The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he last met his Pakistani counterpart.
Michael Fallon
I met Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, on 5 August 2015.
During my visit I also paid calls on the Prime Minister and other key interlocutors. Most recently, I met with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, General Raheel Sharif when he visited the UK last October.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Zephyr 8 UAVs his Department plans to buy; what the estimated cost per unit is of that equipment; what the programme through life cost is of that equipment; and where he plans units of that equipment will be based.
Mr Philip Dunne
As part of our commitment to providing next-generation battlefield intelligence capabilities to the UK Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence is planning to contract for the demonstration of two Zephyr Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. This contract will allow the UK to understand whether Zephyr can fulfil the requirement for a high-altitude persistent surveillance capability, as announced in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review.
The £10.6 million contract, due to be signed imminently with Airbus Defence and Space, is for an operational concept demonstration rather than individual platforms, so unit costs are not held. Furthermore, as the Zephyr demonstrators will not be in-service, they will not be based at a particular location and there will be no related support or through-life costs.
Tests are due to take place in 2017 to assess Zephyr’s capabilities and explore its potential.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2016 to Question 26667, whether HMS Defender tracked the Iranian UAV that was reported to have flown in close proximity to the USS Harry S Truman; and what reports he has received on other instances of Iranian UAV activity in the Persian Gulf.
Penny Mordaunt
I am withholding information on the operational activity of Royal Navy ships and on what operational reports Ministers receive as their disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
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 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to fit airborne collision avoidance systems to Lynx helicopters.
Mr Philip Dunne
I can confirm that Traffic Advisory Systems are currently being installed in all Lynx Mk 9A aircraft. This is due to be completed across the entire fleet by the end of September 2016. Royal Navy Lynx Mk 8 aircraft are not being modified as they are due to leave service by 31 March 2017.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many public engagement events to support the cultural sector in Scotland have been held at Dover House in the last 12 months.
David Mundell
A variety of events are held in Dover House, both by Scotland Office Ministers and by third parties, throughout the year.
The events are aimed at engaging stakeholders on a wide variety of policy issues and aspects of life in Scotland.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the expected lifespan is of the Sea Ceptor Anti-Air Missile System.
Harriett Baldwin
The Sea Ceptor system is currently being fitted to the Royal Navy’s Type 23 Frigates as the principal anti-air missile system and will also be fitted to the Royal Navy’s future Type 26 Frigates as they enter service. The capability will remain in service for over 40 years to align with the out of service date for the Type 26 Frigate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2015-10-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions the Government has had with the Russian government on cultural events.
Mr David Lidington
The UK and Russia have a long history of cultural collaboration that encourages and strengthens people-to-people links.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) supports the annual ‘Days of Scotland’ cultural festival in Russia, and is hosting a reception at the Consulate General in St Petersburg this year. FCO officials have discussed Scotland’s cultural and and people-to-people links with Russian Government officials
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) establishment and (b) strength personnel of (i) 6 SCOTS and (ii) 7 SCOTS have failed a medical in each year from 2012 to 2015.
Mr Julian Brazier
Army medicals result in the allocation of a graded "medical deployability standard" reflecting those active roles for which personnel are declared fit. It is not a simple pass or fail. Unlike their regular counterparts, Army Reserve personnel do not undertake annual medical assessments. The only mandatory medicals are during the recruitment process and during mobilisation. The medical care of Reserve personnel lies with their General Practitioners and the National Health Service unless they are mobilised at which point the medical care responsibility transfers to the Defence Medical Services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to Question 21228, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Letter of Request sent to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
Mr Philip Dunne
It would be inappropriate for the Department to place a copy of the Letter of Request in the Library of the House, as it contains commercially sensitive information. Making the information publicly available would undermine the US and UK Governments’ commercial position and hence jeopardise the Department’s ability to ensure value for money.