Tag: Douglas Chapman

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many diplomatic staff are based at the British Embassy in Tehran; and what change there has been in the number of such staff since the announcement of the reopening of that Embassy in 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

There are currently 7 UK diplomatic staff based at the British Embassy in Tehran, including the new Charge d’affaires who arrived at Post on 31 December 2015. This is a significant increase from the 2 UK diplomatic staff that were based in Tehran before the formal reopening last year. We anticipate further additions to the number of Embassy staff in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which common electrical and propulsion systems are shared between the T26 Global Combat Ship and the Type 45 Destroyer.

Mr Philip Dunne

Due to the specific requirements of Anti-Submarine Warfare operations and the availability of equipment on the open market, the Type 45 and Type 26 Global Combat Ship (T26 GCS) electrical and propulsion system architectures are fundamentally different; no major equipment will be common to both.

Lessons learned from the Type 45 programme and the in-service experience drawn from the Type 23 Anti-Submarine Warfare Frigates have all been applied to the T26 GCS electrical and propulsion system design.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a copy of EC-01-19-01/20130205-Mil Cap Air Safety Management Plan 2103.

Penny Mordaunt

I have placed a copy of the Mil Cap Air Safety Management Plan 2013 in the Library of the House, although I am withholding Annexes D and H of the document because these consist of personal data which cannot be released.

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 recent discussions she has had with the Scottish Government on hydro pump storage in Scotland.

Andrea Leadsom

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State met Mr. Fergus Ewing, in October last year where energy storage was discussed. This resulted in a dialogue between the two ministers discussing next steps. The dialogue has been taken forward at official-level through existing working groups such as the Low Carbon Innovation Co-ordination Group (LCICG).

We are investigating the potential barriers to deployment of energy storage and possible mitigating actions. We are focussing in the first instance on removing policy and regulatory barriers. DECC plans to issue a call for evidence on a smart system routemap shortly.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what sites are under consideration for the shore-based testing facilities for the power and propulsion systems for the T26 Global Combat Ship.

Mr Philip Dunne

Shore-based testing facilities for the Type 26 Global Combat Ship power and propulsion system will be established at General Electric’s site at Whetstone, Leicester, and David Brown Gears Systems’ in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

General Electric will supply the propulsion motor and drive system and David Brown Gears Systems will supply the propulsion gearbox.

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.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the in-service dates are for the River-Class Offshore Patrol Vessels currently under construction on the Clyde.

Harriett Baldwin

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given in the House of Lords on 12 September 2016 by my noble Friend the Minister of State for Defence, the right hon. Earl Howe to the noble Lord, Lord West of Spithead to Question HL1533.

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