The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-03-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assets he has designated for search and rescue under section 2.5 of Annex 12 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation; and where each such asset is located.
Stephen Hammond
I refer the Hon. Member to my answer of 2 September 2013 [Official Report, Column 153W].
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions a foreign-requested aircraft has provided search and rescue assistance over UK territorial waters in each of the last three years; what role each such aircraft played; what the location of each incident was; and whether each occurrence was in response to obligations under Annex 12 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
Mr Mark Francois
I refer the hon. Member to the answers previously given to him on 22 November 2013 (Official Report, column 1046W) and 27 March 2012 (Official Report, column 1054W).
Between 4 November 2013 and 5 June 2014 there have been five occasions where an Irish helicopter was requested by the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre to provide search and rescue assistance over UK territorial waters. Four of these were in Northern Ireland. These were in response to obligations under Annex 12 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
Details of the five incidents are shown below:
| Date | Aircraft | Aircraft Role | Location |
| 15 November 2013 | Irish Coastguard Helicopter | Ditched Aircraft | Enniskillen, Northern Ireland |
| 12 February 2014 | Irish Coastguard Helicopter | Topcover for lifeboat | Mull of Kintyre, Scotland |
| 16 February 2014 | Irish Coastguard Helicopter | Individual with knee injury | Binnian, Northern Ireland |
| 21 March 2014 | Irish Coastguard Helicopter | Individual with hip injury | Rathlin island, Northern Ireland |
| 16 May 2014 | Irish Coastguard Helicopter | Capsized individual | Enniskillin, Northern Ireland |
Detailed statistics on UK military SAR activity can be found on the Government website at the following link:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/release-calendar/index.html?newquery=*&uday=0&umonth=0&uyear=0&title=Military+Search+and+Rescue+Monthly+Statistic&pagetype=calendar-entry&lday=&lmonth=&lyear=
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times aircraft have been intercepted by Quick Reaction Alert flights by (a) intercepted aircraft type and (b) location in each of the last three years.
Mr Mark Francois
The number of days on which Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) aircraft have launched to intercept aircraft in each of the last three years is contained in the following table. Not every launch resulted in an interception as some incidents were resolved prior to interception.
| Year | No. of days QRA was launched |
| 2011 | 20 |
| 2012 | 21 |
| 2013 | 17 |
I am withholding full details of the number of interceptions, aircraft type and locations as deterrence is a principal function of QRA and QRA is in turn an integral part of the air defence of the UK. The disclosure of information that might compromise the QRA deterrent capability would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons the planned out-of-service date for HMS Illustrious has been brought forward; what the new date is; and who took the decision to change that date.
Mr Philip Dunne
As first announced on 15 December 2010 (Official Report, column 102WS), HMS ILLUSTRIOUS will retire from service this year. No final decision has been made on the specific date.
HMS OCEAN will shortly finish her extensive refit and take over as the Royal Navy’s Landing Platform Helicopter ship.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what risk assessment he has made of the safety of aircraft handlers and maintenance personnel due to the noise produced by the Joint Strike Fighter.
Mr Philip Dunne
Full assessment has been made regarding the noise levels of the Joint Strike Fighter. Personnel noise exposure risk is managed in accordance with The Control of Noise at Work Regulations, 2005 and will include a combination of personal protective equipment and procedures to control daily noise exposure, normal practice for personnel operating machinery such as helicopters, tanks and other aircraft.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-03-31.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the fitting of the Rangeless Autonomous Information Debriefing System equipment to Tornado aircraft was regarded as mitigation for the collision warning risk over the last decade.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Rangeless Airborne Instrumented Debriefing System (RAIDS) as fitted to RAF aircraft has no collision warning capability.
It logs and stores GPS positional data during flight. Data can only be downloaded post-flight to allow replay during sortie debriefing of the positional data for all aircraft fitted with RAIDS. Therefore, it provides no situational awareness to the crew in flight.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason an Apache helicopter had to make an emergency landing outside Aberdeen during Exercise Joint Warrior.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Apache helicopter was taking part in a biannual joint multi national exercise and was travelling from West Freugh to Kinloss when the crew were given a warning notice. They followed correct flight procedures and safely conducted an emergency landing.
An engineering fault investigation report identified a failure with the oil pump and the engine is now being replaced before further engineering checks are conducted and the aircraft is cleared to fly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on Atomic Weapons Establishment facilities at Aldermaston in each of the last five years.
Mr Philip Dunne
Expenditure specifically on AWE facilities at Aldermaston is not held in the format requested. Contract payments for AWE are made against an agreed programme of work that covers all AWE sites; Aldermaston, Burghfield and Blacknest. These costs are not recorded according to site.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure that the outcome of the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict reflects the wide range of people affected by such violence.
Mark Simmonds
The Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict will turn the political commitments made in the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict into practical action and bring real change to those affected by this crime. We have consulted widely with experts, practitioners and international partners since the launch of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative in 2012, including on the outcomes of the Summit. Over 1,500 delegates will attend, including legal, military and judicial practitioners, representatives from multilateral organisations, and over 100 NGOs and grassroots organisations. The Summit is an opportunity for governments from countries around the world to hear directly from those affected what action needs to be taken to effectively tackle this issue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he or officials in his Department have had with counterparts in the Royal Canadian Navy or the US Navy on personnel of those navies undertaking conversion training at HMS Sultan to fill current vacancies in suitably qualified and experienced personnel positions.
Anna Soubry
There have been no such discussions with the Royal Canadian Navy or the United States Navy. However, we work closely with many nations and provide opportunities for their personnel to serve with the Royal Navy through a range of schemes including exchange and liaison postings.