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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the role will be of (a) Leonardo helicopters and (b) that helicopter’s production facility in Yeovil in the long-term support work for the AH-64E Apache when it enters service between 2022 and 2024.

Harriett Baldwin

Leonardo Helicopters will continue to lead on providing support to our existing Apache Mk 1 helicopters until they are retired from service in 2023-24.We have yet to decide the support arrangements for our new AH-64E Apache helicopters beyond the initial period of support that will be provided through the US Government.

The Ministry of Defence has signed a Strategic Partnering Arrangement with Leonardo Helicopters that will ensure that we continue to work together to enhance national prosperity through export success, and that the right innovation and technologies are available in the UK to meet our future defence requirements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 36 of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, how many members of staff are employed in his Department’s commercial specialist team designed to act as the single sponsor for aspects of the defence nuclear enterprise.

Harriett Baldwin

The Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) new Director General Nuclear organisation was established on 1 April this year. The acting Director General was appointed in May and we expect to make a permanent appointment by the end of the year. The MOD Head Office staff working on different aspects of nuclear-related matters have transferred into the new organisation and additional recruitment to strengthen and deepen the capabilities of the team is also taking place. At present, the new organisation has around 120 staff and it is envisaged that this will rise to about 175 staff over the course of the next year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department plans to spend on the upgrade and life-extension programme for the C130-J programme.

Harriett Baldwin

The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 announced an out of service date (OSD) extension of 14 C130J Mk4 aircraft from 2022 to 2030. This does not constitute an extension of the overall design life of the platform, but a revision of the Royal Air Force’s planned OSD. During this period, it is currently estimated that, over and above annual support costs, approximately £200 million will be spent on key components to maintain the life of the aircraft and £150 million on upgrading the fleet with new capabilities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department expects the Brimstone 2 missile system for Typhoon aircraft to be in service.

Harriett Baldwin

The planned in service date for the integration of the Brimstone 2 missile system on the Typhoon aircraft is December 2018, as previously published in the Major Projects Report 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his targets are for reductions in the defence estate in each year to 2020.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has committed to release land to accommodate 55,000 houses by 2020 in support of the Government’s public sector land release agenda. This year I have announced the release of 22 sites which will provide land for some 22,000 homes. By the end of this year I will set out how the MOD will deliver the remainder of its land release commitment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what he plans the in-service date to be for each of the nine P-8 Poseidon aircraft.

Harriett Baldwin

As previously stated, we expect that the first P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft will come into service in 2019, with the entire fleet being delivered by 2021. We are, as yet, unable to provide details of the in-service date for each UK aircraft as this will only be available once the production contract has been placed with Boeing.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civilian redundancies are planned in his Department in each year to 2020.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence is committed to meeting its obligations set out in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, including reducing our civilian workforce. Work is ongoing to develop detailed plans.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department’s planned expenditure is on UK defence attachés in each year to 2020.

Mike Penning

The following information shows Ministry of Defence funding for the Defence Attaché and Advisor Network to financial year (FY) 2019-20 including costs associated with the British Defence Section in Washington.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department’s planned expenditure is on language training in each year to 2020.

Mark Lancaster

The following table highlights the projected expenditure by financial year (FY), for the delivery of language training by the Defence Academy (DA) (part of Joint Force Command) and the Army, broken down by ‘Foreign Language Training’ (FLT) and ‘English Language Training’ (ELT).