Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Army policy on admitting new recruits with a history of ADHD is; and whether Medical Officers have discretion on that matter.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Medical entry standards are set for the three Services by the Joint Medical Group and are regularly reviewed by occupational physicians from all three Services.
They are contained within the Joint Service Manual of Medical Fitness, to which I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 June 2019, to Question 257486 to the right hon. Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire (Stephen Crabb), which placed a copy of this in the Library of the House.
Recruiting Group and Military clinicians are empowered to use their clinical judgement, in accordance with policy and based on the available evidence.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of (a) new Army recruits and (b) recruits leaving the Army before completing Phase 2 training were subject to a care order in each of the last three financial years.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The number of new Army recruits subject to a care order in financial year 2018-19 was 22. Information is not held centrally for the previous years as this preceded the new Defence Recruiting System.
Once recruits have joined the Army, information on those subject to care orders is retained at a local level to ensure and appropriate duty of care is discharged by the chain of command and unit welfare office. It is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if she will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of potential late changes to the Dreadnought submarine design.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The design and build of the Dreadnought class submarines continues. The programme remains on track to enter service in the early 2030s, it remains within its budget. The build phase for the entire class will take approximately 20 years. The Dreadnought programme will ensure the United Kingdom has a credible, independent and capable nuclear deterrent out to the 2060s.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of delays to the Vanguard submarine maintenance schedule.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Ministry of Defence is committed to working closely with Babcock to safely deliver submarine support work, including our major planned maintenance projects. With Babcock, we are employing robust programme management techniques to deliver the HMS VANGUARD planned period of deep maintenance and refuel work. I am withholding the estimated cost as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps her Department in taking to tackle delays to the Vanguard submarine maintenance schedule.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Ministry of Defence is committed to working closely with Babcock to safely deliver submarine support work, including our major planned maintenance projects. With Babcock, we are employing robust programme management techniques to deliver the HMS VANGUARD planned period of deep maintenance and refuel work. I am withholding the estimated cost as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent changes her Department has made to the estimated savings to be accrued from the Submarine Enterprise Performance Programme.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The estimated savings to be delivered under the Submarine Enterprise Performance Programme are included in the annual Defence Equipment Plan. The 2018 plan was published on 18 March 2019, and can be found here:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/788481/20190318-EP18_v3.pdf
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether anticipated reductions in spending on the UK nuclear weapons programme from 2026 onwards are included in her Department’s budgetary costings.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Yes. Forecast costs for the Defence nuclear enterprise are included in the Department's forecast cost estimates, as published in the Equipment Plan.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if she will publish the full-life costings of all elements of the UK nuclear programme.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Ministry of Defence does not, and has no plans to, routinely publish whole life costs for projects, nuclear or otherwise, beyond what is already published in reports such as the Defence Equipment Plan, Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts, and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority's Annual Report on Major Projects.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of upgrading docks at Devonport as part of the UK nuclear programme.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Ministry of Defence continues to undertake work to define the future infrastructure requirements at Devonport to deliver the submarine programme safely and securely. We are currently conducting negotiations with industry partners.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether her Department has identified the fuel element breach problems in the PWR2 submarine reactor design.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The safety of all the United Kingdom's nuclear submarines is not in doubt and remains our highest priority.