Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of (a) additional to their wages and (b) deployment allowances that were made to the crew of submarines providing the continual at sea deterrent in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The tables below provide the data requested.
Table A – Cost for Submariner Recruitment & Retention Pay [Paid Above Basic Salary]
Financial Year | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
|
Recruitment & Retention Pay [Submariner] | £5,829,718 | £6,020,589 | £5,899,253 | £6,338,728 | £6,750,011 |
|
Table B – Total Costs of Local Oversea Allowance (LOA) and Longer Separation Allowances (LSA)
Financial Year | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
|
Total | £1,136,491 | £1,682,940 | £1,105,415 | £1,396,261 | £2,149,526 |
|
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on making additional payments to senior officers and shortage professions on board Royal Navy submarines to ensure submarines can put to sea.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy has sufficient personnel to meet all of its operational commitments. However, the RN continues to work to identify innovative measures to recruit and retain the highest quality personnel.
The Submarine Remuneration Review (SMRR) seeks to modernise the way in which the Royal Navy intends to remunerate all of it’s submariners by ensuring a new simplified scheme is implemented which improves both requirement and retention.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to take steps with the Secretary of State for the Home Department to use RAF Voyager aircraft to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Home Office is responsible for operationalising Migration and Economic Development Partnership flights to Rwanda and it plans to do so using a commercial provider. The Secretary of State for Defence will however consider any requests for support according to the normal Military Aid to the Civil Authorities process.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether a deployment of RAF Voyagers to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda would require an on the ground UK military presence in Rwanda to receive and refuel the RAF aircraft.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The RAF routinely flies to civilian airports around the world. As is common throughout the aviation industry, ground handling services at civilian airports are provided through the receiving aerodrome or civil fixed base operator.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason there is no armed forces recruitment target for ethnic minorities.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Whilst Defence has not set hard targets for the recruitment of ethnic minority personnel for the Armed Forces, we have set internally published levels of ambition to increase the recruitment and representation of underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities. The purpose of these levels of ambition is to act as a catalyst for innovation and activity, and to provide challenge and stretch to existing processes and approaches.
Defence has committed to improving the recruitment of ethnic minority personnel into the Armed Forces and is engaged in a wide range of activities to promote better understanding and enhance engagement with ethnic minority communities, reviewing Armed Forces recruitment processes and delivering more targeted marketing and communications towards potential ethnic minority applicants.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on their target for women to account for 30% of personnel recruited by 2030.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 11 December 2023 to Question 4844.
In the 12 months to 30 September 2023, the proportion of female intake was 12.3% and we hope to continue to work towards the target year on year.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2024 to Question 20104 on Armed Forces: Housing, how many emergency pest control requests were responded to within three hours.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
In relation to the incidents data in the table referred to, there were no emergency incidents relating to pest control activities requiring a response within three hours.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2024 to Question 20104 on Armed Forces: Housing, how many routine pest control requests were responded to within fifteen days.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This information is not held in the format requested and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2024 to Question 19180 on Armed Forces: Housing, when the (a) Minister for the Armed Forces and (b) Minister for Defence People and Families last had discussions with representatives of (i) VIVO, (ii) Amey and (iii) Pinnacle on the maintenance of service accommodation properties.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There is no formal record of any meeting between the Minister for Armed Forces and representatives from VIVO, Amey and Pinnacle on the maintenance of Service accommodation.
There is a formal record of an invitation for a meeting in January 2023 between the Minister for Defence People and Families and VIVO, Amey and Pinnacle on the maintenance of Service accommodation.
I have engaged with VIVO, Amey and Pinnacle representatives in summer 2023 regarding overdue Landlord Gas Safety Inspections and Electrical Insulation Condition Reports.
In addition to this, Defence Infrastructure Organisation officials are in daily contact with VIVO, Amey and Pinnacle regarding delivery and performance.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's planned timetable is for HMS Bulwark's (a) regeneration and (b) return to fleet.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
For reasons of operational security, we do not disclose timetables of future readiness levels for Royal Navy (RN) vessels. However, I can confirm that, as has been the case since 2010, one Landing Platform Dock (LPD) ship will be held in extended readiness so that she will be capable of being regenerated if we have strategic notice that she will be needed. As such, HMS Albion will take HMS Bulwark's place in extended readiness and HMS Bulwark will be regenerated from extended readiness and maintained so that she can be ready to deliver defence outputs if required.
All discussions with Babcock International Group Plc on the LPD programme of work have related to the delivery of the original contract.