Tag: Douglas Chapman

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what investigatory methods his Department uses for reports of potential breaches of international humanitarian law by UK allies in Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Ministry of Defence monitors incidents of alleged International Humanitarian Law (IHL) violations using all available information which in turn informs our overall assessment of IHL compliance in Yemen. We consider a range of information from government sources, foreign governments, the media and international non-governmental organisations regarding reports of potential breaches of IHL.

We regularly raise the importance of compliance with IHL with the Saudi Arabian Government and other members of the military Coalition. The UK is not a member of the Saudi-led Coalition. British personnel are not involved in carrying out strikes, directing or conducting operations in Yemen or selecting targets and are not involved in the Saudi targeting decision-making process. However we have provided training and advice to Saudi Arabia to ensure continued compliance with IHL and minimise civilian casualties.

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 increase understanding of (a) Scottish issues in general and (b) the Scottish Parliament 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, if he will publish the contract with KPMG to provide oversight to the Successor programme.

Harriett Baldwin

KPMG are not providing oversight to the Successor programme. In July 2015, KPMG were awarded the Acquisition Support Partner framework contract, assisting the Ministry of Defence to improve the performance of its overall acquisition system. This includes but is not restricted to supporting the nuclear and submarine enterprise.

The contract has been published on the Government website (Contracts Finder) and can be accessed by the following link:

• https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/3b5ce6b4-ca89-45ca-8526-ca89140a5a32

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.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department keeps a record of former employees of the Ministry of Defence who are now serving in foreign militaries.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) holds records of former employees of the MOD who have applied to serve in foreign militaries under the Business Appointments process. However, it is not known if these individuals went on to take up the appointment.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which assets of his Department took part in the rescue of MV Verity on 29 January 2016.

Penny Mordaunt

No assets from the Ministry of Defence took part in the rescue of the MV Verity on 29 January 2016. There were no Royal Navy ships in the immediate vicinity.

His Netherlands Majesty’s Ship De Ruyter responded while in the area undergoing training and assisted the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ministry of Defence (a) military and (b) civilian personnel are based at the Muwaffaq airbase in Jordan.

Penny Mordaunt

There are no Ministry of Defence personnel based at the Muwaffaq airbase in Jordan.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve the stability of radar sensors in the F-35B Lightning II Fighter.

Mr Philip Dunne

The UK is fully involved in the development/test cycle for the F-35 radar sensors. As new functionality is added in line with the development schedule, there can be an initial reduction in software stability. Software fixes have been identified to improve stability and are planned to enter flight test during the next month. The development and performance of the radar remains on track to meet the UK’s planned Initial Operating Capability of December 2018.