Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of Operation Prosperity Guardian.
Answered by James Heappey
Due to the ongoing nature of Operation Prosperity Guardian and for reasons of operational security it would be inappropriate to release detailed costings at this time.
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of replacing HMS Diamond with HMS Richmond in the Red Sea on the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s capacity.
Answered by James Heappey
HMS Richmond has now taken on the role of safeguarding shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden alongside other Royal Navy, UK & NATO Partners, as part of the UK's enduring commitment to ensuring Freedom of Navigation and maintaining security of global shipping lanes.
The Royal Navy and Royal Feet Auxiliary continue to meet all of their operational commitments at home and abroad, and we will continue to ensure we have the workforce, support arrangements and facilities required to maintain availability in the future.
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civilian seafarer ratings have been trained by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in each year since 2016.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Between 2016 and 2023, 706 seafarers were trained by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), and there are no RFA seafarers currently serving on Operation Prosperity Guardian.
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Fleet Auxiliary seafarers have been deployed in Operation Prosperity Guardian.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Between 2016 and 2023, 706 seafarers were trained by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), and there are no RFA seafarers currently serving on Operation Prosperity Guardian.
Asked by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of employment rights of seafarers in the (a) Royal Navy and (b) Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) strives to protect and support all of its seafarers. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) team of 1,700 are employed and administered in accordance with MOD Civil Service parameters, regularly expertly reviewed and subject to independent scrutiny. In addition, the RFA are proactively modernising their suite of policies to exceed the standards of the new Seafarer's Charter.