To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list for each of the last four years the principal items of military equipment acquired under the Urgent Operational Requirements procedures which have been transferred to his Department’s budget; when they were so transferred; and what proportion of Urgent Operational Requirements acquired equipment in the 2007-08 financial year he expects to be charged to his Department’s budget in 2007-08. (164657)

When there is an enduring requirement for Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) equipment, it is brought into the core defence programme. This is usually at the end of the operation. Continuing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan mean that we have not yet brought a significant number of UORs into core.

UORs brought into core have only been recorded centrally by MOD since 2005. Principal UORs taken into core since 2005 include enhanced armour and environment modifications for Challenger II; AS90 environmental enhancement to operate in extreme hot, dry conditions; tactical Global Positioning Systems; Helmet Mounted Night Vision Systems; and additional weapons stocks.

We have not yet taken decisions on UORs to be brought into our core programme in the current financial year as the planning round has not yet concluded.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on spare parts for equipment by (a) the Army, (b) the Royal Navy and (c) the Royal Air Force in each of the last five financial years. (174238)

The total defence equipment and support (DE&S) expenditure on capital spares additions in each of the last four financial years (to the nearest £ million) is provided in the following table. Individual capital account codes did not exist within the Department’s financial systems prior to Financial Year 2003-04. Previous information for Financial Year 2002-03 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The breakdown by Front Line Command for Financial Years 2005-06 and 2006-07 is given in the following table. Information broken down for Financial Years 2003-04 and 2004-05 (to the required accuracy) could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

It should be noted that these figures do not include any expenditure for non-balance sheet low value spare parts for equipment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria have to be fulfilled for a would-be defence supplier to become a prime contractor; and how a decision on the matter is made. (175041)

In response to business need, the Department assesses any potential supplier's eligibility against a number of standard objective criteria including capability, quality, financial and legal status, organisation, and supply chain management. The potential supplier is also assessed against project-specific criteria pertinent to the particular requirement.