The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-12-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the new Ebola medal takes precedence over jubilee medals in the order of wear.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The Jubilee Medals come ahead of the Ebola Medal for Service in West Africa in the current Order of Wear.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-01-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 18 December 2015 (HL4510), which part of the Strategic Headquarters in the Ministry of Defence will make the decision for Sea Lightning squadrons to be embarked; and whether that part of the Strategic Headquarters is responsible for programming all aspects of ship training that constitute the basis for complex training involving all aspects of whole ship and Sea Lightning operation.
Earl Howe
Following Ministerial direction, the decision to embark our Lightning II Squadrons for operational purposes would be taken by the Chief of Defence Staff, as the military strategic commander responsible for the planning, direction and conduct of all military operations. The Front Line Commands remain responsible for force generation and for ensuring that training requirements are met for all carrier assets.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-03-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what factors led to the change of plans about keeping a warship building capability in Portsmouth as discussed prior to the last General Election.
Earl Howe
Following a review of its business needs, Magma Structures, the company considering commercial use of shiphall A in HM Naval Base Portsmouth, has decided it does not want to proceed with a lease. It has confirmed its intention to lease office space within the naval base in order to develop a centre of excellence for composite materials on site and to develop a broad range of composite projects within the defence and other sectors.
Instead, the shiphall will be used by the Royal Navy (supported by BAE Systems (BAES) as part of contracts that are already in place) for maintenance works that support wider frigate and destroyer maintenance programmes on the base. It provides the ideal under cover facility to support the BAES/RN Centre of Excellence by providing a weather-protected maintenance area immediately adjacent to the operational repair facilities.
Shiphall B will be used to create a centre of excellence for minehunter maintenance. Royal Navy minehunter HMS Brocklesby moved into the hall for a year-long comprehensive maintenance programme on 9 March, marking the return of engineering to the site which has been vacant since BAES relocated its shipbuilding activities to Scotland in 2014. The upgraded facilities will provide the opportunity for vessels to be maintained on the site under cover, which allows the work to be completed more efficiently and will result in ships being returned to the operational fleet more quickly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-04-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of the number of UK merchant seamen, officers and men required to man the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and other merchant shipping taken up from trade in time of national emergency or war.
Earl Howe
Should extra capability or capacity be required at a time of national emergency or war, as has been the case in the past, the Ministry of Defence would charter suitable merchant ships from the commercial market. The extent of such a requirement would of course depend on the nature of the circumstances faced.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-04-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 25 April (HL7484), whether they still stand by the commitment, made by the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Defence during the launch of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, to increase the number of ships in the Royal Navy.
Earl Howe
The 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review announced our intention to launch a concept study and then design and build a new class of lighter, flexible general purpose frigate so that by the 2030s we can further increase the total numbers of frigates and destroyers. We stand by this commitment and work has begun.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan HMS Ambush to be fully operational.
Earl Howe
HMS AMBUSH is undergoing repairs at Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde.
It is UK policy that we do not comment on matters relating to submarine activity or operations as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-11-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the two new offshore patrol vehicles announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review will be run operationally alongside the existing seven.
Earl Howe
The three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) currently under construction will enter service as replacements for three of the four in-service OPVs. As announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review [Cm9161], two further River Class OPVs will be built, resulting in a more modern and more capable fleet of up to six OPVs in the Royal Navy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-12-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any decision has been made about the introduction of the new Long Service medal proposed by the Secretary of State for Defence in March.
Earl Howe
I can confirm that officials are currently working on the eligibility criteria for a new Long Service Medal. Details will be made available in 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-01-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 8 December 2015 (HL4049), whether HMS Astute was laid down on 31 January 2001, launched on 8 June 2007 and commissioned on 27 August 2010; and whether HMS Artful was laid down on 11 March 2005 and launched on 17 May 2014 and is planned to be commissioned in March 2016.
Earl Howe
The dates that the noble Lord refers to, including the planned commissioning date for Artful, are correct. The build time for the Astute class submarines has reduced with every boat built to date; for HMS Astute, the time taken from start of manufacture to operational handover was 170 months, which included first of class trials, and for Artful was 137 months.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-03-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Prime Minister has been involved in discussions about how many F35B aircraft should routinely deploy on HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.
Earl Howe
The Prime Minister is briefed regularly on the development of our carrier strike capability. The composition and size of the embarked air group will be tailored to meet the required task, as directed by the Strategic Headquarters in the Ministry of Defence and reflecting national priorities set by the Government.