Tag: Kevan Jones

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department plans to spend on specialist kidnap negotiation and hostage rescue capabilities in British consulates in the next 12 months.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Government’s response to overseas hostage taking brings together skills and capabilities across a range of Departments. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the lead Department where British nationals are kidnapped by a terrorist group. Expenditure can be dependent on factors including the number of incidents. In the current Financial Year the FCO will spend around £253,000 on specialist hostage negotiation capability, and on training for the staff in the FCO and our global network who coordinate the Government’s response to the kidnap of British nationals overseas. This training programme ensures our overseas network is prepared to respond effectively when British nationals are taken hostage by terrorists. The FCO’s exact expenditure on kidnap response in the year ahead will depend in part on the number of live cases, but is likely to be of a similar magnitude.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-01-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel who have taken Mefloquine have been treated for psychiatric problems in the last 12 months.

Mark Lancaster

Between 1 April 2007 and 30 September 2015 a minimum of 17,623 UK Regular Armed Forces personnel were prescribed mefloquine.

For the year 1 October 2014 to 30 September 2015 (the latest date for which information is available) a minimum of 354 (2%) with a history of mefloquine prescription subsequently were assessed as having a mental health disorder at their initial assessment at a Ministry of Defence (MOD) Department for Community Mental Healthcare, or admission to the MOD in-patient provider.

It must be noted that this numerical association does not prove direct causation. Further, a comparison of personnel prescribed other antimalarial chemoprophylactic agents with those prescribed mefloquine has shown no statistical difference between these groups in terms of the amount of time between antimalarial prescription and the presentation for mental healthcare.

This emphasises it is not possible from centrally held data to identify whether a mental health episode is associated with being prescribed mefloquine, nor whether personnel have taken or continued to take mefloquine after they were prescribed it.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the situation on the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan.

Mr David Lidington

The UK is concerned about regular ceasefire violations and the increasing use of heavy weaponry both on the line of contact around Nagorno-Karabakh and on the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We encourage both Armenia and Azerbaijan to exercise restraint and accelerate efforts to reach a negotiated settlement of the conflict.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether a decision on whether to fit the DB-110 sensor to Typhoon aircraft has been made.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Department has not made any decision to fit the DB-110 sensor to the Typhoon aircraft.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-05-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any officials of his Department have been transferred, disciplined or dismissed in relation to management of the contract for SS Gairsoppa.

Mr Robert Goodwill

It would be inappropriate to give any details that might allow an individual who might have been subject to disciplinary proceedings to be identified. However, any lessons learnt from the case will be implemented if any future contracts of this nature are let.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where the engines for the P-8 Poseidon aircraft to be procured by the UK will be manufactured.

Mr Philip Dunne

As the main investment decision on the UK’s Maritime Patrol Aircraft programme has not yet been taken by Ministers, no contracts have yet been placed for the procurement of a UK fleet of P-8 Poseidon aircraft. It is therefore not possible to confirm where the engines in such a fleet would be manufactured.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military working dogs have been euthanized by his Department in the last 12 months.

Mark Lancaster

A total of 62 Military Working Dogs were euthanised by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) during the 12 month period up to June 2016. Figures by month are provided in the table below.

Decisions to euthanise any animal in military service are only taken by a veterinarian officer after all possible treatment avenues have been exhausted and where it is considered to be the most humane option for the animal. The only other scenario where an animal would be euthanised is where it is considered to pose a risk to public safety.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what funding his Department has provided to the BBC World Service in each year since 2010.

Mr David Lidington

In each year from 2010 the department provided the following funding to the BBC World Service: 2009/2010 – £268,043,000 2010/2011 – £268,523,000 2011/2012 – £255,200,000 2012/2013 – £244,200,000 2013/2014 – £238,480,000

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-01-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the United States Department of Defense about safety of the F-35 ejection system.

Mr Philip Dunne

The UK is in daily dialogue with the United States Department of Defense on the safety of the F-35 Lightning II, of which the ejection system is a part.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had on the F-35’s digital logistics system and its potential vulnerability to cyber attacks.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Ministry of Defence has regular discussions with the US Government and F-35 industry partners about the F-35 Lightning II programme, including the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS). The ALIS has been subject to a comprehensive programme of testing and risk assessment. It has been designed to be resilient against cyber-attack and will continue to be the subject of testing throughout the life of the programme.