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Equal Opportunities
Mr. Mans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to publish the report of the Office for Public Management on ethnic minority employment initiatives in his Department; and if he will make a statement. [21673]
Mr. Soames: I have today placed a copy of the Office for Public Management report in the Library of the House. The report covers a six-month review of both service and MOD civilian recruitment practices and makes a number of recommendations which have now been considered within my Department.
We accept the broad thrust of the report. While there are different messages for the armed forces and the MOD civil service in what the consultants found, there is much common ground, primarily concerning the development of goals in which ethnic diversity is a central theme. It is clear that, while some advances have been made, more can and should be undertaken, if the Department is to see an increase in the numbers of ethnic minority personnel employed in both the armed forces and the civil service in MOD.
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My Department is committed to reflecting more closely the ethnic balance of the United Kingdom. This is an issue which must be met positively and which requires unambiguous leadership from those at the top of the armed forces and the civil service to ensure that, in the armed forces and MOD, all can work and realise their full potential without fear of racial prejudice, discrimination or harassment. All personnel have responsibilities for ensuring that greater efforts are made to remove any unacceptable attitudes and must, individually, play their part in ensuring that the Department and the services are seen by all as organisations in which racial equality is fully embraced.
Mr. Mans:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the change of the boundary of the RAF Training Group Defence Agency.[21675]
Mr. Soames:
On 1 April 1997, the boundary of the Royal Air Force Training Group Defence Agency will be enlarged to incorporate all of Royal Air Force personnel and training command assets and functions at Royal Air Force Cranwell, together with the non-operational training policy function previously undertaken by the command's headquarters. The changes better focus the air officer commanding-in-chief's responsibilities for training policy, delivery of training, recruitment and selection.
The rebrigading of assets and functions under the chief executive of the Training Group Defence Agency will deliver more coherent management and improved use of resources across a wider range of activities than hitherto. The result of the changes is a single defence agency responsible for the recruitment and selection of all Royal Air Force personnel and the policy and delivery of all Royal Air Force non-operational training.
The chief executive of the agency has been set the following targets for financial year 1997-98:
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Mr. Mans:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the analysis of low-flying activity in the United Kingdom has been completed; and if he will make a statement. [21676]
Mr. Soames:
The analysis has been completed, from which it is clear that, although close attention has been paid to the need to balance military training demands against the avoidance of undue disturbance to the public, variations in the intensity of such activity across the country still exist. Although this is, in part, unavoidable because of operational and geographic factors such as the location of aircraft operating bases, aircraft range, avoidance areas, controlled airspace and weather conditions, we concluded that, even within these constraints, further efforts should be made to manage the activity as equitably as possible.
We therefore intend to improve the way in which the overall amount of low-flying activity is managed and the methods by which detailed statistics are recorded. This latter initiative will be a valuable tool in monitoring the effectiveness of the measures to try to redistribute this activity more equitably. In addition, the three services, individually and collectively, will pay greater attention to the areas that they choose in the UK for military exercises in an effort to spread the low-flying training aspects of them as evenly as practicable. Last summer, we announced measures to spread operational low-flying--that beneath 250 ft--more evenly between the three tactical training areas. Efforts will continue to reduce still further the amount of operational low-flying training. The scope for increasing the amount of low-flying training carried out overseas will be actively pursued. A statement on the distribution of military low flying in the UK low-flying systems will be published annually.
I have today placed in the Library of the House a paper giving a more detailed account of the analysis of the distribution of low-flying activity in the UKLFS. Further copies of the paper can be obtained from the following address:
Mr. Mans:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answers of 19 November 1996, Official Report, column 503, and 5 December 1996, Official Report, column 730, when the first report of the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee will be published. [21677]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
The Animal Welfare Advisory Committee has now delivered its first report and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Nigel Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which defence procurement contracts have been awarded to companies in Lancashire since 1992. [13273]
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Mr. Arbuthnot:
Data held centrally on the contracts database focus on accountability of financial matters and do not include details of titles or descriptions of individual contracts. Nor is an address held, although a "location of work" code is recorded. There is no location of work code that conveniently covers Lancashire and a search of records which could include Lancashire based companies revealed over 8,000 contracts. To give the information asked for would require each of these records to be researched, which would incur disproportionate costs.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the European Commission concerning his proposal to have the replacement royal yacht built in a British shipyard; and if his proposal extends to all fixtures and fittings.[13657]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
No discussions have been held with the European Commission. Security considerations will preclude the replacement royal yacht being designed or constructed outside of the United Kingdom. Fixtures and fittings could be procured from outside of the United Kingdom if this were consistent with security considerations and obtaining best value for money.
Mr. Viggers:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what considerations he is taking into account in his review of laundry services at the Royal hospital, Haslar; and what is the timetable for the further steps in the decision-making process. [19092]
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Mr. Soames:
This is a matter for the chief executive of the Defence Secondary Care Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
Key Target 1--Quality
Achievement of customer satisfaction with the quality of graduate trainees as reflected in customer advisory committee reports to the air officer commanding-in-chief. Target for 1997-98--95 per cent.
Key Target 2--Efficiency
To deliver the savings that accrue from the efficiencies agreed in long-term costings 1997, together with full cost items. Target for 1997-98--£8.258 million.
Key Target 3a--Quantity of Output (Flying Training)
The percentage of trained aircrew delivered against RAF requirements. Target for 1997-98--96 per cent.
Key Target 3b--Quantity of Output (Ground Training)
The percentage of trained personnel delivered against RAF requirements. Target for 1997-98--97 per cent.
Key Target 4--Human Resources
To implement the investors in people initiative. Target for 1997-98 implement at RAF College Cranwell, No. 1 RS RAF Locking, TDSU RAF Halton.
Key Target 5--Development of Output Costings and Unit Cost Measures
To undertake a cost attribution exercise which will contribute to the development of full output costings and associated unit cost and efficiency measures for the agency by financial year 2000-01. Target for 1997-98--completion of cost attribution exercise.
Ministry of Defence (Room 8247)
Main Building
Whitehall
London SW1A 2HB
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