Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much (a) military and (b) humanitarian aid the Government has sent to Ukraine since February 2022.
Answered by James Heappey
The Government committed £2.3 billion in military support for Ukraine in 2022 and to sustain that level of support in 2023.
The Government has committed £220 million of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the region.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) qualifications are available to Armed Forces personnel that are recognised outside the services, (b) proportion of personnel leave the Forces with one or more such qualifications and (c) assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing that proportion.
Answered by Sarah Atherton
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the value of a skilled, sustainable, capable workforce, trained and equipped to defend the nation’s interests. To achieve this, Defence policy directs that, where possible, all mandatory military training and education is accredited and leads towards a full or partial nationally recognised qualification. Due to the niche content of some Defence courses, it is recognised that an externally recognised qualification may not always be possible. In such cases, individuals may ‘top up’ their learning enabling them to achieve a full qualification through a combination of accreditation and additional learning
Over 600 nationally recognised qualifications are delivered to Service Personnel across the single services from level 1 to level 8 on the regulated qualifications framework. Qualifications cover a wide range of subject areas including aviation, engineering, IT, leadership, and medical. Further opportunities for obtaining qualifications in service are available the single services and the MOD’s elective education schemes.
The largest area for qualification attainment is the Armed Forces Apprenticeship Programme. Over 95% of all non-commissioned recruits commence an apprenticeship as part of their trade training, with over 20,000 Service personnel on an apprenticeship at any one time. Where an apprenticeship is not available an alternative appropriate nationally recognised qualification is offered. As part of their programme, all recruits will achieve at least L1 Maths and English Functional Skills, with higher levels required for promotion.
The MOD has recently undertaken a Defence wide accreditation review, which highlights the MOD’s commitment to lifelong learning of its Service Personnel. It is envisaged that findings and recommendations from the review will further improve the accreditation and qualification offer across Defence.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of setting up a system to ensure that funeral services take place for veterans who pass without (a) next of kin and (b) funds to pay for that service.
Answered by Sarah Atherton
Currently we have no plans to set up a specific system for Veterans. For the general population, including veterans, Public Health Funerals in England and Wales are provided by local authorities for people who have passed away and have no next of kin, or whose next of kin, relatives or friends are unable or unwilling to make the necessary arrangements for a funeral. They are designed to protect public health and are important in ensuring that all individuals are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their circumstances.
Generally, Veterans' funeral arrangements are not a Ministry of Defence (MOD) matter. However, the MOD does provide funeral expenses to help pay for the funeral of a War Pensioner or veteran whose death was due to service before 6 April 2005, War Pensions Constant Attendance Allowance was being paid or would have been paid had the War Pensioner not been in hospital when they died, or their Unemployability Supplement was in payment at the time of death and the War Pension was being paid at 80% or higher;
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/funeral-expenses-for-war-pensioners-and-veterans#eligibility
For Service Personnel the MOD offers to fund funerals and mark the graves of those who have died in paid military service.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of support available to families and partners of members of the armed forces upon the breakdown of their relationship.
Answered by Leo Docherty
As stated in the newly published UK Armed Forces Families Strategy, we are committed to supporting all types of family across the Armed Forces community.
The Strategy and associated action plan have been developed from a robust evidence base and are the result of wide stakeholder engagement. The need to promote inclusivity and encourage an increasingly diverse Armed Forces is a central tenet of the Strategy, and supporting families going through relationship breakdown is explicitly referenced.
Every relationship breakdown is different but when the couple have reached the decision to notify their unit of a permanent separation, the serving person, as the licence holder for the Service Family Accommodation (SFA) and the partner with the entitlement to service provided accommodation, is obligated to inform the Loss of Entitlement Team who will issue the 93-day Notice To Vacate (NTV). The policies we have in place are focused on supporting non-serving partners’ transition to the next phase of their life and, where the service person also stands to lose their entitlement to families’ accommodation, supporting them to move into Single Living Accommodation (SLA).
This is often a very stressful time for both partners and of course, if relevant, children who are impacted by the relationship breakdown. In recognition of this, a Proportionality Exercise is conducted at the same time as the NTV is issued to determine if there are factors to warrant occupation beyond the 93-day period which will include schooling, medical or welfare needs. During this initial 93 days the non-serving partner is not liable for accommodation charges as these remain with the licence holder and the Loss of Entitlement Team will work with our welfare agencies to look at available options.
Emergency housing is provided by Defence’s Cotswold Centre for those returning from overseas or experiencing Domestic Abuse, along with contact houses for service personnel to have custody and time with their children in a safe and suitable environment.
Joint Service Publication (JSP) 100, Defence Holistic Transition policy, supports referral or self-referrals of partners and spouses of Service personnel to Defence Transition Services (DTS) which delivers a full range of transition support, providing tailored information and guidance. DTS can help with issues and provide support and guidance on subjects including health, accommodation, relocation, finance, training, education, and employment. Those who are supported by DTS would be referred to a Local Authority if there was a risk of homelessness.
The Ministry of Defence also works with the charitable sector at the community level to identify those in need of relationship support, improving awareness of existing provision and signposting to services. In addition, work is ongoing to promote understanding of Armed Forces life in the Family Courts system.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s vessels will remain civilian crewed.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Royal Navy's Annual Budget Cycle (ABC), which looks ahead over the next ten years, has ensured that Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessels will remain operated by civilian crew.
We remain confident that the Royal Navy has, and will continue to have, sufficient civilian seafarers within the RFA, to operate its current fleet of vessels necessary to fulfil operational requirements.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to respond to the letter of 6 October 2021 from the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle on the proposed Royal yacht.
Answered by Ben Wallace
I responded to the hon. Member on 25 January 2022.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 will impact the publication timeline for the National Shipbuilding Strategy refresh.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
It remains our intent to publish the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh later this year.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
When he plans to publish the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Ben Wallace
My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, expects to be able to publish the Review’s conclusions in the spring.
In relation to the Defence elements of the Review in particular, I can tell the House that I intend to set out further details of our plans in the weeks after the Integrated Review’s publication.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to announce a decision on the mid-life extension and upgrade of the Watchmaker Unmanned Air System.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The planned mid-life extension to Watchkeeper will be considered as part of the Integrated Review, which will be published later this year and no announcement will be made before that.