Dental Technician
Dental Hygienist
Dental Nurse.
Personnel (Support).
Logistics (Supplier)
Logistics (Mover).
Logistics (Catering Manager (Chef)
Logistics (Chef)
Logistics (Catering Manager)
Logistics (Caterer).
Musician.
Air Force: Military Bases
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) which Royal Air Force bases and establishments in England are currently in use; [191167]
(2) which RAF bases and establishments (a) have been closed since 2010 and (b) are due to be closed; [191169]
(3) which Royal Air Force bases and establishments in Wales are currently in use; [191175]
(4) which Royal Air Force bases and establishments in Northern Ireland are currently in use; [191176]
(5) which overseas Royal Air Force bases and establishments are currently in use; [191177]
(6) which Royal Air Force bases and establishments in Scotland are currently in use. [191183]
Dr Murrison: The information requested in respect of RAF Main Bases is set out below.
RAF Benson (Joint Helicopter Command base)
RAF Boulmer
RAF Brize Norton
RAF College Cranwell
RAF Coningsby
RAF Cosford
RAF Halton
RAF Henlow
RAF High Wycombe
RAF Honington
RAF Leeming
RAF Linton on Ouse
RAF Marham
RAF Northholt
RAF Odiham (Joint Helicopter Command base)
RAF Scampton
RAF Shawbury
RAF St Mawgan
RAF Waddington
RAF Wittering
RAF Lossiemouth
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RAF Leuchars
RAF Valley
RAF Main Bases in Northern Ireland:
Nil
There are no RAF Main Bases overseas; however there is a large RAF presence at the following Permanent Joint Operating Base overseas locations operated by Joint Force Command:
Ascension Island
Cyprus
Falkland Islands
Gibraltar
RAF Main Bases that have closed, and have transferred to other Defenceuse, since 2010:
RAF Cottesmore
RAF Kinloss
RAF Lyneham
RAF Main Bases due to close and will transfer to other Defence use:
RAF Leuchars.
In addition to Main Bases, the RAF also operates a number of minor units, weapon ranges, radar sites and RAF Reserves units, and maintains an interest in the US Visiting Force airfields, a number of which have also closed since 2010. In addition, RAF units are also deployed in support of operations overseas.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which RAF bases and establishments are held on a leasehold basis. [191171]
Dr Murrison: No RAF bases or establishments are completely held on a leasehold basis. However, small areas of land and/or some buildings at the following RAF bases and establishments are held on a leasehold basis:
RAF Benbecula
RAF Boulmer
RAF Brize Norton
RAF Buchan
RAF Conningsby
RAF Cottesmore
RAF Cranwell
RAF Croughton
RAF Daws Hill
RAF Fairford
RAF Fylingdales
RAF High Wycombe
RAF Kinloss
RAF Lossiemouth
RAF Lakenheath
RAF Leeming
RAF Leuchars
RAF Linton on Ouse
RAF Marham
RAF Mildenhall
RAF Saxa Vord
RAF Scampton
RAF Shawbury
RAF Spadeadam
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RAF St Mawgan
RAF Valley
RAF Waddington
Air Force: Property
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) location and (b) value is of all land and buildings, dwellings—tangible fixed assets valued at £1 million or over held on Air Command's balance sheet. [191174]
Dr Murrison: Details of Air Command's land and building dwelling assets valued at £1 million and over are shown in the following table. The values are net book values (NBV) as at 31 March 2013. Assets under construction at any of the locations are not included.
| Location | NBV 31 March 2013 (£ million) |
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) location and (b) value is of all land and buildings, non-dwellings tangible fixed assets valued at £1 million or over held on Air Command's balance sheet. [191180]
Dr Murrison: Details of Air Command's land and building non-dwelling assets valued at £1 million and over are shown in the following table. The values are net book values (NBV) as at 31 March 2013. Assets under construction at any of the locations are not included.
| Location | NBV 31 March 2013 (£ million) |
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Armed Forces
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's Single Integrated Capability Priority List. [191179]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has moved away from the concept of holding a list of projects that compete for funding as a basis for apportioning the unallocated budget. Instead, high-level military objectives have been mapped to the elements, such as equipment and support, necessary to achieve those objectives. This process has been used to identify where and when gaps in future capability might appear, to inform the apportionment of the unallocated budget available from 2017-18 onwards. This approach was set out in the NAO EP 2013 to 2023 report published on 12 February 2014, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.
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Armed Forces Pay Review Body
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Triennial Review of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body will be completed; and what estimate he has made of the cost of this review. [191251]
Dr Murrison: The Triennial Review of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body is expected to be completed shortly. The review has been conducted with the use of existing staff resources.
Bomb Disposal: Northern Ireland
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions military personnel were deployed on the streets of Northern Ireland to deal with explosive devices in 2013. [191686]
Mr Francois: The Explosive Ordnance Device teams in Northern Ireland respond with great professionalism to requests for assistance. We will continue to support the Police Service of Northern Ireland in the most operationally effective way.
Incidents requiring explosive ordnance disposal experts in Northern Ireland are dealt with solely by military personnel. The information requested on the number of occasions Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel have responded to incidents in Northern Ireland is published annually in the Report of the Independent Reviewer of the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007. A copy of the report covering up to July 2013 is available in the Library of the House.
Between August 2013 and December 2013, Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel have responded on a further 168 occasions to incidents in Northern Ireland.
Capita
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value is of the break clauses in each contract his Department currently holds with Capita. [191617]
Mr Dunne: In any contract, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) can include a break clause that allows it to terminate a contract at its convenience before the expiry of its term. This may be required to respond to changes to Government policy or other unexpected events.
The MOD has a standard break clause (Defence Condition (DEFCON) 656); the general terms of which include actions the MOD wants the contractor to take in the event of a break, the types of liabilities that will fall to the MOD and the general principle that MOD liability will not exceed the contract price. Individual contracts may have specific terms attached to the clause but in most cases they do not have a monetary value associated with them.
DEFCON 656 states that break clauses must be included in all goods and service contracts due to last nine months or more and which have a value over £250,000, or in any contract below that threshold where there is a risk that the customer may withdraw the requirement.
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Separate provisions in contracts cover instances when the MOD may terminate a contract if a supplier breaches the terms and requirements of the contract.
Only one MOD contract with Capita has a monetary value associated with its break clause. This contract is related to the provision of theatre network services and I am withholding the value as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
Cyprus
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Sovereign Base Areas Administration or the Government of the Republic of Cyprus will be responsible for formulating the new planning regime for the Cyprus sovereign base areas. [191398]
Dr Murrison: The Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) Administration and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus are working together to formulate the formal planning zones and policies for the SBAs. This is in accordance with the arrangement signed on 16 January 2014 between the UK and Republic of Cyprus Governments relating to the regulation of development in the SBAs.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department plans to conduct a strategic environmental assessment on the new planning regime to be developed in the Cyprus sovereign base areas. [191406]
Mr Francois: The Sovereign Base Areas Administration is currently evaluating the legislative and procedural requirements needed for the new planning regime, which will include legislating for strategic environmental assessments.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the new planning regime for non-military development in the Cyprus sovereign base areas will be subject to public consultation before it its introduced. [191412]
Mr Francois: The framework for introducing formal planning zones and policies for the regulation of development in the sovereign base areas is currently being prepared by the Sovereign Base Areas Administration and the Republic of Cyprus. It has not yet been completed. The procedures normally applied in the Republic of Cyprus for operating a planning regime, including the participation of local authorities, the general public and other organisations, are likely to be applied.
Defence
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the UK's gross domestic product the Government spend on defence; and what steps he is taking to encourage the UK's NATO allies to match this proportion. [191555]
Dr Murrison: The NATO-recognised figure for UK Defence spending as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2012 is 2.3%; the latest estimate for 2013 is 2.4%.
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Ministers and officials remind allies at all appropriate opportunities of NATO's resource guidance that members of the Alliance should devote 2.0% of GDP to defence spending.
Defence Infrastructure Organisation
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what criteria his Department used in its decision on to whom to award the contract to manage the Defence Infrastructure Organisation; [191619]
(2) what the role of the new strategic partner taking over the Defence Infrastructure Organisation will be in the statutory planning process; and whether his Department will be the final arbiter in planning matters relating to local plans regarding his Department's land and property following that new partner assuming its role. [191620]
Dr Murrison: The evaluation of the tenders that informed the decision to appoint a Preferred Bidder for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO)'s Strategic Business Partner was in accordance with the criteria published in the Invitation to Negotiate and was designed to identify the most economically advantageous solution for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) that represented the best way forward for the DIO and value for money for the taxpayer.
The Strategic Business Partner will have responsibility for managing the DIO, including the DIO's input into the statutory planning process, in accordance with existing MOD policy, rules and guidelines. Under the contractual governance arrangements the MOD will retain final approval in any matters, including planning, which are not covered by the DIO's delegated powers, which would fall within the existing MOD approvals framework or which are classed as “sensitive or novel”.
In addition, the MOD will retain its role in exercising any specific exemptions or powers on behalf of the Secretary of State for Defence in planning matters.
Dounreay
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral statement of 6 March 2014, Official Report, columns 1077-79, on nuclear submarines, what the evidential basis is for the statement that there has been no detectable radiation leak from the sealed circuit of the nuclear reactor in HMS Vanguard at Dounreay. [191389]
Mr Philip Hammond: There has been no leak from the Naval Reactor Test Establishment (NRTE) at Dounreay. There have been no reported issues with the reactor on HMS Vanguard. All naval nuclear reactor plant have sensitive radiation monitoring and other equipment installed that are able to detect leaks from the sealed reactor circuit.
Some discharges of noble gases did increase at NRTE as a result of increased sampling, but these were still less than half the regulatory limit, which itself is a tiny fraction of the public dose limit. Discharge information is published annually as part of the “Radioactivity in Food and the Environment” publication, available from the SEPA website at:
www.sepa.org.uk
17 Mar 2014 : Column 499W
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when Ministers in his Department were first made aware of problems with the reactor cooling systems at the Dounreay Naval Reactor Test Establishment; and which Minister was so informed. [191631]
Mr Dunne: The Secretary of State for Defence was made aware of the issue with the reactor core in May 2012, shortly after it had been confirmed that the most probable cause of low levels of radioactivity in the reactor's cooling water was a breach in a small area of the metal cladding that surrounds one fuel element within the core of the reactor. It took a number of months to test and investigate the issue.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date in January 2012 the problem with the reactor cooling systems at the Dounreay Naval Reactor Test Establishment was detected. [191632]
Mr Dunne: The first indication of the issue with the reactor at the Naval Reactor Test Establishment followed routine sampling on 25 January 2012. It then took a number of months to investigate further and carry out additional sampling and assessments to ascertain what the situation was.
Gibraltar
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what type of ships are held for Maritime Security Operations in Gibraltar. [191480]
Mr Francois: The Royal Navy patrols British Gibraltar Territorial Waters as part of Her Majesty's Government's commitment to uphold our sovereignty against unlawful incursions with a range of proportionate naval, police and diplomatic responses.
The Royal Navy's presence in Gibraltar is maintained by the Gibraltar Squadron, consisting of HMS Scimitar and HMS Sabre and is frequently bolstered by Royal Naval vessels transiting the region.
International Military Sales
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on legal costs relating to International Military Sales Ltd in each of the last five years. [191575]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has not spent any funds on legal costs related to International Military Services Ltd in each of the last five years. These costs are a matter for the company.
Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to station any of the new F35 joint strike fighters in the Falkland Islands following their commissioning into service. [191400]
17 Mar 2014 : Column 500W
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence continually reviews its force structure and basing options, but at present there are no plans to station UK F-35 aircraft in the Falkland Islands following their acceptance into service.
Military Aircraft
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many (a) Typhoon, (b) Tornado GR4 and (c) Sentinel R1 aircraft are (i) fully serviceable, (ii) undergoing first line maintenance, (iii) undergoing second line maintenance and (iv) undergoing third and fourth line maintenance; and if he will make a statement; [191168]
(2) how many (a) C-17A Globemaster, (b) Hercules C1/C3 (K), (c) Hercules C4/C5 (J), (d) Tristar and (e) VC10 aircraft are (i) fully serviceable, (ii) undergoing first line maintenance, (iii) undergoing second line maintenance and (iv) undergoing third and fourth line maintenance; and if he will make a statement. [191172]
Mr Dunne: First to fourth line maintenance are terms no longer in use with the RAF. Aircraft are now either in the Forward or Depth Fleets. The Forward Fleet comprises aircraft which are serviceable and those which are short-term unserviceable. Short-term unserviceable aircraft are undergoing minor works, forward maintenance or any other unforeseen rectification or technical inspection work that can arise on a day-to-day basis.
The Depth Fleet comprises aircraft which are undergoing planned depth maintenance, upgrade programmes and fleet management temporary storage, but excludes those which are redundant, declared as surplus or awaiting disposal.
The Hercules C1/C3(K) and VC10 fleets have been withdrawn from service and the TriStar fleet will be withdrawn from service by 31 March 2014.
The number of aircraft available in individual fleets varies day-to-day according to normal fleet management activities. The following table shows the number of aircraft in each fleet, as a snapshot, on 11 March 2014.
| Number | ||
| Type | Forward Fleet | Depth Fleet |
Military Bases
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which military bases and establishments in the UK are occupied by US visiting forces; how many US personnel are stationed at each; and what the name and rank of the commander is at each. [191173]
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Mr Francois: The numbers of US military and civilian personnel, together with the name and rank of the US commander, at bases and establishments that are made available to the United States visiting forces are given in the following table.
| Bases | US commander | Total US personnel |
The numbers of personnel have been rounded up and are current as of 15 February 2014.
MOD St Athan
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress his Department has made on its work at MOD St Athan. [903052]
Dr Murrison: The Ministry of Defence is undertaking assessment work to determine the footprint required to support the move of 14 Signals Regiment announced as part of the Army Basing plan.
Department officials work closely with their Welsh Government counterparts to secure the future of the site for aerospace-related activities alongside the Department’s ongoing defence requirements. The latest meeting of the steering group was on 10 March 2014.
Navy: Deployment
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons there are no Royal Navy vessels on duty in the Far East. [191479]
Mr Francois: The Royal Navy has no standing requirement to station a vessel permanently on duty in the Asia Pacific Region. Should there be a requirement, such as the deployment of HMS Daring and HMS Illustrious to the Philippines to support the disaster relief effort, the Royal Navy has a contingent capability to deploy to this region. HMS Daring also took part in the Royal Australian Navy's 100th Anniversary and a number of training opportunities in the Far East.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what types of vessels are assigned to UK contingency operations; and at what notice each such type of vessel is held. [191492]
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Mr Francois: The Royal Navy has a range of assets available at various states of readiness. We do not release information on the readiness levels of these units on the basis of safeguarding national security.
Navy: Unmanned Air Vehicles
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which types of unmanned aerial vehicles are (a) currently deployed by the Royal Navy and (b) being (i) procured and (ii) considered. [191188]
Mr Dunne: The Royal Navy has deployed the (unarmed) Scan Eagle unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and is currently running a two-year Capability Concept Demonstrator to look at the use of rotary wing UAS, which will include a demonstration from a Royal Navy ship in UK waters in late 2014. Other work being conducted by Navy Command and Joint Forces Command is considering the future utility of UAS, but no decisions on procuring specific aircraft have been made.
RAF Northolt
Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made on RAF Northolt's fulfilment of its obligations under Regulation (EC) No. 1108/2009. [191106]
Dr Murrison: Under the terms of (EC) No. 1108/2009 (Article 1, Paragraphs 2(b) and 2(c)), as a military aerodrome RAF Northolt is not bound by civilian regulation. However, the regulation requires that any military facilities open to public use offer a level of safety as effective as that required by (EC) No. 1108/2009.
In order to satisfy this requirement, RAF Northolt is regulated and assured by the Military Aviation Authority (MAA) through compliance with the MAA Military Regulatory Publications (MRP). As a result, all Ministry of Defence Aerodromes, including RAF Northolt, although not bound by, do meet the spirit and intent of Article 1, Paragraph 3 of (EC) No. 1108/2209.
Reserve Forces
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to his Department was of promotional material for recruitment to each of the reserve forces in each year since 2010. [189330]
Anna Soubry: The information requested will take time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Substantive answer from Anna Soubry to Kevan Jones:
Pursuant to the answer I gave you on 4 March 2014 (Official Report, column 814W), to your question on the cost to the Ministry of Defence of promotional material for recruitment to each of the reserve forces in each year since 2010, I am now able to provide you with an answer.
The figures set out in the following table relate to physical materials produced for the purpose of supporting or promoting the recruitment of the Reserve forces; the figures of expenditure on the Army Reserve are included in the Capita RPP contract.
17 Mar 2014 : Column 503W
| £ | ||||
| Financial year: | ||||
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 (to date) | |
| 1 There is no identifiable spend on promotional materials for the Maritime Reserve for this year. 2 Figures are not available prior to the start of the current Recruiting Partnering Project contract. | ||||
These figures relate to identified spending from central budgets; local units may also have had funding for promotional materials, but such spending cannot be identified without disproportionate effort.
I hope that this is helpful.
Russia
Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are for (a) Russian attendance and (b) Russian dialogues in the margins of the NATO Summit to be held in Wales in September 2014. [191881]
Dr Murrison: Planning for the Wales Summit continues between the UK and NATO. The final attendance list and a decision on events in the margins of the Summit have yet to be finalised.
Trade Union Officials
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding his Department provided for staff to carry out trade union activities in each of the last three years; and how many days staff spent on those activities in each of those years. [190238]
Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) makes certain facilities available to civilian employees who are accredited representatives, but not paid officials, of trade unions recognised by the Department. The amount of time off and the purposes for which it is allowed is in accordance with the ACAS Code of Practice Time off for Trade Union duties and activities. This is recorded as facility time (FT).
The MOD only began to record centrally the number of days and cost of funding trade union duties in 2013. For the period 1 April 2013 to 6 March 2014, the number of staff days spent on FT was 3,087 days, at a cost of some £377,000. In 2013 53 departmental staff were recorded as 100% FT, in 2014 this has reduced to 11 departmental staff.
These figures do not include the FT provided to the MOD police, Royal Fleet Auxiliary or trading funds. They also do not include non-departmental public bodies who have their own agreements with the trade unions.
Figures collected on the same base for earlier years are not available, but the Department has previously estimated that in the year 2011-12 some 27,060 staff days were spent on FT at a cost of £3.65 million.
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Type 26 Frigates
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assessment he has made of the procurement process of the Type 26; and if he will make a statement; [191187]
(2) when the key procurement decisions relating to the Type 26 frigate will be made; and if he will make a statement. [191189]
Mr Dunne: The Type 26 Global Combat Ship programme is in its Assessment Phase. A detailed assessment of the work carried out during this phase will inform the main investment decision, which is expected towards the end of 2014.
Ukraine
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision he has made to allocate UK troops to any UN deployment of troops to Ukraine. [191326]
Dr Murrison: The UK has not made any specific provision to allocate UK troops to any potential UN deployment to the Ukraine.
If a UN mission were authorised, the UK, along with other member states, would assess in the usual manner whether we wished to contribute.
Unmanned Air Vehicles
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2014, Official Report, column 33W, on unmanned air vehicles, if he will publish a complete list of countries to which his Department has sent pilots to operate unmanned aircraft. [R] [191683]
Mr Francois: The Army only operates Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), which are all unarmed, operationally in Afghanistan, and previously in Iraq. The Army has also conducted training of UAS operators in the following countries; UK, Israel, Jordan, Canada, USA and Kenya.
Veterans
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the potential cost of implementing the recommendations of the Veterans' Transition Review, published on 11 February 2014. [191553]
Anna Soubry: We are grateful to Lord Ashcroft for his efforts in producing a comprehensive review. Some of his recommendations are already in place, others are being taken forward through existing programmes of work, and many require cross-Government implementation. A comprehensive cost estimate is therefore not available.