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  • Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 4.75 of the Strategic Defence and Security Review, whether he has established the new team in his Department to act as the single sponsor for all aspects of the nuclear enterprise including procurement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Options for the new team continue to be developed and assessed. We expect to announce further details later this year once decisions have been made.

  • Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the contingency fund for the new generation of successor Trident submarines was based on a full quantitative risk assessment of the project.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    As set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, we have set a contingency of £10 billion, which represents around 35% of the cost to completion. This is a prudent estimate based on past experience of large, complex projects, such as the 2012 Olympics.

  • Stephen Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Stephen Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Phillips on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2016 to Question 23285, by what mechanisms the UK strongly asserts its right, and supports that of all States, to exercise Freedom of Navigation in accordance with the International Rules Based System in the South China Sea.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Royal Navy warships exercise their rights of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea pursuant to the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In addition, aircraft may exercise their right of overflight of the High Seas by virtue of Article 87(1)(b) of UNCLOS. By virtue of their free passage through international water and airspace Royal Navy vessels and RAF aircraft exercise and assert this right whenever transiting through international waters and airspace.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the maximum crew complement is of each of the Royal Navy’s (a) Type 45 Destroyers and (b) Type 23 Frigates.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Ships’ and submarines’ complements are not fixed; they vary, even across a Class, due to equipment fits and in response to specific tasking.

    The table below shows the average number of liability positions for each ship when in their normal operating role.

    Complements of Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers and Type 23 frigates by branch and rank

    Type 45 Destroyers

    Type 23 Frigates

    Number of Positions

    Warfare and Exec Department

    Commander

    1

    1

    Lieutenant Commander

    3

    3

    Lieutenant

    8

    5

    Warrant Officer

    1

    1

    Chief Petty Officer

    3

    3

    Petty Officer

    12

    8

    Leading Hand

    21

    19

    Able Rate

    32

    28

    Engineering Department

    Lieutenant Commander

    2

    2

    Lieutenant

    3

    2

    Warrant Officer

    3

    2

    Chief Petty Officer

    9

    7

    Petty Officer

    15

    15

    Leading Hand

    17

    17

    Able Rate

    33

    31

    Logistics Department

    Lieutenant Commander

    1

    1

    Lieutenant

    1

    1

    Chief Petty Officer

    1

    1

    Petty Officer

    3

    3

    Leading Hand

    10

    10

    Able Rate

    13

    12

    Medical Department

    Petty Officer

    1

    0

    Leading Hand

    0

    1

    Able Rate

    1

    1

    TOTAL

    194

    174

    “

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many nations have Maritime Patrol Aircraft based at RAF Lossiemouth; how many Maritime Patrol Aircraft are based at RAF Lossiemouth; and which nations have had Maritime Patrol Aircraft based at RAF Lossiemouth at any point in the most recent year for which figures are available.

    Penny Mordaunt

    There are no Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) permanently based at RAF Lossiemouth. However, following the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review the Government announced that the United Kingdom would purchase a fleet of nine Boeing P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft which will be based at RAF Lossiemouth.

    Over the course of 2015 MPA from the United States, Canada, France and Germany were temporarily deployed to RAF Lossiemouth. We do not discuss the detail of such maritime operations as this would, or would likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total crew complement by rank and specialisation was of each of the Royal Navy’s (a) Type 45 Destroyers and (b) Type 23 Frigates on their most recent deployment.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Ships’ and submarines’ complements are not fixed; they vary, even across a Class, due to equipment fits and in response to specific tasking.

    The table below shows the average number of liability positions for each ship when in their normal operating role.

    Complements of Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers and Type 23 frigates by branch and rank

    Type 45 Destroyers

    Type 23 Frigates

    Number of Positions

    Warfare and Exec Department

    Commander

    1

    1

    Lieutenant Commander

    3

    3

    Lieutenant

    8

    5

    Warrant Officer

    1

    1

    Chief Petty Officer

    3

    3

    Petty Officer

    12

    8

    Leading Hand

    21

    19

    Able Rate

    32

    28

    Engineering Department

    Lieutenant Commander

    2

    2

    Lieutenant

    3

    2

    Warrant Officer

    3

    2

    Chief Petty Officer

    9

    7

    Petty Officer

    15

    15

    Leading Hand

    17

    17

    Able Rate

    33

    31

    Logistics Department

    Lieutenant Commander

    1

    1

    Lieutenant

    1

    1

    Chief Petty Officer

    1

    1

    Petty Officer

    3

    3

    Leading Hand

    10

    10

    Able Rate

    13

    12

    Medical Department

    Petty Officer

    1

    0

    Leading Hand

    0

    1

    Able Rate

    1

    1

    TOTAL

    194

    174

    “

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the costs are of the Mk4A Trident warhead modification programme for each year of the Nuclear Warhead Capability Sustainment Programme.

    Michael Fallon

    The overall cost to the UK of procuring the Mk4A component was an element of the estimated future costs of the Atomic Weapons Establishment as set out in chapter five of the White Paper ‘The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent’ (Cmd 6994), published in December 2006.

    Further details on the costs of the Mk4A programme are being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) AWE personnel and (b) contractors are working on legacy decommissioning projects at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    There are 209 contractors and 78 AWE personnel working on decommissioning projects, including demolition, at the Atomic Weapons Establishment

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) permanent staff, (b) temporary staff and (c) contractors are employed at the Atomic Weapons Establishment; and how many such staff he expects to be employed at that Establishment in each of the next three years.

    Michael Fallon

    There are 4,920 permanent staff and 890 contractors employed at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE). These figures represent full time equivalent staff, rounded to the nearest ten.

    Contractors working at AWE but employed by sub-contractor companies are not included as this information is not held centrally.

    Over the next three years, staffing levels will depend on programme demand.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times HMS Ocean has been deployed in the most recent year for which figures are available.

    Penny Mordaunt

    HMS OCEAN deployed away from UK waters twice in 2015. In July she participated in Exercise BALTOPS, a major Allied naval exercise in the Baltic Sea, and between September and December she was deployed on COUGAR 15, the annual deployment of the UK’s high readiness maritime Joint Expeditionary Force.