The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his plans are for the body that will replace the BBC Trust.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Government will set out its plans for the future of the BBC in a White Paper in the Spring.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) accountability of internet service providers to their customers and (b) role of the regulator in upholding the rights of those customers.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Internet Service Providers are accountable to Ofcom – and in turn to their customers – through Ofcom’s ‘General Conditions (14)’. These conditions include ensuring that an effective complaint handling procedure is in place, and Ofcom can impose a penalty of up to 10% of turnover for failure to comply.
Ofcom, as the UK’s independent communications regulator, has a duty to secure alternative dispute resolution (ADR) schemes for domestic and small business customers to make sure their rights are upheld. Ofcom periodically reviews the two approved ADR schemes (Ombudsman Services: Communications and the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme) and monitors their ability to deal with complaints independently, transparently and effectively.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the number and location of overseas deployments of Army Reserve personnel were in the last 12 months; and what assessment he has made of potential increases in the number of such deployments in the next 12 months.
Mr Julian Brazier
The number and location of Army Reserve deployments in the last 12 months are shown in the following table:
|
Location |
Personnel Number |
|
Afghanistan |
65 |
|
Algeria |
~ |
|
Bahrain |
~ |
|
Cyprus |
175 |
|
Egypt |
~ |
|
Ethiopia |
~ |
|
Falkland Islands |
10 |
|
Iraq |
35 |
|
Italy |
~ |
|
Jordan |
~ |
|
Kenya |
5 |
|
Kuwait |
~ |
|
Latvia |
15 |
|
Malawi |
~ |
|
Nigeria |
15 |
|
Oman |
~ |
|
Senegal |
10 |
|
Sudan |
~ |
|
Sierra Leone |
15 |
|
Somalia |
~ |
|
Tunisia |
~ |
|
Ukraine |
~ |
|
Uganda |
~ |
Rounding is necessary, as a means of disclosure control and the preservation of anonymity; it also improves the clarity of output and conveys an appropriate level of precision to users.
‘~’ is less than five.
It is expected that reserve mobilisation is likely to double during 2016.
Formed Reserve bodies will be deploying on some 23 overseas exercises this year; the majority of these will be at Company level. 4 PARA will also deploy for one rotation of the Falkland Islands Reinforcement Company in June-July 2016, while the intent is for 4 LANCS to be the Cyprus lead in October 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to what extent the Royal Navy plans to increase naval patrols in the Mediterranean to respond to the increase in attempted illegal crossings by migrants from North Africa.
Penny Mordaunt
We are encouraging the EU counter-migration mission, Operation SOPHIA, to increase its role in tackling irregular migration across the Central Mediterranean. Indeed, earlier this week the EU Foreign Affairs Council agreed on the need to evaluate options for increasing SOPHIA’s impact on human trafficking networks. This may include broader security support to the legitimate Libyan authorities, for example through potential capacity building. The UK currently has HMS ENTERPRISE deployed in support of Operation SOPHIA, and although we have no immediate plans to increase naval patrols in the Mediterranean, we are keeping our contribution under review as the operation’s requirements change.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many allegations of (a) sexual assault, (b) voyeurism, (c) sexual activity in a public lavatory and (d) exposure have been dealt with summarily by a commanding officer in each year since 2009.
Mark Lancaster
Commanding Officers do not have the power to deal by summary hearing with the offences of sexual assault, voyeurism, sexual activity in a public lavatory or exposure. These charges can only be dealt with by Court Martial or Service Civilian Court.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Crispin Blunt on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the capital costs of (a) replacing the Vanguard fleet with four new Successor submarines and (b) other foreseeable elements within the Trident renewal project up to the late 2030’s.
Mr Philip Dunne
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 MOD budget for the Spending Review period published in Budget 2016 included this latest estimate for the relevant period.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Crispin Blunt on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department’s capital programme prepared for Budget 2016 included revised estimates for the Trident Successor project.
Mr Philip Dunne
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 MOD budget for the Spending Review period published in Budget 2016 included this latest estimate for the relevant period.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much support work there has been for the order for the Boeing Poseidon P-8A (a) by value and (b) by number of jobs that will be undertaken by employees (i) in the UK, (ii) in the US and (iii) elsewhere; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Philip Dunne
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 April 2016 to Question 33058 to the hon. Member for Barrow and Furness (John Woodcock).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much production work there has been for the order for the Boeing Poseidon P-8A (a) by value and (b) by number of jobs that will be undertaken by employees (i) in the UK, (ii) in the US and (iii) elsewhere; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Philip Dunne
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 April 2016 to Question 33058 to the hon. Member for Barrow and Furness (John Woodcock).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what advice was provided by UK service personnel to the Saudi military prior to 8 May 2015 on international humanitarian law and the designation of civilian populated city regions as valid military targets.
Penny Mordaunt
The Ministry of Defence has a longstanding relationship with Saudi Arabia, including the provision of training and advice in a broad range of areas including International Humanitarian Law. The education and training courses which Saudi Arabian military personnel have completed includes courses such as Managing Defence in a Wider Security Context, the Strategic Leadership Programmes, and Initial Officer training courses. These courses expose Saudi military personnel to UK policy, and promote concepts of accountability, compliance with International Humanitarian Law and transparency. They are important in building skills which enable Saudi Arabia to deal appropriately with their own security problems, thereby contributing to regional security.