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25 Mar 2003 : Column 138W—continued
Land Sales (Ashford)
Matthew Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 17 March 2003, Official Report, column 530W, on Land Sales (Ashford), what the potential clawback in the sale of part of Ashford barracks to the Westbury Homes and Wimpey consortium was; and if he will make a statement. [104629]
Dr. Moonie: Templar & Rowcroft (Ashford) Barracks was sold to Westbury Homes and Wimpy Homes in April 2002 following a public competition. Full market value was achieved based on the site's allocation for residential and commercial development as set out in the adopted Ashford Local Plan 2000.
I regret that my earlier answer of 17 March 2003, Official Report, column 530W, which referred to a clawback arrangement, was incorrect. The actual position is that £1 million was retained by the purchaser subject to no additional cost arising for clearance of contamination and noise issues. The payment of the retained sum is now subject to negotiation between the Ministry of Defence and the purchaser.
Reserve Forces
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reservists in Shrewsbury and Atcham have been called up from (a) the health profession, (b) the education profession, (c) transport services and (d) emergency services. [104617]
Dr. Moonie: Generally, Reservists are not required to provide details of their civilian employment to the Ministry of Defence until such time as they are called-out. Historically, therefore, no central records have been maintained by the MOD of the numbers of Reservists working in particular professions.
Information about how many reservists have been called-out from a particular area is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many mobilisation centres there are for each of the armed forces in (a) Middlesbrough, (b) Teesside and (c) the UK. [104670]
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Dr. Moonie: Mobilisation centres vary depending on the operation undertaken. For Operation TELIC Royal Navy, Royal Marine and Army Reservists have reported for service at HMS Nelson or Reserve Training and Mobilisation Centre Chilwell. RAF Reservists have reported to the appropriate RAF unit. These are: RAF Coningsby, Cottesmore, Cranwell, Halton, Marham and Waddington.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average age is of reservists called up to each of the armed forces. [104672]
Dr. Moonie: The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information is made available to Reservists at the time they sign up for Reserve Service in the armed forces about the financial measures in place following call-up. [104673]
Dr. Moonie: All Volunteer Reserve units should hold a copy of Joint Service Publication 516 (JSP 516) "The Reserve Forces Act 1996". This publication summarises the Reserve Forces Act 1996, and details the financial assistance available to Reservists when they are mobilised for permanent service. In addition, full details are included with a Reservists' call-out notice, and many Volunteer Reserve units conduct briefings prior to call-out.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what emergency measures are in place to ensure that reservists called up for regular service during times of conflict are not unduly penalised financially; and how these measures have changed since 1996. [104676]
Dr. Moonie: There are no emergency measures in place. Instead, the Reserve Forces Act 1996 introduced a system of payments to ameliorate the impact of call-out on reservists. An initial call-out gratuity of £395 is paid to cover any immediate costs arising from mobilisation. In addition, a reservists whose military salary is less than his civilian earnings may apply for financial assistance. This consists of a Standard Award that makes up the difference (within banded limits related to rank) between civilian and military salaries. If this is insufficient to avert serious financial difficulties, a reservist can also apply for a Hardship Award to cover essential outgoings such as mortgage repayments, school fees, or childcare costs. There is no limit on the amount of money that can be paid in a Hardship Award.
The regulations governing financial assistance for reservists are contained in Statutory Instrument 309 of 1997 ("The Reserve Forces (Call-Out and Recall) (Financial Assistance) Regulations 1997"), and are currently under review.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at what point in the call up process reservists are given information about insurance schemes available to members of the armed forces. [104678]
Dr. Moonie: Reservists are provided with information about available insurance schemes when they receive their call-out notice. In addition, information is
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periodically given to members of the Volunteer Reserves about insurance schemes. Information is also held by most units of those forces.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reservists from (a) Middlesbrough, (b) Teesside and (c) the UK (i) have been called up, (ii) are in mobilisation centres for, and (iii) have been deployed to each of the armed forces. [104679]
Dr. Moonie: The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
As at 18 March, 8,005 call-out notices had been issued, with 5,828 reservists having reported to their mobilisation point. 5,040 had been accepted into service. The overall requirement for reservists stands at 5,622.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) recommended and (b) average times are between reservists being called up for duty and their arrival at the designated mobilisation centre. [104680]
Dr. Moonie: Notice to report for compulsory call-out is set by operational requirements. Ideally, we would aim to give reservists 21 days notice to report for service. However, we cannot always achieve this and for Operation TELIC generally we were only able to give 14 days notice to report. We acknowledge that in some instances notice to report was considerably shorter, in the main this was due to postal problems or short notice changes in requirement.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) recommended time is and (b) average time has been between reservists' arrival at their designated mobilisation centre and their deployment. [104671]
Dr. Moonie: The time spent by Reservists at their designated mobilisation centre/unit before deployment is dependent on the training they require. The length of training is determined by the role of the Reservist and the operation they are to support.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what counselling and support services are available to the partners and families of reservists who have been called up for action in any of the the armed forces; and what plans there are to extend existing counselling and support services to cater for the partners and families of reservists who have been called up for action in the armed forces. [104677]
Dr. Moonie: Reservists are provided with information on the counselling and support services which are available to their partners and families when they receive their call-out notice. All existing welfare systems that are available for Regular service personnel and their families are available to Reservists. In addition, with the Reservist's permission, we maintain contact with their employers.
Serbian War Criminals
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what actions are being taken by British forces on deployment in the Balkans to help bring Serb indictees to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague. [104331]
Mr. MacShane: I have been asked to reply.
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I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him today.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Employment Protection
Mr. O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to give people who choose to work after the age of 65 the same employment protection as younger workers. [104591]
Alan Johnson [holding answer 24 March 2003]: The great majority of employment protection legislation already applies to older workers, whatever their age. We intend to review upper age limits on statutory redundancy payments and general unfair dismissal claims in the light of responses to the next public consultation on age discrimination, due to be launched this summer.
Pensions
Mr. O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultation the Government will hold with business before abolishing mandatory retirement ages as proposed in the Pensions Green Paper. [104592]
Ms Hewitt [holding answer 24 March 2003]: The Pensions Green Paper stated that "under the Directive, compulsory retirement ages are likely to be unlawful unless employers can show that they are objectively justified". By summer 2003, the Government will consult widely, including with business, on proposals around this and other aspects of the directive.
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