Tag: Lord West of Spithead

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-07-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the response by Lord Ashton of Hyde on 19 July (HL Deb, col 525), what assessment the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence, National Security Council, Joint Intelligence Committee and National Crime Agency have made of the suitability of the planned changes to the provision of reporting by the BBC Monitoring Service.

Earl of Courtown

Government has been working closely with the BBC to ensure the requirements of the MOD, FCO, Cabinet Office, and the intelligence agencies can continue to be met by BBC Monitoring.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-09-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Delivery Authority for the replacement of the Vanguard-class submarines will be established.

Earl Howe

Options for establishing a new delivery body continue to be developed and assessed. We will announce further details once the relevant decisions have been made.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-10-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current status of the plutonium disposal programme.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) are in the process of submitting advice to support DECC in its considerations. This, together with other sources of information and evidence, will enable DECC to consider options for the way forward. A decision is expected to be made by ministers on how to proceed during 2015/16. Only when the Government is confident that its preferred option could be implemented safely and securely, in way that is affordable, deliverable, and offers value for money, will it be in a position to proceed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the build time for HMS Agamemnon and HMS Ajax will be shorter than that planned for HMS Anson.

Earl Howe

The build time for the Astute class submarines has reduced with every boat built to date. HMS Agamemnon and the yet to be named Boat 7 are both at a very early stage of construction. However, as published in the National Audit Office Major Projects Report 2015, their expected operational handover dates are May 2022 and March 2024 respectively.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-12-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there will still be a main gate decision for the Vanguard-class replacements.

Earl Howe

In 2016, we expect to approve the next stage of the programme to replace the Vanguard Class submarines and to commit to further investment to demonstrate the ability of the submarine enterprise to deliver the programme to time and cost. Long lead materials procurement continues within the on-going Assessment Phase.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the charge for a Royal Marine bugler to attend ceremonies, such as the annual memorial parade for Colour Sergeant Prettyjohns RMLI VC, is calculated.

Earl Howe

The costs are calculated in accordance with Treasury guidance, the Departmental Management and Charging Policy and the Tri-Service Policy for the Service Bands and Military Musicians.

The Departmental Management and Charging Policy states that "The Armed Forces may be asked to participate in commemorative events organised by external bodies, such as commercial organisations and charities (including Service and ex-Service charities). Such events must not be at a cost to the Department." Charities and Ex-Service/Regimental Associations are eligible to receive an abatement for the capitation rates of military personnel. The cost of the additional insurances, transport and subsistence (if applicable) and the contract and administration fees are marginal costs and therefore cannot be abated without incurring a cost against the Department.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-03-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether an experienced commercial specialist has been appointed to act as the single sponsor for all aspects of the defence nuclear enterprise, as highlighted in Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.

Earl Howe

Options for the new organisations continue to be developed and assessed. We expect to announce further details later this year, once the relevant decisions have been made.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-04-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the date for first entry into Portsmouth of HMS Queen Elizabeth has been decided, and if so, what it is.

Earl Howe

Construction of both HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH and HMS PRINCE OF WALES is progressing in Rosyth. The date for first entry into Portsmouth of HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH will be confirmed once the current testing and commissioning has been completed in Rosyth and once contractor-led sea trials have progressed. These trials are planned to complete in 2017.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-09-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the refits of HMS Dauntless and HMS Lancaster will commence.

Earl Howe

On current plans, the refit for HMS LANCASTER will commence in mid 2017 and the refit for HMS DAUNTLESS is scheduled for the end of 2017.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-10-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the security implications of the various options for disposal of plutonium.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

We expect the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to submit a report to DECC to support us in our considerations on the policy options in due course. Informed by the advice from NDA, ministers will then make an assessment of the options, and decide on the appropriate next steps. Only when the Government is confident that its preferred option could be implemented safely and securely, in way that is affordable, deliverable, and offers value for money, will it be in a position to proceed.