Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on the disposal of Fort Blockhouse in Gosport.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The MOD continues to work closely with Gosport Borough Council and wider stakeholders to realise the full opportunities and constraints for this site locally. This has included extensive surveys into influencing factors such as heritage, flood risk, and habitats. Our focus, however, at present remains the critical repair works following the damage inflicted on the historic sea walls by Storm Ciaran.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will base the Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP) on the person's final salary at the end of service rather than their age.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Calculation of an individual's Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP) takes a number of factors into consideration. The GIP calculation takes account of both salary and age in determining the lifelong loss of earnings the individual is likely to face, both salary and pension, as a result of their service-caused injury or injuries. It also includes an enhancement for lost future military promotions. This calculation enables the department to provide a payment that not only recognises final salary but also loss of future potential earnings.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress the Royal Military Police have made in respect of Operation BUTE; and on what date he expects that investigation to conclude.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The Royal Military Police continue to investigate Katrice Lee's disappearance from Paderborn in Germany in 1981. Over 11,500 documents have been registered onto the Home Office Large Major Enquiry System. Each of these documents is being reviewed, and over 2,000 investigative actions have so far been generated and followed up. The Royal Military Police are working hard to eliminate persons of interest. As the investigation is still under way, I cannot comment any further on precise details, including when it might be completed. However, Royal Military Police Liaison Officers remain in contact with Katrice's family to ensure that they are kept fully informed of developments.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much of the net additional cost of military operations was allocated to Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court in financial year 2012-13.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The total amount of net additional cost of military operations (NACMO) funding utilised by the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) in Financial Year 2012-13 was £5.86 million. Of this, the amount of NACMO funding spent on living and mobility aids and rehabilitation programmes and other associated healthcare services was £1.59 million. This includes locum cover, wheelchairs and mobility equipment, but excludes the provision of prosthetics and infrastructure expenditure. Commissioned treatments and services at the DMRC from private sector healthcare providers are covered by/comprise the contract for the provision of prosthetics. The amount of NACMO funding utilised for this in Financial Year 2012-13 was £4.27 million.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much of the net additional cost of military operations allocated to Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court was spent on commissioned treatments and services from private sector healthcare providers in financial year 2012-13.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The total amount of net additional cost of military operations (NACMO) funding utilised by the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) in Financial Year 2012-13 was £5.86 million. Of this, the amount of NACMO funding spent on living and mobility aids and rehabilitation programmes and other associated healthcare services was £1.59 million. This includes locum cover, wheelchairs and mobility equipment, but excludes the provision of prosthetics and infrastructure expenditure. Commissioned treatments and services at the DMRC from private sector healthcare providers are covered by/comprise the contract for the provision of prosthetics. The amount of NACMO funding utilised for this in Financial Year 2012-13 was £4.27 million.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much of the net additional cost of military operations allocated to Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court was spent on (a) living and mobility aids and (b) rehabilitation programmes and other associated healthcare services in financial year 2012-13.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The total amount of net additional cost of military operations (NACMO) funding utilised by the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) in Financial Year 2012-13 was £5.86 million. Of this, the amount of NACMO funding spent on living and mobility aids and rehabilitation programmes and other associated healthcare services was £1.59 million. This includes locum cover, wheelchairs and mobility equipment, but excludes the provision of prosthetics and infrastructure expenditure. Commissioned treatments and services at the DMRC from private sector healthcare providers are covered by/comprise the contract for the provision of prosthetics. The amount of NACMO funding utilised for this in Financial Year 2012-13 was £4.27 million.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to enable war widows who remarried between 1973 and 2005 to keep their pensions.
Answered by Anna Soubry
We have decided to change both the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 75 (AFPS75) and the War Pension Scheme (WPS). The changes we have made will ensure that from 1 April 2015, widows, widowers and surviving civil partners of all members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme will now retain their pensions for life, fulfilling the Government's ongoing commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant.
From 1 April 2015 the spouse or civil partner of all members of AFPS75 and any WPS widows will retain their pension for life if they have not already surrendered it due to remarriage or cohabitation.
For those who have already surrendered their pension due to remarriage or cohabitation, should that relationship end they can apply to have their pension restored for life.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will review regulations to allow unmarried partners with children to live together in service family accommodation.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The New Employment Model programme aims to examine how we might strike a better balance between the requirements of service and the demands placed on Service personnel and their families, adjusting where necessary to promote greater stability in service life while continuing to recognise the impact of mobility.
This programme includes the future accommodation project which is addressing single and family accommodation, with the aim to balance the future needs of the service with the aspirations of Service personnel for affordable and good quality housing. Within the future accommodation project the Ministry of Defence is reviewing entitlement for service families accommodation to better suit modern 21st century families. This review includes considering the eligibility for Service personnel in long term relationships.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
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 610W, on fuels: Gosport, when he expects the work to establish the preferred options and costs of replacement for the fuel tanks at the oil fuel depot in Gosport to be complete.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Work on the preferred options and costs of replacement for the fuel tanks at the oil fuel depot in Gosport is continuing and is expected to be completed by the end of the 2014.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the replacement of the fuel tanks at the oil fuel depot in Gosport is scheduled to take place.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Work is ongoing to establish the preferred options and costs of replacement, which will confirm the programme timescales.