§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers and of what rank comprise the Special Investigations Branch; and what is the annual expenditure of the SIB broken down into relevant headings. [123887]
§ Mr. SpellarThe Special Investigations Branch (SIB) comprises 25 Officers and 158 soldiers, of the following ranks:
Rank Total Lieutenant Colonel 3 Major 12 Captain 10 Warrant Officer Class I 14 Warrant Officer Class II 27 Staff Sergeant 49 Sergeant 68 Total 183 The full cost of operating the SIB does not currently fall to a single, discrete budgetary area. For example, support costs may be satisfied at local level by the military unit with whom the SIB personnel are collocated; and, moreover, such costs are not separately apportioned. To determine the cost of operating the SIB worldwide could not, therefore, be achieved without disproportionate effort.
A provisional estimate of expenditure on the three major SIB units which operate in the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland and Germany, for the present financial year, is detailed in the table.
Expenditure £ Military pay 7,122,261 Civilian pay1 1,020,969 Contracts2 32,500 IT3 29,989 Lands and buildings4 28,000 Travel and subsistence5 244,658 Fuel and utilities 60,638 VAT receipts -33,000 Miscellaneous6 423,603 Total 8,929,618 1In the UK and NI the SIB's functions are supported by civil servants, and in Germany by Locally Employed personnel 2Cleaning; Technical cleaning 3Installation and upkeep of both hardware and software 4Rents, legal fees, and minor estate improvements 5Vehicle hire, detached duty and daily travel 6Telephone costs, office supplies and logistical support