Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's policy is on the deployment of the army to assist the police in clearing an unauthorised traveller encampment on Ministry of Defence land.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Under Section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 only the police have the power to remove trespassers. Military personnel have no role in this removal. Ministry of Defence (MOD) policy remains that the Department will take appropriate action, complicit with the law, to recover possession of MOD land occupied by unauthorised traveller encampments.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what conditions were stipulated under the conditions of sale when his Department disposed of land from Bramley Training Area particularly in relation to purposes of (a) forestry and (b) building developments.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
An area of the Bramley Training Estate was sold in 1992 to Wimpey Homes. The freehold transfer contains the following restrictions on title in relation to forestry and building development:
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the security of Bramley Training Area; and what recent steps his Department has taken to further secure the eastern border of that Area.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Bramley Training Area is enclosed with security fencing to help prevent unauthorised public access.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) assesses that this is a necessary measure for the security of the training area.
The MOD is also investigating ways to further enhance security on the eastern border of the Bramley Training estate, including measures to prevent vehicular access to limit antisocial behaviour.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 21 April 1995 to Question 19333 on Chemical Weapons, what assessment his Department has made of whether Operation APPLE and Operation CORNELIUS recovered all munitions buried in Bramley Training Area.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
In 2002 the Ministry of Defence (MOD) assessed that the Bramley Training Area no longer poses an active risk to safety, this followed munitions clearing operations in 1987 (Operation APPLE) and 1995 (Operation CORNELIUS). However, it is not possible to provide 100% assurance that the site is entirely clear of unexploded ordinance and therefore a formal digging ban remains in place in specified areas. This includes land within the current training area, which is still used regularly by the Army for dry-fire training, and parts of the estate sold by MOD in 1992, where MOD consent is required to build, dig or plant.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on NATO's two per cent GDP spending target.
Answered by Gavin Robinson - Shadow DUP Spokesperson (Defence)
I regularly discuss this important issue with my NATO counterparts, and it was a key part of the burden sharing discussions at the NATO Summit on 11-12 July.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2018 to Question 129149 on Ministry of Defence Land,, whether the figure of 320 days given is based on a historical assessment or a future prediction.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The figure of 320 days referenced previously is based on a historical assessment of the use of land at Long Valley Training area, which includes Eelmoor.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
What progress his Department has made on taking legal action against people who set up illegal encampments on its land.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Ministry of Defence always takes appropriate and timely legal action to remove people occupying its land unlawfully. Any eviction must be in accordance with policy and the legal process.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2018 to Question 121593, what assessment his Department has made of the proportion of time that Ministry of Defence land near Eelmoor Training Area will be unavailable to the public for recreational purposes as a result of (a) military training, (b) public safety, (c) security, (d) conservation and (e) the interests of tenants on that land.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Land at Long Valley Training area, which includes Eelmoor is unavailable for public recreational use for approximately 320 days each year as a result of military training.
A breakdown of the 320 days into military training, public safety, security, conservation and the interests of tenants is not recorded separately.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's policy is on public access for walking and cycling on his Department's land.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) policy is a presumption in favour of public access for recreational purposes wherever this is compatible with operational and military training uses, public safety, security, conservation and the interests of MOD tenants.
Asked by: Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to reduce the UK Chinook Force.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The UK Chinook Force provides the UK Armed Forces with vital rotary wing heavy lift capability. Defence has invested significantly in enhancing and maintaining the Chinook capability over many years and an upgrade programme will sustain this core capability into the 2040s.