Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure the protection of the remains of aircraft and airmen within or near the area subject to Marine Aggregate Dredging Application MLA/2016/00227, South Goodwin Sands, Area 521.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The matters associated with Goodwin Sands are currently under consideration and I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what detailed plans he has for the defence of the UK.
Answered by Michael Fallon
Our plans for the defence of the UK were set out in the National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review in November 2015. Under National Security Objective 1, Protect our People, we have chosen to: invest in agile, capable and globally deployable Armed Forces and security and intelligence agencies to protect the UK and project our power globally; prioritise the fight against terrorism, radicalisation and extremism at home and overseas; develop cyber security measures; strengthen our capabilities to disrupt serious and organised crime; and improve the Government's crisis management architecture.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where he expects the two-star headquarters of the Ultra Rapid Reaction Corps to be located.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
NATO does not have an Ultra Rapid Reaction Corps. I believe the hon. Member is referring to NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (Land element), which the UK will lead in 2017. When not deployed, its assigned one-star Headquarters, 20 Brigade, will be based in Sennelager, Germany for the duration of this rotational commitment. In response to crisis, the headquarters would move to the most appropriate location.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of whether adequate training for aircraft marshalls could be achieved using aircraft mock-ups.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Aircraft Marshals are currently trained using a combination of static aids and aircraft. Aircraft are required in some scenarios in order to provide a realistic training experience.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the level of noise emanating from Defence Technical Training College at Lyneham.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
An assessment of the anticipated noise levels from the move of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers to Ministry of Defence Lyneham as part of the Defence College of Technical Training is nearing completion as part of the site design and planning permission process with Wiltshire Council. The noise levels will be routinely monitored following the commencement of training.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to train aircraft marshalls at Defence Technical Training College, Lyneham using redundant Jaguars; and what assessment he has made of the level of noise resulting from such testing.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
There is currently no commitment to train Aircraft Marshals using redundant Jaguars at Ministry of Defence Lyneham. Should such a commitment be made, a further noise assessment will be conducted.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consideration he has given to the affordability of rents for junior ranks of service personnel if they are to be increased to market levels.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The Ministry of Defence has no plans to charge market rates for Service Personnel accommodation or to introduce geographical variations. Charges will continue to be subject to the recommendations of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB). The AFPRB’s approach is to recommend charges that are linked to the costs faced by civilians, but with a significant subsidy to recognise the drawbacks of living in Service accommodation.
Under this approach, personnel in Service accommodation will continue to pay a significantly smaller percentage of their earnings on accommodation charges than would be likely in the private sector. Any claims for benefits are a private matter for the individual and therefore the Department does not hold any data.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consideration he has given to geographical variations in rent if married quarters rentals for service personnel are to be increased to market levels.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The Ministry of Defence has no plans to charge market rates for Service Personnel accommodation or to introduce geographical variations. Charges will continue to be subject to the recommendations of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB). The AFPRB’s approach is to recommend charges that are linked to the costs faced by civilians, but with a significant subsidy to recognise the drawbacks of living in Service accommodation.
Under this approach, personnel in Service accommodation will continue to pay a significantly smaller percentage of their earnings on accommodation charges than would be likely in the private sector. Any claims for benefits are a private matter for the individual and therefore the Department does not hold any data.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consideration she has given to the effects of pay-as-you-dine on levels of (a) hunger, (b) obesity and (c) malnutrition.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) introduced Pay As You Dine (PAYD) in 2005 following extensive trials at Service establishments. Prior to the implementation of PAYD a standard charge for meals in the mess was made each month. PAYD is simply a mechanism whereby Service personnel pay only for those meals that they wish to consume.
PAYD gives personnel a choice and with that comes responsibility. The MOD encourages individuals to make healthy choices, although ultimately it is the responsibility of individuals to maintain a balanced diet.
There is no data to assess the impact of PAYD on levels of hunger, obesity or malnutrition. However, we ensure the health and wellbeing of Service personnel in three ways:-
• MOD policy in respect of Defence Catering has been formulated with subject matter experts and conforms to UK legislation. Nutrition and healthy eating is part of this policy;
• Providers of the catering service are required to comply with all current legislation, including the Government Buying Standards. This requires them to provide a core meal at each meal service throughout the day (e.g. breakfast, lunch and dinner). These core meals provide access to a nutritionally balanced meal with, for example, vegetables and carbohydrates being offered on a self-service basis. Service providers actively promote healthy eating as part of the choices they provide and are encouraged to provide point of choices nutritional labelling; and
• Service personnel are educated on the importance of a healthy diet. All recruits receive a lecture on nutrition and healthy eating during their basic training to emphasise the importance of maintaining operational effectiveness and fitness. It remains the responsibility of the individual to maintain the requisite level of fitness and effectiveness overseen by a duty of care from the chain of command
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service people were in receipt of housing benefit (a) in 2009 and (b) at the most recent date for which figures are available; and how many he would expect to claim housing benefit if married quarters rents are raised to market levels.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The Ministry of Defence has no plans to charge market rates for Service Personnel accommodation or to introduce geographical variations. Charges will continue to be subject to the recommendations of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB). The AFPRB’s approach is to recommend charges that are linked to the costs faced by civilians, but with a significant subsidy to recognise the drawbacks of living in Service accommodation.
Under this approach, personnel in Service accommodation will continue to pay a significantly smaller percentage of their earnings on accommodation charges than would be likely in the private sector. Any claims for benefits are a private matter for the individual and therefore the Department does not hold any data.