Parliamentary Answers – to 29 June 2011

This is a regular round up of Parliamentary questions and answers from ministers relevant to defence issues In addition to oral questions, MPs and Peers can ask government ministers questions for written answer. These are often used to obtain detailed information about policies and statistics on the activities of government departments. In the House of Commons ‘ordinary’ questions do not have to be answered on a specific date. An MP will date a written question for two days after they have tabled it (ie, submitted it for answer via the Table Office). The convention is that the MP can expect it to be answered within seven days of the question being tabled.

 

Question

Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South, Liberal Democrat)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the UK nuclear deterrent on the level of nuclear proliferation; and what steps he is taking to discourage and reduce nuclear proliferation.

Answer

Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)

There is no evidence to suggest that the UK nuclear deterrent has any bearing on the pursuit of nuclear weapons by those who currently seek to develop them. The UK maintains a minimum credible deterrent and is committed to working towards the long term goal of a world without nuclear weapons.

The nuclear non-proliferation treaty remains the cornerstone of the non-proliferation regime, and the primary basis for our efforts to tackle proliferation. We support multilateral efforts to reduce the threat of proliferation such as through the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group, by promoting high standards for sensitive transfers of materials and technology and engaging with key partners on a bilateral basis. We remain determined to work with the international community to control proliferation, to build trust and confidence between nuclear and non-nuclear weapon states, and to take tangible steps towards a safer and more stable world where countries with nuclear weapons ultimately feel able to relinquish them. We strongly believe that sustainable global disarmament can be achieved only through a multilateral process.

 

 

Question

Bob Ainsworth (Coventry North East, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to take a decision on the future procurement of a second tranche of the Light Protected Patrol Vehicle Foxhound.

Answer

Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)

The Ministry of Defence’s wider requirement for Foxhound is currently under consideration. A decision on the second tranche will be made in due course and announced to the House in the usual way.

 

 

Question

Bob Ainsworth (Coventry North East, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when his Department plans to publish its Building Stability Overseas strategy.

Answer

Andrew Mitchell (Secretary of State, International Development; Sutton Coldfield, Conservative)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department for International Development and the Ministry of Defence are working together on the coalition Government’s Building Stability Overseas Strategy. The new Strategy will be published before the Houses rise for the coming summer recess.

 

Question

Bob Stewart (Beckenham, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces are deployed on the ground in territory controlled by the Libyan Transitional National Council.

Answer

Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)

There are fewer than 20 members of the UK armed forces temporarily based in Benghazi, as the Defence advisory team to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office diplomatic mission and the mentoring team in support of the National Transitional Council.

The precise number of personnel overseas fluctuates on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including the roulement of forces, visits and a range of other factors. We do not, therefore, publish actual figures for personnel deployed.

 

Question

Gordon Birtwistle (Burnley, Liberal Democrat)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of armed forces personnel serving on operations in Afghanistan are members of the Territorial Army.

Answer

Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)

As at 31 May 2011 approximately 3% of UK armed forces personnel identified as deployed on overseas operations in Afghanistan were members of the Territorial Army.

The precise figure will vary on a daily basis due to a number of factors, including, but not limited to, mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, visits and the roulement of forces.

 

Question

Hywel Williams (Arfon, Plaid Cymru)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding was allocated to the RAF for recruitment purposes in each category of expenditure in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Answer

Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)

holding answer 27 June 2011

Funding for RAF recruitment in the years requested is as follows:

£ million
RAF recruitment costs categories	Actual spend financial year 2010 -11	Forecast spend financial year 2011-12
Manpower	22.161	15.696
Marketing	3.189	7.918
Armed forces careers offices	1.624	1.764
Other costs (including sponsorships, travel and subsistence, administration, vehicle hire and contracts)	6.403	6.273
Total	33.377	31.651

Costs shown for financial year 2011-12 are forecast expenditure and can change during the year. While it is planned to reduce the RAF in size, trained personnel in the right areas are still required and targeted recruitment needs to be maintained.

 

 

Question

Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the present establishment of the RAF to undertake its tasks;

(2) with reference to the recent remarks of the First Sea Lord, if he will take urgent steps to reduce the workload of the Royal Navy;

(3) what plans he has to reduce the workload of the Royal Air Force.

Answer

Liam Fox (Secretary of State, Defence; North Somerset, Conservative)

holding answer 27 June 2011

The Strategic Defence and Security Review set out the adaptable posture that determines the structure of the armed forces. It distinguishes between different types of commitments for planning purposes. This allows our forces to be flexible enough to deal with unforeseen events, as well as maintaining other long-standing commitments.

 

Question

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the near cash projected spending on the Equipment Plan and Equipment Support Plan is for each year to 2015.

Answer

Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)

The planned near cash spending for the Equipment Procurement Plan and the Equipment Support Plan is as follows:

£ billion
Financial year	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
Equipment procurement	6.6	6.6	7.3	7.2
Equipment support	6.4	6.5	6.8	7.4

Planned spending in financial year 2012-13 and beyond will be reviewed as part of the Ministry of Defence‘s routine planning process. This will take into account the outcome of a range of work currently under way, including the three month exercise.

 

Question

Bernard Jenkin (Harwich and North Essex, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of (a) the task of recovering carrier aviation capability to support non-short take off and vertical landing fixed-wing aircraft and (b) the complexity of forming a joint Royal Navy and RAF force for this purpose.

Answer

Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)

holding answer 27 June 2011

We plan to regenerate a carrier strike capability from around 2020, based upon an operational Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier fitted with catapults and arrester gear and the F35C joint strike fighter.

The joint strike fighter fleet will be jointly maimed by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy in a similar way to the jointly manned Harrier Force. Navy and Air Commands are developing plans to sustain and then re-grow the skills and experience required to regenerate carrier strike capability. The transition plan includes a full analysis of all of the roles involved in delivering the new capability and a plan to deliver trained personnel to fill those posts in time to meet the introduction to service schedule.

The move to the F35-C (carrier variant) joint combat aircraft and the associated modifications to the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier will provide the UK with a world class capability in the decades to come.

 

Question

Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF fixed wing aircraft are in Afghanistan; and how many personnel by rank and duty are deployed on the operation.

Answer

Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)

holding answer 27 June 2011

The UK fixed-wing manned aircraft currently based in Afghanistan are the GR4 Tornado and the C-130 Hercules. There are currently eight UK Tornado GR4 aircraft and three UK C-130 Hercules deployed in Afghanistan.

The precise number of personnel overseas fluctuates on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, the roulement of forces, and a range of other factors. We do not, therefore, publish actual figures for personnel deployed.

Question

Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the purpose is of the Future Combat Air Capability study; and when he expects it to report

Answer

Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)

The Future Combat Air Capability study is a rolling programme of analysis that will be used to inform both current planning activity and future strategic defence reviews. Its purpose is to explore, within the current policy context, the most cost-effective mix of current and future airborne platforms to meet the Department’s future force requirements. For example, output from the study was used to inform the strategic defence and security review in 2010.

 

 

Question

Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the duties of an Aerospace Battle Manager are; how many people are serving in such posts; at what ranks; and how many are deployed on operations.

Answer

Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)

The duties of the Aerospace Battle Manager encompass the provision of air surveillance, air weapons control and space surveillance tasks. These include the monitoring of airspace to determine the identify of unknown aircraft, control and co-ordination of air defence and support aircraft for air policing and combat missions, detection and warning of ballistic missile launches and the provision of air and space surveillance data to Navy and Army commanders.

The number of Aerospace Battle Managers by rank in the branch as at 1 May 2011 is as follows:

Rank	Number of Aerospace Battle Managers
Air Commodore	2
Group Captain	8
Wing Commander	57
Squadron Leader	111
Flight Lieutenant	149
Flying Officer	62
Pilot Officer	30

The number of Aerospace Battle Managers currently deployed on operations in the UK is 165 personnel and those outside of the UK, including the Falkland Islands, is 27 personnel.

 

Question

Bernard Jenkin (Harwich and North Essex, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision has been made for (a) carrier-borne air-to-air refuelling capability and (b) fixed-wing carrier on-board delivery for the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier; and what the in-service date is for each capability.

Answer

Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)

holding answer 27 June 2011

The strategic defence and security review announced the decision to procure the carrier variant of the joint strike fighter to operate from the new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier from around 2020. We are currently studying the most cost-effective way to provide an embarked air-to-air refuelling capability and assessing potential solutions for the Queen Elizabeth class on-board delivery requirement.