Asked by: Baroness Clark of Kilwinning (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have held in relation to (1) Chinook helicopters flying low over, and (2) other military exercises taking place in close proximity to, people's houses in the vicinity of (a) the Hunterston nuclear power station, and (b) nuclear power stations in general.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Nuclear Facilities are classified as National Avoidance Areas for both military and civil aircraft and Restricted Areas of two nautical miles radius are in place around nuclear installations. Military aircraft will not operate at low level over Restricted Areas.
Asked by: Baroness Clark of Kilwinning (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the direct military aid his Department provided to Kurdish forces in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
Answered by Mark Francois - Shadow Minister (Defence)
To date in 2014, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has undertaken the following military assistance to units in Iraq: airstrikes, and accompanying surveillance, which have been critical to supporting the Iraqi security forces, including Kurdish Peshmerga; donated military equipment (such as rations and sleeping bags); and gifted 40 heavy machine guns and almost half a million rounds of ammunition. In addition, the UK has delivered weapons and ammunition from other coalition countries to Northern Iraq. Finally, UK personnel have been conducting training on the UK-gifted heavy machine guns near Erbil. Earlier in the year counter-improvised explosive device training was conducted by a private company, sponsored by three UK Government Departments, including the MOD.
No assistance has been given to Syrian Kurdish forces.
Asked by: Baroness Clark of Kilwinning (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his US counterparts about the use by other forces of depleted uranium in Iraq or Syria.
Answered by Mark Francois - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The UK does not routinely discuss the specific operational use of conventional weapons with partners or allies; these are primarily a matter for the States concerned.
Asked by: Baroness Clark of Kilwinning (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of Elbit's performance in the Watchkeeper programme.
Answered by Philip Dunne
None. UAV Tactical Systems Ltd, a joint venture company owned by Elbit and Thales, is a sub-contractor of Thales UK, the prime contractor for the Watchkeeper programme. It is the responsibility of prime contractors to select and manage the performance of their sub-contractors.
Asked by: Baroness Clark of Kilwinning (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civilian personnel are employed at HMNB Clyde by (a) his Department, (b) Babcock, (c) ABL Alliance, (d) Serco, (e) Rolls Royce, (f) Thales and (g) other main contractors.
Answered by Philip Dunne
As at 9 June 2014, 1,285 Ministry of Defence civilian personnel are employed at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde. Additionally there are approximately 1,900 people employed in the Naval Base by contractors. The precise number is a matter for the contractors and will fluctuate, depending on the tasks and the number of sub-contractors employed.
Asked by: Baroness Clark of Kilwinning (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide a skills breakdown of the civilian personnel employed at HMNB Clyde by (a) his Department, (b) Babcock, (c) Serco, (d) Rolls Royce, (e) Thales and (f) other main contractors.
Answered by Philip Dunne
A breakdown of the Ministry of Defence civilian personnel employed at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde, by job family, as at 9 June 2014, is provided in the table.
Job Family | Number |
Business Management & Improvement | 17 |
Commercial | 6 |
Internal Communications and Media Relations | 6 |
Corporate Support | 59 |
Engineering and Science | 97 |
Estates | 13 |
Finance | 11 |
Health Professionals | 11 |
Human Resources | 2 |
Information | 26 |
Logistics | 67 |
Programme & Project Management | 26 |
Security, Health & Safety | 931 |
Training and Education | 13 |
Total | 1,285 |
A skills breakdown for Babcock, Serco, Rolls Royce, Thales and other main contractors is a matter for individual contractors and is not held by the Department.
Asked by: Baroness Clark of Kilwinning (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civilian personnel employed at HMNB Clyde are resident in (a) Argyll and Bute, (b) West Dunbartonshire, (c) other parts of Scotland and (d) other parts of the UK.
Answered by Philip Dunne
As at 9 June 2014, the number of Ministry of Defence civilian personnel employed at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde resident in Argyll and Bute, West Dunbartonshire, other parts of Scotland and other parts of the United Kingdom are provided in the table.
Region | Number* |
Argyll & Bute | 423 |
West Dunbartonshire | 457 |
Other Parts of Scotland | 385 |
Other Parts of the UK | 15 |
Not Known | 5 |
Total | 1,285 |
* It should be noted that the recording of home addresses by Ministry of Defence civilian personnel is not mandatory and the information above is not verified.