The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 4 March 2016, HCWS581, whether the gift of 40 Land Rovers to Bulgaria counts towards (a) the target two per cent of GDP on defence spending and (b) 0.7 per cent of GNI on Overseas Development Assistance.
Michael Fallon
No and no.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the value of the content of the new P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft will be sourced from UK suppliers.
Mr Philip Dunne
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the member for Garston and Halewood (Maria Eagle) on 3 December 2015 in response to Question 17838.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions RAF personnel were embedded with US forces during (a) operational deployments and (b) training exercises in each of the last six years; and how many such occasions involved the use of the P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft.
Penny Mordaunt
The use of the P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft in the US is predominantly limited to those personnel embedded with the US Navy as part of the Seedcorn Initiative. The Seedcorn programme in the US on P8 aircraft started in 2012 with 20 personnel involved and has remained at 20 for each subsequent year (allowing for minor fluctuations during transitory periods).
Outside of the Seedcorn Initiative, the total number of RAF personnel embedded with US forces over the past six years is as follows:
2010 – 52
2011 – 52
2012 – 48
2013 – 49
2014 – 46
2015 – 47
2016 – 46
Once personnel are embedded with another nation the RAF retains no command relationship with those personnel. Therefore, information on training exercises undertaken is not held.
With respect to operational deployments, I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by the Defence Secretary on 17 December 2015: (Official Report, column 98WS) where he provided data on the UK Service personnel embedded in other nations’ armed forces and deployed on or in support of operations. This will be updated in the next Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts. Information specific to RAF personnel is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Information on whether any of these deployments involved the P-8 aircraft is not available. However, I am able to confirm that one of the US embed posts does involve flying the P-8A outside of the Seedcorn Initiative.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the number of military personnel based at RAF Akrotiri in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.
Penny Mordaunt
Staffing numbers at RAF Akrotiri are kept under review and fluctuate in response to operational requirements. The average number of UK Military personnel based at RAF Akrotiri in each of the last 12 months is as follows and includes those temporarily deployed in support of Operation SHADER:
|
March 2015 |
1,096 |
|
April 2015 |
1,142 |
|
May 2015 |
1,162 |
|
June 2015 |
1,170 |
|
July 2015 |
1,156 |
|
August 2015 |
1,137 |
|
September 2015 |
1,095 |
|
October 2015 |
1,140 |
|
November 2015 |
1,139 |
|
December 2015 |
1,301 |
|
January 2016 |
1,368 |
|
February 2016 |
1,341 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the total number of military personnel supporting operations against Daesh in each month since December 2015; and if he will make a statement.
Penny Mordaunt
The UK is one of over 60 nations contributing to US-led Operation Inherent Resolve, the overarching anti-Daesh global coalition. This global coalition, which includes the US, Arab, European, Asian and Australasian partners, is working with the Government of Iraq and regional neigbours to defeat Daesh in both Iraq and Syria.
We cannot comment on the size of contributions made by other nations, but the UK plays an important role both in terms of numbers of personnel supporting the mission and the unique capabilities we contribute.
The UK contribution in terms of numbers of personnel has remained relatively constant since December 2015 at around 2,000, of which around 1,000 are deployed across the region.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of his Department’s (a) Senior Civil Servants and (b) core policy civil servants are based in London.
Mark Lancaster
In the Ministry of Defence (MOD), 31.3% of Senior Civil Servants and those of an equivalent grade, primarily Senior Medical Specialists, are based in London.
The proportion of MOD civil servants employed in policy roles is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to increase participation in the arts by people from low income backgrounds.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to experience and participate in culture and the arts whatever their background and the Prime Minister acknowledged the importance of this in a speech in January 2016 on life chances. Government is maintaining the same level of funding for Arts Council England throughout the next spending period which will include support for arts programmes in areas where participation is low.
Arts Council England funds a number of community arts organisations that look to engage disadvantaged people, such as Cinderford Artspace and Helix Arts which focus on encouraging unemployed adults and employed people on low incomes to participate in the arts. Arts Council England also places responsibility on every funded organisation to make their programme of work more reflective of the communities they serve.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of his Department’s (a) Senior Civil Servants and (b) core policy civil servants are based in London.
Mr Edward Vaizey
On 1st March 2016, 97.8% of senior civil servants and 98.7% of core policy civil servants employed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport were based in London.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information his Department holds on how the BBC defines talent for the purposes of non-disclosure of salaries and contractual payments.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Remuneration of talent is an issue for the BBC, which publishes information around its talent spend and definitions as part of its Annual Report and Accounts, which can be found here (http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/annualreport/pdf/2014-15/bbc-annualreport-201415.pdf) .
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the letter to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish from the Minister for Local Growth and the Northern Powerhouse of 18 February 2016, on accountability of combined authorities, if he will make provision for public involvement in the key decision process within the scrutiny arrangements for combined authorities.
James Wharton
The scrutiny requirements for combined authorities are set out in Schedule 5A to the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, as inserted by the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016, which provide that overview and scrutiny committees of combined authorities have powers to call in decisions and to involve other persons in their work. Schedule 5A also provides for secondary legislation which must ensure that the majority of members of an overview and scrutiny committee will be members of the combined authority’s constituent councils and that at least one member of an audit committee is an independent person. The scrutiny requirements of the Local Government Act 2000 do not apply to combined authorities.