Tag: Lord West of Spithead

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-10-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when RFA Tidespring will reach the UK and become fully operational; and what are the planned operational dates for the delivery of her three sister ships.

Earl Howe

The first of the Tide Class of Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) Tankers, RFA TIDESPRING, is due to arrive in the UK for Customisation and Capability Assessment Trials in 2017 before entering service.

On current plans, we expect all four MARS Tankers to have entered service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary by the end of 2018.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the size of the present stockpile of plutonium held in the United Kingdom.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

Data on the amount of civil plutonium in the UK are published each year by the Office for Nuclear Regulation. As of 31 December 2014 there was 126.3 tonnes. Detailed information can be found at http://www.onr.org.uk/safeguards/civilplut14.htm.

Data on the amount of civilian plutonium as of 31 December 2015 will be published in the spring 2016.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect HMS Ajax to be launched at Barrow.

Earl Howe

Boat 7, yet to be named, is expected to be launched in the 2020s.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 and the revised time and cost estimates to the Trident programme, when the next major orders will be placed for long lead items and hull fabrication.

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 2016-02-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Earl Howe on 10 February (HL Deb, col 2239), whether a ministerial direction has been given to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence to continue spending on the Vanguard successor submarine programme.

Earl Howe

There has been no ministerial direction given to the Permanent Secretary on spending plans for the Successor submarine programme.

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any of the recommendations of the Report from the Science and Technology Committee Nuclear Research and Development Capabilities (3rd Report, Session 2010–12, HL Paper 221), particularly the development of a long-term strategy for nuclear energy looking beyond 2025, have been taken forward.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

Government provided a response to the Science and Technology Committee’s Nuclear Research and Development Capabilities Report in February 2012, setting out the actions that would be undertaken in response to the Committee’s recommendations. The response is attached.

Subsequently, Government worked with both Industry and Academia to develop and publish the Nuclear Industrial Strategy and a number of supporting documents in March 2013. The strategy set out, in detail, ambitions and plans for the role of nuclear in the UK energy mix to 2050 and beyond.

The Nuclear Industrial Strategy also set out the remit for the creation of both the Nuclear Industrial Council and the Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board (NIRAB), to provide advice, assistance and coordination across the relevant parties in the nuclear landscape. A working group was also created under the umbrella of the Low Carbon Innovation Coordination Group (LCICG) to better coordinate public sector spending in this area.

In the recent Spending Review, the first since the Committee’s Report, Government announced at least £250m of funding for nuclear R&D. This funding is made up of 2 components: 1) an ambitious nuclear R&D programme; 2) a competition to select the best value Small Modular Reactor design for the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether there has been a reduction in the number of British seafarers being employed by the world’s merchant marine, and if there has, what action they are taking to ensure that the necessary numbers exist to meet national requirements for British seafarers in time of war.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The latest UK seafarer statistics can be found in the attached document “Seafarer Statistics, 2015” that is also available on gov.uk.

In 2015 the total number of UK seafarers active at sea was 23,380, an increase of 2% on the 2014 figure and 2.3% on 2013 figure. The figures for the last five years are shown below:

Year	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Active seafarers at sea	27,010	24,100	22,840	22,910	23,380

The Maritime Growth Study, chaired by Lord Mountevans and published on 7 September 2015, recognised the need for more proactive action to replenish and develop the skills needed to maintain the UK position as a world-leading maritime centre. The Government has accepted the recommendations and has already let a research contract to Oxford Economics to establish the requirement for trained seafarers in the UK.

However, the Government does not hold data on national requirements for British seafarers in time of war.

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.