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  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the existence of links between the Taliban and Islamic State movements in Afghanistan and the abusive exploitation of extractive resources.

    Penny Mordaunt

    We assess that the Afghan Taliban leadership opposes Daesh’s presence in Afghanistan, where there has been reported fighting between the two groups. Our judgement is that the Taliban generate funding via illegal exploitation of Afghanistan’s natural resources, for example marble, talcum and lapis lazuli, and through extortion of payments from legal mining operations, but we have seen no evidence to suggest that Daesh is currently engaged in these activities.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many consultants’ contracts were terminated early in each of the last six years for which figures are available; and what the cost of each such termination was in each of those years.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) publications, (b) consultation documents and (c) circulars his Department has issued since August 2012; and what the title was of each such publication, consultation document or circular.

    Mark Lancaster

    The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the elements of the Successor programme has commenced production of manufacturing drawings; and when he expects all elements of that to have commenced such drawing.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The production of manufacturing drawings is phased to support corresponding manufacturing activities and has commenced for long-lead elements of the Successor submarine including the propulsion plant and missile tubes.

    Production of the majority of manufacturing drawings will not commence until after the next approval.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in his Department.

    Mark Lancaster

    Cleaning within the Ministry of Defence is undertaken through estate maintenance contracts and therefore information on the rates of pay for cleaners is held by a number of third parties and not by the Department.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent from the public purse on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.

    Mark Lancaster

    The cost of Employment Tribunals can be found within the HM Courts and Tribunals Service annual accounts published at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/433948/hmcts-annual-report-accounts-2014-15.pdf.

  • Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the next three stages are in the investment programme announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review for the Successor programme; and when he expects each of those stages will reach approval decisions.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    As set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, we will further invest around £600 million in the design of the Successor submarine as we prepare to move to the demonstration phase. Options for the subsequent investment stages and their scope, time and cost are currently under consideration and will be subject to the formal approvals process

  • Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who the members of the nuclear enterprise board are; what the terms of reference are of that board; how many times that board has met since January 2015; and how that board reports to ministers.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Membership of the Defence Nuclear Executive Board consists of the:

    Permanent Secretary

    Vice Chief of the Defence Staff

    Director General Finance

    Director General Security Policy

    Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Military Capability

    Chief Scientific Advisor

    Fleet Commander

    The Terms of Reference for the Board are currently being reviewed. The Board sits quarterly and has met four times since January 2015; it reports to Ministers via the Defence Board.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2016 to Question 26667, whether HMS Defender tracked the Iranian UAV that was reported to have flown in close proximity to the USS Harry S Truman; and what reports he has received on other instances of Iranian UAV activity in the Persian Gulf.

    Penny Mordaunt

    I am withholding information on the operational activity of Royal Navy ships and on what operational reports Ministers receive as their disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2016 to Question 25153, what the 16 recommendations are of the Independent Power and Propulsion System Performance Review are; on which Type 45 Destroyers all those recommendations have been implemented in full; and when he expects the implementation of all those recommendations to be completed across the class.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The recommendations include fourteen that are are technical in nature and two that are administrative. We are currently reviewing the Independent Power and Propulsion System Performance Review, to determine what redactions are necessary before a copy is placed in the Library of the House. As part of this process, we are considering what information about the sixteen recommendations can be released.

    On the question of the adoption of those recommendations, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her to question 28036 on 1 March 2015.