Blog

  • Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2015 to Question 17678, how many (a) military and (b) civil servant personnel of each rank and grade are employed at (i) MoD Grantown-on-Spey, (b) MoD Llanwrst, (c) MoD Fairbourne and (d) MoD Crickhowell; and if he will make a statement.

    Mark Lancaster

    Information on the rank and grade of personnel Stationed at the listed locations as at 1 October for each year is provided in the tables below. The data has been rounded in accordance with data protection principles, where ~ denotes less than 5.

    NATO Rank

    2007

    2008

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    2015

    Llanrwst

    OR-6

    ~

    ~

    ~

    10

    10

    10

    10

    10

    0

    OR-4

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    5

    5

    5

    ~

    0

    Fairbourne

    OF-3

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OF-2

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    0

    0

    OR-7

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OR-6

    5

    5

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OR-4

    10

    10

    15

    15

    10

    15

    10

    10

    5

    Crickhowell

    OF-4

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    OF-3

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OF-2

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OF-1

    ~

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    0

    0

    0

    0

    OR-8

    0

    0

    ~

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    OR-7

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OR-6

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OR-4

    5

    5

    ~

    5

    10

    10

    5

    10

    5

    OR-3

    ~

    ~

    5

    10

    5

    ~

    0

    0

    0

    OR-2

    ~

    5

    10

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    0

    0

    Grantown-on-Spey

    OF-3

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    ~

    0

    ~

    0

    ~

    OF-2

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    0

    0

    0

    OR-9

    0

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OR-7

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OR-6

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    ~

    5

    5

    10

    10

    OR-4

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    5

    Grade Levels

    2007

    2008

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    2015

    Llanrwst

    Band D

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    Band E

    5

    5

    5

    5

    5

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    Industrial

    5

    ~

    5

    ~

    5

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    Fairbourne

    Band E

    10

    10

    5

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    Industrial

    10

    10

    5

    10

    10

    10

    ~

    ~

    ~

    Crickhowell

    Band C

    0

    ~

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    Band D

    5

    5

    5

    5

    5

    5

    5

    5

    5

    Band E

    5

    10

    5

    10

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    Industrial

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    Grantown-on-Spey

    Band E

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    Industrial

    ~

    5

    ~

    5

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

  • Julian Lewis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Julian Lewis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Lewis on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his evidence to the Defence Committee on UK military operations in Syria and Iraq on 1 December 2015, HC 657, Q36, if he will publish a breakdown of the groups comprising the estimated 70,000 fighters in Syria described by the UK government as moderate.

    Michael Fallon

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 1 December 2015 to Question 18014.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessments he has made of the future security needs of Ministry of Defence (MoD) establishments in the UK; whether responsibility for guarding any MoD sites, assets and infrastructure will be transferred from the MoD Police to the Armed Forces in the next five years; how and when such changes might be decided upon and implemented; and if he will make a statement.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Ministry of Defence has several organisations that provide policing and guarding across the defence estate. Our policy is to deploy the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) at those sites where constabulary powers are needed. We also use Regular Service Personnel or the specialist Military Provost Guard Service who have the ability to be armed where required.

    As part of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, we are reviewing how we provide our policing and guarding at some sites.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the sources of (a) arms and (b) armed vehicles obtained by Daesh.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Daesh has obtained weapons through capture, and through the black market. It has also captured a variety of armed and unarmed vehicles. In addition, Daesh has produced its own Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), including vehicle-borne IEDs and suicide bombs, improvised rockets, mortars and munitions.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what evaluation his Department made of the number and location of civilian workers who work at the al-Omar oil field in Syria before ordering Royal Air Force planes to bomb that facility; and how many civilians have been killed as a result of UK military action on targets in Syria to date.

    Michael Fallon

    UK air strikes are conducted in accordance with Rules of Engagement and International Humanitarian Law.The risks of collateral damage or civilian casualties are assessed and mitigated based on intelligence and the use of precision guided weapons. There have been no reports so far of civilian casualties as a result of UK air strikes in Syria.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidance his Department provides to service personnel on choosing state and private schools for their children’s education.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) Children’s Education Advisory Service (CEAS) provides information, advice and support to Service parents on all aspects of the education of their children. CEAS advice is free and impartial, and covers a range of issues including mainstream state schools and special state maintained schools, state boarding schools, the MOD’s Queen Victoria School Dunblane, and independent schools both day and boarding. CEAS also advise on MOD educational allowances, and the strict eligibility criteria that must be met.

    CEAS offer tailored support for Service parents who experience difficulty in obtaining the state school of their choice and where necessary support them through the appeal process. As well as help-lines and an email enquiry service, CEAS provide four dedicated peripatetic Parent Support Officers who are educational professionals and cover all locations within the United Kingdom.

    The guidance provided by the MOD was covered in some detail during a House of Commons Defence Committee Inquiry in 2013, and more detail is available in the Fourth Report of Session 2013-14: The Armed Forces Covenant in Action? Part 3: Educating the Children of Service Personnel, which is available in the Library of the House and at the following link:

    http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmdfence/586/58602.htm

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) joint Anglo-French and (b) solely French experiments have been conducted using (i) laser and (ii) hydrodynamics facilities at Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston to date.

    Michael Fallon

    I am withholding details of such experiments as their disclosure would prejudice national security and could prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and another State.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which memoranda of understanding have been agreed with the French government in support of Project Teutates.

    Michael Fallon

    The UK has three arrangements with France in support of the Teutates programme. The first is between the UK and French Nuclear Safety regulators to ensure safety of operations, and the second and third are between the Ministry of Defence and the Commissariat l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA) to support the construction of the Epure facility at Valduc.

  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2015 to Question 17622, if he will identify separately the marginal costs associated with maintaining the Vanguard submarines in service for five years longer then envisaged.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    As announced in Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) 2010 we can extend the life of the existing Vanguard class submarines into the early 2030s. Cost estimates for supporting the ballistic missile submarines during the transition from Vanguard to Successor are not materially affected by minor changes to scheduled dates.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many remotely piloted aircraft system pilots are employed in the RAF; and if he will make a statement.

    Penny Mordaunt

    There are currently 40 Remotely Piloted Aircraft System pilots in the Royal Air Force.