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John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to sponsor physiotherapy education places for future service physiotherapists.

Mark Lancaster

Physiotherapists are now recruited into the Armed Forces as commissioned officers. As a result Defence has enjoyed healthy recruiting of physiotherapists and, consequently, sponsorship of individuals through training is not currently considered necessary. Defence has benefited from applicants gaining clinical experience in the NHS prior to joining the military.

01/01/2023
Fabian Hamilton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fabian Hamilton on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he received representations from the US military based at USAF Lakenheath before the recent use of USAF F-15s to kill an individual in Libya allegedly involved in the planning of terrorist acts; and whether he gave authorisation for such an act.

Penny Mordaunt

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 29 February 2016 to Question 903769.

01/01/2023
Ivan Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government has taken to help enforce the recently agreed ceasefire in Syria.

Penny Mordaunt

As a member of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), the UK has been closely engaged with the cessation of hostilities and supported UN Security Council Resolution 2268, which endorsed its terms. The UK supports a range of organisations on the ground in Syria who are reporting violations, and we are working with the UN and ISSG co-chairs in Geneva to support their monitoring and verification efforts.

01/01/2023
Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of whether additional investment to that already announced will be required during the stage 2 design process for the Successor programme.

Mr Philip Dunne

As I announced on 3 March 2016 (Official Report, columns 45-46WS) we are investing a further £642 million in the design phase of the Successor submarine. This is part of the staged investment approach announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

01/01/2023
Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of new contracts placed by his Department’s core departments during 2014-15 were with UK suppliers.

Mr Philip Dunne

In 2014-15, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) placed 2,128 new contracts; a breakdown of whether these were with UK or overseas suppliers is not held centrally.

The MOD does, however, routinely publish statistics on contracts it places on gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-industry-trade-and-contracts-2015. This includes an overall estimate of MOD expenditure for work undertaken in the UK. For 2013-14, this figure is £19.5 billion. The estimate for 2014-15 will be available in due course.

01/01/2023
Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the Russian government’s position on the UK leaving the EU.

Mr David Lidington

A strong, unified European Union has a critical role to play in responding to Russian aggression in Ukraine, which has challenged stability and security on the continent. The UK has played a leading role in pressing for tough EU sanctions, delivering a cost to Russia for its actions and supporting the full implementation of the Minsk agreements. It is likely that Russia would seek to exploit the UK leaving the EU in order to sow disunity amongst Member States and weaken their resolve. This reinforces the Government’s view that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

01/01/2023
Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what criteria his Department uses in assessing whether an incident counts as a violation of international humanitarian law.

Penny Mordaunt

Any assessments relating to compliance with International Humanitarian Law would be based on the principles of distinction, humanity, proportionality and military necessity.

01/01/2023
Martin Docherty-Hughes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martin Docherty-Hughes on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department holds information or documents on the Clydebank Blitz of March 1941.

Mark Lancaster

A search of the MOD archive has not identified any records on the Clydebank Blitz of March 1941; surviving documentation of that age is held at the National Archives at Kew.

01/01/2023
George Kerevan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Kerevan on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect of the 2003 Memorandum of Understanding between Cyprus and the UK on implementation of the Protocol on the Sovereign Base of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus in so far as it concerns illegal migrants and asylum seekers on where responsibility for refugees who enter those bases rests.

Penny Mordaunt

No assessments have been made.

Under the 2003 Memorandum of Understanding, Republic of Cyprus asylum officials assess asylum claims of migrants arriving directly into the Sovereign Base Areas. If they are granted asylum, they will have the same rights as those granted refugee status in the Republic of Cyprus. These collaborative arrangements between the UK and the Republic of Cyprus on the handling and processing of the migrants are being applied to those who arrived in the Sovereign Base Areas in October 2015 and the process is working well.

01/01/2023

George Kerevan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Kerevan on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has received on the applicability of the 1951 Refugee Convention to the migrants who arrived in the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus in 1998.

Penny Mordaunt

The 1951 Refugee Convention places no obligation on the UK to consider asylum claims made outside its immediate territory. The Sovereign Base Area is an overseas territory and separate by legal jurisdiction to the UK. The Convention has not been extended to the Sovereign Base Areas. Representations challenging the applicability of the 1951 Refugee Convention are currently being made to the High Court on behalf of a group of refugees who have been resident in the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus since 1998.

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01/01/2023