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 has spent on Rapid Deployment Teams in each year since 2010.

James Duddridge

The running costs, including recruiting, training and exercising the four global Rapid Deployment Team cadres were £633,735 in FY 2011/12, £626,466 in FY 2012/13, £720,731 in FY 2013/14 and £578,832 in FY 2014/15. We have spent £397,913 in FY 2015/16 to date. Due to the introduction of a new financial accounting system in 2010, figures for 2010/11 are not readily available.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions his Department has had with Rolls-Royce on the future direction of its nuclear submarine power plant business; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne

Ministry of Defence officials regularly meet with suppliers, including Rolls-Royce. Discussions naturally cover both existing contracts and the future landscape of Rolls-Royce’s business interests.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2014.

Anna Soubry

There are no plans to make any amendments to the Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what work was undertaken to modify Warthog vehicles for post-Afghan use after the 2013 decision to keep the platform; and what the cost of that work was to the public purse.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Warthog vehicle entered service in 2010 as an urgent operational requirement for use in Afghanistan. Since the end of operations in Afghanistan a range of armoured vehicles purchased specifically for operations in that theatre have been brought into the MOD’s core inventory; the Warthog vehicle was not one of these. The options for disposing of the Warthog are now being considered, including the possiblity of an export route, but no decisions have been taken at this time.

5 and 32 Regiments Royal Artillery will receive the Bulldog armoured vehicle as a replacement for Warthog. 47 Regiment Royal Artillery will continue to use the Coyote armoured vehicle.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of ongoing maintenance on the UK P-8 Poseidon has been conducted in the US under US International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

Mr Philip Dunne

The main investment decision on the UK’s Maritime Patrol Aircraft programme has not yet been taken by Ministers, and no contracts have been placed to procure the P-8 Poseidon aircraft. No maintenance activity has therefore taken place on a British P-8 Poseidon aircraft.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he expects that the build facilities selected as the build location for both the Type 26 frigate programme and the General Purpose Frigate will be able to deliver both platforms concurrently.

Harriett Baldwin

We have begun the initial pre-concept work to take forward the new General Purpose Frigate (GPFF) programme outlined in the White Paper ‘National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015’. The work is in the very early stages and it is too early to say what either the build strategy or the detailed supply chain arrangements may be.

In addition, as part of his work leading the National Shipbuilding Strategy, Sir John Parker will be considering how to balance the GPFF requirement against export opportunities and industrial capacity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase the level of retention in the Royal Navy.

Mike Penning

The Naval Service utilises a wide range of mechanisms to aid the recruitment and retention of personnel. For recruitment these include targeted marketing, specific recruitment events and staged remunerative awards to attract recruits in specialist areas. A number of initiatives have also been developed in order to retain experienced personnel, such as the use of targeted retention incentives and career extensions. Further developments under the Defence People Programme, such as flexible engagements, will help ensure that this process continues.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the £1.8 million expenditure on mental health services for armed forces veterans by his Department in 2014-15 was spent.

Alistair Burt

NHS England has £1.8 million per annum baseline (recurrent to 2019/20) funding for veterans mental health services. This funding is used to provide 10 veterans mental health teams across England to meet locally identified needs of veterans and manage the network of providers of NHS commissioned veterans mental health services.

The funding also provides access for veterans to on-line mental health counselling services provided by the Big White Wall.

In addition, NHS England provides £3.2 million a year to commission the Armed Forces service charity Combat Stress to provide specialised inpatient services for the treatment of complex post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In 2014/15 further funding of £1.68 million was used to fund three pilots to develop and test enhanced models of care for veterans.

The pilots will:

– develop a joint substance misuse and mental health service model for veterans;

– develop an outpatient service for veterans with moderate to severe PTSD; and

– develop a modal of care to address the barriers that some veterans experience in accessing mental health services.

Veterans are also able to access the full range of NHS mental health services in the same way as the wider public.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs in each region and part of the UK that (a) have been and (b) will be created by the Successor submarine programme.

Mr Philip Dunne

The nuclear deterrent is the cornerstone of the UK’s defence security policy. Maintaining the UK’s defence nuclear enterprise supports over 30,000 jobs across the UK and makes a significant contribution to the economy.

In the UK, four key suppliers directly support the delivery of the Trident programme. The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) managed and operated by AWE Management Limited is based in Aldermaston and Burghfield; BAE Systems Maritime-Submarines at Barrow-in-Furness; Babcock at Devonport; and Rolls-Royce at Raynesway, Derby. There are thousands of jobs sustained across these sites.

There are also 6,800 Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilian and Royal Navy jobs at Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde including contractors from Babcock, Lockheed Martin UK and Rolls-Royce. This figure is due to grow to 8,200 in the 2020s. Rolls-Royce also operate the site at the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment, Dounreay, supporting the Trident programme and other nuclear-powered submarines. Also the Defence Equipment and Support’s military and defence civilian personnel are based at MOD Abbey Wood and other sites in the UK.

The ability of these key areas to deliver their programmes depends heavily on an extensive network of sub-contractors who are working indirectly in support of the Trident programme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-02-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel are expected to be deployed in support of the UN and African Union missions to South Sudan.

Penny Mordaunt

The UK is preparing to deploy approximately 300 troops to the UN mission in South Sudan, focussed on providing vital engineering support. Up to 70 troops will also deploy to Somalia, as part of UN support for the African Union force building stability in the country and countering the threat posed by the terrorist group al-Shabaab.