Tag: Lord West of Spithead

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-09-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the House of Commons Defence Committee’s conclusion in its report Decision-making in Defence Policy that the Chiefs of Staff should be constituted as the Military Sub-Committee of the National Security Council.

Earl Howe

The Government has made clear in its September response to the House of Commons Defence Committee that we believe the current structure to be sufficient. The Chief of the Defence Staff attends the National Security Council with the remit to present the views of all three Services collectively. The Chiefs of Staff Committee is already the UK’s senior military committee and feeds into the Chief of Defence Staff’s preparation for National Security Council meetings.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any occasions on which an operational Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier will leave home waters without a fixed-wing air group embarked; and what will be the minimum viable size of that air group.

Lord Astor of Hever

The composition and size of the embarked air group in a deploying Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier will be tailored to meet the required task.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the decision has been made as to the location of the Operational Conversion Unit for the F35B aircraft.

Lord Astor of Hever

The Lightning II (F-35B) Operational Conversion Unit will be located at RAF Marham.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to stop using VMFAT-501 squadron for pilot training on the F35B aircraft, and, if so, on what date; and where will training for that aircraft be conducted.

Lord Astor of Hever

Under current planning assumptions, the UK will stop assigning UK pilots to VMFAT-501 for pilot training on the F-35B from July 2019, when the UK Operational Conversion Unit will begin pilot training at RAF Marham.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 29 July 2014 (HL1320), how many F35B aircraft will initially be allocated to the Operational Conversion Unit.

Lord Astor of Hever

Based on current planning assumptions, five aircraft will be allocated to the Operational Conversion Unit at RAF Marham when it begins pilot training in July 2019.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 16 December 2014 (WA 291), how many F35B aircraft will be in the squadron available at Initial Operating Capability for use on HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Lord Astor of Hever

The front line squadron at Initial Operating Capability in 2020 will be equipped with a minimum of nine F-35B aircraft, which could be supplemented from other assets from across the fleet if required.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-02-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Merlin anti-submarine warfare helicopters were employed in the hunt for a suspected Russian submarine to the west of the United Kingdom this year.

Lord Astor of Hever

We do not discuss the detail of maritime 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 2015-02-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many 2087 sonar-fitted T23 Frigates were employed in the hunt for a suspected Russian submarine to the west of the United Kingdom this year.

Lord Astor of Hever

We do not discuss the detail of maritime 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 2015-02-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many nuclear attack submarines were employed in the hunt for a suspected Russian submarine to the west of the United Kingdom this year.

Lord Astor of Hever

We do not discuss the detail of maritime 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 2015-02-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government who is responsible for the maintenance of buildings, parapets, and statues on Horse Guards Parade.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

The Royal Parks Agency is responsible for Horse Guards Parade Ground as it forms part of the Royal Park. They also have responsibility for the maintenance of the following statues and structures.

– Earl Mountbatten Statue

– Field Marshal Earl Kitchener Statue

– Field Marshal Earl Roberts Statue

– Viscount Wolseley Statue

– Cadiz Mortar

– Ottoman Gun

A Charitable organisation, the Committee for the Royal Naval Division Memorial is responsible for the maintenance of the Royal Naval Division Memorial. However, the Foreign and Commonwealth office has an agreement to maintain the costs of the water supply and the costs of cleaning the memorial.