HC Deb 19 June 1996 vol 279 cc479-80W
Mr. Fisher

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which statistics his Department has discontinued(a) the collection and (b) the publication of since 1989. [32864]

Mr. Arbuthnot

This is a matter for the Defence Analytical Services Agency, DASA, under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Paul Altobell to Mr. Mark Fisher, dated 19 June 1996:

I have been asked to reply to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence Procurement about the collection and publication of statistics since 1989 as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA).The main vehicle for the publication of statistics about Defence is "United Kingdom Defence Statistics", formerly "Statement on the Defence Estimates Volume 2". Changes are made to the contents of the publication as the Department's structure and the issues facing Defence evolve. Changes to tables between the 1989 edition and the last published edition, for 1995, are as follows:
  • "2.3 Analysis of the Defence budget by programme" replaced by "1.3 The Defence budget by budgetary area".
  • "3.7 Directorate General Ship Refitting" discontinued following Departmental re-organisation and the abolition of the directorate.
  • "4.1 Total MoD strength by area" replaced by "2.1 Regular Service and Civilian strengths".
  • "4.2 Analysis of Service personnel by programme" replaced by "2.2 UK Regular Forces by budgetary area".
  • "4.3 Analysis of Civilian staff by programme" replaced by "2.3 UK based Civilian personnel by budgetary area".
  • "4.4 Strengths of UK Regular Forces" and "4.5 Strengths of trained UK Regular Forces" replaced by "2.7 Strengths of UK Regular Forces: training and untrained".
  • "4.9 Strengths of Civilian staff employed in the Ministry of Defence; by type" and "4.10 Strengths of Occupational groups" replaced by "2.17 Permanent UK based Civilian personnel by grade equivalence".
  • "4.11 Civilian apprentices: type of establishment" and "4.12 Civilian apprentices: location" discontinued as numbers covered continued to decline.
  • "4.15 Recruitment of UK Regular Forces: by Service" and "4.16 Recruitment of male UK Regular Forces: by Category" replaced by "2.9 Intake from civil life of UK Regular Forces; by service and category".
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  • "4.19 Recruitment and losses of UK based Civilian non-industrial staff by Occupational group" replaced by "2.18 Recruitment and losses of UK based Civilian personnel".
  • "4.20 Outflow of trained Service personnel: major skill or trade groups" discontinued.
  • "5.1 Social Expenditure in the Defence Budget" discontinued.
  • "5.2 Strengths of uniformed medical staff of the UK Regular Forces" discontinued and replaced by separate publication (TSP24).
  • "5.3 Service hospitals", "5.4 Sickness episodes of UK Regular Forces personnel: selected diagnoses", "5.5 Medical discharges of UK Regular Forces personnel" and "5.6 Deaths of UK Regular Forces personnel" replaced by "3.15 Health of the UK Regular Forces".
  • "5.7 Selected qualifications obtained under Service sponsorship" discontinued.
  • "5.10 Strengths of male UK Regular Forces and numbers married: by age" and "5.11 Strengths of male UK Regular Forces and numbers married: by rank" replaced by "2.8 Strengths of UK Regular Forces: by age and rank".
  • "5.14 Service entertainment and welfare" discontinued.
  • "5.15 SSVC Broadcasting division (BFBS)" discontinued.
  • "5.16 Service pensioners" discontinued.
  • "6.4 Expenditure on offshore tasks included in the Defence budget" discontinued.
  • "6.6 Meteorological Office" discontinued. "6.7 Hydrographic services" discontinued.
  • "7.1 Ethnic origins of applicants for entry to UK Regular Forces: summary" and "7.2 Ethnic origins of applicants for entry to UK Regular Forces: Regional analysis" replaced by "2.15 Ethnic origins of applicants and entrants to UK Regular Forces",
  • "2.16 Ethnic composition of serving members of the UK Regular Forces" added.
  • "2.19 Strength of casual Civilian personnel" added.
  • "2.20 Defence Agencies: personnel numbers and operating costs" added.
The Department collects and analyses significant amounts of data from its own administrative system for its own internal purposes. Changes to such collections and analyses arising from Departmental re-organisations since 1989 cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.
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