Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department provides to support the charity Homestart in (a) Germany, (b) Cyprus, (c) elsewhere abroad and (d) the UK.
Answered by Anna Soubry
Home-Start has received payments totalling £40,335 from the Armed Forces Community Covenant Grant Scheme for two projects in the UK. No funding has been awarded to the charity for any projects in Germany, Cyprus or elsewhere abroad.
The Community Covenant Grant Scheme (CCGS) is a fund of £30 million designed to support projects at the local level that strengthen ties between members of the Armed Forces community and the wider community.
An application for funding can be submitted by any part of the community (e.g. volunteer groups, charities and public bodies such as schools) firstly through the Community Covenant partnership and if endorsed at that level, to the regional panels up and down the country. Although this is the last year of the CCGS, from 2015 the Armed Forces Covenant fund will launch with £10 million per year made available to fund projects supporting the Armed Forces.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 14 May 2014, Official Report, column 613W, on war graves, what further progress has been made on discussions with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on the transer of graves maintained by the Ministry of Defence to that Commissioner.
Answered by Anna Soubry
Discussions between Ministry Of Defence (MOD) and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) are continuing regarding the transfer of maintenance responsibility for the graves of military personnel buried in the UK since 1945. Furthermore, during the most recent discussions the CWGC has indicated a willingness to take over the maintenance work.
The MOD is now in the process of compiling specific information to assist a detailed analysis by the CWGC and we are striving to reach a conclusion at the earliest possibility.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many nationals of which countries other than the UK serve in each service of the armed forces; and what proportion of each such service such foreign nationals represent.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The number of foreign nationals serving in our Armed Forces is shown in the table. The information is presented by the number of foreign personnel by nationality, the number and percentage serving in each of the Armed Forces and the number within the Armed Forces overall.The number of foreign nationals serving in our Armed Forces is shown in the table. The information is presented by the number of foreign personnel by nationality, the number and percentage serving in each of the Armed Forces and the number within the Armed Forces overall.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were recruited to the Reserve forces in the last 12 months; how this figure compares to his Department's target figures; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Julian Brazier
The UK Armed Forces Quarterly Personnel report, which is published by Defence Statistics, shows Reserve trained and untrained strength figures, as well as movements into the Future Reserves 2020 population. It is available on the www.gov.uk website at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-armed-forces-quarterly-personnel-report-2014
The trained strength of the Future Reserves 2020 population as at 1 April 2014 exceeded the target figures set out in the Written Ministerial Statement and paper that the former Defence Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) placed in the Library of the House on 19 December 2013, (Official Report, column 124WS), as shown below:
1 April 2014 Target | 1 April 2014 Actual | |
Total | 21,780 | 22,480 |
Maritime Reserve | 1,780 | 1,870 |
Army Reserve | 18,800 | 19,400 |
RAuxiliaryAF | 1,200 | 1,220 |
We are committed to achieving our target of 35,000 trained Reserves by the end of 2018-19.