Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Scottish shipyard industry on future maintenance of the HMS Prince of Wales.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Routine scheduled repair and refitting of the two Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carriers, other than dry-docking, will be undertaken at Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth.
Plans for a long-term in-service support solution are under consideration as part of the Common Support Model for complex warships. Whilst no decisions have been made, we anticipate that dry-docking periods will be put out to competitive tender if the market for such work exists, in line with Departmental policy. The costs of dry docking QEC aircraft carriers have been benchmarked in competition to ensure value for money through negotiation with suppliers if no market for competition is forthcoming.
It is currently too early for any formal engagement with industry on these matters, but the following dry-dock facilities in the UK are of a sufficient size to accommodate the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers:
Able UK, Seaton Port, Teeside; Babcock, Rosyth; Cammell Laird, Birkenhead; Cammell Laird, Greenock (Inchgreen); Harland and Wolff, Belfast.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to award a contract for future refits of HMS Prince of Wales.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Routine scheduled repair and refitting of the two Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carriers, other than dry-docking, will be undertaken at Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth.
Plans for a long-term in-service support solution are under consideration as part of the Common Support Model for complex warships. Whilst no decisions have been made, we anticipate that dry-docking periods will be put out to competitive tender if the market for such work exists, in line with Departmental policy. The costs of dry docking QEC aircraft carriers have been benchmarked in competition to ensure value for money through negotiation with suppliers if no market for competition is forthcoming.
It is currently too early for any formal engagement with industry on these matters, but the following dry-dock facilities in the UK are of a sufficient size to accommodate the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers:
Able UK, Seaton Port, Teeside; Babcock, Rosyth; Cammell Laird, Birkenhead; Cammell Laird, Greenock (Inchgreen); Harland and Wolff, Belfast.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which dry dock facilities in the UK are under consideration for future refits for the Prince of Wales aircraft carrier.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Routine scheduled repair and refitting of the two Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carriers, other than dry-docking, will be undertaken at Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth.
Plans for a long-term in-service support solution are under consideration as part of the Common Support Model for complex warships. Whilst no decisions have been made, we anticipate that dry-docking periods will be put out to competitive tender if the market for such work exists, in line with Departmental policy. The costs of dry docking QEC aircraft carriers have been benchmarked in competition to ensure value for money through negotiation with suppliers if no market for competition is forthcoming.
It is currently too early for any formal engagement with industry on these matters, but the following dry-dock facilities in the UK are of a sufficient size to accommodate the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers:
Able UK, Seaton Port, Teeside; Babcock, Rosyth; Cammell Laird, Birkenhead; Cammell Laird, Greenock (Inchgreen); Harland and Wolff, Belfast.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of Army recruits who take sick leave return to work to complete their training; and what the average length of absence is.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will investigate the incident caused by temporary couplings on pipework on HMS Queen Elizabeth.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
An investigation has been conducted into the flooding incident that took place in HMS Queen Elizabeth. The incident did not involve a temporary pipe coupling and there are no such couplings in HMS Queen Elizabeth or HMS Prince of Wales.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the long-term environmental effect of delaying the dismantling of decommissioned submarines in UK dockyards.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
We are confident that there are no significant safety or environmental concerns (radiological or conventional) with the current storage processes. All laid-up submarines at the Rosyth and Devonport Dockyards undergo regular inspection and maintenance to comply with the very highest safety and environmental standards. This includes continual monitoring, annual surveys and periodic docking for re-preservation of the hulls. All aspects of afloat storage, including potential environmental impacts and radiological safety, are regulated by the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons temporary couplings were used on HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales instead of permanent fixtures.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
An investigation has been conducted into the flooding incident that took place in HMS Queen Elizabeth. The incident did not involve a temporary pipe coupling and there are no such couplings in HMS Queen Elizabeth or HMS Prince of Wales.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many temporary couplings on pipework were used on (a) HMS Queen Elizabeth and (b) HMS Prince of Wales.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
An investigation has been conducted into the flooding incident that took place in HMS Queen Elizabeth. The incident did not involve a temporary pipe coupling and there are no such couplings in HMS Queen Elizabeth or HMS Prince of Wales.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many army recruits are on sick leave.
Answered by Johnny Mercer
Around five Army recruits undergoing basic training are currently recorded as on "sick leave", where they have been off training for more than 14 days. The number has been rounded to the nearest five to limit disclosure and ensure confidentiality. It is drawn from single service sources rather than official statistics produced by Defence Statistics.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average wait is for army recruits reporting health issues during their training to receive medical treatment from (a) primary care services and (b) secondary care services.
Answered by Johnny Mercer
Wait times vary by establishment. Wait times for access to military primary care rehabilitation facilities or to a routine medical appointment range from same day to 48 hours. Those recorded on the Wounded, Injured, & Long Term Sick Management Information System (WISMIS) are normally seen on the same day. Secondary healthcare services are provided by the NHS and information on wait times is not held centrally by the Ministry of Defence.