Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is his planned timeline for the disposal of Kirkwoods Road playing fields; and what steps he has taken toward the disposal.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Department has entered into negotiations with a prospective buyer, and the intent is to dispose of the land later this calendar year.
The land is being disposed of in accordance with Ministry of Defence processes, which are mandated by His Majesty's Treasury guidelines for the disposal of Government property.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to make changes to the composition or strength of the Northern Ireland Garrison.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The right hon. Member will be aware that the full conclusions of the Integrated Review will be published next week, and the Defence Secretary intends to set out his plans for Defence shortly afterwards. It would not be appropriate for me to pre-empt these announcements in any way however you can rest assured that the Government is absolutely committed that the UK continues to have a world class Armed Forces based across all of our Nations, and that we remain resolute in our intent to protect and promote the combined strengths of our Union.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what additional funding his Department has allocated to defence estates to undertake rationalisation programmes at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
While subject to the formal approval process as part of the Army Infrastructure Programme, over £37 million has been identified to optimise the Army estate in Northern Ireland over the next five years.
Funding has not yet been allocated to individual projects. An Assessment study is due to start next month to present options for future development and these options will inform the funding allocation.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Office on the (a) strength and (b) location of the garrison in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Army is continually evaluating its structures to ensure they are optimised for delivering Defence outputs, including those in Northern Ireland. Ministry of Defence officials maintain a regular dialogue with the Northern Ireland Office on these issues.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association on investment in the reserve forces estate in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Ministry of Defence allocates funding for estate management to the Council of Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations (RFCA) through a Delivery Board where the Defence Infrastructure Organisation with the Front Line Commands engage with RFCAs and monitor expenditure across the UK. Funds are allocated to RFCA for specific tasks, and delivery of these projects is tracked by the Board.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to change the military Brigade structure throughout the UK; and what effect changes to the military Brigade structure would have on the 38 (Irish) Brigade in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Army is in the process of refining its structures to optimise delivery of the outputs required by Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, including the ability to deploy a modern, warfighting Division. This process is called Army 2020 Refine (A2020) and more detail was provided in the statement by the then Secretary of State for Defence on 15 December 2016 [HCWS367], and the answer I gave on 11 December 2017 to Question 117878.
A2020(R) is also reviewing how the Army's light infantry units are structured within 1st (UK) Division to ensure they are optimised to deliver the outputs required. This could see a change in the current attribution of combat units to Brigades, including 38 (Irish) Brigade, but will have no impact on the Army's footprint in Northern Ireland. No decisions have been considered by Ministers at this point.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to resolve the frequent interruptions to the hot water supply at Keogh Barracks; what steps have been taken to protect the welfare of Service personnel as a result of the lack of hot water at those barracks; and whether his Department has identified a permanent solution to those interruptions.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
A temporary repair has been installed to resolve the interruptions to the hot water supply at Keogh Barracks, including a temporary boiler to the main accommodation block.
A permanent solution has been identified and the newly designed system will be installed in the next financial year.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to announce (a) the establishment of the proposed Cadet Forces Commission and (b) the proposed transfer of volunteer officers attached to the Combined Cadet Force (RAF) and Air Training Corps to a Cadet Forces Commission.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Information about the introduction of the new Cadet Forces Commission has been promulgated through single Service communication channels. All Cadet Force Adult Volunteer Officers have been informed of the new Commission.
The Royal Warrant for the Cadet Forces Commission was approved by Her Majesty The Queen in October 2017 to come into force on 1 November 2017. This enabled the single Services to approve new regulations and delegate the necessary authority to allow the new Commission to be awarded across all cadet forces from 1 December 2017.
From this date all newly commissioned officers in the cadet forces will be appointed to the new Commission, as will existing officers, including those in the Combined Cadet Force (RAF) and Air Training Corps.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department asked local authorities in Northern Ireland to apply to host Armed Forces Day in 2017.
Answered by Mike Penning
| It is a matter for local authorities to decide whether to apply to host Armed Forces Day in 2017. | ||||||
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the (a) criteria by which applicants are selected and (b) names of applicants who applied to host Armed Forces Day in 2017.
Answered by Mike Penning
Guidance on applying to host the Armed Forces Day National Event is available from the Ministry of Defence's Ceremonial Events and Commemorations Team whose contact details are on the Armed Forces Day Website: www.armedforcesday.org.uk.
Applications typically take the form of a letter from the Local Authority Leader /Chief Executive, to the Defence Minister in the House of Lords (Earl Howe). This letter is assessed to gauge the strength of the applicant's argument as to why they should be selected, and the quality of their proposals for the event. In addition, the following aspects are considered:
Proximity to previous national events - there would be an aspiration to stage the event in a different region of the country to previous events, in order to capture a fresh local audience.
Maturity of any existing annual event hosted by the applicant.
Availability of a suitable venue and infrastructure within the applicant's jurisdiction.
Support of local populace for the Armed Forces.
The applicant's capacity to administer an event of equivalent scale and significance.
Financial resource available, and plans to secure adequate sponsorship.
While it would be inappropriate to name the authorities that lost out to Liverpool City Council in the process of selecting the hosts for the National Armed Forces Day event in 2017, we can confirm that no formal bid was received from any local authority in Ulster.