Tag: Lord Moonie

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moonie on 2016-04-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many male and female enlistments in the armed forces there were in the past year.

Earl Howe

In the 12 months to 30 September 2015, 12,250 males and 1,330 females joined the UK Regular Armed Forces. In the same period, 380 males and 30 females aged under 18 years left the UK Regular Armed Forces.

A full breakdown of these figures can be found in, respectively, tables six and 11 of our Biannual Diversity Statistics publication (the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet) at the following address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-2015

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moonie on 2015-12-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will release details of each weapons release over Syria so that they can be correlated against any reports of civilian casualties.

Earl Howe

As at 18 December 2015, the UK had released 21 weapons against targets in Syria since the vote on airstrikes. There have been no reports of civilian casualties as a result.

The weapons have all been Paveway IV guided bombs from RAF Tornado GR4 and Typhoon aircraft. The UK released six Paveway IV on 2 December, one on 3 December, eight on 4 December and six on 6 December. These have all been against targets in the Daesh-controlled Omar oilfield in eastern Syria.

We will not release the exact location and timing of each strike as this could compromise our operational capabilities. All UK airstrikes are conducted in accordance with Rules of Engagement and International Humanitarian Law. Targets are selected with the utmost care; the risks of collateral damage or civilian casualties are assessed and mitigated based on intelligence and the use of precision guided weapons.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moonie on 2016-04-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many males and females left the armed forces in the last year before reaching the age of 18.

Earl Howe

In the 12 months to 30 September 2015, 12,250 males and 1,330 females joined the UK Regular Armed Forces. In the same period, 380 males and 30 females aged under 18 years left the UK Regular Armed Forces.

A full breakdown of these figures can be found in, respectively, tables six and 11 of our Biannual Diversity Statistics publication (the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet) at the following address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-2015

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moonie on 2015-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to issue an operational medal for service in Operation Kipion.

Lord Astor of Hever

There are no plans to issue an operational medal for Operation Kipion. All operational activity undertaken by UK personnel is subject to regular review by Commander Joint Operations in the Permanent Joint Headquarters. Amongst other things, this routine review considers whether deployments might warrant medallic recognition.

Operation Kipion has been kept under review, but it has been consistently assessed that, whilst conditions are challenging, personnel are not exposed to levels of risk and rigour that are in excess of what Service personnel might reasonably be expected to face on operational service.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moonie on 2015-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cause of the accident involving a British Royal Air Force Airbus A330-200 (RRR2740) from Royal Air Force Brize Norton at St John’s, Newfoundland; what was the cost of repairing the damage; and what additional costs were incurred while it was out of service.

Lord Astor of Hever

The RAF is undertaking an Occurrence Safety Investigation (OSI) into the incident involving Voyager ZZ331 at St John’s International Airport on 19 December 2014. Whilst taxiing to its parking bay under the guidance of ground handling staff, the aircraft’s wing struck a hangar. It would be inappropriate to comment further on the cause until the OSI is completed.

The costs incurred as a result of the incident are still to be finalised, but the damage caused was relatively minor.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moonie on 2014-06-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the annual savings arising from the Warship Support Modernisation Initiative introduced in 2005–06.

Lord Astor of Hever

The Warship Support Modernisation Initiative (WSMI), introduced in 2002, encompasses three separate contracts between the Ministry of Defence and the operators within Her Majesty’s Naval Bases (HMNB) at Clyde, Devonport and Portsmouth.

Figures on savings are provided in the tables below. These are broken down on an annual basis where information is held in that format.

Annual Savings from the WSMI arrangement with Babcock Marine Ltd at HMNB Clyde

Based on the contractual share-line arrangements and the final/interim cost settlements the savings to MOD are as attached.