Tag: Kirsten Oswald

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-06-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what interim milestones he has set for the armed forces to improve their response time to complaints to the target level of 90 per cent closed within 24 weeks.

Mark Lancaster

The Secretary of State for Defence has set no interim milestones. The single Services continually monitor and assess the performance of the service complaints system to learn lessons, and to understand what might be causing Service personnel to make complaints. Where it is identified that there are issues that are causing undue delay in the resolution of complaints, action can be taken to prevent this from occurring in the future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how the proposals contained in the Bus Services Bill will improve the ability of people with visual or hearing impairments to make use of public transport.

Andrew Jones

We are committed to building transport networks which work for everyone, including ensuring that disabled people have the same access to transport as other members of society.

The Bus Services Bill will enable the development of bus services which reflect better the communities they serve, giving authorities the tools to ensure that local transport truly works for everyone.

Where the local authority feels it is appropriate, the provision of accessible information can be made mandatory in franchising contracts. This could also be achieved through enhanced partnership schemes if there is agreement from the majority of bus operators.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 September 2016 to Question 44386, on Defence Business Services: Contracts, if he will consult current and former members of the armed forces before any decision is taken on the operation of the repatriation and burial of war casualties.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence currently has no plans to change the operation of repatriation and burial of war casualties. In the event of significant changes being proposed, Ministers, the single Services, Permanent Joint Headquarters and other interested parties would be consulted.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-12-08.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of (a) the number of investors who lost money in the collapse of the Connaught Fund and (b) their combined loss.

Harriett Baldwin

This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government.

This question has been passed on to the FCA. They will reply directly to the Honourable Member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-12-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which weapons were identified in health and safety dangerous occurrences reported by his Department involving an unplanned or faulty discharge in each of the last five years; and how many such incidents there were for each of those weapons in each of those years.

Mark Lancaster

We are investigating the compilation of the requested statistics and I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timescale is for addressing issues relating to the reliability of the power system of the Type 45 Destroyer; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne

A number of measures to improve the reliability of the Type 45 Power and Propulsion systems have been identified and the ongoing programme to implement these changes continues to deliver positive results. In addition, and as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, we are committed to improving system resilience by adding upgraded diesel generators to provide further electrical generation capacity. Alternative technical options and a variety of delivery models are currently being explored with several competing industrial partners.

A number of early modifications were implemented under the Type 45 Destroyer Contract for Availability arrangement with BAE Systems at no additional cost to the Ministry of Defence. The total cost and timetable for implementing the diesel generator upgrade will be determined at the main investment decision. I am withholding details of our current time and cost estimates as premature disclosure of this information could prejudice the commercial interests of the Department.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which of the Directors in his Department has responsibility for the Armed Forces Covenant.

Justin Tomlinson

The department takes its ongoing responsibilities under the Armed Forces Covenant very seriously. Pete Searle, the Strategy Director for Working Age Benefits, is DWP’s Armed Forces Advocate responsible for ensuring that the needs of service personnel, their families and veterans are properly catered for by the Department. This means ensuring that these groups are not disadvantaged as a result of military service, and providing special treatment where appropriate.

Every Jobcentre district has an “Armed Forces Champion” to provide a level of expertise for Jobcentres on Armed Forces matters. This is backed up by guidance covering the special rules that are in place, such as ex-service personnel having early access to the Work Programme, and information on any particular challenges they may face, such as the impact on employment prospects of frequent changes in locations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the 10 largest grants to fund research into the use of laser treatment for cancers made from the science budget were in the last five years; and when the results of such research will be published.

Joseph Johnson

Research into cancer involving proton therapy and laser treatment falls within the remit of the Research Councils.

I have asked the Chair of the Research Councils UK Strategic Executive to write to the hon. Member and I will place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many hours UK drones have flown over which countries in each year since 2010.

Penny Mordaunt

Since 2010, the UK’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) have operated in Afghanistan until 2014 and in Iraq and Syria from 2014.

The number of hours flown by RPAS in Afghanistan can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/operation-herrick-afghanistan-aircraft-statistics

Since 2014, Reaper has been flying in support of Op SHADER in Iraq and Syria. It is not possible to breakdown Reaper flying hours by country for Op SHADER. The table below provides the total number of hours flown:

Year	Total Reaper flying hours flown in support of Op Shader
2014	1,653
2015	12,698
2016 (up to and including 31 March 2016)	2,509
Total	16,860

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to (a) the Indian government and (b) other parties involved on the release to its owners of the vessel Seaman Guard Ohio.

Mr Hugo Swire

I have made no representations to the Indian Government or any other parties on the release of the vessel Seaman Guard Ohio.