The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) publications, (b) consultation documents and (c) circulars his Department has issued since August 2012; and what the title was of each such publication, consultation document or circular.
Mark Lancaster
The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many consultants’ contracts were terminated early in each of the last six years for which figures are available; and what the cost of each such termination was in each of those years.
Mr Philip Dunne
This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the existence of links between the Taliban and Islamic State movements in Afghanistan and the abusive exploitation of extractive resources.
Penny Mordaunt
We assess that the Afghan Taliban leadership opposes Daesh’s presence in Afghanistan, where there has been reported fighting between the two groups. Our judgement is that the Taliban generate funding via illegal exploitation of Afghanistan’s natural resources, for example marble, talcum and lapis lazuli, and through extortion of payments from legal mining operations, but we have seen no evidence to suggest that Daesh is currently engaged in these activities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 3.58 of the 44th Report of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body, published in March 2015, when the review of military commitment bonuses was completed; and if he will publish that review.
Penny Mordaunt
Following our initial evidence to the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB) in 2014 we undertook to conduct a more fundamental review of commitment bonuses during 2015, once New Employment Model proposals had matured. Our intention was to submit further evidence to the AFPRB. However, as announced on 23 November 2015, and detailed in the Government’s National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, a decision was taken as part of this wider review to phase out commitment bonuses. This decision reflected the view that there was insufficient evidence to prove a tangible retention benefit from these payments. All such payments will now cease from 1 April 2021, providing affected personnel time to adjust their financial plans to take account of any payments for which they are no longer eligible.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2016 to Question 24278, how much has been set aside within his Department’s budget to cover potential costs associated with the decommissioning and disposal of HMS Ocean.
Mr Philip Dunne
Much of the work to decommission Royal Navy ships is undertaken using contracts that provide support services for all ships conducting Fleet activities at HM Naval Base, Portsmouth. Costs are not attributed to individual vessels.
Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) will be responsible for the removal of classified equipment and known hazardous materials from HMS OCEAN after the ship has been decommissioned. The DE&S financial plan will include a provision for this work but a figure has yet to be approved.
The Disposal Services Authority (DSA), part of DE&S, disposes of defence equipment that is surplus to requirement. DSA costs are not attributed to individual platforms and information is not held in the format requested.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 4.47 of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, which of the two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers will be enhanced to support amphibious capability.
Mr Philip Dunne
The two new Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carriers, currently under construction in Rosyth have a planned service life of 50 years each. They will be capable of a spectrum of roles including battlefield helicopter support to littoral operations. The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 made provision to enhance this capability in the QEC aircraft carriers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Written Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence of 9 December 2015, HCWS372, on War Pension Scheme – Uprating 2016, if he will make an estimate of the cost of uprating war pensions in line with average earnings in 2016.
Mark Lancaster
The Department uprates War Pensions annually in line with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), ensuring a consistent approach to social security disability benefits administered by the Department for Work and Pensions. This is in keeping with other public service schemes and reflects the measure of inflation used by the Bank of England. Therefore the Ministry of Defence has no plans to estimate the cost of uprating compensation payments made under the War Pension Scheme in line with average earnings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ronnie Cowan on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on how many occasions he or officials of his Department have met representatives of high street bookmakers to discuss gambling since May 2015.
David Evennett
Details of my and the Minister for Sport and Tourism’s meetings with representatives of the bookmaking industry are available via the Department’s transparency returns, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/search?q=quarterly+ministerial+returns&filter_organisations%5B%5D=department-for-culture-media-sport
In addition, my officials have met representatives of bookmakers on numerous occasions to discuss issues related to gambling.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many consultants’ contracts were terminated early in each of the last six years for which figures are available; and what the cost of each such termination was in each of those years.
Mr Edward Vaizey
DCMS has not terminated early any fixed fee consultancy contracts, where a cost might have been incurred, in the said time frame.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in his Department.
Mr Edward Vaizey
DCMS shares premises with other Government Departments – HMRC and DfE – that are responsible for the employment and payment of cleaning staff.