Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the suitability of the synthetic material used for busby caps in the Royal Horse Artillery for the King's Guard bearskins.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery soldiers' busby is considerably smaller and lighter than the King's Guards ceremonial bearskin cap, worn much less frequently and for shorter periods of time. For these reasons, the synthetic material used for the soldiers' busby does not meet the faux fur replacement criteria for the bearskin caps and is considered an unsuitable alternative.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the suitability of faux bear fur for the King's Guard's caps.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is open to considering the use of using human-made materials to replace natural fur items where they provide a suitable, affordable and sustainable alternative. As such we are prepared to assess accredited testing results of material to establish whether a synthetic alternative could meet the Department’s requirements for a replacement bearskin cap material.
However, to date, and to the Department’s knowledge, an alternative has yet to meet the standards required to provide an effective replacement for the bearskin ceremonial caps.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people have been evacuated from Afghanistan following applications by family members for leave outside the rules through the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.
Answered by James Heappey
As of 4 July 2023, 853 Additional Family Members have been approved for relocation under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy. Due to current data constraints, we are unable to breakdown this number by location.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when clearance of invasive non-native acacia trees will recommence on the Sovereign Base Area in Cyprus.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Clearance of invasive acacia trees in the Special Areas of Conservation within the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) in Cyprus has not been suspended. Since November 2014 approximately 120 acres of acacia has been removed, of which 25 acres were cleared since October 2017. Decisions on the specific sites where acacia is to be removed are subject to assessments on safety and security. The SBA Administration has also continued with a programme to remove irrigation equipment associated with acacia trees. To-date, 70 kilometres of irrigation piping within the Pyla Range area in the Dhekelia SBA has been removed, which has resulted in significant die-back of acacia trees. This irrigation removal program will continue throughout 2018.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what area of invasive Australian acacia tree has been removed from his Department's land, the Cape Pyla, in the Cyprus sovereign base area of Dhekelia in (a) 2014, (b) 2015, (c) 2016 and (d) 2017.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Since November 2014, 61 acres of invasive acacia have been removed from the Special Area of Conservation and land managed by the Ministry of Defence on Cape Pyla. The annual breakdown is as follows:
17 acres removed in 2014
22 acres removed in 2015
22 acres completed in 2016[1]
Invasive acacia has also been removed from other Special Areas of Conservation on land managed by the Ministry of Defence elsewhere in the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia during 2016 and 2017.
[1] Work began during the Christmas period in 2015 and completed in the New Year of 2016
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which it is implementing Priority 5 of the UK's National Strategy for Maritime Security; and whether it has identified any areas in respect of that priority requiring action or improvement.
Answered by Mark Francois - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The UK's National Strategy for Maritime Security is a cross-Departmental strategy which identifies 16 Government Departments and Agencies (including the Ministry of Defence (MOD), Home Office, Foreign Office and UK Border Force) who are responsible for the Maritime security of the UK maritime domain and overseas. The strategy's objectives therefore do not fall to any one Department. The National Maritime Security Committee oversees implementation of the strategy and directs delivery of the objectives. For Objective 5 specifically, the MOD along with other Departments and Agencies will conduct a National Maritime Coordination trial later this year which will explore how maritime surveillance can be optimised across different Departments. The trial will involve three Offshore Patrol Vessels from the Royal Navy.