This weeks Parliamentary Answers from the Commons and Lords
John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many UK seafarer (a) ratings tax and (b) officers served in the merchant navy in each year since 1982.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 October 2012, c240W)
Stephen Hammond (Wimbledon, Conservative)
The statistics that the Department for Transport has on the number of UK nationals who are seafarers are not broken down by the flag of the vessels on which they serve.
Andrew Stephenson (Pendle, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to improve public understanding of the work of the armed forces in Afghanistan.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 October 2012, c310W)
Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
Public understanding of the contribution of the armed forces to the overall NATO/ISAF mission in Afghanistan and the pursuit of Her Majesty’s Government’s foreign and security policy objectives is advanced through a variety of methods. We invite journalists, commentators and documentary makers to join members of the armed forces in theatre so that they can experience their achievements in Afghanistan first hand and gain a better understanding of the circumstances under which our troops are operating. We organise regular ministerial and other VIP visits with accompanying media coverage. In addition, we often arrange briefings for the media, both in Afghanistan and the UK, on operational developments. News articles and updates for the media and general public are posted daily on the Ministry of Defence and armed forces’ websites, Facebook and Twitter pages.
Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how many months of the year the Queen Elizabeth class carrier will be operational.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 October 2012, c310W)
Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The decision to revert to a Short Take Off Vertical Landing design carrier, announced by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend Mr Hammond, on 10 May 2012, Hansard, columns 140-42, will give us the ability to use both Queen Elizabeth class carriers to provide continuous carrier availability at sea. A final decision on the use of the second carrier will be taken as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015.
Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many sorties can be flown from a Queen Elizabeth class carrier in 24 hours.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 October 2012, c310W)
Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The Queen Elizabeth (QE) class aircraft carrier will have the capacity to deploy up to 36 Lightning II aircraft and four helicopters. Alternatively, it can also carry a mix of helicopters, the precise mix of aircraft being dependent on the mission, enabling the QE class to support a broad range of operations. I am withholding the information on how many sorties can be flown in 24 hours, as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the additional cost of running a second Queen Elizabeth class carrier would be.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 October 2012, c310W)
Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The in-service support solution for the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers is still in development, with a decision expected around the middle of this decade. The final decision on the use of the second carrier is expected as part of the strategic defence and security review in 2015.
Ben Wallace (Wyre and Preston North, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 September 2012, Official Report, on infantry officers, what calculations his Department made in reaching the decision that the information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 October 2012, c311W)
Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
holding answer 15 October 2012
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 17 September 2012, Hansard, column 454W. The Ministry of Defence does not hold centrally information relating to the numbers of infantry officers who have left the Army within two years of commanding their regiments. Complete information could only be produced by undertaking a manual comparison of Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system records since 2007 with separately held appointment board records. It was assessed that this bespoke work would have taken one person in excess of four days.
Martin Horwood (Cheltenham, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence
(1) whether design work has been carried out to modify the design of later submarines in the Astute class in order for them to be powered by PWR3 reactors;
(2) whether the seventh submarine in the Astute class will use a PWR2 or PWR3 reactor.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 October 2012, c311W)
Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
The seventh Astute class submarine will be powered by Pressurised Water Reactor 2 (PWR2). No design work has been carried out to modify Astute class submarines in order for them to be powered by Pressurised Water Reactor 3 (PWR3), rather than PWR2. PWR3 is a new design that exploits technology that was not available when the Astute design was finalised.
Margaret Curran (Glasgow East, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the proposed merger of BAE Systems and EADS on the Scottish defence industry.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 October 2012, c311W)
Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
BAE Systems and EADS have decided not to proceed with the proposed merger.
Bob Russell (Colchester, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence
(1) how much compensation has been paid to members of the armed forces for cancelled holidays and other costs incurred as a consequence of their being deployed to provide security at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics; what estimate he has made of the total figure allowing for outstanding claims; what the (a) largest and (b) lowest such payment was; and if he will make a statement;
(2) how many members of the armed forces have received compensation payments for cancelled holidays and other costs incurred as a consequence of their being deployed to provide security at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics; how many such claims have yet to be settled; whether there is a time limit for making such claims; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what payment to the public purse G4S has made to cover the costs of deploying members of the armed forces to provide security at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics; and if he will make a statement.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 17 October 2012, c312W)
Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The contract for security during the Olympic Games was between G4S and the London Organising Committee (LOCOG) as event organiser rather than with the Government and commercial negotiations are ongoing. The Ministry of Defence is currently calculating the cost of its involvement and this will be passed to LOCOG for its negotiations with G4S.
Claims for compensation by service personnel who have been financially disadvantaged by their deployment can be made through service channels. However, it is too soon to say how many have, or will be compensated and how much this figure will come to. There is no time limit imposed on submitting claims.
The largest claim that the single services can authorise is for £5,000 and we anticipate that most claims will be below this figure. There are mechanisms in place through direct contact with the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency to deal with any claim in excess of that figure.
Lord Laird (Crossbench)
To ask Her Majesty’s Government in how many missions to Libya by United Kingdom forces during recent conflict bombs were released and exploded; what were the types of targets and weights of bombs, and how effective was their use.
Hansard source (Citation: HL Deb, 18 October 2012, c481W)
Lord Astor of Hever (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Defence; Conservative)
During the 2011 Libyan campaign the Royal Air Force conducted approximately 3,070 sorties, of which 2,120 were combat sorties.
During this operation, the UK’s precision guided bombing capability was provided by Enhanced Paveway II and Paveway IV that contain a 10001b and 5001b warhead respectively.
The UK employed around 900 Paveway IV and 240 Paveway II munitions during the operation. We carefully select the type of weapon in every engagement to ensure the most appropriate munition is used to deliver the required effect, while minimising the risk of civilian casualties.
All our actions in Libya were tightly governed by the terms of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1973 and all targets were chosen to protect the civilian population. The targets ranged from command and control structures through to military barracks and individual vehicles and weapon systems.
All the precision weapons systems performed well during operations in Libya achieving a very high success rate and making a substantial contribution to the NATO mission to enforce UNSCR 1973 and protect the civilian population of Libya.
Nick Harvey (North Devon, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the oral statement of 18 July 2012, Official Report, column 643, on defence transformation, how many uniformed personnel were based in Scotland in each of the three armed services at the time of the statement.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 October 2012, c30W)
Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
At the time of the statement in the House on 18 July 2011, Hansard, column 643, the number of uniformed personnel based in Scotland is estimated to have been as follows:
Number
Royal Navy 4,680
Army 3,200
RAF 4,030
These figures are correct as at 1 July 2011, and are rounded to the nearest 10.
Caroline Lucas (Brighton, Pavilion, Green)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the names are of the people who participated in the 10 September 2012 delegation to Bahrain; and whether they participated in (a) an official, (b) an unofficial, (c) a private and (d) another capacity, specifying what the capacity was.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 October 2012, c30W)
Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
In addition to myself, the delegation consisted of one member of private office staff and a special adviser. General Simon Mayall also attended a number of meetings in his role as defence senior adviser middle east. All personnel visited Bahrain in an official capacity in support of Her Majesty Government’s policy for defence engagement and wider foreign policy.
Andrew Rosindell (Romford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent providing bottled drinking water in the Sovereign Base Areas of (a) Akrotiri and (b) Dhekelia in the last 12 months.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 October 2012, c30W)
Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
From 1 September 2011 to 31 August 2012, the British Forces Cyprus budget spent the following on bottled water:
Western Sovereign Base Area (Akrotiri and Episkopi) €70,191
Eastern Sovereign Base Area (Dhekelia) €4,146
The water was for use at decompression facilities, for in flight catering (flights transiting through Cyprus), and on exercises.
Bob Ainsworth (Coventry North East, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any of his Department’s procurement programmes have been delayed since publication of the Strategic Defence and Security Review; and what implications any such delay will have on the total projected costs of each programme.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 October 2012, c31W)
Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
holding answer 19 June 2012
In-Service Dates for new equipment are formally set at the Main Gate investment approval point.
Since the publication of the Strategic Defence and Security Review in October 2010, two new equipment procurement projects, which had previously passed their Main Gate approvals, have been delayed.
Because the cost implications of delay to programmes is a matter of negotiation with contractors, disclosure of further information at this stage would prejudice the Department’s commercial interests.
Alison Seabeck (Plymouth, Moor View, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence
(1) pursuant to the oral statement of 14 May 2012, Official Report, columns 261-4, on defence budget and transformation, which programmes have been ended in planning round 12;
(2) with reference to planning round 12, which projects which have been (a) cut and (b) deferred as a result of steps taken to balance his Department’s budget.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 October 2012, c31W)
Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
In-Service Dates for new equipment are formally set at the Main Gate investment approval point. As a result of decisions taken in Planning Round 12, no major procurement project that had passed its Main Gate Investment Approval point has been ended and one has had its In-Service date deferred.
I am withholding the details of the project concerned since their release would prejudice the Department’s position in its negotiations with its suppliers.
Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many flights the UK has made under the NATO Strategic Airlift Interim Solution since December 2011; what the (a) total cost and (b) cost per flight has been; and which aircraft were used.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 October 2012, c32W)
Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
Between 1 January 2012 and 30 September 2012 the UK has chartered seven flights under the NATO Strategic Airlift Interim Solution (SALIS). A further flight is planned for 15 October 2012. The aircraft used for these flights is an Antonov An-124.
Based on the relevant data held by the Department the cost incurred by the Ministry of Defence for drawing on the SALIS arrangement since 1 January 2012 is estimated to be £3.5 million. However, not all of the invoices have yet been received for the seven flights.
Due to the pricing mechanism used by participating NATO countries for the SALIS arrangement it is not possible to offer meaningful information on the cost per flight.
Bob Russell (Colchester, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel were deployed to provide security at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, by unit; how many working days of their time this amounted to; and if he will make a statement.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 October 2012, c32W)
Andrew Robathan (South Leicestershire, Conservative)
The number of armed forces personnel deployed to support the safety and security of the Olympic and Paralympic Games peaked at 18,700.
The personnel came from a mixture of established units as well as individual augmentees. Units and elements of units involved in the operation are set out by service as follows:
Royal Navy
HMS Ocean
HMS Bulwark
RNAS Culdrose
RNAS Yeovilton
30 Commando Royal Marines
43 Commando Royal Marines
42 Commando Royal Marines
45 Commando Royal Marines
Commando Logistic Regiment
24 Commando Engineer Regiment
1 Assault Group Royal Marines
539 Assault Squadron Royal Marines
Fleet Diving Squadron
RFA Mounts Bay
HMS Blazer
HMS Exploit
HMS Express
HMS Pursuer
HMS Raider
HMS Smiter
HMS Tracker
Royal Navy and Marine Reservists
Army
Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment
1(st) The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
Queen’s Royal Hussars
Irish Guards
The London Regiment
3 Scots
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland)
7 Scots
3(rd) Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment
1 The Princess of Wales Royal Regiment
2 The Princess of Wales Royal Regiment
3 The Princess of Wales Royal Regiment
1(st) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
2(nd) Battalion The Mercian Regiment
2(nd) Battalion The Parachute Regiment
3(rd) Battalion The Parachute Regiment
4(th) Battalion The Parachute Regiment
1(st) Battalion The Rifles
2(nd) Battalion The Rifles
4(th) Battalion The Rifles
5(th) Battalion The Rifles
6(th) Battalion The Rifles
The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery
7(th) Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
26(th) Regiment Royal Artillery
12(th) Regiment Royal Artillery
16(th) Regiment Royal Artillery
100 Regiment Royal Artillery
106 Regiment Royal Artillery
23 Regiment Royal Engineers
28 Regiment Royal Engineers
35 Regiment Royal Engineers
HQ 1 Signal Brigade
1 (UK) Armoured Division Signal Regiment
10 Signal Regiment
39 Signal Regiment
71 Signal Regiment
HQ 101 Logistic Brigade
HQ 104 Logistic Brigade
13 Air Assault Support Regiment
17 Port and Maritime Regiment
150 Regt Royal Logistics Corps
151 Regt Royal Logistics Corps
152 Regt Royal Logistics Corps
156 Regt Royal Logistics Corps
27 Regt Royal Logistics Corp
29 EOD and Search Group
1 Military Working Dog Squadron
11 EOD Regiment
16 Air Assault Brigade HQ
13 Air Assault Support Regiment
Queen’s Own Yeomanry
Composite Units to include: 13 Medical Regiment, 216 Signals Squadron and 156 Provost Company Royal Military Police
4(th) Royal Army Medical Corps
3(rd) Regiment Royal Military Police
Royal Air Force
Joint Force Air Component HQ
1 Air Control Centre
RAF Conningsby
RAF Leuchars
RAF Odiham
RAF Benson
RAF Northolt
Queen’s Colour Squadron RAF Regiment
3 Force Protection Wing RAF Regiment
5131 Bomb Disposal Squadron
The total number of working days has not yet been finalised. However over the period of the Games, some 60 days, it is estimated to be of the order of 500,000 to 600,000 man-days. A breakdown by unit of the number of armed forces personnel deployed is not held centrally.
Dan Jarvis (Barnsley Central, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on research and development in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12; and how much he plans to spend in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 October 2012, c34W)
Philip Dunne (Ludlow, Conservative)
Ministry of Defence research and development (R and D) expenditure for financial years up to 2010-11 is published in “Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Statistics 2012”, available at:
Table 2.1
http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/science/science-funding/set-stats
The figures for net R and D spend across the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for the year 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11, inclusive of non-recoverable VAT at current prices, are shown in the following table:
Financial year MOD research and development (£ million)
2008-09 1,991
2009-10 1,752
2010-11 1,560
MOD R and D expenditure statistics are designated National Statistics status and as such the release of the figure for 2011-12 is embargoed until they are published for the first time by the Office for National Statistics in March 2013.
There is no centralised budget for R and D because development expenditure is applied as needed against requirements of individual equipment programmes.
Bob Russell (Colchester, Liberal Democrat)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilians employed by his Department are members of the reserves in each of the armed forces; and what proportion of the civilian workforce of his Department this represents.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 October 2012, c35W)
Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
Civilian employees are encouraged to volunteer the information as to whether they are a reservist in their records, but this is not mandatory. It is estimated that there are about 500 reservists and, of those, we estimate that about 15% are Naval reserves, 73% are Army reserve and 12% are RAF reserves. The figure of 500 represents slightly less than 1% of the total civilian workforce.
Gareth Johnson (Dartford, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has to encourage higher levels of participation in the reserve forces.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 October 2012, c35W)
Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
An additional £1.8 billion is being invested in the reserve forces over the next 10 years to grow the trained strength of the reserves of all three services by 50% or more by 2018: the Royal Navy and Royal Marine Reserves to 3,100, the Territorial component of the Army Reserve to 30,000 and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force to 1,800. The Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) programme is on track to deliver the revised manning levels in 2018.
The FR20 programme will include the engagement required to ensure the necessary levels of participation. For example, there will be a move to relationships with employers based on partnering.
The Ministry of Defence will consult the public and employers on how to achieve our vision for the reserves, which includes the participation required of reservists. A formal public consultation, beginning in late October, will enable a better understanding of the needs and desires of employers and potential and existing reservists, and how they may best be balanced with the requirements of Defence on an enduring basis.
Bob Ainsworth (Coventry North East, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Minister in his Department is responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review due to report in the autumn.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 October 2012, c35W)
Philip Hammond (Runnymede and Weybridge, Conservative)
holding answer 10 September 2012
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by Sir Nick Harvey on 26 March 2012, Hansard, column 957W, in which he stated that the Trident Alternatives Review is expected to report to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister at the end of the year.
The Trident Alternatives Review continues to be led by the Cabinet Office, aims to assist the Liberal Democrats in assessing the case for any alternative systems that could maintain a credible nuclear deterrent at lower cost. Ministerial oversight will be provided by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander.
Gordon Henderson (Sittingbourne and Sheppey, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any plans to commemorate in 2014 the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the River Plate; and if he will consider funding a suitable memorial.
Hansard source (Citation: HC Deb, 15 October 2012, c36W)
Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford, Conservative)
It is Government policy not to fund memorials but a matter for the public and veterans associations to manage as they see fit. The Government is considering a number of commemorative events for both world war one and world war two.
At present nothing specific is being planned for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Plate, although I would expect the event to be marked in someway, and this matter has already been discussed with the Royal Naval museum at Portsmouth.
Ridiculous question of the week:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent providing bottled drinking water in the Sovereign Base Areas of (a) Akrotiri and (b) Dhekelia in the last 12 months.
Still no comment on the Prince of Wales aircraft carrier. Personally, I think it will end up being sold to France.