The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of whether Rolls Royce will complete the Nuclear Reactor Component of the Successor Programme on schedule; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Philip Dunne
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 20 January 2016 to Question 22344.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in how many countries UK Reapers are currently operational.
Penny Mordaunt
UK Reapers are currently operational in Iraq and Syria. No UK Reapers have been deployed to Libya, and no personnel from UK Reaper Squadrons have been deployed to Libya, Kenya or Somalia in the last three years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK Reapers have been deployed to Libya.
Penny Mordaunt
UK Reapers are currently operational in Iraq and Syria. No UK Reapers have been deployed to Libya, and no personnel from UK Reaper Squadrons have been deployed to Libya, Kenya or Somalia in the last three years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much is spent daily on food on each serving solider.
Mr Philip Dunne
Ministry of Defence personnel in the UK and permanent bases overseas are primarily catered for through a number of multi-activity contracts. Armed Forces personnel serving on operations, exercises and HM Ships and Submarines, are catered for under a single food supply contract with Purple Foodservice Solutions Ltd.
The cost of feeding Service personnel when on operational deployments and on training exercises varies, depending upon a defined kilocalorie output, which is based on the level of activity being undertaken. Furthermore, the cost will vary across the world reflecting the cost of locally procured food.
For the vast majority of UK bases, the provision of catering services, including food supply, has been out-sourced to commercial contractors. Service personnel accommodated in these bases "pay as they dine" on a meal by meal basis, but are not obliged to take any meals on site.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the quality and nutritional value of food served to the Armed Forces.
Mr Philip Dunne
All food procured for Ministry of Defence (MOD) personnel must comply with MOD food quality standards. These standards comply with all UK and EU production standards, Farm Assurance or equivalent. The Defence Food Quality Standards (DFQS) establishes the minimum quality criteria that the Department requires a supplier to deliver. It sets the standard of what food and ingredients should be provided as part of the contracts to provide nutritious and balanced meals to Service Personnel. The DFQS publication is available online through the gov.uk website at:
(www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479299/20151006-DFQS-V12-U.pdf).
The MOD requires all of its food suppliers to comply with both EU and National legislation whilst operating to industry standards and monitors the suppliers’ compliance with the DFQS through a combination of product testing and conducting inspections of their premises/production facilities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many inspections have been carried out into the quality of the food served to UK Armed Forces in each of the last five years.
Mr Philip Dunne
All food procured for Ministry of Defence (MOD) personnel must comply with MOD food quality standards. These standards comply with all UK and EU production standards, Farm Assurance or equivalent. The Defence Food Quality Standards (DFQS) establishes the minimum quality criteria that the Department requires a supplier to deliver. It sets the standard of what food and ingredients should be provided as part of the contracts to provide nutritious and balanced meals to Service Personnel. The DFQS publication is available online through the gov.uk website at:
(www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479299/20151006-DFQS-V12-U.pdf).
The MOD requires all of its food suppliers to comply with both EU and National legislation whilst operating to industry standards and monitors the suppliers’ compliance with the DFQS through a combination of product testing and conducting inspections of their premises/production facilities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on whether there has been an application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission in respect of the case of Sergeant Blackman.
Mark Lancaster
The Department was notified by Sergeant Blackman’s legal team that an application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission was submitted in late 2015. The Department will continue to co-operate fully with Sergeant Blackman’s lawyers and will respond expeditiously to any enquiries the Commission may raise with it. This has included the release of the classified documents referred to during the Westminster Hall debate on 16 September 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidance his Department has issued on the standard, quality and nutritional content of food served to UK armed forces.
Mr Philip Dunne
All food procured for Ministry of Defence (MOD) personnel must comply with MOD food quality standards. These standards comply with all UK and EU production standards, Farm Assurance or equivalent. The Defence Food Quality Standards (DFQS) establishes the minimum quality criteria that the Department requires a supplier to deliver. It sets the standard of what food and ingredients should be provided as part of the contracts to provide nutritious and balanced meals to Service Personnel. The DFQS publication is available online through the gov.uk website at:
(www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479299/20151006-DFQS-V12-U.pdf).
The MOD requires all of its food suppliers to comply with both EU and National legislation whilst operating to industry standards and monitors the suppliers’ compliance with the DFQS through a combination of product testing and conducting inspections of their premises/production facilities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions his Department held with its French counterpart on the potential effect on Anglo-French defence contracts of a British exit from the EU.
Mr Julian Brazier
None.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Caroline principles are applied to any further targeted killing carried out in self-defence of the UK.
Penny Mordaunt
In taking any action in self-defence of the UK, we will take account of well-established principles of self-defence. As the Attorney General pointed out to the Justice Select Committee on 15 September 2015, the Caroline case goes back to the 19th century and was concerned with very different circumstances to those facing us now. However as the Attorney General also made clear, the principles still apply and action in self-defence may be lawful in relation to an attack which has not yet materialised but is imminent. In addition any such action must, like all other action in self-defence, comply with the requirements of necessity and proportionality.