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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-03-31.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Defence Infrastructure Organisation will allow the contract to dredge Portsmouth Harbour so the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier can navigate it; what estimate he has made of the contract’s cost to the public; and when work will (a) commence and (b) finish.

Mr Philip Dunne

The contract to dredge Portsmouth Harbour is expected to be awarded in April 2015 and is worth £20 million to £40 million. Work will commence following the appointment of the successful bidder, and will be completed ahead of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s arrival in late 2016.

The bidders for the contract are Boskalis Westminster Ltd, Van Oord UK Ltd and Dredging International NV.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-03-31.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what collision warning capability the Rangeless Autonomous Information Debriefing System had.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Rangeless Airborne Instrumented Debriefing System (RAIDS) as fitted to RAF aircraft has no collision warning capability.

It logs and stores GPS positional data during flight. Data can only be downloaded post-flight to allow replay during sortie debriefing of the positional data for all aircraft fitted with RAIDS. Therefore, it provides no situational awareness to the crew in flight.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-03-31.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons the installation of an EASAMS Collision Warning System in Tornado aircraft was not completed following the successful trials of the system in 1995 and 1996.

Mr Philip Dunne

This technical demonstrator programme was aimed at evaluating the compatibility of the collision warning system concept in the fast jet environment. Technical demonstrator programmes are used to test the technical feasibility of new technology projects, often using experimental or conceptual technologies. They are not expected to produce equipment capable of being brought into service with the Armed Forces.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-03-31.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the fitting of the Rangeless Autonomous Information Debriefing System equipment to Tornado aircraft was regarded as mitigation for the collision warning risk over the last decade.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Rangeless Airborne Instrumented Debriefing System (RAIDS) as fitted to RAF aircraft has no collision warning capability.

It logs and stores GPS positional data during flight. Data can only be downloaded post-flight to allow replay during sortie debriefing of the positional data for all aircraft fitted with RAIDS. Therefore, it provides no situational awareness to the crew in flight.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-03-31.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times a day the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier will be able to enter Portsmouth Harbour during spring tides.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Queen Elizabeth class carriers would be able to enter Portsmouth Harbour twice a day, on each of two daily high tides, as could the Invincible class carriers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-03-31.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which companies tendered for the Portsmouth Harbour dredging contract.

Mr Philip Dunne

The contract to dredge Portsmouth Harbour is expected to be awarded in April 2015 and is worth £20 million to £40 million. Work will commence following the appointment of the successful bidder, and will be completed ahead of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s arrival in late 2016.

The bidders for the contract are Boskalis Westminster Ltd, Van Oord UK Ltd and Dredging International NV.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-03-31.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times HMS Hermes docked in Portsmouth Harbour.

Mr Philip Dunne

The number of times HMS Hermes docked in Portsmouth Harbour for maintenance and refit, is shown in the following table.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-03-31.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any other aircraft were operating in the area at the time of the collision between the two Tornado aircraft above the Moray Firth on 3 July 2012.

Dr Andrew Murrison

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right Hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Mark Francois) on 3 December 2013, (Official Report, column 639W). It would be inappropriate to comment on any details relating to this incident prior to the publication of the Service Inquiry.