PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS FROM PS2 THE LEADING U.K. GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMPANY
Contact:
Phoenix
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Phoenix Air Vehicles were lost during Operation Telic; and how many have been lost since the Phoenix system entered service. [113955]
Mr. Ingram: 23 Phoenix Unmanned Aerial Vehicles remain lost on Operation TELIC, which count towards a total of 29 vehicles that have not been recovered since the Phoenix entered service in May 1999.
DEFENCE
Afghanistan
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the operation of provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan. [115363]
Mr. Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 8 May 2003, Official Report, columns 38-40WS.
Military Exports
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total value is of United Kingdom arms and weapons (a) contracts signed and (b) deliveries made to Indonesia since 1997.] [115785]
Mr. Ingram: In the period from 1997 to 2001, deliveries of defence-related equipment to Indonesia were worth some £280 million. The value of export orders placed during this period was some £120 million.
Figures for 2002 are not yet available. The basis for measures of defence exports using deliveries and identified orders is explained on page 29 of UK Defence Statistics 2002, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
Chinook Fleet
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Chinook fleet was last upgraded. [115610]
Mr. Ingram: A mid-life upgrade programme to convert the Chinook Mkl helicopter fleet to Mk 2 standard was completed in 1995. This was the last major fleet upgrade programme.
Subsequent to this conversion the Chinook Mk2 has been subject to a number of changes to enhance the capability of the aircraft, most recently in response to operations in Afghanistan and the Gulf. In common with other military aircraft, modifications designed to maintain airworthiness and reliability are also incorporated into the fleet from time to time.
Defence White Paper
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to publish the Defence White Paper 2003 between 8 and 18 September. [115298]
3 Jun 2003 : Column 33W
Mr. Hoon: As previously indicated, it remains my intention to publish a Defence White Paper in the autumn.
Equipment Supply
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the adequacy of equipment supply to the armed forces. [114809]
Mr. Ingram: We have the mechanisms in place to supply the equipment that our armed forces need. Equipment is held to meet the requirements of a range of possible scenarios. Additional equipment and supplies for specific operational needs can be obtained direct from our commercial partners, where necessary through the Ministry of Defence’s tried and tested urgent operational requirement process. The recent operation in Iraq, for which an equivalent quantity of material to that supplied for the first Gulf conflict was deployed in half the time, demonstrated the overall adequacy of supply. However, action is in hand to identify lessons from this operation and we will publish the results in due course, subject to the usual constraints on force protection and security.
EU Armaments Movements
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from defence contractors regarding restrictions on moving armaments between EU countries; and if he will make a statement. [109084]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 1 May 2003]: The Ministry of Defence has received a number of representations from defence contractors concerning secondary legislation to be enacted under the Export Control Act 2002.
The Government remain committed to ensuring that the new controls und