The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his (a) US counterpart and (b) other NATO counterparts on the role of the 77th Brigade.
Penny Mordaunt
None.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) exercises and (b) deployments the 77th Brigade has conducted in each of the last three years.
Penny Mordaunt
Since 77th Brigade was formed in April 2015, 116 personnel have deployed on 30 exercises, the vast majority of which have been UK based; 20 personnel have deployed on four separate operations; and a further 23 personnel have deployed non-operationally as part of Short Term Training Teams to five countries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of aircraft in the Voyager surge fleet has been used by the Royal Air Force in each month since the first aircraft of that fleet was delivered.
Mr Philip Dunne
Voyager surge aircraft are owned by AirTanker Services Ltd and leased to civil airlines. No Voyager surge aircraft have been recalled to the military aircraft register for use by the Royal Air Force’s Voyager Squadrons. However, there have been seven occasions when Civilian registered Voyager surge aircraft have been chartered for individual tasks to transport troops.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State, Earl Howe, House of Lords Official Report, 27 April 2016, column 1202, when the new crime registrar for the service police will be appointed.
Mark Lancaster
The post of Service Police Force Incident and Crime Registrar is currently being advertised internally to Ministry of Defence civil servants in accordance with civil service recruiting rules. The closing date is 28 June. In the event that no one suitable is identified, the position will be advertised more widely in the civil service before consideration for external recruitment. The date of appointment to the position is dependent on the outcome of the recruitment process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State, Earl Howe, House of Lords Official Report, 27 April 2016, column 1201, and his announcement of a review by the Service Justice Board into the procedures for handling allegations of sexual assault in the armed forces, what the (a) current membership of the Service Justice Board is and (b) terms of that review are.
Mark Lancaster
The established membership of the Service Justice Board is as follows:
Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans – Chair
Minister of State for Policing, Fire, Criminal Justice & Victims
Solicitor General
Judge Advocate General
Director of Service Prosecutions
Chief of Defence People
2nd Sea Lord
Deputy Chief of the General Staff
Air Member for Personnel
MOD Central Legal Services
Director Army Legal Services
Commander Navy Legal Services
Director RAF Legal Services
Provost Marshal (Army)
Provost Marshal (RAF)
Provost Marshal (Navy)
Chief Constable Ministry of Defence Police
Director Military Courts Service
Other officials may be invited to attend as and when necessary.
The review into the procedures for handling allegations of sexual assault in the Armed Forces is to consider whether all, or any, of the offences of: sexual assault, exposure, voyeurism, or sexual activity in a public lavatory should be added to Schedule 2 to the Armed Forces Act 2006. The views expressed in both Houses during the passage of the Armed Forces Act 2016, and by external organisations such as Liberty, are an important factor in the on-going work on this issue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what changes his Department plans to make to the size of the workforce of the Ministry of Defence Police.
Mr Julian Brazier
The Department plans to recruit around 260 new police officers to the Ministry of Defence Police during the course of 2016-17 to offset anticipated attrition rates and maintain sufficient resource to the level of tasking required.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual cost is of safeguarding the Trident nuclear deterrent.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Department does not cost the safeguarding and security of individual capabilities. Given the multi-layered make up of security arrangements protecting the deterrent, overlapping with those of wider defence personnel and capabilities, identifying accurate costs could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
The in-service costs of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, including the costs of safeguarding, is estimated to be around six per cent of the annual defence budget.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to the size of the workforce of the Ministry of Defence Police on (a) public safety and (b) safeguarding the Trident nuclear deterrent.
Mark Lancaster
The safety and security at all of our nuclear facilities is of the utmost importance and the Ministry of Defence has several security providers which deliver this capability. Our arrangements are frequently tested and kept under continual review. We would never make changes that would place these in jeopardy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on which organisations have offered mental health support to veterans in (a) England, (b) Merseyside and (c) Liverpool in each year since 2010.
Mark Lancaster
In the UK, primary responsibility for the provision of healthcare, including mental healthcare, for veterans rests with the NHS in England and the Devolved Administrations. Funding of mental healthcare for veterans is a matter for the NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups in England and their equivalents in the Devolved Administrations. These bodies will hold information on the organisations providing mental healthcare to veterans in the UK.
The Ministry of Defence provides advice, information and signposting to support services for veterans though its Veterans UK web pages and free telephone helpline service and we encourage veterans wishing to seek help with mental health problems to visit: www.gov.uk/mental-health-support-for-the-uk-armed-forces or call the 24-hour veterans’ mental health helpline on 0800 138 1619.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ministry of Defence Police officers are employed in safeguarding the Trident nuclear deterrent.
Mark Lancaster
I am withholding the numbers of Ministry of Defence Police officers deployed to protect the Trident nuclear deterrent for the purpose of safeguarding national security.