The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether new guidance has been issued to her Department on drafting responses to written parliamentary questions.
Nick Gibb
The Department for Education regularly refreshes its internal guidance on drafting responses to written parliamentary questions to ensure that it is up to date.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the number of fraudulent compensation claims against Armed Forces personnel in Iraq.
Penny Mordaunt
The Government is committed to action to bear down on unmeritorious litigation of all kinds against the Armed Forces, and will be announcing its proposed course of action in due course. Accusations must be investigated, but where they are found to be fraudulent, or where relevant information is withheld, we will robustly defend the reputation of the Armed Forces and the interests of the taxpayer. We welcome the decision of the Solicitors Regulation Authority to refer one firm of solicitors heavily involved in bringing claims from Iraq to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Lewis on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2015 to Question 19049, if he will ensure that there will be no gaps in capability between the decommissioning of HMS Ocean and its role being taken over by other ships.
Mr Philip Dunne
We will ensure that other ships are available to provide support to amphibious operations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support UK military personnel are providing to the (a) security services and (b) armed forces of Burkina Faso.
Penny Mordaunt
The UK strongly condemns the recent atrocity that took place in Ouagadougou on 15-16 January and is deeply concerned by the spread of violent extremism both into Burkina Faso and across the wider region. We offer our heartfelt sympathies to the families affected by this terrible act of terrorism. The UK is working hard with regional countries; close international partners; and multilateral organisations to increase their capacity to address the security threats they face. Our major regional contributions are in Nigeria; at the HQ of the Multi-National Joint Task Force; and in support of the EU Training Mission in Mali. We are, though, supporting the Burkina Faso armed forces, together with a number of other African militaries, through our participation in regional training exercises.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it is his Department’s policy that Royal Marines are required to contribute towards the cost of their uniform or equipment.
Mark Lancaster
On joining and for deployments, Royal Marines are issued with the uniform and equipment required for their role and specific tasking.
Officers, unlike Other Ranks, are required to pay for the maintenance of their uniforms for which Income Tax relief is provided automatically via salary.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many attacks by the RAF have been carried out specifically targeting the communications capacity of Daesh in Syria since Parliament authorised such action.
Penny Mordaunt
From 2 December 2015 until 20 January 2016 the Royal Air Force has conducted a total of 22 air strikes against Daesh targets in Syria.
The RAF has targeted 11 oil infrastructure targets, one command and control headquarters, and conducted 10 strikes against Daesh fighters and their equipment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of potential risks to the safety and security of Royal Navy aircraft carriers being held at anchor offshore in Bahrain.
Mr Philip Dunne
The security and logistical implications of the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers while on operations overseas are subject to continual assessment and review. Irrespective of berthing or anchoring arrangements, it is normal business to conduct threat assessments prior to and during all port visits and deployed maintenance periods. This has been and will continue to be no different for Mina Salman port, and other port facilities in Bahrain.
The Department does not disclose details of security risks and assessments pertaining to deployed operations as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Lewis on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2015 to Question 19048, whether a later decommissioning date was specified when HMS Ocean was originally commissioned; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Philip Dunne
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 December 2015 to Question 17860 to the hon. Member for Garston and Halewood (Maria Eagle).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many sorties of the Watchkeeper UAV have been flown from RAF Ascension in each month since January 2015.
Mr Philip Dunne
None.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) training for army reservists and (b) social cohesiveness between reservists and full-time soldiers.
Mr Julian Brazier
As a result of constant reviews conducted by the Army to improve and modernise the delivery of training, opportunities for Army Reservists have never been better.
Initial training for the Army Reserve was restructured last year. This has streamlined progression through the training programme, as Reservists enjoy greater flexibility with how they complete the modules in Phase 1.
Phase 2 sees Reservists receive instruction at the same specialist training schools as their regular counterparts, equipping them with the professional skills required to fully integrate with the Regular Army.
The Army currently offers 22 bespoke overseas training exercises for Reservists, which Reserve units lead with their paired Regular units integrated to improve interoperability and social cohesion. In addition, Reservists routinely train alongside their Regular counterparts from their paired and other units, in complex exercises at home and overseas, using the same equipment.
Social cohesion between Reservists and Regular soldiers is further fostered though the growth of sports, social and Regimental events facilitated by the pairing mechanism, whereby each reserve unit is paired with a Regular Unit.