Tag: Douglas Chapman

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assets his Department has assigned to (a) Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, (b) Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, (c) Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 and (d) Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 since February 2015; and for how long each such asset has been so assigned.

Penny Mordaunt

Since February 2015, the UK has assigned the following assets to Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1:

The Sandown-class minehunter HMS PEMBROKE (from January until April); the Hunt-class minehunter HMS QUORN (from April until July); the Sandown-class minehunter HMS GRIMSBY (from August until December).

Over the same period, there have been no UK vessels assigned to Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 and 2 or Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidance his Department provides to service personnel on choosing state and private schools for their children’s education.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) Children’s Education Advisory Service (CEAS) provides information, advice and support to Service parents on all aspects of the education of their children. CEAS advice is free and impartial, and covers a range of issues including mainstream state schools and special state maintained schools, state boarding schools, the MOD’s Queen Victoria School Dunblane, and independent schools both day and boarding. CEAS also advise on MOD educational allowances, and the strict eligibility criteria that must be met.

CEAS offer tailored support for Service parents who experience difficulty in obtaining the state school of their choice and where necessary support them through the appeal process. As well as help-lines and an email enquiry service, CEAS provide four dedicated peripatetic Parent Support Officers who are educational professionals and cover all locations within the United Kingdom.

The guidance provided by the MOD was covered in some detail during a House of Commons Defence Committee Inquiry in 2013, and more detail is available in the Fourth Report of Session 2013-14: The Armed Forces Covenant in Action? Part 3: Educating the Children of Service Personnel, which is available in the Library of the House and at the following link:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmdfence/586/58602.htm

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment for the implications for his policy of the merits decision by the US Air Force to extend weight restrictions of F-35 Lightning II pilots until 2018; and whether his Department has issued similar guidelines for UK pilots.

Mr Philip Dunne

The UK has made its assessment of the implications of low speed ejection. A temporary weight restriction has been imposed for UK pilots, which does not constrain flight operations at this time. A range of design solutions are being developed and these are expected to be in place before the aircraft enters service in the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the movement of nuclear materials on roads in Scotland by his Department is supervised and regulated.

Penny Mordaunt

The transport of Defence Nuclear Material is regulated by the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator according to the provisions of Joint Service Publication 538, Regulation of the Nuclear Weapon Programme, available at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/341332/20140801_JSP_538_V3_1_Pt_1.pdf

A wide range of safety and contingency measures are in place to ensure the safety of nuclear convoy operations. These are summarised in the Local Authority and Emergency Service Information document available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-emergency-services-information.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times Daring Class Type 45 Destroyers underwent total electrical failure in the (a) Persian Gulf, (b) Strait of Hormuz, (c) Mediterranean Sea, (d) Indian Ocean and (e) North Atlantic Ocean.

Mr Philip Dunne

In the interests of National Security I am not prepared to release information concerning the type or nature of any failure or defect concerning our operational Units as to do so would allow deductions to be made as to their operational capability and effectiveness.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the National Screening Committee next plans to meet to review its recommendations on group B streptococcus screening for pregnant mothers.

Ben Gummer

In December 2015 the United Kingdom National Screening Committee commissioned a review into antenatal screening for Group B Streptococcus.

More information including how to contribute to the public consultation will be available using the following link:

http://legacy.screening.nhs.uk/screening-recommendations.php

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-03-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what (a) support and (b) subsidy her Department makes available for new nuclear power production.

Andrea Leadsom

Our electricity market reforms have set the right conditions for necessary investment in our energy market, and support low-carbon generation in nuclear as well as in other generating sectors through Contracts for Difference.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to publish an updated timetable for commencing the building of the first T26 Global Combat Ship.

Mr Philip Dunne

We are working with industry to develop an optimised schedule for the T26 Global Combat Ship (GCS) programme. As part of this, on 22 March 2016, we announced that agreement had been reached with BAE Systems on the award of a contract to extend the T26 GCS Demonstration Phase to June 2017.

In addition to maturing further the detailed ship design, investing in Shore Testing Facilities, and extending our investment in the wider supply chain, this extension to the Demonstration Phase will allow us to continue the work to develop a revised baseline for the programme.

The timing of the award of the contract to build the Type 26 Global Combat Ships will be central to this re-baselining work and, in due course, a revised programme will be produced and considered through the normal investment approvals process. An announcement on the timing of the award of a T26 GCS build contract will be made at the appropriate time.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many MSI-DSL 30mm guns will be mounted on HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Mr Philip Dunne

In December 2003 a competition was launched to provide the Royal Navy with an improved defensive anti-surface warfare capability with the preference being for an automated 30mm gun system. A number of companies entered the competition, and the MSI ‘Seahawk’ system was eventually chosen on the basis of cost, capability and through life support. The MSI weapon system, now referred to as the Automated Small Calibre Gun (ASCG) System, was subsequently selected for fitting to HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH.

Four ASCGs will be fitted on QUEEN ELIZABETH.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-06-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the budgeted expenditure is in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18 on facility improvements at Barrow-in-Furness to support the Trident renewal programme.

Mr Philip Dunne

The infrastructure and facilities investments being made at the Barrow-in-Furness and Faslane sites are for all our submarines not just the Successor programme. I am withholding internal Ministry of Defence forecasts on future programme expenditure as disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice on-going commercial negotiations.