Defence
Armed Forces: Compensation Scheme
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library (a) the Defence Analytical Services Agency statistical information and (b) feedback from (i) users and (ii) claimants on the analysis of the first year of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. [132291]
Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement of 19 March 2007, Official Report, column 31WS. A copy of the report is available in the Library of the House. The report is also available on the Service Pensions and Veterans Agency (SPYA) website: http://www.veterans-uk.info/pdfs/afcs/afcs_evalreport0506.pdf
Armed Forces: Deployment
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether guidelines exist on how far in advance of deployment a battalion’s flight dates should be confirmed; and if he will make a statement. [131982]
Mr. Ingram: Formal guidelines are laid down on how far in advance flight dates should be confirmed to battalions. Defence Instructions and Notices number
03-020 states that detailed itineraries and arrangements for all tasks are to be issued, generally two weeks before the task date. In practice, however, for operations and exercises, battalions are normally given at least 10 to 30 days notice of departure. In all situations the guiding principle is to give soldiers as much notice as possible of likely departure dates.
Armed Forces: Drugs
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of Directorate of Army Personnel Strategy following its examination of factors which lead to drug use among soldiers referred to in the answer of 17 May 2006, on armed forces (drug offences), Official Report.
Derek Twigg: The Directorate of Army Personnel Strategy’s examination of factors which lead to drug use among soldiers is not yet complete. I will consider placing a copy of the report in the House Library when it becomes available.
Bombs
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what munitions testing has been undertaken of the ERBS M85 cluster bomb; and what the failure rate is of the self-destruct mechanism. [131014]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 18 April 2007]: There have been a number of trials of the 155 mm L20A1 Extended Range Bomblet Shell, which contains M85 bomblets. When the totality of test and acceptance firings is analysed over the life of the munition, the average bomblet failure rate is approximately 2 per cent. As part of its ongoing quality and performance regime the MOD continues to actively monitor the performance of this system and explore ways of reducing the failure rate still further in partnership with the supplier.
Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations
Mr. Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces
personnel were redeployed to (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan within (i) one month,
(ii) two months, (iii) three months, (iv) four months, (v) five months, (vi) six
months, (vii) one year and (viii) two years of completing their last deployment in each of the last three years. [128237]
Mr. Ingram: Deployment figures are currently provided at aggregate levels based on manual returns. They are not available in central individual level databases. As such this data could not be collated without incurring disproportionate cost.
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason UK forces operate north of Baghdad; and if he will make a statement. [132619]
Des Browne: UK forces operate in and around Baghdad, including north of the city, in order to provide support to coalition operations, mentoring and training of Iraqi Security Forces and the provision of Force Protection to UK military and civilian personnel based in and around the city.
Iraq: Police
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of militia infiltration into the