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.
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Question
Christopher Chope (Christchurch, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to respond to the letter of 26 October 2011 from Tineke Strik, the Rapporteur investigating the loss of lives of migrants from Libya in the Mediterranean Sea in March and April 2011.
Answer
Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)
holding answer20 February 2012
The letter from Ms Strik on behalf of the Council of Europe’s Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population was received in the Secretary of State’s office on15 February. We are currently looking into the issues raised and will respond shortly.
Question
Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people from other nations have been trained at the Defence Helicopter Flying School in each of the last five years; what aircraft they were trained to fly; and from which country they came.
Answer
Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)
A total of 22 students from other nations have been trained at the Defence Helicopter Flying School over the last five years. The following table details the country from which the student originated, type of aircraft used and the number of students per year.
| Country | Aircraft type | Number of students | |
| 2011 | Netherlands | Griffin HT1 | 2 |
| Australia | Eurocopter AS350 | 1 | |
| 2010 | Netherlands | Griffin HT1 | 2 |
| Portugal | Eurocopter AS350 | 1 | |
| 2009 | Qatar | Eurocopter AS 3 50 | 3 |
| Algeria | Eurocopter AS350 | 2 | |
| Kuwait | Eurocopter AS350 | 1 | |
| 2008 | Qatar | Eurocopter AS350 | 2 |
| Denmark | Griffin HT1 | 2 | |
| 2007 | Qatar | Eurocopter AS 3 50 | 4 |
| Ghana | Eurocopter AS350 | 1 | |
| Australia | Eurocopter AS350 | 1 |
Question
Gordon Banks (Ochil and South Perthshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what regulations his Department introduced between 1 June 2011 and 31 January 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.
Answer
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
Between 1 June 2011and 31 January 2012, the Ministry of Defence introduced eight new items of secondary legislation, namely:
The Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2005 (Amendment) Order 2011 (SI 2011/1364)
The Armed Forces (Terms of Service) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 (SI 2011/1523)
The Clyde Dockyard Port of Gareloch and Loch Long Order 2011 (SI 2011/1680)
The Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 (SI 2011/1848)
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Armed Forces) (Amendment) Order 2011 (SI 2011/2282)
The Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) (Amendment) Order 2011 (SI 2011/2552)
The Armed Forces Redundancy Scheme 2006, the Armed Forces Redundancy Etc. Schemes 2010 and the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2005 (Amendment) Order 2011 (SI 2011/3013)
The Northwood Headquarters Byelaws 2011 (SI 2011/3102).
These new instruments have come as the result of the regular updating and consolidation of departmental secondary legislation and have been prepared within existing departmental resources.
Question
Jack Lopresti (Filton and Bradley Stoke, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the level of rocket fire into Israel from Gaza.
Answer
Alistair Burt (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Afghanistan/South Asia, counter terrorism/proliferation, North America, Middle East and North Africa), Foreign and Commonwealth Office; North East Bedfordshire, Conservative)
We remain concerned about continued indiscriminate rocket attacks by Palestinian militant groups on Israel, as well as air-strikes and other attacks by the Israeli military on Gaza.
On12 March 2012, following the Israeli air-strikes on Gaza and rocket attacks by Palestinian militant groups on Israel, I released the following statement:
“I am deeply concerned by the recent escalation of violence in Gaza and southern Israel. I condemn any attacks targeting civilians. I urge all sides to exercise restraint, re-establish calm and avoid any further civilian casualties.”
The incidents on 9-12 March 2012represent a worrying escalation of violence. Reports indicate that 30 air-strikes were undertaken by the Israeli Defence Force; and 212 rockets and mortars were launched from the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militant groups, with 95 landing in Israel.
Our officials are continuing to monitor the situation closely.
Question
Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces were (a) married, (b) cohabiting and (c) in a relationship when they joined the services in the latest period for which figures are available.
Answer
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
holding answer12 March 2012
A personal status is recorded on the Joint Personnel Administration system on enlistment for the purposes of determining entitlement to some allowances and liability for dependent children, rather than the legal marital status of personnel. As these are private life matters there is no mandatory requirement for personnel to advise the Ministry of Defence if they are cohabiting or in a relationship.
Any information which is held would be on manual records, and could be obtained only by undertaking a manual search of records on multiple sites. This information could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Question
Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence
(1) what the budget for service married living quarters was in each year from 2000-01 to 2011-12; and what the planned budget is for 2012-13;
(2) what the armed forces housing budget was in each year from 2000-01 to 2011-12; and what it is planned to be in 2012-13.
Answer
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
Due to changed responsibilities between parts of the MOD over this period, information is only held on a consistent basis in respect of housing in Great Britain. The budgets for service married living quarters in Great Britain since 2001 are shown in the following table:
| £ million | |
| 2001-02 | 307 |
| 2002-03 | 288 |
| 2003-04 | 330 |
| 2004-05 | 318 |
| 2005-06 | 350 |
| 2006-07 | 371 |
| 2007-08 | 394 |
| 2008-09 | 405 |
| 2009-10 | 422 |
| 2010-11 | 429 |
| 2011-12 | 435 |
After taking account of income from service personnel for rent and contributions in lieu of council tax and certain other costs, the overall budgets allocated for armed forces housing have been as follows:
| £ million | |
| 2001-02 | 193 |
| 2002-03 | 170 |
| 2003-04 | 204 |
| 2004-05 | 189 |
| 2005-06 | 220 |
| 2006-07 | 240 |
| 2007-08 | 261 |
| 2008-09 | 270 |
| 2009-10 | 282 |
| 2010-11 | 286 |
| 2011-12 | 288 |
The Department is in the process of finalising the Planning Round and final budgets for 2012-13 have not been set.
Question
Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service married living quarters there are in each (a) region, (b) local authority area and (c) constituency.
Answer
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
A list of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) in each housing region as of8 March 2012 is shown in the table.
Data on SFA in each local authority area or constituency is not held.
| Housing Region | Location | Total |
| Central Area | Abingdon | 607 |
| Beaconsfield | 86 | |
| Benson | 599 | |
| Bicester | 288 | |
| Brize Norton | 1,061 | |
| Halton | 395 | |
| High Wycombe | 796 | |
| Shrivenham | 567 | |
| Total | 4,399 | |
| East Area | Bassingbourne | 149 |
| Brampton | 481 | |
| Chicks Ands | 255 | |
| Chilwell | 180 | |
| Colchester | 953 | |
| Coltishall | 27 | |
| Cottesmore | 458 |
| Grantham | 59 | |
| Henlow | 418 | |
| Honington | 484 | |
| Loughborough | 30 | |
| Marham | 641 | |
| Melton Mowbray | 39 | |
| North Luffenham | 202 | |
| Norwich | 7 | |
| Old Dalby | 24 | |
| Swanton Morley | 237 | |
| Waterbeach | 312 | |
| Wattisham | 541 | |
| Wigston | 5 | |
| Wimbish | 251 | |
| Wittering | 453 | |
| Woodbridge | 257 | |
| Total | 6,463 | |
| Northern Area | Bardney | 16 |
| Catterick | 1,753 | |
| Coningsby | 321 | |
| Cranwell | 360 | |
| Brampton (Cumbria) | 36 | |
| Digby | 211 | |
| Dishforth | 196 | |
| Driffield | 15 | |
| Fulford | 144 | |
| Harrogate | 136 | |
| Kirton in Lindsey | 57 | |
| Leconfield | 113 | |
| Leeming | 442 | |
| Linton on Ouse | 160 | |
| RAF Boulmer | 189 | |
| Ripon | 277 | |
| Scampton | 161 | |
| South Yorks | 6 | |
| Strensall | 183 | |
| Topcliffe | 175 | |
| Tyne Tees | 185 | |
| Waddington | 394 | |
| West Yorks | 3 | |
| Whitby | 28 | |
| Total | 5,561 | |
| Scotland and Northern Ireland Area | Aldergrove | 634 |
| Ballykinler | 199 | |
| Buchan | 13 | |
| Craigehall | 130 | |
| Dreghorn | 167 | |
| Glasgow | 155 | |
| Helensburgh | 595 | |
| Holywood | 370 |
| Inverness | 221 | |
| Kinloss | 243 | |
| Leuchars | 623 | |
| Lisburn | 481 | |
| Lossiemouth | 661 | |
| Polton | 275 | |
| Redford | 185 | |
| Total | 4,952 | |
| South East Area | Aldershot | 675 |
| Arborfield | 440 | |
| Ash Vale | 32 | |
| Biggin Hill | 184 | |
| Bordon | 450 | |
| Burghfield | 74 | |
| Chatham | 667 | |
| Chichester | 63 | |
| Church Crookham | 598 | |
| Connaught | 161 | |
| Dover | 18 | |
| Farnborough | 31 | |
| Gosport | 697 | |
| Hermitage | 139 | |
| London Centre | 348 | |
| Marchwood | 26 | |
| Middle Hill | 513 | |
| Northolt | 403 | |
| Northwood | 372 | |
| Odiham | 441 | |
| Pirbright | 486 | |
| Portsmouth | 705 | |
| Putney | 329 | |
| Rowner | 854 | |
| Sandhurst | 798 | |
| Shornecliffe | 944 | |
| Stamshaw | 620 | |
| Stanmore | 218 | |
| Uxbridge | 290 | |
| West Byfleet | 340 | |
| Winchester | 178 | |
| Windsor | 454 | |
| Woolwich | 204 | |
| Total | 12,752 | |
| South West Area | Blandford | 782 |
| Bovington | 348 | |
| Bristol/Bath/Trowbridge | 37 | |
| Bulford/Tidworth | 1,592 | |
| Chivenor | 292 | |
| Colerne | 370 | |
| Corsham | 267 | |
| Crownhill | 265 | |
| Culdrose | 304 | |
| Exeter | 36 |
| Ilchester | 274 | |
| Lympstone | 258 | |
| Lyneham | 896 | |
| Plymouth | 649 | |
| Plymstock | 107 | |
| Poole | 178 | |
| Salisbury Plain | 3,227 | |
| South Cerney | 137 | |
| St Mawgan | 159 | |
| Taunton | 47 | |
| Warminster | 146 | |
| West Moors | 59 | |
| Yeovil | 202 | |
| Total | 10,632 | |
| West Area | Bramcote | 206 |
| Brecon | 184 | |
| Castlemartin | 5 | |
| Chepstow | 195 | |
| Chester | 202 | |
| Cosford | 384 | |
| Donnington/Market Drayton | 241 | |
| Haverfordwest | 189 | |
| Hereford | 261 | |
| Innsworth | 525 | |
| Kineton | 116 | |
| Lichfield | 162 | |
| Malvern | 41 | |
| Shawbury/Shrewsbury | 185 | |
| St Athan | 335 | |
| Stafford | 226 | |
| Telford | 105 | |
| Ternhill | 180 | |
| Valley | 165 | |
| Weeton | 313 | |
| Total | 4,220 | |
| Grand total | 48,979 |
Question
Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the potential annual savings to his Department if married couples in the armed services were required to leave married living quarters after eight years of residence.
Answer
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The Future Accommodation Project is considering a range of options as part of the work on the New Employment Model (NEM). The NEM is tasked with developing a future employment model that is affordable and balances the aspirations of service personnel with the demands that service life makes on them.
It is too early to speculate as to what savings may arise, as all NEM proposals are still in development.
Question
Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence
(1) how many couples in each year since 2000 had lived in service married living quarters for a longer period than eight years;
(2) how many people in each year since 2000 had lived in service married living quarters for eight years;
(3) how many married couples were housed in service married living quarters in each year since 2000.
Answer
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
As at 7 March 2012, 42,581 service family accommodation (SFA) were occupied. 36,466 families were in a marriage or civil partnership.
Information on the number of occupied SFA per year (rounded to the nearest thousand) is shown in the following table:
| Number of occupied SFA | |
| 2000 | 50,000 |
| 2001 | 49,000 |
| 2002 | 46,000 |
| 2003 | 45,000 |
| 2004 | 45,000 |
| 2005 | 44,000 |
| 2006 | 42,000 |
| 2007 | 41,000 |
| 2008 | 41,000 |
| 2009 | 42,000 |
| 2010 | 42,000 |
| 2011 | 43,000 |
Currently over 12,000 families have resided in SFA continually for the last eight years.
Question
Kevan Jones (North Durham, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average annual cost to the public purse of service married living quarters was in the latest year for which figures are available.
Answer
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The average annual cost to the public purse of providing service married quarters for each family occupying housing in Great Britain was some £7,400 in 2011-12. This cost does not, however, take account of depreciation charges on properties owned by the Department in Scotland and some properties in England and Wales.
Question
Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence
(1) what the average compensation payment was to bereaved service families from PAX life insurance in (a) the last year, (b) the last five years and (c) the last 10 years;
(2) how many families have been paid compensation by PAX life insurance following the death of a family member serving in HM forces in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan in each of the last 12 years.
Answer
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
holding answer8 March 2012
Personal accident and life cover is voluntary and is separate from the benefits provided by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). We have a duty of care, however, to ensure that personal accident and life insurance cover is available to those service personnel who consider that they require it, and the MOD does this through the PAX and Service Life Insurance (SLI) schemes provided through Aon for PAX and the Sterling Insurance Group for SLI.
The following information has been provided by Aon.
The personal accident section of the PAX Plan provides compensation for death or permanent disability following an accident, on or off duty anywhere in the world. The amount of claim paid will depend on the level of cover purchased by the service person for themselves and, if applicable, their family. The benefit payable in respect of accidental death varies with the level of cover purchased, from £10,000 for the minimum cover, up to £150,000 for the maximum level of cover.
Some 57 accidental death claims were paid in the last year, and 182 in the last five years. It is has not been possible in the time available to identify the number of accidental death claims in the last 10 years.
Of the 57 deaths during the 12 months to31 December 2011, 39 were as a result of injuries sustained in Afghanistan; there were none from Iraq.
Of the 182 accidental death claims over the past five years, 133 were from personnel serving in Afghanistan; there were none from Iraq.
Taking into account all claims paid for accidental death, the average payment was £102,982 during the past year and £92,991 in the past five years.
If selected, the PAX Optional Life extension adds cover in respect of death due to natural causes.
The average compensation payment to bereaved service families from PAX Life insurance is £111,667 in the last year to31 December 2011, £68,548 for the last five years, and £62,135 for the last 10 years.
The figures are in respect of death from natural causes and are for armed forces personnel and insured family members (claims for children under 16-years have been excluded).
The Optional Life Extension Insurers regret that it has not been possible to identify natural causes deaths that occurred in either Afghanistan or Iraq, as completed files have been archived. However the number will be very small and unlike claims for accidental death, natural causes deaths will rarely be directly related to the location.
The Sterling Life Group has provided the following information:
From 2007-11 Service Life Insurance (SLI), the contracted MOD Life Insurance scheme, has paid 79 claims in total. Some 61 of these are considered operational deaths.
The total claims paid from 2007-11 is £12,709,000, with the average claims payment to bereaved service families being £160,873.
Question
Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will (a) release anonymised data on the mental health of UK service personnel to research establishments and (b) commission research on improving (i) the mental health of service personnel and (ii) the negative social effects of poor mental health of service personnel.
Answer
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
A large amount of personal data on the mental health of UK service personnel have been collected by researchers working for the King’s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR), as part of its major independent study, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), into the impact of deployment on the overall health and well-being of military personnel deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of the findings from this research have already been published in a range of peer-reviewed medical literature, and are available through the KCMHR website at:
www.kcl.ac.uk/kcmhr/index.aspx
The MOD values this very important study and will ensure its findings inform future policy to enhance the health and well-being of military personnel during their service career and beyond.
Question
Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence
(1) if he will establish procedures of continuous assessment of the psychological health of service personnel and the provision of guidance and assistance to then as necessary;
(2) what proportion of service personnel in each branch of the armed forces were undergoing psychological (a) testing and (b) training in the latest period for which information is available.
Answer
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The UK armed forces do not currently have a programme of mandatory mental health screening, because no robust research-based evidence has been produced to show that it is effective in identifying those people who do have a problem. In fact, research undertaken at the King’s Centre for Mental Health Research (KCMHR) indicates that in some circumstances it can actually be harmful, by presenting significant numbers of both false positive and false negative results. However, we have undertaken to commission new research into the question, and the major post-operational screening trial (POST) being conducted at the King’s Centre for Mental Health Research (KCMHR) in conjunction with the US Department of Defense, which is due to report in 2015, is looking at the effectiveness of post-deployment testing and monitoring of personnel.
We do of course already have a wide range of measures in place to provide advice, support and treatment to service personnel. We are ensuring that all routine medical examinations contain a specific mental health assessment, including those carried out on recruits and those preparing to leave the services. More specific examinations will also form a part of the medical treatment provided for those who have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, either in unit medical centres, MOD departments of community mental health, or in specialist NHS in-patient units. No overall figures are collated for all the various forms of assessments and examinations, and these could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Throughout their careers service personnel receive regular briefings and training on the identification and management of both operational and workplace stress, including recognising its signs in their colleagues. A key factor in all briefings is reducing the stigma that can be attached to mental health disorders. The services maintain a confidential support line that provides a fully trained, confidential, independent and non-judgmental listening and support service, and welfare officers, padres, and members of regimental organisations are all able to provide advice and support. For those seeking help online, the Defence internet website provides information on how to get advice and help urgently, and we are currently trialling access for service personnel to the ‘Big White Wall’ online early intervention service for people in psychological distress.
In April 2010, the MOD set up the stress management training centre (SMTC) at the Defence academy to co-ordinate the provision of training on the identification and management of both operational and workplace stress. Its intention is to ensure that all service personnel will receive regular briefings and training, starting during their initial training and reinforced and developed during a range of career development and promotion courses. Specific training is available for those going on operations, and this is provided before, during and after their deployment. Because of the wide variety of training provided, and the different organisations involved in its delivery, it is not possible to provide a specific number of those receiving training for any given period.
Question
Andrew Smith (Oxford East, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made with the Article 36 legal review of CHARM3; and if he will make a statement.
Answer
Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)
The review is close to completion and will report to MOD Ministers shortly. The review conclusion will be published shortly.
Question
Gareth Thomas (Harrow West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of senior civil servants in his Department were from an ethnic minority in March (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and if he will make a statement.
Answer
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The information requested is provided in the following tables:
| Senior civil service—ethnicity breakdown for 1 January 2010, 2011 and 2012 | |||
| Headcount | |||
| As at January each year | |||
| Ethnicity | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
| Black and Minority Ethnic | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| White | 265 | 245 | 230 |
| Grand total | 270 | 250 | 235 |
| Source: DASA (Quad) | |||
| Ethnicity proportion SCS and MOD core comparison | |||
| Percentage | |||
| As at January each year | |||
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| SCS | 2.6 | 2.8 | 2.6 |
| Total MOD core | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.6 |
| Notes: 1. All numbers have been rounded to the nearest five and may not sum precisely to totals. 2. All numbers exclude trading funds, Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel and locally engaged civilians. 3. Percentage rates are calculated on raw unrounded numbers, listed SCS rates are compared to total MOD core, at each time point differences between SCS rates and total MOD core rates are not statistically significant. 4. Information for March 2012 is not yet available so comparative figures for January have been provided. | |||
Although the numbers of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) senior civil service staff may be too low to show, they are within the expected range based on representation in the Ministry of Defence in general. There is no significant difference in the representation of Black and Minority Ethnic personnel across grades.
Question
Sheryll Murray (South East Cornwall, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hire cars were rented for official use by personnel deployed to Italy during Operation Ellamy; and how many personnel on average used each car.
Answer
Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)
At the height of operations around 100 hire vehicles were rented for official use by personnel deployed to Italy supporting Operation Ellamy. This was to support around 900 personnel.
Question
Sheryll Murray (South East Cornwall, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost per vehicle was of (a) fuel, (b) road tolls, (c) accommodation and (d) other logistics of a return trip from the UK to each base in Italy by logistical support provided by No. 2 Mechanical Transport squadron during Operation Ellamy.
Answer
Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)
The estimated cost of transporting supplies and materials by road to Italy by military vehicles is in the region of £1.6 million. This was done by 2 Mechanical Transport Squadron and comprised around 400 vehicle moves to Trapani and Gioia Dell Colle. There were also additional road moves made by contracted commercial carriers.
The costs for each trip were dependent upon the destination in Italy and changes due to operational requirements. However, the typical cost per vehicle was around £2,000 for fuel, £650 for road tolls, around £300 for accommodation and other personal costs for drivers and around £500 for Eurotunnel costs.
Question
Sheryll Murray (South East Cornwall, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria were used when deciding where to accommodate personnel deployed to Italy during Operation Ellamy.
Answer
Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)
At the time of Operation Ellamy the Ministry of Defence assessed the most appropriate accommodation for personnel supporting the operation, looking at a range of options from tented or prefabricated units to apartments or hotel accommodation. These assessments included the value for money of each type of accommodation, as well as security considerations and took into account the impact on operations of, for example, travel time to place of work and amenities available at the accommodation. Contracts were entered into based on our best estimate of the duration and the evolving nature of the operation.
Question
Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence
(1) when (a) he, (b) each Minister in his Department and (c) senior officials of his Department last met their counterparts in (i) Oman, (ii) UAE, (iii) Malaysia, (iv) Qatar, (v) Saudi Arabia and (vi) India;
(2) when (a) he, (b) each Minister in his Department and (c) senior officials in his Department last had discussions concerning the Eurofighter Typhoon with their counterparts in (i) Oman, (ii) UAE, (iii) Malaysia, (iv) Qatar, (v) Saudi Arabia and (vi) India;
(3) when (a) he and (b) his senior civil servants last visited (i) Oman, (ii) UAE, (iii) Malaysia, (iv) Qatar, (v) Saudi Arabia and (vi) India
Answer
Gerald Howarth (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (International Security Strategy), Defence; Aldershot, Conservative)
holding answer12 March 2012
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the benefit Typhoon orders can have on our own Typhoon acquisition programme. That is why Ministers and officials from the MOD are engaged in an active and innovative defence diplomacy initiative to promote Typhoon and other British defence and security exports.
As well as when meeting direct overseas counterparts, Ministers and officials are engaging in extensive consultation on Typhoon at all levels.
The following table shows when each Minister and senior official last held discussions with their direct counterpart. In the case of the Defence Senior Advisor Middle East, who has no direct counterpart, his last engagement with Ministers or officials from that country are recorded. Discussions about exports, including Typhoon, form a routine part of such international engagements.
| Oman | UAE | Malaysia | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | India | |
| Secretary of State for Defence | No record of meeting counterpart | March 2012 | No record of meeting counterpart | January 2012 | December 2011 | July 2012 |
| Minister for Defence Equipment Support and Technology | No record of meeting counterpart | No record of meeting counterpart | No record of meeting counterpart | No record of meeting counterpart | No record of meeting counterpart | July 2011 |
| Minister for International Security Strategy | September 2011 | February 2011 | January 2012 | November 2011 | December 2010 | February 2012 |
| Under Secretary of State for Defence | January 2012 | No record of meeting counterpart | January 2012 | December 2011 | No record of meeting counterpart | No record of meeting counterpart |
| Chief of Defence Staff | December 2011 | February 2012 | No record of meeting counterpart | January 2012 | April 2011 | No record of meeting counterpart |
| Permanent Under-Secretary | No record of meeting counterpart | No record of meeting counterpart | June 2011 | No record of meeting counterpart | December 2011 | February 2012 |
| Chief of Naval Staff | February 2012 | No record of meeting counterpart | May 2011 | December 2011 | No record of meeting counterpart | October 2011 |
| Chief of General Staff | December 2011 | No record of meeting counterpart | November 2010 | No record of meeting counterpart | December 2011 | February 2012 |
| Chief of Air Staff | February 2012 | November 2011 | December 2011 | February 12 | September 2011 | February 2012 |
| Defence Senior Advisor Middle East | February 2012 | February 2012 | Not appropriate | March 2012 | February 2012 | Not appropriate |
We do not have any records of discussions between the Minister for the Armed Forces, my hon. Friend Nick Harvey, and the Minister for Defence Personnel Veterans and Welfare, my right hon. Friend Mr Robathan, and their counterparts.
Question
Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence
(1) what assets and how many service personnel were involved in NATO exercise (a) Cold Response, (b) Atlantis, (c) Joint Warrior, (d) NATO Tiger Meet and (e) Oceanis in each of the last 5 years;
(2) what assets and how many service personnel will participate in NATO exercise (a) Cold Response, (b) Atlantis, (c) Joint Warrior, (d) NATO Tiger Meet and (e) Oceanis in 2012.
Answer
Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)
Details of the known assets and numbers of personnel involved in NATO exercises detailed for 2012 and the previous five years are as follows:
| 2012 | ||
| Exercise | Assets | Total number of personnel |
| Cold Response | Navy 1 x Landing Platform Dock ship, 1 x Landing Platform Helicopter ship, Royal Marine Commando Amphibious Forces Joint Helicopter Command—a tailored Air Group—not yet confirmed | c.1,000 |
| Atlantis | No involvement | |
| Joint Warrior 12-2 | Not yet available | |
| Joint Warrior 12-1 | Not yet confirmed | |
| Tiger Meet | Not yet available | |
| Oceanis | No involvement | |
| 2011 | ||
| Exercise | Assets | Total number of personnel |
| Cold Response | No participation | |
| Atlantis | No involvement | |
| Joint Warrior 11-2 | Navy 1 x Landing Platform Helicopter Ship, 1 x Landing Platform Dock Ship, 2 x Type 23 Frigate, 2 x Mine Counter Measures Vessel (Sandown Class), 3 x Mine Counter Measures Vessel (Hunt Class), 1 x Ship Submersible Nuclear (Submarine), 4 x Merlin helicopter, 1 x Lynx helicopter | (1)c.7,200 |
| Army 16 Air Assault Brigade, 3 Battalion the Parachute Regiment Battle Gp, 12 Regiment Royal Artillery, 7 Para Royal Horse Artillery, 2 Medical Brigade, Joint Air Picture Provision to the Land Environment, 1 Division/3 Division Forward Air Controller, Joint Ground Based Air Defence, Joint Helicopter Command—4 x Lynx helicopter, 2 x Sea King helicopter, 3 x Attack Helicopter | (1)— | |
| RAF 4 x Tornado strike aircraft, 4 x Typhoon fast jet aircraft, 2 x Hawk trainer aircraft, 1 x E-3D Surveillance/airborne command and aircraft, 1 x Sentinel Reconnaissance aircraft, 1 x VC10 transport/air-fuelling aircraft, 1 x TriStar long range transport aircraft, RAF Regiment | (1)— | |
| Joint Warrior 11-1 | Navy 1 x Type 45 Destroyer, 2 x Type 42 Destroyer, 4 x Type 23 Frigate, 3 x Mine Counter Measures vessel (S), 2 x Mine Counter Measures vessel (H), 1 x Landing Ship Dock, 1 x Auxiliary Fleet Supply Ship (Helicopter), 1 x Ship Submersible Nuclear (Submarine), 3 x Sea King Airborne Surveillance and Control helicopter , 4 x Merlin helicopter, 6 x Lynx helicopter, Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines | (1)c.6,200 |
| Army 15 Psychological Operations Group, 3 (UK) Division, Joint Air Picture Provision to the Land Environment, 16 Regiment Royal Artillery, UK Air Support Operations Centre, B Squadron Household Cavalry Regiment | (1)— | |
| RAF 8 x Tornado strike aircraft, 4 x Typhoon fast jet, 4x Hawk trainer aircraft, 1 x E-3D surveillance and airborne command and control aircraft, 1 x Sentinel reconnaissance aircraft | (1)— | |
| Tiger Meet | 1 x Merlin helicopter | c.15 |
| Oceanis | No involvement | |
| (1) Indicates brace | ||
| 2010 | ||
| Exercise | Assets | Total number of personnel |
| Cold Response | Navy 1 x Landing Platform Helicopter ship, 1 x Landing Platform Dock ship, Royal Marines Commando Amphibious Forces, Royal Marines Commando Sub Unit Joint Helicopter Command—2 x Chinook helicopter, 3 x Sea King helicopter, 3 x Lynx Helicopter | c.2,000 |
| Atlantis | No involvement | |
| Joint Warrior 10-2 | Navy 1 x Carrier Vertical Strike Ship, 1 x Type 42 Destroyer, 2 x Type 23 Frigate, 3 x Mine Counter Measures Vessel (S), 3 x Mine Counter Measures Vessel (H), 1 x Auxiliary Oil Replenishment (Helicopter) ship, 1 x Primary Casualty Reception Ship, 1 x Landing Ship Dock, 1 x Survey Ship, 1 x Patrol Boat, 2 x Ship Submersible Nuclear submarine, 1 x Merlin helicopter, 10 x Lynx helicopter, 1 x Sea King helicopter, 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery , Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines, 6 Assault Squadron Royal Marines | (1)c.6,200 |
| Army 15 Psychological Operations Group, 17 Port and Maritime Regiment, 23 Pioneer Regt, 29 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, 32 Battery Royal Artillery, 16 Regiment Royal Artillery, Joint Air Picture Provision to the Land Environment, UK Air Support Operations Centre, Spearhead Lead Element Company Joint Helicopter Command—2 x Puma helicopter, 2 x Merlin helicopter, 2 x Sea King helicopter | (1)— | |
| RAF 9 x Tornado strike aircraft, 4 x Hawk trainer aircraft, 1 x E-3D surveillance and airborne command and control aircraft, 1 x Sentinel reconnaissance aircraft, 2 x Puma helicopter, 2 (Motor Transport) Squadron, 85 Expeditionary Logistics Wing RAF | (1)— | |
| Joint Warrior 10-1 | Navy 1 x Carrier Vertical Strike 2 x Type 42 Destroyer, 4 x Type 23 Frigate, 1 x Mine Counter Measures Vessel (S), 2 x Mine Counter Measures Vessel (H), 1 x Auxiliary Oil Replenishment Ship (Helicopter), 1 x Primary Casualty Reception Ship, 1 x Ship Submersible Nuclear submarine, 8 x Harrier jet, 5 x Merlin helicopter, 3 x Lynx helicopter, 2 x Sea King Airborne Surveillance and Control helicopter, 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery | (1)c.6,180 |
| Army 2 Motor Transport Squadron, 148 Battery Royal Artillery, 16 Air Assault Brigade | (1)— | |
| RAF 8 x Tornado strike aircraft, 4 x Typhoon fast jet, 4 x Hawk trainer aircraft, 1 x E-3D surveillance and airborne command and control aircraft, 1 x Sentinel reconnaissance aircraft | (1)— | |
| Tiger Meet | No participation | |
| Oceanis | No involvement | |
| (1) Indicates brace | ||
| 2009 | ||
| Exercise | Assets | Total number of personnel |
| Cold Response | No participation | |
| Atlantis | No involvement | |
| Joint Warrior 09-2 | Navy 1 x Carrier Vertical Strike, 2 x Type 23 Frigate 3 x Mine Counter Measures vessels (S), 2 x Ship Submersible Nuclear submarine, 3 x Merlin helicopter, 1 x Lynx helicopter, 2 x Sea King Airborne Surveillance and Control helicopter, 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery | (1)c.6,300 |
| Army 1 Regiment Army Air Corps, Joint Air Picture Provision to the Land Environment, 16 Air Assault Brigade, 16 Regiment Royal Artillery, 148 Battery Royal Artillery | (1)— | |
| RAF 2 x Nimrod Intelligence Surveillance Targeting Acquisition Reconnaissance aircraft, 12 x Tornado strike aircraft, 4 x Typhoon fast jet, 8 x Harrier Jet aircraft, 2 x Hawk trainer aircraft, 1 x E-3D surveillance and airborne command and control aircraft, 1 x Sentinel reconnaissance aircraft | (1)— | |
| Joint Warrior 09-1 | No records held | c.6,400 |
| Tiger Meet | 1 x Merlin helicopter | c.15 |
| Oceanis | No involvement | |
| (1) Indicates brace | ||
| 2008 | ||
| Exercise | Assets | Total number of personnel |
| Cold Response | Navy 1 x Landing Platform Dock ship, 1 x Landing Platform ship Helicopter, 1 x Landing Ship Dock, 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines Joint Helicopter Command—info not held | c.2,000 |
| Atlantis | No involvement | |
| Joint Warrior 08-2 | No records held | c.5,800 |
| Joint Warrior 08-1 | No records held | c.5,400 |
| Tiger Meet | Navy 1 x Merlin helicopter | (1)c.15 |
| RAF 230 Squadron no records held | (1)— | |
| Oceanis | No involvement | |
| (1) Indicates brace | ||
| 2007 | ||
| Exercise | Assets | Total number of personnel |
| Cold Response | Navy No records held | |
| RAF No records held | ||
| Atlantis | No involvement | |
| Joint Warrior 07-2 | No records held | c.5,800 |
| Joint Warrior 07-1 | No records held | c.6,000 |
| Tiger Meet | 1 x Merlin helicopter | c.15 |
| Oceanis | No involvement | |
Question
Gareth Thomas (Harrow West, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid to send the children of civil servants to (a) private boarding schools, (b) private day schools and (c) Eton College in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; how much he expects to allocate for such purposes in 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.
Answer
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The civilian boarding school allowance is only paid to Ministry of Defence (MOD) civil servants appointed overseas. It ceases on return to the UK. MOD assistance with school fees is restricted to 90% of the actual boarding or day fees subject to a maximum ceiling. From 1 September 2010, where service children’s education (SCE) schools exist in an overseas area, employees have been expected to use them.
Total costs for financial year (FY) 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 paid to send the children of civil servants to private boarding schools in the UK were:
| Financial year | Cost rounded to the nearest £1,000 |
| 2009-10 | 972,000 |
| 2010-11 | 918,000 |
| 2011-12(1) | 810,000 |
| (1) For the period 1 April 2011 to 21 February 2012. | |
There are currently no children attending private day school in the UK or at Eton College.
In regard to financial years 2012-13, the MOD expects that the total cost spent on boarding school fees will decrease slightly from the previous financial year. From1 September 2010where SCE schools exist in an overseas area, civilian staff are expected to use them. There is no provision for sending the child to a boarding school/day school at departmental expense through choice or because of particular courses of study not covered by SCE overseas. In addition with the Department decreasing the number of civilian appointments overseas, it is expected that the requirement for use of boarding or day school allowances in the UK will continue to decrease.
Question
Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence
(1) what his policy is on allowing bereaved families to visit Camp Bastion;
(2) what requests his Department has received from bereaved family members to visit Camp Bastion.
Answer
Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)
holding answer13 March 2012
The Department has received some requests from bereaved families. Like the previous Government, the Government’s existing policy is not to organise or host visits for bereaved families to Afghanistan. However, we understand that this is a highly sensitive issue and, as a consequence, the feasibility of organised visits is kept under review.
Question
Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his Canadian counterpart on allowing bereaved family members to visit Camp Bastion.
Answer
Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)
holding answer13 March 2012
The Secretary of State for Defence, Mr Hammond, regularly discusses issues on a range of topics with his Canadian counterpart. The matter of bereaved family members visiting Afghanistan has been discussed by officials.
Question
Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what design changes to the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers were needed to accommodate the larger range of weapons used by the F-35C variant; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of such changes.
Answer
Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)
No changes to the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier design are needed to accommodate the UK weapon fit for the F-35C variant.
Question
Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much additional changes to the position of the Landing Signals Officer position on the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers to accommodate the C variant of the F35 Joint Strike Fighter will add to the construction cost of the carriers.
Answer
Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)
The landing safety officer (LSO) role is required to enable the recovery of conventional aircraft to a carrier variant (CV) carrier. It is not required for short take off and vertical landing (STOVL) operations. The cost to provide this role therefore forms part of our estimates for the conversion of a Queen Elizabeth Class carrier to CV configuration. These estimates continue to mature through the conversion development phase (CDP) and at this stage, our cost modelling does not identify the specific cost components for the LSO position.
Question
Menzies Campbell (North East Fife, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on the UK defence strategy of the absence of a fixed wing carrier strike capability.
Answer
Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)
As set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, our assessment is that expeditionary airpower can be delivered through other means (for example, land basing and overflight agreements with other nations) in the short term. This was illustrated by the campaign in Libya, which also confirmed our assumption that working more closely with allies and partners delivers more military capability.
The National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) assessed and prioritised all major areas of national security risk domestic and overseas. Subject-matter experts, analysts and intelligence specialists were asked to identify the full range of existing and potential risks, and determined that the strategic environment in the period after 2020 is far less certain. This is why the Government believe that a modern carrier capability, able to undertake a variety of roles such as power projection, peace keeping, conflict prevention and the provision of aid and assistance in times of crisis, will be required.
Question
Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many successful launches and traps of the F-35C aircraft have occurred (a) at sea and (b) on land using the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and Advanced Arrestor Gear in the last three years.
Answer
Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)
There has been one successful launch of the F-35C aircraft using the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System at Lakehurst, New Jersey in November 2011. There have been no F-35C launches at sea and no F-35C traps using the Advanced Arrestor Gear.
Question
Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what subsidy PAX life insurance receives; and what eligibility criteria apply.
Answer
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not subsidise PAX. However, service personnel are required to pay extra premiums to cover them for the period that they are deployed on the land or in the airspace over Afghanistan; these additional premiums are directly supported financially by the MOD. This support is available, on an individual basis, to other personal accident schemes which provide cover to service personnel and charge additional premiums for deployment in Afghanistan. PAX is voluntary and additional to MOD benefits provided through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
Question
Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had on auto-enrolment on a life insurance scheme for members of the armed forces.
Answer
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
I have had no such discussions. Personal accident and life cover is voluntary and is additional to the benefits provided by the Ministry of Defence in the event of death through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. However, we have a duty of care to ensure that cover is available to those service personnel who consider they require it, and the MOD does this through the PAX, and Service Life Insurance (SLI) schemes provided through Aon for PAX, and the Sterling Insurance Group for SLI.
Question
Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all compensatory payments made by (a) his Department and (b) other Government Departments to the next of kin of fallen service personnel, setting out how much was paid and over what time period since 2000; how many recipients there have been for each payment in each such year; what the total amount spent on each payment was in each year; whether any eligibility criteria applied in respect of each payment; and which Government Department was the lead Department in administering each payment.
Answer
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
holding answer8 March 2012
The following table provides information on the number of recipients of the death in service lump sum, the number of bereaved families in receipt of a survivor’s guaranteed income payment and the total amount paid for each year since the introduction of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, which is administered by the Ministry of Defence:
| Financial year | Recipients of death in service payments | Total paid (£) | Recipients of survivor’s guaranteed income payment—spouse | Recipients of guaranteed income payment—children | Total paid (£) |
| 2005-06 | (1)— | 20,000 | 5 | 10 | 120,000 |
| 2006-07 | 30 | 490,000 | 45 | 60 | 1,100,000 |
| 2007-08 | 40 | 765,000 | 80 | 95 | 1,800,000 |
| 2008-09 | 35 | 610,000 | 105 | 140 | 2,100,000 |
| 2009-10 | 40 | 720,000 | 145 | 190 | 2,500,000 |
| 2010-11 | 40 | 690,000 | 185 | 245 | 3,700,000 |
| Total | |||||
| (1 )Fewer than five Note: All figures have been rounded to 10 or 1,000 | |||||
Question
Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence
(1) what proportion of service personnel take out life insurance before being deployed to Afghanistan;
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of service personnel of each rank who were deployed (a) with and (b) without life insurance in each of the last 10 years;
(3) what estimate he has made of the cost to a member of the armed forces for life insurance each year.
Answer
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
This information is not held by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Personal accident and life insurance is voluntary and is separate from the benefits provided by the Government through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. We have a duty of care however, to ensure that personal accident and life insurance cover is available to those service personnel who consider they require it, and the MOD does this through the PAX, and Service Life Insurance (SLI) schemes provided through Aon for PAX, and the Sterling Insurance Group for SLI.
While we hold some information on those who have chosen to purchase personal accident and life insurance under these schemes. I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 February 2012, Hansard, column 651W. We do not have details of how service personnel are members of other schemes or purchased insurance immediately prior to a deployment.
Question
Graeme Morrice (Livingston, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what process his Department reached the decision that Capita should be the recommended supplier for the Army’s recruiting partnering project.
Answer
Andrew Robathan (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans), Defence; South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has selected the Recruiting Partnering Project Recommended Supplier in accordance with the Competitive Dialogue Procedure of the European Union Public Contracts Regulations 2006 (“The Regulations”), which apply to all public procurements not covered by a treaty for the functioning of the European Union exemption; the main exemption for MOD being “warlike stores”.
The selection of Capita as the recommended supplier for the Recruiting Partnering Project was decided on the basis of the ‘Most Economically Advantageous Tender’ in accordance with predetermined criteria.
Question
Gavin Williamson (South Staffordshire, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings Minsters in his Department have had with BAE Systems to discuss cost and time overruns on defence projects.
Answer
Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)
Defence Ministers continue to have regular discussions with BAE Systems about a range of subjects which, where appropriate, will include cost and time overruns on individual projects.
Question
Andy Slaughter (Hammersmith, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his Bahraini counterpart on the UK providing assistance to Bahrain’s security forces.
Answer
Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)
The UK is assisting Bahrain in its efforts to implement the reforms needed to bring long-term stability and prosperity to the country. The Secretary of State for Defence, Mr Hammond, has not had any discussions with his counterpart, or any other Bahrainis, regarding the UK providing assistance to Bahrain’s security forces.
Question
Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to revise the accident probability assessment of Faslane Shiplift for Vanguard-class submarines with Strategic Weapon System Embarked following the fire on the Russian submarine Ekaterinburg in the dry dock at Roslyakovo on 29 December 2011.
Answer
Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence conducts annual reviews of the safety case for the shiplift at Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde. The safety case includes fire as a potential hazard and identifies the appropriate safety mitigations to ensure that the risk is minimised. The review takes into account any lessons learned and new information obtained since the last review, as well as the need to deliver continuous improvement.
The annual review is currently under way, and began before the incident with the Russian submarine Ekaterinburg. It is too early to say whether there will be any relevant lessons from this incident. However, any that emerge will be considered during the review process.
Question
Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse was of protecting the Falkland Islands in each year since 1985; and what estimate he has made of the future costs of defending the Islands in each year to 2015.
Answer
Nick Harvey (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)
holding answer26 January 2012
Since 1985 the Ministry of Defence has used a number of budgetary models to record the costs of forces based in the Falkland Islands, making comparison difficult and there is variation throughout caused by what categories of expenditure were included. Prior to 2000-01 the MOD used cash accounting; the costs for financial years 1985-86 – 2000-01 were:
| Financial year | £ million |
| 1985-86 | 572 |
| 1986-87 | 402 |
| 1987-88 | 229 |
| 1988-89 | 102 |
| 1989-90 | 68 |
| 1990-91 | 66 |
| 1991-92 | 72 |
| 1992-93 | 58 |
| 1993-94 | 67 |
| 1994-95 | 66 |
| 1995-96 | 70 |
| 1996-97 | 81 |
| 1997-98 | 76 |
| 1998-99 | 72 |
| 1999-2000 | 71 |
Since 2000-01 the MOD has used resource accounting and the costs for these financial years are:
| Financial year | £ million |
| 2000-01 | 143 |
| 2001-02 | 115 |
| 2002-03 | 120 |
| 2003-04 | 111 |
| 2004-05 | 113 |
| 2005-06 | 143 |
| 2006-07 | 65 |
| 2007-08 | 67 |
| 2008-09 | 70 |
| 2009-10 | 73 |
| 2010-11 | 75 |
| 2011-12 | 64 |
| 2012-13 | 61 |
| 2013-14 | 63 |
| 2014-15 | 65 |
Since 2006-07 figures are for the cost to the Chief of Joint Operations Top Level Budget only. To provide the level of detailed breakdown for other Top Level Budgets expenditure in relation to the Falkland Islands would incur disproportionate cost. Consequently these figures do not reflect the full cost of defending the Falkland Islands as much of the cost is attributable to other budgets within the Department.
From 2011-12, responsibility and funding for estates management including accommodation costs and utilities such as electricity and fuel oil transferred to the Defence Infrastructure Organisation. This has contributed to the reduction in actual and provisionally forecast future expenditure shown from that year onwards.
The Commander of British Forces in the Falkland Islands is confident he has the resources to defend the islands against any attack. But it should be noted there is no credible threat against the islands.
Question
Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria his Department uses to determine the through-life cost of the (a) carrier variant Joint Strike Fighter and (b) STOVL variant Joint Strike Fighter; and if he will make a statement.
Answer
Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)
The Ministry of Defence bases its through life cost estimates for the joint strike fighter (JSF) on a comprehensive and detailed set of ground rules and assumptions covering all aspects of production costs, reliability data, flying hours required and capability upgrade requirements.
Because JSF remains in the development test phase, we use a mixture of actual data and parametric data based on historical aircraft types to assess the through life costs of JSF for the UK. This methodology is the same for all three variants of JSF.
Although JSF is a complex weapon system that will provide the UK with capabilities not previously available to our Armed Forces, the economies of scale of the collaborative programme involving nine nations means that we expect JSF to be more cost effective through life than our current in-service fighter aircraft.
Question
Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the unit cost is of a Joint Strike Fighter.
Answer
Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)
holding answer12 March 2012
The cost of the Joint Strike Fighter will be determined at its main investment decision point. The Ministry of Defence does not publish estimates prior to such decision points, as to do so could undermine its commercial position.
Question
Lord West of Spithead (Labour)
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, during the Strategic Defence and Security Review, the National Security Council discussed with the Ministry of Defence whether 19 destroyers and frigates were able to meet the United Kingdom’s requirements for directed naval tasks, possible contingencies and attrition.
Answer
Lord Astor of Hever (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Defence; Conservative)
The National Security Council and the Defence Strategy Group (chaired by the then Secretary of State for Defence) discussed the size of the frigate and destroyer force on several occasions. The Strategic Defence and Security Review concluded that a fleet of 19 would allow the Royal Navy to deliver military flexibility across the variety of operations envisaged by the endorsed adaptable strategic posture.
Question
Madeleine Moon (Bridgend, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the through-life costs of the carrier variant Joint Strike Fighter; and if he will make a statement.
Answer
Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)
We update our through life cost estimates for Joint Strike Fighter annually as part of our departmental planning round process.
Question
Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contracts awarded by his Department to management consultants (a) since publication of the Strategic Defence and Security Review and (b) in 2011-12 were awarded after competitive tendering; and how many competing providers there were for each contract awarded after competitive tendering.
Answer
Peter Luff (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Defence Equipment, Support and Technology), Defence; Mid Worcestershire, Conservative)
holding answer23 November 2011
The Ministry of Defence is at present conducting a review of its management consultancy contracts. I will therefore write to the hon. Member with further details once the review has been completed.
Substantive answer from Peter Luff to Alison Seabeck:
I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question on13 December 2011(Official Report, column 752W) about the number of contracts awarded to management consultants.
Between19 October 2010and31 October 2011, 72 contracts with a total value of £9.931 million were awarded to companies providing services to the Ministry of Defence under the Government Procurement Services definition of management consultancy. Of these contracts, 20 (valued at £5.903 million, 59% of the total value) were placed by stand alone competitive tendering, 41 were awarded competitively through a pre-competed government framework (valued at £3.899 million, 39% of the total value) and five were placed non-competitively (valued at £0.099 million, 1% of the total value). Data for the remaining six contracts, valued at £30,000 could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
In respect of the above data that falls in this financial year 2011-12, of a total of 38 contracts placed with a total value of £8.965 million, six (valued at £5.475 million, 61% of the total value) were placed by stand alone competitive tendering, 28 were awarded competitively through a pre-competed government framework (valued at £3.439 million, 38% of the total value) and four were placed non-competitively (valued at £0.051 million, 1% of the total value).
The number of competing providers for each contract awarded could only be provided as disproportionate cost.
Question
Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2011 to the hon. Member for Luton North, Official Report, column 552W, on prisoners: ex-servicemen, if he will make it his policy to record and publish annually the (a) number of ex-service personnel in prison establishments and (b) the proportion of the prison population constituted by ex-service personnel.
Answer
Crispin Blunt (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Prisons and Probation), Justice; Reigate, Conservative)
In September 2010, the Ministry of Justice and Defence Analytical Services Advice (DASA) published the results of joint work to determine the number of regular ex-service personnel in prison in England and Wales. The report found that or 3.5% of the population in prisons in England and Wales (2,820 prisoners(1)) were ex-service personnel.
This report remains the most comprehensive and reliable piece of research that has been published on this matter to date, and we have no current plans to repeat the exercise as there is no evidence to suggest that the proportion of veterans within the prison population has changed significantly.
(1) This corrects the answer of 2,280 previously given in answer to Mr Llwyd on 15 September 2011, Hansard, column 1339W, and Lisa Nandy on 25 October 2011, Hansard, columns 154-55W.
