The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish his Department’s policy on the procurement of Autonomous Weapons Systems.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not possess any fully autonomous weapon systems and has no plans to develop, procure or operate them. MOD policy is clear that all weapon systems will be under human control.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of Russian airstrikes on the number of non-extremist opposition fighters in Syria.
Penny Mordaunt
The Syrian regime, backed by Russian airstrikes, has put significant pressure on the non-extremist opposition, particularly in rural Damascus, Hama, Homs, Latakia and Aleppo. However, the Joint Intelligence Organisation has concluded that non-extremist opposition numbers have held up despite recent pressure.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has updated estimates of the cost of the Successor submarine programme since the publication of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.
Mr Philip Dunne
No. As stated in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, our latest estimate is that manufacturing the four Successor submarines is likely to cost a total of £31 billion, including inflation over the lifetime of the programme. We will also set a contingency of £10 billion.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ministry of Defence Police officers were deployed to support civilian police forces in each of the last six years.
Mark Lancaster
The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) do not have any designated police stations as defined by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.The MDP work collaboratively with Home Office forces, Police Scotland and Police Service Northern Ireland in locations where the force is deployed.
The MDP has regularly collaborated to provide support to national police operations. However the information requested will take time to collate and I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on recruiting a permanent chair of the Single Source Regulations Office; and when he expects the new chair to be in place.
Mr Philip Dunne
Each year the Ministry of Defence (MOD) publishes an analysis of all new contracts which sets out whether they were placed competitively or non-competitively. This analysis appears in the Department’s Statistical Bulletin Trade, Industry and Contracts and the most recent period for which data is available can be found through the link below. Table six in the excel tables and page 11 of the pdf refer to the relevant information.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-industry-trade-and-contracts-2015
Figures for amendments to existing contracts are not held centrally and, due to the large number of such cases, an analysis could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
All single source procurement contracts which met the criteria set out in Part two of the Defence Reform Act 2014 (DRA) are subject to the new single source procurement framework, apart from a very small number which have been specifically exempted from the framework by the Secretary of State for Defence, using the powers granted to him under section 14(7) of the DRA. The Department does not release details of these exemptions in order to avoid influencing future decisions.
Contracts which were signed prior to the new single source procurement framework coming into force can become subject to the regulations on amendment by agreement between the MOD and the contractor. To maximise the benefits from the regulations, the MOD intends to seek such agreement where appropriate, except where there are well founded commercial or practical reasons not to. However, the Department does not hold a central record of the number of contracts which have, on amendment, not been converted to Qualifying Defence Contracts, and the data could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Contracts which fall under the Regulations are only referred to the Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO) when there is a disagreement between the supplier and the contracting authority which cannot be resolved through negotiation between these two parties. The subjects that can be referred to the SSRO are set out in the DRA, and include whether or not costs are allowable, attributable to the contract and reasonable. Should a referral be made by either the MOD or the supplier, the consent of the other party is not required. One such referral was made in 2015, by the MOD.
The MOD is currently pursuing the recruitment of a Chair for the SSRO. The SSRO has an Interim Chairman in post and the Department plans to advertise this substantive position shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress has been made on the construction and procurement of HMS Prince of Wales and the accompanying aircraft for both Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Philip Dunne
The construction, test and commissioning of HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH and HMS PRINCE OF WALES continues in Rosyth. Around 80% of the structure of HMS PRINCE OF WALES has been built, and she will be structurally complete this summer. Aircraft will continue to be purchased incrementally, as part of a coherent build-up of capability, and we remain on track to deliver an Initial Operating Capability in the Carrier Strike role from 2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the drop out rate for army recruit training was in 2015.
Mark Lancaster
The average rate of those leaving the Regular Army during recruit training in 2015 was 28%. This figure is for untrained Regular Army personnel only, and therefore excludes Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, Army Reserve and all other Reserves.
For information relating to Army Reserve training rates, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Reserves (Mr Brazier) on 8 March 2016 to Question 29128 to the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Ms Thornberry).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to encourage interest in aviation and the Royal Air Force among young people.
Mr Julian Brazier
The Royal Air Force (RAF) engages in a number of ways to encourage interest in aviation and the RAF among young people including through its investment in the Air Cadet Organisation. In addition, the RAF Youth Engagement Programme is designed to raise awareness of aviation and aerospace, and their relevance to RAF career choices which require STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) qualifications. The programme runs a number of STEM days in schools and at cadet gatherings all over the country. In addition there are a number of residential placements for students and cadets that bring together hands-on engineering projects with face-to-face engagement with real-life aviators and engineers in the RAF.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to secure the long-term sustainable future of the Air Cadet Organisation and to encourage active participation in air cadet organisations.
Mr Julian Brazier
The RAF remains fully committed to the Air Cadet Organisation and have pledged funding in the region of £300 million over the next 10 years. This demonstrates the RAF’s full and continued support to this world class youth organisation.
All Air Cadet gliding was suspended in 2014 as a result of serious concerns over safety in the fleet. Following this extended pause, the Air Training Corps is restructuring Air Cadet Gliding, refocusing the resource on investing for the future Volunteer Gliding Squadrons and Air Experience Flights as well as building a much improved infrastructure. Where cadets have to travel longer distances, investment is being increased to include good quality residential accommodation for both cadets and staff allowing weekends and camps to take place. Glider experience will also be complemented by increased simulator opportunities on part task trainers.
Air Cadet gliding will emerge more resilient in the long run thanks to this reorganisation, and we will get back to a position where all cadets across the country have flying and gliding opportunities every year. Furthermore, the Air Training Corps is engaged in the Cadet Expansion Programme which seeks to increase the number of cadet units in schools by March 2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support Air Cadet Unit: 6 Romford Squadron and ensure it is not adversely affected by the reduction in the number of volunteer gliding squadrons; and what steps he is taking to provide adequate resources to volunteer gliding squadrons and ensure the increase in cadet units under their control does not result in a reduction in gliding training time per unit.
Mr Julian Brazier
6F (Romford) Squadron Air Training Corps will continue to be affiliated to 614 Volunteer Gliding Squadron (VGS) .
I refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave on 18 April 2016 to oral Question 904503 to the hon. Member for Southend West (Sir David Amess).