The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether agreement was received from HM Treasury to the Top Level Budget holder in his Department making ex gratia payments to members of the armed forces wrongly disciplined under AGAI67 following a police caution; what estimate the Treasury made of the cost of such payments; and if he will make a statement.
Anna Soubry
No such ex-gratia payments have been made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many equal opportunities investigation officers there are in each branch of the armed forces; what their qualifications are; what training is provided to them; and if he will make a statement.
Anna Soubry
The Ministry Of Defence maintains a cadre of Harassment Investigation Officers who investigate complaints raised within the Services and by MOD civilians concerning bullying and harassment, and who are not permanent employees of the Department; Appendix six to the 2013 Annual Report of the Service Complaints Commissioner provides further details. Beyond this centrally-managed team, the three Services maintain teams of investigators, many of whom are drawn from their own Service police force, who can investigate complex complaints.
The Royal Navy has one Complaint Investigation and Mediation Team (CIMT), comprising two members of the Royal Navy Police with many years of investigative experience. In addition to their extensive police investigative training, they are Equality and Diversity Advisers, and have undertaken the MOD Harassment Investigation Course and professional Mediation Training (through an external training provider).
The Army currently has six permanent members and three temporary assigned (12 months) soldiers in its Service Complaints Investigation Team (SCIT), which replaced the Equal Opportunities Investigation Team. All members of the SCIT are serving Senior Non-Commissioned Officers from the Royal Military Police, and hold the following qualifications:
Initial Military Police Investigation Course
Volume Crime Investigation Course
Management Investigation Course
Police and Criminal Evidence Act Interviewing Course
Disclosure Officers Course
Equality & Diversity Advisor Course
On arrival in the SCIT, investigators receive work place training and are allocated a supervising investigator for a period of three months or as necessary.
The RAF has a Service Complaints Team, and an Equal Opportunities Investigation Team (EOIT), which investigates complex equality and diversity complaints. The latter team comprises a Warrant Officer and a Flight Sergeant, both members of the RAF Police, and an administrator. The investigators complete the following courses as part of their role training:
Equality and Diversity Advisor
Harassment Investigation Officer
Fundamentals of Employment Law (through CIPD)
Preparing for Employment Tribunal (through CIPD)
Certificate in Bullying and Harassment Investigation – City and Guilds
Level 4
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recruits are expected to commence Phase 1 training at ITC Catterick in financial year 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.
Anna Soubry
The number of recruits programmed to start training at AFC Harrogate and ITC Catterick in financial year 2014-15 is shown in the table.
|
Establishment |
2014-15 |
|
AFC Harrogate |
1,450 |
|
ITC Catterick |
2,750 |
Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in ‘5′ are rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what comparative assessment he has made of the long-term effects on the level of war pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments being uprated annually in line with (a) price inflation, (b) average earnings and (c) whichever is the higher of consumer price index price inflation, average earnings or 2.5 per cent; and if he will make a statement.
Anna Soubry
No comparative assessment of the kind suggested has been made. The aim of uprating is to protect War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments against rising prices. In line with other public sector schemes, payments through the Armed Forces pensions and compensation schemes have increased with reference to the Consumer Price Index.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the online system for members of the public to compare hospitals on the basis of safety indicators will include information on cases in which patients with conditions such as Parkinson’s have not received their medication on time; and if he will make a statement.
Dr Daniel Poulter
We are working with NHS England to prepare for the publication on NHS Choices of an extended set of patient safety indicators later this year. These indicators are being gathered together in a manner that will allow patients to compare local hospitals on the basis of a more rounded picture of safety performance than has been previously available in one place. The initial focus of this presentation will be on indicators that are relevant to the general population of hospital inpatients and for which information is available. There is not currently, to our knowledge, a suitable source of data regarding delayed medication for those being treated for diseases such as Parkinson’s.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) male and (b) female recruits dropped out of training at Catterick Infantry Training Centre before completing Phase 1 in each year since 2006; how many such recruits in each category were aged under 18 when they enlisted; and if he will make a statement.
Anna Soubry
Infantry training at Catterick is comprised of the Combat Infantryman’s Course, which is a combined phase one and phase two course. For this reason it is not possible to provide the information requested for those who dropped out of training before completing Phase 1. The table shows all those who failed to complete the Combat Infantryman’s Course.
No female recruits undergo infantry training and therefore figures shown relate to males only:
|
Year |
Discharged at ITC (Male) |
Under 18 on entry (Male) |
|
2006-07 |
950 |
320 |
|
2007-08 |
1,090 |
290 |
|
2008-09 |
1,060 |
210 |
|
2009-10 |
1,400 |
250 |
|
2010-11 |
840 |
90 |
|
2011-12 |
1,260 |
120 |
|
2012-13 |
910 |
100 |
|
2013-14 |
680 |
80 |
Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in ‘5′ are rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-04-08.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has agreed to the Top Level Budget holder in the Ministry of Defence making ex-gratia payments to members of the armed forces wrongly disciplined under AGAI 67 following receipt of a police caution; what estimate he has made of the level of such payments; when such payments are to start; and if he will make a statement.
Danny Alexander
The Treasury delegates ex-gratia payments that are not novel or contentious to the Ministry of Defence, below an agreed threshold. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) may then delegate further to Top Level Budget holders with the agreement with Treasury.
The MOD has not made any ex-gratia payments in response to claims from Armed Forces personnel that they had been wrongly disciplined under AGAI 67 on receipt of a police caution.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answers of 18 November 2013, Official Report, columns 696W and 698W and of 18 December 2013, Official Report, columns 632W, on armed forces: young people, if he will publish the terms of reference of the cost benefit analysis of the recruitment of young people into the armed forces; when he expects that report to be published; and if he will make a statement.
Anna Soubry
The report has been submitted by the Army to Ministry of Defence (MOD) HQ, for consideration. It is not possible to provide a publication date for the report until the report’s findings have been considered.
The terms of reference of the report are as follows:
Question – “What is the cost overhead to MOD of Phase 1 training for Junior Entry (JE) soldiers versus Standard Entry (SE) soldiers joining the Army?”
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) male and (b) female recruits have commenced Phase 1 training at Catterick Infantry Training Centre in each year since 2006; and if he will make a statement.
Anna Soubry
Infantry training at Catterick is comprised of the Combat Infantryman’s Course, which is a combined phase one and phase two course. The table includes all those who commenced the Combat Infantryman’s Course.
No female recruits undergo infantry training and therefore figures relate to males only.
|
Year |
Male |
|
2006-07 |
3,110 |
|
2007-08 |
3,250 |
|
2008-09 |
3,700 |
|
2009-10 |
3,790 |
|
2010-11 |
2,320 |
|
2011-12 |
3,580 |
|
2012-13 |
3,240 |
|
2013-14 |
1,530 |
Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in ‘5′ are rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2014, Official Report, column 182W, on Defence Infrastructure Organisation, whether there are any covenants on the use of DIO Ashcurch; and if he will make a statement.
Dr Andrew Murrison
There are two covenants on the site at Ashchurch. These relate to:
The erection and maintenance of stock proof fences; and
The reservation of mines and minerals and rights of access to light and air.