Tag: Douglas Chapman

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assistance the UK has given to the Ministries of Defence and armed forces of Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine to help set up a joint multinational brigade.

Mr Julian Brazier

The UK has developed strong relationships with the Armed Forces of Poland Lithuania and Ukraine: we are partners in the Northern Group with Poland; Lithuania is a member of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force; and to-date our UK Armed Forces have delivered 35 courses to train nearly 1,700 members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at nine locations in Ukraine and we remain on course to have trained 2,000 troops by April 2016. We have not provided any assistance to the recently announced joint Polish, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian multinational brigade.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the US Department of Defense Operational Test and Evaluation report of 1 February 2016 on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Mr Philip Dunne

The independent programme review from the US Department of Defense Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) occurs annually, and the UK F-35 Test and Evaluation Squadron forms an integral part of its Joint Operational Test activity. All of the issues identified in the 2015 OT&E Report are understood and are being actively managed by the F-35 programme.

Overall, the F-35 programme continues to make steady progress. The UK programme remains on track to deliver Initial Operating Capability in December 2018.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding the BBC World Service’s Russian language service received in each year from 2008 to date.

Mr David Lidington

The BBC World Service advises that the Russian language service received the following funding from 2007/2008 to 2013/2014:

2007/08: £4.3 million
2008/09: £5.2 million
2009/10: £5.3 million
2010/11: £5.2 million
2011/12: £3.6 million
2012/13: £3.4 million
2013/14: £3.4 million

The figures from April 2014 are not available.

The BBC World Service will receive up to £85 million per year until 2020 to fund additional services to their existing programmes, in addition to licence fee funding.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the suitability of the Honeywell TCAS II collision warning system for use in Typhoon fighter aircraft.

Mr Philip Dunne

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 10 March 2016 to Question 30090.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Boeing Poseidon P-8s acquired by the UK will be compatible with the MQ-4 Triton UAV.

Mr Philip Dunne

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 April 2016 to Question 33058 to the hon. Member for Barrow and Furness (John Woodcock).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether HMS Dauntless is being used as a harbour training and accommodation ship.

Mr Philip Dunne

The introduction of Engineering Training Ships is an important component of the Royal Navy’s comprehensive programme to improve training and career development opportunities by increasing training capacity.

Ships in the operating cycle immediately ahead of refit will be used to deliver training alongside home Bases and Ports. HMS DAUNTLESS entered this profile in February this year. A reduced Ship’s Company reside on board as normal, augmented by trainees who use the opportunity to gain experience through development activities in a realistic environment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether an Airborne Collision Avoidance System and a Digital Advanced Flight Control System (Low Visibility Landing) were fitted to Puma helicopter XW229 at the time of its crash on 12 October 2015.

Harriett Baldwin

Puma helicopter XW229 was fitted with a dual-duplex Digital Automatic Flight Control System but not an Airborne Collision Avoidance System. The Service Inquiry into the incident involving XW229 is on-going, and the report will be published in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2015 to Questions 11484, on Army: Scotland, for what reasons the figures cited for 6 SCOTS and 7 SCOTS do not reflect the general increase in reserve numbers forecast in the Future Reserves 2020 programme.

Mr Julian Brazier

It is assumed that the question relates to the reduction in the establishment figures for 6 and 7 SCOTS. These changes reflect the move to a standard structure for all reserve infantry battalions with three companies rather than four as part of the Future Reserves 2020 programme.

In practice Army Reserve manning levels have been historically below establishment. Actual numbers are now increasing in 6 and 7 SCOTS, as they are across the Army Reserve.

The following table shows the manning levels of the reserve battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, complete with establishment and strength as at April of each year between 2004 and 2014.

	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
52nd Lowland Regiment/6 SCOTS
	392	452	406	406	406	406	406	406	406	406	367
	273	278	280	182	216	190	196	186	155	160	188
51st Highland Regiment/7 SCOTS
	557	656	627	471	472	471	472	472	472	472	367
	390	425	425	338	294	253	262	191	237	205	270

Unit details are single service estimates only and have not been produced by Defence Statistics.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to build facilities to simulate the possibility of the future F35B Lightning II aircraft operating in austere operating bases.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Ministry of Defence is procuring a Lightning II Integrated Training Centre (ITC) at its main operating base at RAF Marham. The ITC will house full mission simulators with the capability of simulating the full range of bases from which the F-35 may be required to operate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel from (a) 6 SCOTS and (b) 7 SCOTS did not attend the minimum number of training days in each year since 2012.

Mr Julian Brazier

There is no minimum number of training days for Army Reservists.