Asked by: Lord MacKenzie of Culkein (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Fleet Solid Support Ships capable of supporting a Carrier Strike Group are currently in service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary currently has one Fleet Solid Support ship capable of supporting a Carrier Strike Group; RFA FORT VICTORIA.
Asked by: Lord MacKenzie of Culkein (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the planned in-service dates for each of the new Fleet Solid Support Ships.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence said during Defence Oral Questions in the House of Commons on Monday 21 September 2020, the procurement timetable for the warships will be announced in due course, after market testing has been completed. We are open to the principle of international partners working alongside UK firms for the bid.
Asked by: Lord MacKenzie of Culkein (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the new Fleet Solid Support Ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary will be built in UK shipyards.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence said during Defence Oral Questions in the House of Commons on Monday 21 September 2020, the procurement timetable for the warships will be announced in due course, after market testing has been completed. We are open to the principle of international partners working alongside UK firms for the bid.
Asked by: Lord MacKenzie of Culkein (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the three new Fleet Solid Support Ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary will be ordered; and what are the estimated in-service dates for each of those new ships.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Ministry of Defence is currently assessing the options for the fleet Solid Support ship programme, and as part of this process will review the requirement and any procurement strategy. It is not possible to provide any further details until this work has been completed.
Asked by: Lord MacKenzie of Culkein (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, there are plans to utilise Marchwood Military Port to import essential goods.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is supporting the Department for Transport (DfT) in developing contingency plans for the movement of Category 1 goods, from the EU to the UK, in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Category 1 goods are defined as 'those essential for the preservation of human and animal welfare and national security'. DfT is procuring, on behalf of the rest of Government, freight capacity from the commercial market and remains on track to provide the required capacity from 31 October 2019, but it is right to prepare for all eventualities. MOD has therefore been requested to make available one of its freight vessels for use from 31 October 2019 should it be necessary. This vessel is one of the four Point Class Strategic Roll-on-Roll-off vessels (SRR), which are operated by Foreland Shipping Limited under a MOD contract. If this contingency plan is utilised, the intention is to import the Category 1 goods the SRR carries through Marchwood Port, using the MOD contract with the port operator Solent Gateway Limited.
Asked by: Lord MacKenzie of Culkein (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the four Point-class sealift ships will be used to transport urgent cargoes of medicines, short shelf life products, or other essential goods.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is supporting the Department for Transport (DfT) in developing contingency plans for the movement of Category 1 goods, from the EU to the UK, in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Category 1 goods are defined as 'those essential for the preservation of human and animal welfare and national security'. DfT is procuring, on behalf of the rest of Government, freight capacity from the commercial market and remains on track to provide the required capacity from 31 October 2019, but it is right to prepare for all eventualities. MOD has therefore been requested to make available one of its freight vessels for use from 31 October 2019 should it be necessary. This vessel is one of the four Point Class Strategic Roll-on-Roll-off vessels (SRR), which are operated by Foreland Shipping Limited under a MOD contract. If this contingency plan is utilised, the intention is to import the Category 1 goods the SRR carries through Marchwood Port, using the MOD contract with the port operator Solent Gateway Limited.
Asked by: Lord MacKenzie of Culkein (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
Her Majesty's Government what further steps they have taken, following reports that 800,000 songbirds were trapped and killed last autumn, to end this illegal activity on the British Cape Pyla firing range in Cyprus.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Regular anti bird trapping operations have continued since autumn 2016. Between November 2016 and June 2017, 560 mist nets were removed from the Cape Pyla ranges as well as a significant quantity of other items of bird trapping paraphernalia. In May 2017, the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) court in Dhekelia issued fines to 13 bird trappers, many of whom were caught in the act by hidden surveillance cameras on the Cape Pyla ranges; they were fined between €820 and €2,500 after their illegal activities were filmed by motion activated cameras. A further three accused bird trappers are due to be sentenced in the SBA court on 8 August, charged with the offences of large scale pursuit of wild birds.
The SBA Administration is constantly reviewing its plans to counter illegal bird trapping. As well as activities outlined above the SBA Police will use all lawful means to target individuals involved in bird trapping and that will include any criminal activity they may be involved in. We will work closely with colleagues in Cyprus Police to achieve this.
Most recently, soldiers from the 2nd Battalion Prince of Wales's Royal Regiment based in Dhekelia, successfully destroyed up to 1,500 metres of irrigation equipment over 11 acres of land on the Cape Pyla ranges during a night time operation. The irrigation, which is laid illegally by criminal bird trapping gangs, is used to promote the growth of invasive acacia bushes.
Asked by: Lord MacKenzie of Culkein (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
Her Majesty's Government whether there has been an improvement in the recruitment and retention of engineer officers and senior engine room ratings in both the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary following the recent Ministry of Defence studies into remuneration packages.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Royal Navy (RN) and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) have a number of measures, both remunerative and non-remunerative, to improve the recruitment and retention of engineers. Given the range of measures in place, it is not possible to attribute the overall effect on retention and recruitment to a particular measure or study.
There are positive signs for the RN in terms of engineering officer and rating recruitment and retention, and for RFA retention. However, like many employers in the maritime sector, both the RN and the RFA face a significant challenge in recruiting engineering expertise, and they will continue to assess their personnel requirements and the ways in which this situation can be addressed.
Asked by: Lord MacKenzie of Culkein (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the study report into the remuneration package for deck and engineer officers of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary has been finalised and accepted; and whether it has been, or will be, published in full.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The study into the remuneration package for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and wider Royal Naval engineering officers has been finalised and accepted.
Due to commercial sensitivities the report cannot be published in full.
Asked by: Lord MacKenzie of Culkein (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 22 October 2015 (HL2638), whether the study into the remuneration package for officers has been completed, and if so, whether they will publish the findings.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The process of stakeholder engagement to support the study into the remuneration package for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and wider Royal Naval engineering officers is complete. The study report is now being finalised. Once the report is accepted, consideration will be given to its publication, in part or in full.