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  • Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Europe of 8 June 2016, Official Report, column 138WH, what assessments were last carried out on (a) whether the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen were targeting civilians and (b) respect for and compliance with international humanitarian law; and if he will place in the Library copies of documentation used in such assessments.

    Michael Fallon

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) analyses allegations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) violations arising from air strikes in Yemen conducted by the coalition. The MOD has not assessed that the coalition is deliberately targeting civilians.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK ground personnel based in Saudi Arabia have witnessed the (a) movement, (b) transport or (c) storage of cluster munitions in that country.

    Michael Fallon

    No.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) of his Department’s civilian staff based in the UK, (b) military personnel based in the UK, (c) of his Department’s civilian staff based in Saudi Arabia and (d) military personnel based in Saudi Arabia were employed by the (i) Saudi Arabian National Guard Communications Project and (ii) Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Project on 1 April in each of the last six years.

    Michael Fallon

    The number of civilian and military personnel based in the UK and Saudi Arabia who were employed by the Saudi Arabian National Guard Communications Project (SANGCOM) and the Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Projects (MODSAP) on 1 April in each of the last six years is shown in the table below. The Saudi Arabian Government reimburses the UK MOD for these staff costs and there is, therefore, no cost to the UK taxpayer.

    Manpower as at 1 April 2016

    SANGCOM Project

    MODSAP

    UK-based Civilian Staff

    2

    73

    UK-based Military Staff

    0

    31

    Saudi Arabia-based Civilian Staff

    31

    37

    Saudi Arabia-based Military Staff

    20

    68

    Manpower as at 1 April 2015

    UK-based Civilian Staff

    2

    71

    UK-based Military Staff

    0

    35

    Saudi Arabia-based Civilian Staff

    34

    33

    Saudi Arabia-based Military Staff

    20

    61

    Manpower as at 1 April 2014

    UK-based Civilian Staff

    1

    69

    UK-based Military Staff

    0

    42

    Saudi Arabia-based Civilian Staff

    28

    32

    Saudi Arabia-based Military Staff

    20

    50

    Manpower as at 1 April 2013

    UK-based Civilian Staff

    1

    69

    UK-based Military Staff

    0

    44

    Saudi Arabia-based Civilian Staff

    28

    31

    Saudi Arabia-based Military Staff

    21

    46

    Manpower as at 1 April 2012

    UK-based Civilian Staff

    1

    69

    UK-based Military Staff

    0

    44

    Saudi Arabia-based Civilian Staff

    26

    34

    Saudi Arabia-based Military Staff

    19

    48

    Manpower as at 1 April 2011

    UK-based Civilian Staff

    1

    75

    UK-based Military Staff

    0

    46

    Saudi Arabia-based Civilian Staff

    21

    32

    Saudi Arabia-based Military Staff

    19

    60

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of overall repair costs of an F35 during its operational lifetime.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The UK Lightning Force will be able to conduct all necessary maintenance of the F-35 aircraft at RAF Marham, including electronic equipment, following aircraft arrival in 2018. When components cannot be repaired on the front line and need to be returned to industry, this will be done via a global network of depots. The global repair network will be adopted by all of the F-35 partners and offers significant benefits in terms of economies of scale and operational availability. It does not mean that components specifically have to go back to the US for repair.

    The UK has a through life cost for the F-35, which includes repair costs. I am withholding this information as it has the potential to undermine the UK’s commercial position when negotiating contracts with industry.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what evidence he has received on the possible use of cluster munitions in Yemen by Saudi Arabia.

    Michael Fallon

    Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights have alerted us to their online reports on the use of cluster munitions in Yemen, which we are analysing.

  • David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to encourage students at Key Stage 3 to take up modern foreign languages.

    Nick Gibb

    The Government expects all pupils in secondary education to be taught a broad and balanced curriculum, and that includes the opportunity to study a foreign language at Key Stage 3 and 4. In 2010, only 43% of pupils were studying a GCSE in a foreign language, down from 76% in 2000. Since the Government introduced the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), the proportion of the cohort in state schools that are entered for a modern foreign language GCSE increased by 20% between 2011 and 2015. Our ambition is that 90 per cent of pupils in mainstream secondary schools will enter GCSEs in the EBacc subjects, including a foreign language.

  • David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that computer coding is taught to children from an early stage in their education.

    Nick Gibb

    Demand for high-level skills in computing will only grow in the years ahead and will be crucial to supporting a successful economy. It is essential that we have a generation of pupils who have the knowledge and understanding they need to become active creators of digital technology, and not just passive consumers of it. We want them to have a deeper understanding of how digital technologies work and be able to write computer programs.

    Since 2014, computing has been part of the National Curriculum at all four key stages. This replaced the outdated Information and Communications Technology (ICT) programme of study. The computing curriculum focuses on teaching children how computers work, the basics of programming, and encourages them to design computer programs to address real world problems. This includes introducing coding to primary pupils. At primary school, pupils are being taught what algorithms are, how to design and write programs to accomplish specific goals using sequencing, selection and repetition and how to apply logical reasoning to detect and correct errors.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2016 to Question 40363, what estimate she has made of the cost of energy imports by the UK in each of the next five years.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) does not produce projections of the cost of energy imports by the UK. The latest available estimate of the cost of UK energy imports is for the year 2015, valued at £37.9 billion.[1] Future costs of energy imports will depend on the volumes traded and also on fuel prices, which are inherently uncertain.

    [1] The Office for National Statistics publishes estimates of the value of trade according to internationally agreed classifications (SITC), with category 3 comprising most energy products (coal, crude oil, oil products, gas and electricity). This data is republished by DECC in table G7 of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES), and shows estimates of the value of energy trade.

  • Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to her speech of 18 November 2015 on a new direction for UK energy policy, when the terms of reference of the review into coal will be published; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    We remain committed to consulting on how we will we fulfil the Government’s commitment to phase out unabated coal and will be launching the consultation shortly.

  • Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assistance her Department provides to UK-based companies seeking to export energy and fuel; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    For electricity, the Government supports the development of interconnectors to other markets. These allow cross-border trade in electricity, determined by market prices. The GB system currently has 4GW of capacity, and in the Budget the Chancellor set out that it is in British consumers interests that this increases by at least 9GW. This will improve our security of supply, deliver significant benefits to consumers, and help integrate more low carbon generation into the system.

    On oil products, DECC policy is to secure a competitive market for suppliers by ensuring smarter regulation and addressing market distortions meaning UK companies – well established in the global oil markets – are freely able to export and import the fuels we need.