Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to support policing on the Irish border in the event that the UK leaves the EU without an agreement.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Ministry of Defence has no plans to deploy any additional military personnel to Northern Ireland, nor have we received any requests from other Government Departments or civil authorities to support policing on the Irish border.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of his Department's staff have had days off sick because of mental illness or stress in each of the last three years; and how many days off that amounted to in each of those years.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The requested information is provided in the table below:
Ministry of Defence Civilian Personnel, number of working days lost to Mental and Behavioural Disorders (International Classification of Diseases (ICD), version 10, PSD)
Calendar Year | Number of Civilian Personnel who had | Proportion of Civilian | Number of days of |
2017 | 2,800 | 5.60% | 80,733 |
2016 | 2,610 | 5.27% | 84,400 |
2015 | 2,725 | 5.42% | 82,223 |
Notes: The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) (version 10) uses the ICD code PSD Mental and Behavioural Disorders to register medical conditions of stress. This code also covers other conditions within this category.
Figures exclude the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Locally Employed Civilians for whom no data is available.
Civilian Sickness Absence data has been published on the GOV.UK website since January 2016 and the latest available edition can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-civilian-sickness-absence-financial-year-201617. The next edition will be published on Thursday 31 May 2018.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes the health and wellbeing of its personnel very seriously. A Health and Wellbeing Strategy for all MOD employees, military and civilian, was published in mid-2015 and is designed to provide guidance to the Chain of Command and civilian line managers on how to manage the health needs, both mental and physical, of their people. The aim is to maximise the number of people fit to work, managing people back to work after a period of sickness, so that they are fit and able to meet the requirements of Defence outputs, including operational effectiveness.
The Department has also launched a Mental Wellbeing Toolkit which is aimed at all civilian staff and their civilian and military line managers. The toolkit is designed to help staff spot warning signs that someone may be experiencing difficulties and know where additional advice and support can be found. In addition, the Department has a number of civilian Mental Health First Aiders, each of whom has completed a two-day course delivered in accordance with the requirements of Mental Health First Aid England (or regional equivalent).
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many successful applications there have been for early access to the Armed Forces Pension due to injury as a result of exposure to CS spray in each year since 2010.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length of time is to process an application for early access to the Armed Forces Pension prompted by ill health.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how CS spray is used in the training of armed forces personnel; and whether there have been any reports of injuries associated with the use of such spray in such training in each year since 2010.
Answered by Mike Penning
Ortho Chloro Bezylid Enemalonitrile (CS) is used by the Ministry of Defence in two forms:
Pellet Irritant Smoke Respirator L1A1 (CS Pellets) which is a low concentration aerosolised particulate (similar to talcum powder drifting in the air). This is used within the confined environment of confirmation training facility as part of the testing process of the annual chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) revision requirement. If the CBRN drills are carried out correctly then exposure to the effects of CS is negligible. Royal Marine, Army and RAF recruits (not Royal Navy) are deliberately exposed to CS once in their career, to allow them to understand the effects of CS and gain confidence in the equipment that individuals may use when deployed.
Canister Irritant Pressurised Hand Held L1A5 is a pressurised can containing a liquid CS suspension, known colloquially as CI. It is designed to be released in the vicinity of unprotected, trained troops who are in possession of the correct Personal Protective Equipment (respirator). The CS simulates exposure to a Chemical Warfare Agent, initiating the CBRN Immediate Action drills (donning of the respirator etc.). The CS canister must not be used in a confined area (buildings etc.) or within 1m of unprotected troops. The effects of CS can expect to be experienced by those downwind of the release point, with reducing acuteness, for a significant distance (potentially several hundred metres). CI is used as a useful training aid within a CBRN exercise for developing confidence when operating and conducting military tasks.
I will write to the hon. Member with further details on her specific point on reports of injuries when the information has been collated.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many senior civil servants in his Department were on a leave of absence from work due to mental illness in each month of each year since the Department's creation.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Information held does not allow Ministry of Defence civilian personnel who were on a leave of absence with a mental illness to be separately identified.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the military uses are of the FIST Thermal Sight stolen from a Ministry of Defence site in the last year.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The FIST (Future Integrated Soldier Technology) Thermal Sight is used for surveillance and target acquisition by dismounted close combat soldiers and can be mounted to compatible rifles or used as a handheld thermal imager for observation.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the information provided to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree and pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2016 to Question 51845, what steps his Department has taken to (a) review stolen items on sale on eBay and (b) otherwise recover items stolen from its sites over the last year.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works hard to detect and deter theft and there are robust processes in place to raise awareness of the need for vigilance in all aspects of security. Just as theft occurs in wider society, the MOD is not immune and we actively encourage individuals to report any evidence of loss or suspicion of theft. It is important to note that in some cases of reported theft the property is later recovered. In the case of key assets however, MOD sites have a wide range of additional security measures to ensure their safety.
The weight of the full industrial kitchen and summer house has not been recorded.
In respect of the further detailed information requested this will take time to collate and I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the information provided to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree and pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2016 to Question 51845, what assessment his Department has made of the risks posed to UK citizens from military equipment stolen from its sites over the last year.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works hard to detect and deter theft and there are robust processes in place to raise awareness of the need for vigilance in all aspects of security. Just as theft occurs in wider society, the MOD is not immune and we actively encourage individuals to report any evidence of loss or suspicion of theft. It is important to note that in some cases of reported theft the property is later recovered. In the case of key assets however, MOD sites have a wide range of additional security measures to ensure their safety.
The weight of the full industrial kitchen and summer house has not been recorded.
In respect of the further detailed information requested this will take time to collate and I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Berger (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the information provided to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree and pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2016 to Question 51845, if he will list the purchase cost of each item referred to.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works hard to detect and deter theft and there are robust processes in place to raise awareness of the need for vigilance in all aspects of security. Just as theft occurs in wider society, the MOD is not immune and we actively encourage individuals to report any evidence of loss or suspicion of theft. It is important to note that in some cases of reported theft the property is later recovered. In the case of key assets however, MOD sites have a wide range of additional security measures to ensure their safety.
The weight of the full industrial kitchen and summer house has not been recorded.
In respect of the further detailed information requested this will take time to collate and I will write to the hon. Member shortly.