Tag: Kevan Jones

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the role will be of (a) Leonardo helicopters and (b) that helicopter’s production facility in Yeovil in the long-term support work for the AH-64E Apache when it enters service between 2022 and 2024.

Harriett Baldwin

Leonardo Helicopters will continue to lead on providing support to our existing Apache Mk 1 helicopters until they are retired from service in 2023-24.We have yet to decide the support arrangements for our new AH-64E Apache helicopters beyond the initial period of support that will be provided through the US Government.

The Ministry of Defence has signed a Strategic Partnering Arrangement with Leonardo Helicopters that will ensure that we continue to work together to enhance national prosperity through export success, and that the right innovation and technologies are available in the UK to meet our future defence requirements.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the Estate Optimisation Strategy to be published.

Mark Lancaster

As set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, the Ministry of Defence is aiming to reduce the size of its built estate by 30% by 2040 and is committed to release land to accommodate 55,000 houses by 2020 in support of the Government’s public sector land release agenda. This year I have announced the release of 35 sites which will provide land for potentially some 39,000 homes, of which approximately 20,000 are expected in this Parliament. We do not have an annual target for a reduction in the defence estate each year.

I will announce the results of the Department’s Estate Optimisation Strategy later this year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department’s planned expenditure is on television recruitment campaigns for the (a) Royal Navy and (b) Royal Navy Reserve in (i) 2015-16, (ii) 2016-17, (iii) 2017-18, (iv) 2018-19 and (v) 2019-20.

Penny Mordaunt

The expenditure, or planned expenditure, of each Service on television recruitment campaigns in Financial Year (FY) 2015-16 is as follows:

Naval Service – planned expenditure has not been finalised but is currently forecast to be £4.3 million for Regular personnel and £0.72 million for Reserves.

Army – planned expenditure is £0.94 million for Regular personnel and £0.65 million for Reserves.

Royal Air Force (RAF) – planned expenditure has not been finalised but is currently forecast to be £3.46 million. It is not possible to differentiate between Regular and Reserve spend as the majority of RAF advertisements are targeted towards both cadres.

Plans for expenditure in FY 2016-17 and onwards have not been finalised.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the (a) Army Reserve, (b) Royal Auxiliary Air Force and (c) Royal Navy Reserve have signed terms and conditions of service under the New Employment Model.

Mr Julian Brazier

The terms and conditions (TACOS) of all UK Armed Forces personnel are subject to a rolling programme of change under the New Employment Model (NEM), which is modernising Pay and Allowances; Accommodation; Training and Education; and Career Structures and Career Management. Where appropriate this will include Reserves. Personnel are not required to sign new TACOS in order to benefit from relevant changes, which will continue to be rolled out until 2020.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK armed forces personnel have been committed to NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force.

Mr Julian Brazier

The numbers of UK personnel committed to NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VHRJTF), is set out below:

Year	Number of Personnel
2016	1,200
2017	3,500-4,000

The UK will be the lead nation for the VHRJTF in 2017. The exact number of UK personnel for 2017 will not be confirmed until the contributions from other NATO members has been finalised.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) senior military officers and (b) civilian staff ranked one star or above or the civil service equivalent were employed by his Department (i) in each year since 2010 and (ii) on the latest date in 2016 for which figures are available.

Mark Lancaster

At 1 April 2011, 38.8 per cent of Senior Personnel in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) were Senior Civil Servants (SCS) and 61.2 per cent were UK Regulars at One Star (Army Brigadier and equivalent) and above. At 1 April 2015, 39.2 per cent were SCS and 60.8 per cent were UK Regulars at One Star and above.

At 1 April 2011, there were 480 UK Regular personnel ranked One Star and above; by 1 April 2015 this figure had decreased by 6.9 per cent to 450.

At 1 April 2011, there were 300 SCS personnel in the MOD; by 1 April 2015 this figure had decreased by 5.3 per cent to 290.

The following tables provide the requested breakdown, by year, of UK Regular Strength at One Star and above, and SCS headcount:

UK Regular Strength at One Star and above

1 April 2010	1 April 2011	1 April 2012	1 April 2013	1 April 2014	1 April 2015	1 Oct 2015
500	480	470	440	440	450	440

SCS Headcount

1 April 2010	1 April 2011	1 April 2012	1 April 2013	1 April 2014	1 April 2015	1 January 2016
320	300	270	280	280	290	310

The strength of UK Regular Personnel at 1 April 2011 was 186,360. The strength of UK Regular Personnel at 1 April 2015 was 153,720. This represents a 17.5 per cent decrease between 2011 and 2015.

The MOD civilian staff (CS) headcount at 1 April 2011 was around 87,000. The CS headcount at 1 April 2015 was 59,900. This represents an estimated decrease of 31.2 per cent between 2011 and 2015.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost of the UK P-8 Poseidon programme is; and what proportion of work share under that programme will be delivered through the UK defence industry.

Mr Philip Dunne

The main investment decision on the UK’s Maritime Patrol Aircraft programme has not yet been taken by Ministers and the initital support costs of the programme have not therefore been determined.

The Department is working with the US Department of Defense and Boeing on the route to contract for the programme. These negotiations will determine what elements of the programme could result in UK industrial participation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 36 of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, how many members of staff are employed in his Department’s commercial specialist team designed to act as the single sponsor for aspects of the defence nuclear enterprise.

Harriett Baldwin

The Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) new Director General Nuclear organisation was established on 1 April this year. The acting Director General was appointed in May and we expect to make a permanent appointment by the end of the year. The MOD Head Office staff working on different aspects of nuclear-related matters have transferred into the new organisation and additional recruitment to strengthen and deepen the capabilities of the team is also taking place. At present, the new organisation has around 120 staff and it is envisaged that this will rise to about 175 staff over the course of the next year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the decline in defence exports.

Dr Liam Fox

Defence export figures fluctuate on a year to year basis given the long term nature of defence acquisition. In the context of an increasingly competitive global market, the UK’s defence exports were £7.7 billion in 2015. Based on past performance, over a five year period, the figures demonstrate that the sector’s core business is strong.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department’s planned expenditure is on television recruitment campaigns for the (a) Army and (b) Army Reserve in (i) 2015-16, (ii) 2016-17, (iii) 2017-18, (iv) 2018-19 and (v) 2019-20.

Penny Mordaunt

The expenditure, or planned expenditure, of each Service on television recruitment campaigns in Financial Year (FY) 2015-16 is as follows:

Naval Service – planned expenditure has not been finalised but is currently forecast to be £4.3 million for Regular personnel and £0.72 million for Reserves.

Army – planned expenditure is £0.94 million for Regular personnel and £0.65 million for Reserves.

Royal Air Force (RAF) – planned expenditure has not been finalised but is currently forecast to be £3.46 million. It is not possible to differentiate between Regular and Reserve spend as the majority of RAF advertisements are targeted towards both cadres.

Plans for expenditure in FY 2016-17 and onwards have not been finalised.