Official Report, column 799W, on publications, if he will place a copy of his Department’s staff magazine in the Library.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 23 January 2013, c304W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
I have placed the latest copy of “Defence Focus” in the Library of the House. Each edition is also available online at the following link:

http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence/series/defence-focus-magazine

Andrew Rosindell (Romford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the UK’s priorities for defence engagement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 23 January 2013, c303W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
Our International Defence Engagement Strategy will be published shortly.

This will identify the optimum ways in which Defence assets and activities can contribute towards wider Government objectives overseas, including security, conflict prevention and prosperity. We consult across Whitehall to ensure that we prioritise our defence engagement most effectively against these objectives, in line with changing international realities.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2012, Official Report, column 752W, on armed forces: sexual offences, with reference to the Full Code test, if he will define service interest; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 23 January 2013, c303W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor, the Minister for the Armed Forces, my right hon. Friend Mr Robathan, on 17 July 2012, Hansard, column 752W, in which he referred to the “public interest” which is to be considered in relation to whether a prosecution should be brought.

One aspect of the public interest is sometimes referred to as the “service interest” which can be defined as any issue that affects capability and operational effectiveness. Regarding legal issues this means that the armed forces should be subject to fair and effective discipline, and that by such discipline their operational effectiveness will be maintained and enhanced.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of JSP 839 Code of Practice on services to be provided by the armed forces to victims of crime; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 23 January 2013, c302W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
To date, no formal assessment of the effectiveness of JSP 839 Code of Practice on services to be provided by the armed forces to victims of crime, has been carried out.

Thomas Docherty (Dunfermline and West Fife, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether under the terms of the call-up notice reservists who receive notices for service in Afghanistan may be deployed to other theatres of operation if they are subsequently deemed not to be required for duty in Afghanistan.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 23 January 2013, c302W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
holding answer 22 January 2013

Reservists called out but subsequently not required to deploy to Afghanistan will be demobilised. If they have the correct skill sets to fill a post in a different operational theatre they will be given the option to deploy there rather than returning to civilian employment immediately. Those that take up this offer will be called out against that different operation, subject to a current call-out order being in place. The new call-out notice would permit both the reservist and the civilian employer to appeal against call out.

Under the Reserve Forces, Safeguard of Employment Act 1985, reservists are guaranteed re-employment with their former civilian employer.

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the environmental effects of historic dumping of munitions in (a) Scotland’s exclusive economic zone and (b) the UK continental shelf that is in Scottish waters.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 24 January 2013, c385W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has two studies covering the scope of this question.

The first report was undertaken by the then Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department, titled “Surveys of the Beaufort Dyke Explosives Disposal Site”, and published in November 1996. This was a comprehensive report of the UK’s main munitions dumping site located off Scotland. The MOD’s former Defence Evaluation Research Agency (DERA) undertook the chemical analysis of seabed sediments and of fish samples as part of the study.

The report concluded:

“The results of the explosive and propellant residue and heavy metal analyses indicate that munitions dumping operations after both World Wars have not resulted in chemical contamination of the surface seabed sediments or the edible flesh of commercially exploited fish and shellfish species”.

The report can be found at the following link:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/uploads/documents/frsr1596.pdf

A second study was commissioned in 2005 by the MOD. Imperial College London were commissioned to undertake an independent study entitled: “Munitions Dumped at Sea: A Literature Review”; a copy of the report can be found at the following link.

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121203135425/http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/77CEDBCA-813A-4A6C-8E59-16B9E260E27A/0/ic_munitions_seabed_rep.pdf

The purpose of this study was to provide a

“review of the relevant published studies and other relevant information on the current scientific opinion on munitions (both conventional and chemical) that have been disposed of by dumping on the sea bed”.

The MOD continues to monitor international work to help inform our policy in this area; this includes the Helsinki Commission’s work in the relatively shallow Baltic Sea.

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) under what criteria serving personnel may be discharged from the armed forces on the grounds of retrospective medical discharge;

(2) what (a) external advice his Department has sought and (b) meetings his Department has held with other Government Departments on the criteria for retrospective medical discharge from the armed forces.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 24 January 2013, c386W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
Retrospective medical discharge is not a recognised term in the Ministry of Defence. Any discharge upon medical grounds is exactly that. However, on entering military service, where stringent medical observations are made during training, it is sometimes revealed that there is a pre-existing medical condition which may not be known to the individual. These conditions may be treatable but some may be chronic.

In the case of a recruit undergoing training who is found to be unfit for service due to a medical condition which existed prior to enlistment and has so materially worsened that it renders that person unfit to continue training, the individual will be discharged from the service on medical grounds.

All cases referred for discharge are taken upon their merits. There may be periods of back-classing, rehabilitation and leave to enable treatment or recovery from such a condition. However, for example, in the naval service there is an absolute upper limit of 12 months from recruitment as a window where this method of termination of employment on health grounds can be used.

The criteria applied are the same as those that would be applied at a pre-entry medical to determine fitness for entry into the services. In developing the acceptance and rejection criteria for specific medical conditions at entry to the services advice is taken from external civilian consultant advisors, defence consultant advisers and service/civilian consultants with a specialist interest in the condition or practice covering that condition.

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces are claiming housing benefit.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 24 January 2013, c387W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
holding answer 18 January 2013

This information is not held.

The claiming of benefits is a private matter on which the Ministry of Defence has no requirement to collect information. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), as the Department responsible for housing benefit, has no datasets available which would allow analysis of the specific occupation of housing benefit claimants. Where it is the case that policy with respect to a benefit potentially affects members of the armed forces, regular or reserve, the Department will discuss this with DWP as necessary.

Jim Cunningham (Coventry South, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason army personnel were not permitted to voluntarily reduce their end of engagement date to align with their immediate pension point as was permitted by other services’ redundancy schemes.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 24 January 2013, c387W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
holding answer 23 January 2013

There is no connection between the arrangements under which some members of the armed forces can bring forward their end of engagement date to align with their immediate pension point (IPP), and the tri-service redundancy scheme.

Control of an individual’s commission and engagement length is part of single service Terms of Service (ToS) and is one mechanism used to control manpower numbers to deliver the required structure to deliver operational capability. By necessity, these ToS vary from service to service making direct comparison impractical.

Since the 1970s, under RAF ToS, Air Force officers promoted to the rank of Squadron Leader and above, and therefore offered service to the age of 55, are allowed to declare in advance that they will retire at their Immediate Pension Point (IPP) on compulsory pension terms. No one has been permitted to exercise this option after being selected for redundancy.

The naval service and Army ToS do not offer this commitment to their personnel.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2013, Official Report, column 36W, on armed forces: sexual offences, if he will propose to the Secretary of State for the Home Department an amendment to Home Office circular 028/2008 to require that all reports of (a) sexual assault, (b) rape and assault by penetration made by serving armed forces personnel to civilian police forces are recorded; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 24 January 2013, c387W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
All reports made by serving armed forces personnel to the civilian police about criminal activity, including sexual assault, rape and assault by penetration are recorded as a matter of police procedure. There is therefore no need to amend the Home Office circular.

Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on his Department’s accounts for 2011-12, what the reasons are for the time taken to gain approval from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury for the remuneration package of the Chief Defence Materiel.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 24 January 2013, c388W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
In July 2010, approval for the salary and bonus package of the Chief of Defence Materiel (CDM) was obtained. The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) has not questioned that. However, the C&AG has viewed the payments made by the Department for CDM’s accommodation while working away from his permanent place of work as being “remuneration” and therefore outside the scope of the package approved by HM Treasury.

The Department is working on how the situation can be regularised.

Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent reports he has received on the safety of the F-35 fuel tank.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 24 January 2013, c389W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
As part of its ongoing procurement programme and the Development Test programme, the UK receives constant updates on the safety of the F-35 fuel tank design. With personnel embedded within the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme, this is part of the daily work.

All aircraft variants of F-35 are currently within the Development Test phase of the overall programme. The aim of the Development Test phase is to reveal issues through testing so that solutions can be developed in order to deliver a capable aircraft to the armed forces.

The JSF programme is currently carrying out tests on the effects of lightning on the F-35 fuel tank to ensure the aircraft is appropriately equipped to fly in all weathers.

Tom Clarke (Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will permit the use of C17 aircraft to transport humanitarian supplies to Mali when not required for military purposes.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 24 January 2013, c389W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
C17 aircraft are currently being used to transport equipment for the French-led operation in Mali and will not be required to deliver humanitarian aid or equipment.

I am advised that the UN and other aid agencies have satisfactory assets in-country to cover current humanitarian assistance needs. The UK has not been requested to provide direct in-kind asset support. Currently the UN and a few selected agencies are carrying out needs assessment in affected areas to determine the level and type of assistance required.

Tom Watson (West Bromwich East, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department plans to provide military assistance in Mali through the deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles in that country.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 24 January 2013, c389W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
There are currently no plans for the UK to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles to Mali.

Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Naval submarines are currently deployed in the Arabian Gulf; and for what purpose each such submarine is deployed.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 24 January 2013, c389W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
holding answer 23 January 2012

Submarines are deployed periodically to the region in support of Operation KIPION. I am withholding any further information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

John Robertson (Glasgow North West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many research contracts commissioned by his Department were not subject to a tendering process in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 24 January 2013, c389W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence’s commercial policy is to operate a tendering process for contracts, including those commissioning research. Information on any exceptions to tendering is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Julian Smith (Skipton and Ripon, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of procurement contracts offered by his Department has been advertised on the Contracts Finder website since that website’s inception.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 24 January 2013, c390W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
Contracts Finder was launched in January 2011. Since then the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has issued 2,089 contracting opportunities over £10,000. Of these, 1468 (70%) have been included on Contracts Finder. Of the balance of 621 contracting opportunities that were not published on Contracts Finder, 460 (or 22% of the total number of contracting opportunities issued) were exempt from publication because they are categorised as warlike stores and 161 (or 8%) were exempt from publication because of security issues.

John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any plans to reinstate the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s (RFA) role in strategic sealift; and if he will make it his policy to reinstate that role for the RFA.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 24 January 2013, c390W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence’s strategic sealift is subject to a contractual agreement with a shipping provider. There are no plans to change this arrangement at this time.

Andrew Rosindell (Romford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) what steps he is taking to encourage greater archive accessibility at military museums in the lead-up to the centenary of the First World War;

(2) what steps he is taking to encourage co-operation between national and local military museums in the lead-up to the centenary of the First World War.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 24 January 2013, c391W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
The information requested will take time to collate. I will write to my hon. Friend in due course.

Substantive answer from Dr Murrison to Andrew Rosindell:

I undertook to write to you in response to your parliamentary question on 20 December 2012 (Official Report, column 909W) regarding cooperation between national and local military museums, and the accessibility of archives in the lead-up to the centenary of the First World War. Naturally I take a particular interest in this issue as the Prime Minister’s WW1 Centenary representative.

Co-operation between Museums

The National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) works closely with the other National military museums on a wide range of issues. On WW1, the NMRN are working with the Hampshire network of museums and has regional partnerships in the north east, in Scotland and in Northern Ireland, all of which have a WW1 dimension. There has been a great deal of support for the NMRN’s new 20th century galleries and for saving HMS Caroline, the last survivor of the Battle of Jutland.

The National Army Museum (NAM) is developing a comprehensive programme of activity to commemorate the First World War centenary, working in partnership with museums across the country. In April 2012 NAM appointed its first Regimental Liaison Officer to provide dedicated support and greater collaboration between the NAM, the country’s 136 Regimental Museums, the Ministry of Defence and the Army Museums Ogilby Trust (AMOT). This role will oversee a programme of guest exhibitions in 2014 focusing on First World War recruitment, showcased at six regimental museums spread across the country.

In addition to this the NAM will be increasing its outgoing loans programme by 20% in conjunction with the anniversary offering local and regimental museums the opportunity to contextualise their own collections with items from that of NAM.

The RAF Museum works with the Imperial War Museum to coordinate exhibits, events and commemorations and assists other museums with advice, images, artefacts and information. It is also contributing to a new web portal owned by the Imperial War Museum, for sharing research, collections and stories.

The Imperial War Museum itself has been leading on a commemoration of 1914-1918 project with many Regimental Museums and the Army over the past two years.

Access to Museum Archives

The Imperial War Museum is encouraging all museums, including regimental, to digitise their archives to allow accessibility through the Europeana web portal. The aim is to create a cultural heritage that is accessible to all and with a lasting legacy beyond the Centenary.

The archives of NMRN are open at all of its sites every weekday. Of material held by NMRN at Portsmouth, 75 per cent is available on-line. Subject to funding, NMRN plan to consolidate the bulk of their archives in a single location over the next three years.

NAM are to undertake a programme of digitisation, making available tens of thousands of service records and archives relating to the disbanded British and Irish regiments, a large percentage of which cover the period of the First World War. The Museum is also seeking to put the Soldiers effects records from WW1 onto the web, allowing families to trace next of kin details of soldiers who were killed during the war. These digitisation projects will complement the thousands of records already available on the NAM website.

The Royal Air Force Museum has extensive archive collections, available in the reading room at its Hendon site. As part of its plans to mark the centenary of the First World War the Museum is digitising WW1 casualty records relating to personnel of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force and the register of personnel who transferred to the newly-formed RAF in April 1918.

I hope you find this useful.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2012, Official Report, column 979W, on armed forces: sexual offences, how many claims for compensation by (a) serving armed forces personnel and (b) veterans as a result of (i) sexual assault and (ii) rape took place while they were serving in the armed forces his Department has received in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 January 2013, c963W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The number of compensation claims made under the headings of sexual abuse, rape and sexual assault in each of the last 10 years is as follows:

	Number
2002	1
2003	5
2004	3
2005	2
2006	2
2007	1
2008	1
2009	6
2010	1
2011	3
2012	1

The Department’s contracted claims handlers do not record information on whether an individual is still serving or has already left the armed forces when they make a claim.

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many employees of his Department receive a salary higher than that of the (a) Prime Minister, (b) Secretary of State for Defence and (c) Minister for the Armed Forces.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 January 2013, c966W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The number of employees in my Department that receive a salary higher than the Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for the Armed Forces is as follows:

Salary bands based on the current salaries of the Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for the Armed Forces
	FY 2009-10		FY 2010-11		FY 2011-12		FY 2012-13
Salary band	No. of employees in salary band	of which:	No. of employees in salary band	of which:	No. of employees in salary band	of which:	No. of employees in salary band	of which+
£142,500+	40	20 military	30	20 military	30	20 military	30	20 military

£134,565 to £142,499	20	20 military; <5 civilian	10	10 military; <5 civilian	20	20 military; <5 civilian	10	10 military; <5 civilian

£98,740 to £134,564	920	880 military	1,100	1,060 military	1,090	1,070 military	1,040	1,020 military
Note: The figures in the table have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Duncan Hames (Chippenham, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2012, Official Report, column 986W, on Royal Military Police: sexual offences, whether information relating to the number of rape allegations reported to the Royal Military Police is now held centrally; whether information on the number of such allegations made in each year between 2001 and 2012 is now available; if he will publish any such information; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 21 January 2013, c66W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The information for the full period from 2000 is not held centrally and to provide figures of each reported allegation of rape and sexual assault would require a manual check of the records incurring disproportionate cost.

However, I can advise that the total number of rape cases including attempted rape cases, reported to and dealt with by the Royal Military Police, where the Royal Military Police have jurisdiction and the investigative lead since the implementation of the Armed Forces Act 2006 on 31 October 2009, are as follows:

	Total
2009 (from 31 October)	4
2010	25
2011	21
2012 (until 30 September)	19

Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Future Strategic Air Tanker project is on course to meet its contractual requirements by 2014.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 21 January 2013, c67W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft project is on track to achieve its In Service Date in May 2014.

Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to update assumptions on the future cost of fuel for the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 24 January 2013, c388W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence will next revisit its assessment of the future cost of fuel for the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft in the first quarter of financial year 2013-14.
Ben Wallace (Wyre and Preston North, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2013, Official Report, column 891W, on future strategic tanker aircraft, whether the FSTA consortium holds a monopoly on air-to-air refuelling for the duration of the contract; and whether a fee would be payable to the consortium should a variation or alternative method of air-to-air refuelling be made outside the consortium.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 24 January 2013, c388W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
Under the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft contract which expires in 2035, Air Tanker Ltd will provide an air-to-air refuelling service sufficient to meet planned RAF requirements. The RAF is also able to utilise air-to-air refuelling provided by other nations, by commercial providers or another Ministry of Defence owned aircraft, but may be required to make payments to Air Tanker if it does. Liability for payment would be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Ben Wallace (Wyre and Preston North, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was paid to AirTanker under the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft contract to provide air-to-air refuelling flights for RAF aircraft using buddy tanks in the last financial year.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 10 January 2013, c386W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
The RAF has no requirement for Voyager to undertake air-to-air refuelling using “buddy tanks”. There have been no payments to AirTanker this year for air-to-air refuelling.

Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes there have been to the originally planned methods of mid-air refuelling the F35-B; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 10 January 2013, c389W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
There have been no changes in the method of mid-air refuelling planned for use by the UK on the F35-B. The F35-B is fitted with an integral air-to-air refuelling probe and will conduct airborne refuelling in the same way as existing UK combat aircraft from suitably equipped air refuelling aircraft.

Ben Wallace (Wyre and Preston North, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sum is payable to the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft consortium in order to access air-to-air refuelling rights for aircraft that chose to use buddy tanks.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 January 2013, c891W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
Under the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft contract, Air Tanker will increasingly meet all of the RAF’s air-to-air refuelling needs.

The RAF has no requirement to undertake air-to-air refuelling using the “buddy-buddy” concept and hence no liability would arise.

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department has received on (a) delays and (b) the risk of delays to the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft programme since May 2010.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 January 2013, c891W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft project, known in service as the Voyager, is on schedule to achieve its In Service Date (ISD) of May 2014.

Risks are routinely monitored and mitigated. Risks to the introduction of air-to-air refuelling and to the delivery of specific aircraft are being successfully addressed and the ISD remains on track.

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials of his Department have had on (i) delays and (ii) risks of delays to the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft programme since May 2010.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 January 2013, c891W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft project, known in service as the Voyager, is on schedule to achieve its in-service-date of May 2014. The aircraft was granted a military release to service in the Air Transport role in April 2012 and while some technical issues on the air-to-air refuelling system have needed further work, tests have proved successful and the aircraft is expected to start air-to-air refuelling later this year. The original schedule for the Voyager project included margin to allow for resolution of such issues and hence the in-service-date of May 2014 is not currently at risk.

The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend Mr Hammond, and Ministers have been personally engaged in ensuring satisfactory progress on this key programme, which is governed at the official level through a quarterly Joint Board with Industry, informed by subordinate forums to manage the various elements of the programme on a more frequent basis.

Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) what assessment he has made of the out-of-service dates for the VC10 and TriStar aircraft;

(2) what meetings (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials of his Department have had on the bringing forward the out-of-service dates for the VC10 and TriStar aircraft since May 2010.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 January 2013, c892W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The out-of-service dates for the VC10 and TriStar fleets were reviewed and adjusted during the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review and subsequent planning round and annual budget cycle processes. The planned out-of-service date for the VC10 is September 2013 and the out-of-service date for the TriStars is March 2014.

The Ministry of Defence formally assessed the operational capability requirement in its annual capability audits conducted in 2011 and 2012, and it is routinely monitored by the capability planning group responsible for the VC10, TriStar and Voyager aircraft fleets. These adjustments were made as part of routine planning activity to align them to our evolving requirements and the build-up of replacement capability. Ministers received advice on these issues from officials throughout this period.

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) what assessment he has made of the effect of reductions in Ministry of Defence police numbers on Scotland;

(2) how many Ministry of Defence police officers there were in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c905W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The number of MDP officers in Scotland were as follows:

	Ministry of Defence police strength in Scotland
2008-09	821
2009-10	835
2010-11	823
2011-12	789
2012-13	711

The reduction in strength is due to a force-wide recruitment freeze that was introduced in August 2009 and a MOD Voluntary Early Release Scheme which began on 1 April 2010 and is ongoing until 31 March 2014.

The MOD continues to maintain effective security at its defence establishments in Scotland and, in particular, its nuclear bases in the Clyde and Coulport.

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on Urgent Operational Requirements by (a) theatre and (b) equipment type in each of the last 10 years; and which such funding was provided from a Treasury budget.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c901W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The required information is not held in the format requested prior to financial year 2008-09. The amount spent on Urgent Operational Requirements (UOR) and claimed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) against the HM Treasury Reserve, since financial year 2008-09 is presented in the following table.

£ million
Theatre	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12
Afghanistan	838	774	794	415
Iraq	223	45	-3	0
Total operations and peace-keeping UOR spend	1,061	819	791	415

£ million
Equipment type	Theatre	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12
Helicopter (Ground Attack, Tactile Transport—Aircraft and aircrew protection)	Afghanistan	95	133	95	46
	Iraq	33	7	2	0
	Total	128	140	97	46
Aircraft (Ground Attack, Strategic and Tactile Transport—Aircraft and aircrew protection)	Afghanistan	72	48	12	21
	Iraq	10	1	0	0
	Total	83	49	12	21

Soldier equipment (protection, clothing, combat equipment)	Afghanistan	62	73	52	13
	Iraq	9	5	0	0
	Total	72	78	52	13
Communications (voice and data transfer)	Afghanistan	0	26	54	15
	Iraq	0	0	0	0
	Total	0	27	54	15
ISTAR—Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance	Afghanistan	25	69	50	81
	Iraq	13	0	0	0
	Total	38	69	50	81
Ground manoeuvre (protected mobility)	Afghanistan	436	252	351	78
	Iraq	87	5	-1	0
	Total	523	257	350	78
Fire power (guns, missiles and rockets)	Afghanistan	4	11	28	3
	Iraq	5	2	0	0
	Total	9	12	28	3
Protection (C-IED/military working dogs, soldier protection (ECM))	Afghanistan	68	90	79	99
	Iraq	20	17	0	0
	Total	88	107	79	99
Sustainment (medical, battlefield utilities)	Afghanistan	0	9	8	11
	Iraq	0	0	0	0
	Total	1	9	8	II
Unmanned aerial vehicles	Afghanistan	44	25	11	1
	Iraq	17	0	0	0
	Total	61	26	II	1
Information management/Information exploitation	Afghanistan	31	36	54	48
	Iraq	25	5	-3	0
	Total	55	41	50	48
Maritime (ship electronic warfare)	Iraq	3	3	0	0
	Total	3	3	0	0

Total operations and peace-keeping UOR spend		1,061	819	791	415
Notes: 1. All figures rounded to nearest £ million. 2. The negative figures presented against Iraq in financial year 2010-11 relate to the final reconciliation of project accounts.

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many allegations of rape have been reported to the Ministry of Defence Police in each year since 2000.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 20 December 2012, c900W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
Allegations of rape may have been reported to the service police or to civil police. Allegations reported to the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) are shown in the following table:

	Rape
2000	13
2001	29
2002	31
2003	18
2004	16
2005	20
2006	16
2007	24
2008	14
2009	⁽¹⁾9
2010	⁽¹⁾6
2011	⁽¹⁾1
2012	⁽¹⁾2
⁽¹⁾ In accordance with the Home Office National Crime Recording Standard, the MDP (and other forces) are mandated to record crime reported to them. Since 2009, any allegations of rape inEngland and Wales received by the MDP have been referred to either the service police or to the local civil police for investigation. Similar arrangements also exist in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Dominic Raab (Esher and Walton, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many employees of his Department were paid (a) between £80,000 and £100,000 and (b) in excess of £100,000 per year in each of the last five years.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 19 December 2012, c836W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
holding answer 10 December 2012

The number of employees of this Department who were paid in excess of £100,000 and between £80,000 and £100,000 in each of the last five years is set out in the following table. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

	Staff with basic salary over £100,000			Staff with basic salary £80,000 to £100,000
	Civilian	Military	Total	Civilian	Military	Total
2008	50	660	710	90	1,110	1,200
2009	50	810	860	90	1,360	1,450
2010	50	920	970	80	1,450	1,530
2011	30	970	1,000	80	1,360	1,440
2012	30	930	960	70	1,340	1,410

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at which sites outside the UK armed forces personnel are based; how many personnel are based at each site, by service; and for what purpose.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 19 December 2012, c833W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
holding answer 4 December 2012

The information requested is in the following table as at 1 October 2012:

	Duty/purpose	Naval service	Army	Royal Air Force
Overseas total		730	18,000	1,980

Europe (excluding UK)		390	16,910	1,450
Germany	Garrison; attaché defence section support; personnel exchange programme; bi-lateral engagement	40	14,900	200
Cyprus	Garrison; support to operations	20	1,710	850
Belgium	NATO staff, defence diplomacy, EU	60	120	140
Gibraltar	Garrison; support to Gibraltar Patrol Boat Squadron	120	40	60
Italy	NATO staff; attaché and defence section support; personnel exchange programme; bi-lateral engagement	50	50	40
Netherlands	NATO staff; personnel exchange programme; attaché and defence section support; bi-lateral engagement	30	40	90
Portugal	NATO staff; bi-lateral engagement	20	—	10

Norway	NATO, attaché and defence section support, personnel exchange programme; bi-lateral engagement; individual and collective training	20	10	10
France	EU, training; personnel exchange programme; capability development; bi-lateral engagement	20	10	20
Czech Republic	NATO; EU: bi-lateral engagement; collective training	—	10	—

Asia (excluding middle east)		60	180	20
Brunei	Gurkhas, individual and collective training, secondment; defence sales	10	130	10
British Indian Ocean Territory (inc.Diego Garcia)	Wider regional engagement/influence; support to operations	40	—	—
Nepal	Gurkha support	—	20	—

North Africa/middle east		80	150	140
Saudi Arabia	Bi-lateral engagement; wider regional engagement; attaché and defence section support; defence sales; training; counter terrorism	20	40	70
Oman	Bi-lateral engagement; wider regional engagement/influence; attaché and defence section support; defence sales; individual and collective training naval support, training; counter terrorism	20	40	30

Bahrain	Bi-lateral engagement; wider regional engagement; attaché and defence section Support; defence sales; Training Naval Support; support to Operations; counter terrorism	20	—	—
Kuwait	Training; bi-lateral engagement; wider regional engagement; attaché and defence section support; defence sales; individual training; counter terrorism	—	20	10

Sub-Saharan Africa		10	210	10
Kenya	BMATT; wider regional engagement/ influence; attaché and defence section support; defence sales; individual mentoring and training; counter terrorism	—	170	—
Sierra Leone	Training; wider regional engagement/influence; attaché and defence section support; individual mentoring and collective training; counter terrorism	—	20	—

North America		170	480	330
United States	Personnel exchange programme; attaché and defence section support; defence sales; collective training; capability development	160	100	300
Canada	Personnel exchange programme; BATUS	10	380	30

Central America/Caribbean		—	10	—

Belize	Wider regional engagement/influence; individual mentoring and collective training; counter terrorism	—	10	—

South America		—	10	—

South Atlantic		—	40	30
Falkland Islands	Garrison; support to Atlantic Patrol Task (South); wider regional engagement/ influence	—	40	30

Oceania		20	20	10
Australia	Personnel Exchange Programme; wider regional engagement/influence; attaché And defence section support; defence sales; capability development	20	20	10
Rounding: 1. Where rounding has been used, totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sums of their rounded parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in “5″ have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. 2. Where countries have 5 or less personnel, these are rounded to zero and the country does not appear in the table.

To specify the numbers of personnel at exact locations within these countries would incur disproportionate costs.

The UK Regular forces figures represent the number of service personnel that are stationed at that location. This may differ from the actual number of people working at that location at that time eg due to deployments. It does not include those in operational theatres such as Afghanistan or the Falkland Islands, nor does it include figures for civilians employed in support of the military personnel.

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid to (a) NATO, (b) the US Administration, (c) the US Treasury, (d) the Receiver General of Canada, (e) MAMSA, (f) NATO Consultation Command and Control Agency and (g ) SHAPE in each of the last five years; and what the purpose was of each payment.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 December 2012, c711W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
The total value of MOD payments made through Defence Business Services and the British Defence Staff (US Cash Office) to the organisations listed has been as follows in each of the last five years:

£ million
Organisation	2007-08	2008-09	2 009-10	2010-11	2011-12
NATO	28.4	55.3	79.9	65.6	61.9
US Administration	280.4	549.2	364.2	500.5	515.2
US Treasury	69.0	106.5	188.6	163.9	100.7
Receiver General of Canada	29.6	33.6	48.9	69.0	43.3
NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency	25.0	63.1	80.9	88.3	65.3
NATO Consultation Command and Control Agency	19.0	42.1	38.8	57.8	17.1
Supreme Headquarters Europe	37.0	70.8	69.1	51.1	59.1

All figures are exclusive of value added tax and are at current prices.

The payments to NATO, its agencies and the Supreme Headquarters Europe mainly represent the UK’s contribution to NATO common-funded military budgets, the amount of each payment being made in accordance with the cost-sharing formula agreed for each financial year. There are two distinct budgetary areas for common funding:

the military budget which covers expenditure of the NATO standing military headquarters and agencies; and

the NATO Security Investment Programme which covers expenditure for alliance capital investment costs (mainly infrastructure costs).

Expenditure in both these budgetary areas includes costs arising from alliance operations and missions.

Payments to the United States and Canada are for equipment, equipment support, and other commodities and services for UK armed forces.

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what military aviation collaboration projects his Department has taken part in with (a) EU countries, (b) non-EU countries, excluding the US and (c) the US in each of the last five years; and what the cost was of each such project.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 18 December 2012, c710W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
Ministry of Defence expenditure on military aviation collaboration projects for each of the last five financial years is shown in the following table. The expenditure includes airframes, engines and other systems intrinsic to the aircraft. It does not include airborne weapons fitted to aircraft.

		£ million
Project	Collaborative partner : EU/non-EU/USA	F/Y 2007-08	F/Y 2008-09	F/Y 2009-10	F/Y 2010-11	F/Y 2011-12
Tornado	EU	362.0	383.0	383.0	368.0	429.0
Typhoon	EU	969.0	1,225.0	1,521.0	1,790.0	1,730.0
Gazelle⁽¹⁾	EU	⁽²⁾—	⁽²⁾—	⁽²⁾—	⁽²⁾—	1.9
Puma⁽¹⁾	EU	⁽²⁾—	⁽²⁾—	⁽²⁾—	⁽²⁾—	17.4
A400M	EU	168.0	228.0	356.0	144.0	113.0
Hercules C-I30J In-service software upgrade	Non-EU	15.6	15.6	12.3	17.8	19.0
Harrier	USA	198.0	182.0	203.0	108.0	0.0
Lightning II	USA	181.0	100.0	145.0	242.0	259.0
Airseeker	USA	0	0	0	15.3	118.0
⁽¹⁾ Information for financial years 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 is not available. ⁽²⁾ Not available.

The Hercules C-130J in-service software upgrade project includes a collaboration of EU, non-EU countries and the USA. This explains the cost in the ‘non-EU’ category above.

Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence from which units civil servants of his Department have been made redundant since May 2010.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c47W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
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.

Voluntary release or redundancy—MOD Main
Financial year :	2009-10	2011-11	2011-12	2012-13 to 1 October 2012
Voluntary release or redundancy	400	180	40	30
VERS	—	—	5,950	2,270

Voluntary release or redundancy—Trading Funds
Financial year	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13 to 1 October 2012
Voluntary release or redundancy	80	150	470	⁽¹⁾—
⁽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.

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c43W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
Information available on the cost of the MOD establishments listed is as follows:

2007-08
£ million
Establishment	Personnel	Infrastructure ⁽¹⁾	Other	Total
Crombie Defence Munitions Centre	2.0	0.3	0.4	2.7
Beith Defence Munitions Centre	11.2	1.6	1.9	14.7
Glen Douglas Defence Munitions Centre	2.4	0.5	0.6	3.5
HMS Gannet	1.3	1.3	0.9	3.5
Royal Naval Armament Depot Coulport⁽²⁾	8.9	3.3	1.9	14.1
MOD Hebrides Ranges	2.8	11.8	2.8	17.4
British Underwater Training and Evaluation Centre (BUTEC)	1.0	4.4	0.8	6.2
Loch Ewe Fuel Depot	0.2	0	0	0.2
Garelochead Defence Fuel Depot	0.5	0	0	0.5
HMS Caledonia	1.3	1.5	0.2	3.0
Rosyth Defence Estate	2.0	11.4	5.2	18.6
West Freugh Training Ranges	0.7	0.6	0.6	1.9

2008-09
£ million
Establishment	Personnel	Infrastructure ⁽¹⁾	Other	Total
Glencorse Barracks	0	0.1	0	0.1
Crombie Defence Munitions Centre	2.8	n/a	0.4	3.2
Beith Defence Munitions Centre	8.4	n/a	2.2	10.6
Glen Douglas Defence Munitions Centre	2.7	n/a	0.6	3.3
HMS Gannet	1.4	1.3	0.4	3.1
Royal Naval Armament Depot Coulport⁽²⁾	9.4	3.8	2.0	15.2
MOD Hebrides Ranges	4.9	7.0	1.3	13.2
British Underwater Training and Evaluation Centre (BUTEC)	2.9	3.9	0.9	7.7
Loch Ewe Fuel Depot	0.3	0.1	0.1	0.5
Garelochead Defence Fuel Depot	0.5	0.1	0.2	0.8
HMS Caledonia	1.4	1.6	0.3	3.3
Rosyth Defence Estate	2.1	8.4	7.7	18.2
West Freugh Training Ranges	0.7	0.9	0.1	1.7

2009-10
£ million
Establishment	Personnel	Infrastructure ⁽¹⁾	Other	Total
Glencorse Barracks	0	0.1	0	0.1
Crombie Defence Munitions Centre	2.4	0.5	0.2	3.1
Beith Defence Munitions Centre	7.9	1.6	1.1	10.6
Glen Douglas Defence Munitions Centre	2.5	0.3	0.2	3.0
HMS Gannet	1.5	1.0	0.6	3.1
Royal Naval Armament Depot Coulport⁽²⁾	8.8	1.9	1.1	11.8
MOD Hebrides Ranges	5.1	7.2	1.3	13.6
British Underwater Training and Evaluation Centre (BUTEC)	3.0	3.4	1.0	7.4
Loch Ewe Fuel Depot	0.2	0.1	0	0.3
Garelochead Defence Fuel Depot	0.5	0.1	0.2	0.8
HMS Caledonia	1.5	1.8	0.3	3.6
Rosyth Defence Estate	2.1	8.8	6.5	17.4

West Freugh Training Ranges

0.8

1.0

0.1

1.9

2010-11
£ million
Establishment	Personnel	Infrastructure ⁽¹⁾	Other	Total
Glencorse Barracks	0	0.1	0	0.1
Crombie Defence Munitions Centre	2.2	0.5	0.4	3.1
Beith Defence Munitions Centre	8.1	1.6	1.4	11.1
Glen Douglas Defence Munitions Centre	2.5	0.4	0.5	3.4
HMS Gannet	1.6	1.4	0.7	3.7
Royal Naval Armament Depot Coulport⁽²⁾	8.9	1.9	1.3	12.1
MOD Hebrides Ranges	5.3	7.3	1.4	14.0
British Underwater Training and Evaluation Centre (BUTEC)	3.1	2.4	1.0	6.5
Loch Ewe Fuel Depot	0.2	0.1	0	0.3
Garelochead Defence Fuel Depot	0.5	0.1	0.2	0.8
HMS Caledonia	1.5	1.3	0.3	3.1
Rosyth Defence Estate	1.7	8.0	1.5	11.2
West Freugh Training Ranges	0.8	1.0	0.1	1.9

2011-12
£ million
Establishment	Personnel	Infrastructure ⁽¹⁾	Other	Total
Glencorse Barracks	0	0.1	0	0.1
Crombie Defence Munitions Centre	1.8	0.5	1.9	4.2
Beith Defence Munitions Centre	6.9	1.1	0.4	8.4
Glen Douglas Defence Munitions Centre	2.4	0.9	0.5	3.8
HMS Gannet	1.5	0.6	0.8	2.9
Royal Naval Armament Depot Coulport⁽²⁾	9.1	2.2	2.3	13.6
MOD Hebrides Ranges	5.4	7.5	1.4	14.3
British Underwater Training and Evaluation Centre (BUTEC)	3.2	2.4	1.0	6.6
Loch Ewe Fuel Depot	0.2	0	0.1	0.3
Garelochead Defence Fuel Depot	0.4	0.1	0.2	0.7
HMS Caledonia	n/a	4.9	n/a	4.9
Rosyth Defence Estate	1.2	7.6	-0.1	8.7
West Freugh Training Ranges	0.8	1.0	0.1	1.9
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.

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions Royal Air Force aircraft have been launched to monitor Russian aircraft approaching UK airspace in each of the last three years; and where each such flight was (a) directed and (b) scrambled from.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 24 January 2013, c390W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
Royal Air Force quick reaction alert (QRA) aircraft are based at RAF Leuchars and RAF Coningsby. The number of days on which QRA aircraft have launched in response to Russian military aviation that approached or entered the NATO air policing area for which the UK has responsibility in the each of the last three years is contained in the following table. The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace at all times. Not every launch resulted in an interception as some incidents were resolved prior to interception.

	Number of days QRA launched in response to Russian military aviation
2010	11
2011	10
2012	8

I am withholding where each such flight was directed and scrambled from as deterrence is a principal function of QRA and QRA is in turn an integral part of the air defence of the UK. The disclosure of information that might compromise the QRA deterrent capability would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to how many and what proportion of questions for written answer on a named day his Department had not provided a substantive written answer by the day named in each of the last 12 months.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 8 January 2013, c258W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
holding answer 13 December 2012

The Ministry of Defence strives to answer all parliamentary questions on time, but it is often challenging to answer substantively within the limited timescale for named day questions. However, 83% of named day questions for answer between 1 December 2011 and 30 November 2012 were answered on or within five days of the day named.

The information requested is shown in the following table.

Month	Number of named day questions received	Number not receiving a substantive written answer on the day named	Percentage not answered on the day named
2011
December	73	42	58

2012
January	128	78	61
February	95	55	58
March	105	73	70
April	98	53	54
May	61	37	61
June	83	47	57
July	100	78	78
September	68	55	80
October	77	57	74
November	126	100	79
Total	1,014	675	67

The Government has committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the current Session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary Session are available on the Parliament website at the following link:

http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf

Bob Russell (Colchester, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of HM armed forces sentenced for detention at the Military Corrective Training Centre were (a) returned to their units to continue their sentence and (b) dismissed from the service in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 10 January 2013, c387W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Military Corrective and Training Centre is a tri-service detention facility, not a prison, under Army command for armed forces personnel and, occasionally, civilians who are subject to service law. It holds male and female detainees who have been sentenced at summary hearing by their commanding officer or at court martial for a period of detention of between 14 days and two years. The centre is also capable of holding persons in safe custody on remand or pending their discharge to serve a period of imprisonment in a civil prison.

The numbers of individuals returned to their units or discharged over the last five years are provided in the following table:

	Discharge	Returned to unit
2011-12	390	410
2010-11	470	490
2009-10	440	560
2008-09	340	650
2007-08	250	650
Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Jon Trickett (Hemsworth, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total spending on recruitment agencies by his Department was in each month from July to December 2012.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 10 January 2013, c388W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
External recruitment to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for grades below the Senior Civil Service (SCS) is carried out by Defence Business Services Civilian HR. Where external recruitment for SCS posts is required, recruitment agencies may be asked to carry out an initial search for suitable candidates. In the months in question, the MOD spent the following amounts on recruitment agency fees as well as the associated costs for advertising and assessment in connection with SCS level recruitment:

	£
July 2012	57,217
August 2012	93,256
September 2012	6,462
October 2012	27,152
November 2012	26,988
December 2012	19,390

All figures are inclusive of VAT.

Gareth Thomas (Harrow West, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the monetary value was of contracts awarded by his Department to (a) management consultancies and (b) IT companies in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 10 January 2013, c390W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
The monetary value of Ministry of Defence (MOD) consultancy contracts awarded since April 2010 is shown in the following table. Contracts awarded by MOD agencies and trading funds are included in this figure, but contracts awarded under the Framework Agreement for Technical Support and those classified by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation as principal service providers are excluded; these contracts are not defined as consultancy services.

The monetary value of contracts awarded to IT companies in a given financial year could be provided only at disproportionate cost. MOD central contract records do not distinguish between IT and telecommunications services.

Value of consultancy contracts awarded
Financial year	Value of consultancy contracts awarded (£ million)
2010-11	14
2011-12	8

Michael Weir (Angus, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) how many civil service posts have been made redundant by his Department in each year since 1999; and what has been the cost of redundancies in each such year;

(2) how many posts have been declared redundant by each of his Department’s executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1999; and what has been the cost of those redundancies in each such year.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 10 January 2013, c391W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence does not make posts or positions redundant. The number of civil servants made redundant in the MOD, including those from executive agencies, since 1999 is set out in the following table:

Headcount
	Compulsory/voluntary redundancy
Financial year	MOD Main	Trading Funds	Total
1999-2000	1,520	⁽¹⁾—	1,530
2000-01	1,080	70	1,150
2001-02	540	260	800
2002-03	350	320	670
2003-04	880	640	1,510
2004-05	560	280	840
2005-06	610	570	1,180
2006-07	1,190	460	1,660
2007-08	2,110	100	2,220
2008-09	1,080	140	1,220
2009-10	610	150	760

2010-11	330	170	500
2011-12	6,010	550	6,560
2012-13 to 30 September 2012	2,300	⁽¹⁾—	2,310
Grand total	19,170	3,720	22,890
⁽¹⁾ Denotes 0 or numbers of 1 to 5 which have been rounded to 0. Notes: 1. Headcount is a measure of the size of the work force that counts all people equally regardless of their hours of work. 2. The figures above relate to permanent and casual MOD Main and Trading Fund personnel only. Excluded are all Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) and locally engaged civilian (LEC) personnel. 3.Where rounding has been used, totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sums of their rounded parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in ‘5’ have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

When a civil service role ends this does not necessarily result in the offer of a paid exit. The individual occupying the post will normally be redeployed to another role.

The costs for all forms of exit over the whole period in question are not available in the form requested. The costs against the relevant compensation schemes for the last three years, covering both service and civilian personnel (including those from executive agencies), are published in the Departmental Annual Report and Accounts as follows:

£ million
	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12
All exits	53.4	26.3	269.4
Compulsory redundancy only	0	0	1.3

Staff of non-departmental public bodies are not directly employed by the MOD and the information requested is not held centrally.

Jon Trickett (Hemsworth, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total amount of redundancy pay paid to civil servants in his Department was in each month from July to December 2012.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 10 January 2013, c392W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The arrangements governing the payment of compensation to the vast majority of Ministry of Defence (MOD) civil servants are laid down in the rules of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme. Such compensation is paid to those who leave on voluntary exit and on redundancy, whether voluntary or compulsory. The MOD’s aim is, so far as possible, to make workforce reductions on a voluntary basis and to use compulsory redundancy only where voluntary means fail. During the months of July to November 2012, a total of 2,212 civil servants left the MOD with compensation payments under the current early release scheme. The total monthly costs of compensation are shown in the following table.

Compensation
	£ million
July 2012	45.32
August 2012	0.41
September 2012	0.92
October 2012	21.84
November 2012	0.25

The figures for December 2012 are not yet available.

Gareth Thomas (Harrow West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what amount his Department spent on interim staff as defined by the National Audit Office in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 10 January 2013, c393W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
The following figures include the salary payments to civilian casual employees who are temporarily recruited under civil service recruitment procedures and contracted payments for civilian manpower substitutes who are temporarily appointed through recruitment agencies.

£
Financial year	Amount spent on civilian casual staff	Amount spent on contracted civilian manpower substitutes (inc VAT)
2008-09	14,590,266	8,602,500
2009-10	11,389,964	30,379,683
2010-11	6,484,253	22,525,073
2011-12	4,113,391	16,875,969
Total	36,577,874	78,383,225

The 2009-10 figure for manpower substitution is higher because new contracts were let in 2008, 2009 and 2010 so that a greater variety of manpower could be recruited via contract rather than by local arrangements in order to reduce costs.

Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many posts in Afghanistan were subject to tour lengths of longer than six months for each year since 2005.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 January 2013, c672W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
holding answer 3 December 2012

The Ministry of Defence does not hold this information centrally for the period before 2010.

The average number of planned postings subject to tour lengths longer than six months (known as ‘continuity postings’) for the first 11 months of 2012 and the previous two years is available. Due to changing requirements, the number of postings fluctuated throughout these periods so averages for each calendar year have been calculated. These are broken down as follows:

2010
Length of continuity posting	Number of personnel⁽¹⁾
Over 6, to 9, months	20
9 to 12 months	30
Greater than 12 months	<10
^{(1 )}To the nearest 10.

2011
Length of continuity posting	Number of personnel⁽¹⁾
Over 6, to 9, months	20
9 to 12 months	40
Greater than 12 months	<10
⁽¹⁾ To the nearest 10

2012⁽¹⁾
Length of continuity posting	Number of personnel⁽²⁾
Over 6, to 9, months	30
9 to 12 months	50
Greater than 12 months	<10
⁽¹⁾ As at 30 November 2012. ^{(2 )}To the nearest 10.

All posts with a duration of greater than six months do not have a direct combat role. The posts are a mixture of staff officer, advisory, and command appointments. The length of the posts have been specifically designed to ensure that the UK maintains continuity and influence with both international security assistance force partners and Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan at the most appropriate levels.

Hugh Bayley (York Central, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the UK spent on its military commitments in Afghanistan in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; how much he estimates it will spend in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015; and how much of this expenditure in each year came, or will come, from his Department’s core budget and how much from additional resources provided by the Government to pay for operational costs.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 January 2013, c673W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence establishes the net additional cost of military operations in Afghanistan and these are subsequently funded by the Treasury Special Reserve. The costs are represented, by financial year, in the following table:

Financial year	Outturn/Forecast (£ billion)
2009-10	3.82
2010-11	3.78
2011-12	3.46
2012-13	3.8
2013-14	3.8
2014-15	3.5

The figures for 2009-10 to 2011-12 are the actual costs, as published in the MOD annual report and accounts. The figures for 2012-13 to 2014-15 are estimates, as published in the 2010 spending review. Revised figures will be published in the parliamentary supplementary estimate for the relevant year.

The parliamentary supplementary estimate for 2012-13 is currently scheduled from publication during the week commencing 11 February 2013.

Expenditure is expected to reduce due to smaller force levels in theatre and operations predominantly in a support role with Afghan forces leading most security operations.

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) male and (b) female armed forces personnel have been deployed in each deployment to Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 January 2013, c889W)

Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
This information is not held in the format requested. However, the gender split of all those military personnel who are recorded as entering Afghanistan has been recorded centrally since April 2007. The figures detailed cover all those military personnel who were recorded entering Afghanistan for a period of more than one day during a particular calendar year. These figures are not a breakdown of the headcount of personnel actually located in Afghanistan at any one time.

The total number of military personnel recorded as entering Afghanistan, rounded to the nearest 10 by gender for the period 1 April 2007 until 1 December 2012 is as follows:

Calendar year	Female military personnel	Male military personnel
2007 (April to December only)	1,490	25,950
2008	1,800	31,650
2009	2,430	38,780
2010	2,590	41,300
2011	2,740	42,150
2012 (January to 1 December only)	2,250	33,230

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) what estimate he has made of the current value of (a) HMS Tyne, (b) HMS Severn and (c) HMS Mersey;

(2) what estimate he has made of the current value of each (a) Vanguard and (b) Trafalgar class submarine;

(3) what estimate he has made of the current value of HMS Astute.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 January 2013, c893W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The current values of the Royal Navy vessels are shown in the following tables. The values quoted reflect the net book value (NBV) of the asset, which is calculated by deducting depreciation from the original capital cost, together with the cost of any major upgrades, of the asset.

Depreciation is a measure of the decrease in value of an asset over time. The NBV of each vessel reflects the effects of depreciation based on the age of the vessel, its time left in service, and any value added as a result of major refits and overhauls.

River class offshore patrol vessels
Name	NBV (£ million)
HMS Tyne	12
HMS Severn	13
HMS Mersey	15

Vanguard class submarines
Name	NBV (£ million)
HMS Vanguard	492
HMS Victorious	713
HMS Vigilant	895
HMS Vengeance	534

The total procurement cost of the Vanguard class included £278 million of costs which are shared across the whole class. These costs have not been attributed to the individual vessels and are not included in the NBVs quoted in the table.

Trafalgar class submarines
Name	NBV (£ million)
HMS Tireless	10
HMS Torbay	124
HMS Trenchant	215
HMS Talent	315
HMS Triumph	396

The NBV for HMS Tireless is significantly lower than the other in-service vessels because the boat has limited remaining service.

The total procurement cost of the Trafalgar class included £687 million of costs which are shared across the whole class. These costs have not been attributed to the individual vessels and are not included in the NBVs quoted in the table.

Astute class submarines
Name	NBV (£ million)
HMS Astute	1,170

The total procurement cost of the Astute class currently includes £949 million of costs which will be attributed to the planned class of seven submarines. These costs have not been attributed to HMS Astute.

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) value and (b) start and finish date was of contracts for foreign military sales procured by the British defence staff in the US in each of the last five years.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 January 2013, c894W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
Foreign Military Sales (FMS) is the process for foreign governments and international organisations to purchase military articles and services from the US Government. A summary of the value of all FMS cases submitted to US Department of Defence for the years 2007-11 and 2012 to 30 November is as follows:

All figures in US$ million
	Case amendments	Total cost	New cases	Total cost	Requirement modifications	Total cost	Total cost
2007	64	158.5	35	182.5	20	-6.9	334.1
2008	110	403.2	29	546.6	17	-0.3	949.6
2009	77	116.1	22	76.7	10	-9.2	183.6

2010	79	141.6	30	1,048.1	7	-0.2	1,189.5
2011	86	246.2	29	210.9	5	0.0	487.1
2012 (to November)	74	238.4	22	128.2	4	-0.1	366.5
Grand total	490	1,334.0	167	2,193.1	63	-16.7	3,510.4

This table also separates out the three main areas of case activity, which are:

New cases—new cases submitted for the first time.

Case amendments—amendments to existing cases which are required by UK.

Requirement modifications—a US unilateral change to an existing case.

Menzies Campbell (North East Fife, Liberal Democrat)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c35W)

Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire, Conservative)
The numbers of regular service personnel based in Scotland as at 31 October 2012 are shown in the following table:

	Number
Royal Navy	4,670
Army	3,190
Royal Air Force	3,790

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.

Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion, Green)
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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c37W)

Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
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⁾
2008-09	14.8
2009-10	19.0
2010-11	19.3
2011-12	28.8
2012-13 (provisional)⁽²⁾	26.0
⁽¹⁾ At outturn prices. ⁽²⁾ Comprises actual expenditure to date plus projected expenditure to 31 March 2013.

Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish, Labour)
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 allocated for each such category of expenditure in 2012-13.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c39W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
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
MOD corporate	£0	£183,192	£70,000	£0	⁽¹⁾—
Royal Navy (RN)	£61,000	£118,000	£232,000	£6,500	£23,000
British Army⁽²⁾	£0	£580,744	£80,360	£20,000	£41,492
Royal Air Force (RAF)	£0	£30,000	£59,500	£30,000	£13,180
Defence Contracts Online (DCO)	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0
Defence Support Group (DSG)	£0	£0	£621.55	£0	£0
Service Children’s Education (SCE)	£0	£5,000	£0	£0	£0
British Forces Germany (BFG)	€3,500	£0	€75	£0	€3,000
MOD Police Recruitment	£0	£0	£96	£0	£0
Military Aviation Authority (MAA)⁽³⁾	n/a	⁽⁴⁾—	n/a	⁽⁵⁾—	n/a
Queen’s Harbour Master (QHM)	£0	£4,500	£7,740	£0	£0
Defence Science and Technology (www.science.mod.uk)	£0	£0	£72,000	£0	£0
Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA)	£6,670	£37,020	£8,902	£10,960	£23,580
Veterans-UK	£0	£0	£1,600	£0	£4,033
Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers (SaBRE)	⁽⁶⁾—	£57,600	£57,000	⁽⁷⁾—	⁽⁷⁾—
Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (PCGN)	£0	£0	£0	£0	£0
UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO)⁽⁸⁾	£24,426	£7,120	£446,353	£17,100	£7,120
Defence imagery ⁽⁹⁾	£0	£0	£27,444.96	£0	£0
RAF Air Cadets	⁽¹⁰⁾£41,450	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—

Baha Mousa Inquiry	⁽¹⁰⁾£6,000	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—
Al-Sweady Public Inquiry	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—
Armed Forces Day	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—
DNotice	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—
Service Complaints Commissioner	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—
Service Prosecuting Authority	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—
Military Aviation Authority	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—	⁽¹⁰⁾—
^{(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:

	£
Strategy and Planning	0
Design and Build	136,699
Hosting and infrastructure	232,657
Content provision	0
Testing and evaluation	⁽¹⁾—
^{(1 )}Included in design and build.

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)

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.

Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 7 January 2013, c42W)

Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
Information available on the cost of the MOD establishments listed is as follows:

£ million
Establishment	Personnel	Infrastructure ⁽¹⁾	Other	Total
2005-06
RAF Leuchars	63.8	10.3	19.7	93.7
RAF Kinloss	69.2	5.6	21.9	96.7

2006-07
RAF Leuchars	64.7	9.8	19.4	93.9
RAF Kinloss	66.6	4.5	20.6	91.7

2007-08
RAF Leuchars⁽²⁾	60.2	8.9	20.7	89.8
HMNB Clyde⁽²⁾	41.4	14.0	97.3	152.7
RM Condor	21.8	2.3	0.5	24.6
RAF Kinloss	61.5	5.0	20.6	87.1

2008-09
RAF Leuchars	56.3	10.9	20.5	87.7
HMNB Clyde⁽²⁾	40.6	17.3	93.8	151.7
RM Condor	25.9	2.3	0.6	28.8
Headquarters 2nd Division⁽³⁾	64.8	1.1	4.7	70.6
Headquarters 51 Brigade⁽³⁾	18.4	0.1	3.9	22.4
Redford Barracks⁽³⁾	⁽⁴⁾—	0.2	0	0.2
Dreghorn Barracks⁽³⁾	⁽⁴⁾—	0.2	0	0.2
RAF Kinloss	61.3	5.0	26.94	93.2
Fort George Barracks⁽³⁾	⁽⁴⁾—	0.2	0	0.2

2009-10
RAF Leuchars⁽⁵⁾	4.7	11.2	8.3	24.2
HMNB Clyde⁽²⁾	39.2	17.96	97.5	154.6
RM Condor	24.8	2.2	2.0	29.0
Headquarters 2nd Division^{(3, 4)}	66.3	1.3	4.5	72.1
Headquarters 51 Brigade⁽³⁾	18.1	0.4	2.6	21.1
Redford Barracks⁽³⁾	⁽⁴⁾—	0.1	0	0.1
Dreghorn Barracks⁽³⁾	⁽⁴⁾—	0.2	0	0.2
RAF Kinloss⁽⁵⁾	6.7	4.3	17.4	28.4
Fort George Barracks⁽³⁾	⁽⁴⁾—	0.2	0	0.2

2010-11
RAF Leuchars⁽⁵⁾	4.6	5.8	13.2	23.6
HMNB Clyde⁽²⁾	39.1	18.4	149.1	206.6
RM Condor	23.6	3.1	0.7	27.4

Headquarters 2nd Division^{(3, 4)}	62.9	0	3.6	66.5
Headquarters 51 Brigade⁽³⁾	21.4	0.6	0.5	22.5
Redford Barracks⁽³⁾	⁽⁴⁾—	0.1	0	0.1
Dreghorn Barracks⁽³⁾	⁽⁴⁾—	0.3	0	0.3
RAF Kinloss⁽⁵⁾	6.5	4.1	3.8	14.4
Fort George Barracks⁽³⁾	⁽⁴⁾—	0.2	0	0.2

2011-12
RAF Leuchars	41.9	9.2	11.0	62.1
HMNB Clyde⁽²⁾	39.1	18.4	149.1	206.6
RM Condor	26.3	5.6	0.7	32.6
Headquarters 2nd Division^{(3, 4)}	63.6	0	5.7	69.3
Headquarters 51 Brigade⁽³⁾	18.5	0.2	4.2	22.9
Redford Barracks⁽³⁾	⁽⁴⁾—	2.1	0.2	2.3
Dreghorn Barracks⁽³⁾	⁽⁴⁾—	1.3	0.2	1.5
RAF Kinloss	37.4	7.6	1.1	62.1
Fort George Barracks⁽³⁾	⁽⁴⁾—	0.7	0.2	0.9
⁽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, Hansard, columns 460-62W.

8 thoughts on “Parliamentary Answers – to 24th January 2013”

Angus McLellan January 26, 2013 at 1:15 am

If I regularly ate fish caught in the Baltic the “review of literature” report mentioned above in the answer on munitions dumping wouldn’t make me happy. Very interesting, but not really in a good way.

Now perhaps this is a stupid question, but why wouldn’t boring conventional explosive and incendiary devices have been disposed of in the past on land by letting them do their stuff? OK, not all at once, if you’re disposing of hundreds of tons of munitions, but couldn’t a big bang on a firing or bombing range be made just as safe as loading the stuff aboard a creaky old tub on a one-way voyage?
ChrisM January 26, 2013 at 3:05 pm

I am thinking of getting my MP to ask a question

“How much does the MOD spend answering pointless questions from MPs, and is the MOD allowed to ask ‘why the f*** do you want to know that?’?”
Angus McLellan January 26, 2013 at 5:16 pm

@ChrisM: It’s the 21st century. No need to involve your MP (at extra cost). Just put in an FoI request. Instructions here: https://www.gov.uk/make-a-freedom-of-information-request/the-freedom-of-information-act
Topman January 26, 2013 at 5:25 pm

Always seems to be the same names always asking the same similar questions. They do like their hobby horses.
Phil January 26, 2013 at 5:30 pm

“Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East, Conservative)”

This man asks enormous numbers of ridiculous questions. What are the regulations for facial hair in the Army.

WTF are you on? Fucking Google it you idiot. Honestly, he doesn’t stop. I might just have to write to him and tell him to direct his mundane questions to me I could do his research for him for less money than it probably costs the MoD to answer his banality.
Phil January 26, 2013 at 5:32 pm

Good God a quick Wiki search shows HE was in the Army! So why is he asking a Minister about the regulations on facial hair?!
All Politicians are The same January 26, 2013 at 5:34 pm

Phil
Topman January 26, 2013 at 5:40 pm

Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour) is another one, judging by her questions it seems she thinks we are all either rapists or thieves (or possibly both.)

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