Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's publication, UK armed forces suicide and open verdict deaths: 1984-2015, published on 31 March 2016, what the aggregated five-year average number of deaths recorded as suicide or an open verdict of members of (a) the Royal Navy and (b) other services were in which the deceased had been (i) deployed and (ii) not deployed.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Defence Statistics maintains a database of individual deployment records from November 2001. The attached table, therefore, provides an annual breakdown of coroner-confirmed suicides and open verdict deaths among UK Armed Forces personnel as a whole and for each Service in the calendar years 2002 to 2015. It provides a breakdown by those who had previously deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan and those who had not deployed to either operation. The numbers presented may change when outstanding coroner verdicts are returned on deaths that have occurred since 2007.
The Figures presented are the actual number of suicide and open verdict deaths per year rather than five year average numbers. Between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2015 a total of 82 Armed Forces personnel who had deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan were recorded by a coroner as being either a suicide or open verdict death. In the same period, a total of 107 Armed Forces personnel who had not deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan were recorded as a suicide or open verdict death. For context, a total of 634 UK Armed Forces personnel deaths as a result of operations in Iraq or Afghanistan and there were a total of 1,395 non-operational UK Armed Forces deaths over the same period.
Suicide rates across the Services show a declining trend since the 1990s, similar to that seen in the UK general population. Rates among the UK Regular Armed Forces were lower than the UK general population1,2 throughout 1984-2015. The male suicide rate in the UK general population in 2014 was 16.8 per 100,000 compared to a UK Armed Forces male Tri-Service rate of 4 per 100,000.
1 Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2012) Suicide Rates in the United Kingdom, 2006 to 2010
2 Suicides in the United Kingdom 2013 Registrations, release 4 February 2016, ONS.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's publication, UK armed forces suicide and open verdict deaths: 1984-2015, published on 31 March 2016, what the aggregated five-year average number of deaths recorded as suicide or an open verdict of Royal Air Force personnel were in which the deceased had been (a) deployed and (b) not deployed.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Defence Statistics maintains a database of individual deployment records from November 2001. The attached table, therefore, provides an annual breakdown of coroner-confirmed suicides and open verdict deaths among UK Armed Forces personnel as a whole and for each Service in the calendar years 2002 to 2015. It provides a breakdown by those who had previously deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan and those who had not deployed to either operation. The numbers presented may change when outstanding coroner verdicts are returned on deaths that have occurred since 2007.
The Figures presented are the actual number of suicide and open verdict deaths per year rather than five year average numbers. Between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2015 a total of 82 Armed Forces personnel who had deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan were recorded by a coroner as being either a suicide or open verdict death. In the same period, a total of 107 Armed Forces personnel who had not deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan were recorded as a suicide or open verdict death. For context, a total of 634 UK Armed Forces personnel deaths as a result of operations in Iraq or Afghanistan and there were a total of 1,395 non-operational UK Armed Forces deaths over the same period.
Suicide rates across the Services show a declining trend since the 1990s, similar to that seen in the UK general population. Rates among the UK Regular Armed Forces were lower than the UK general population1,2 throughout 1984-2015. The male suicide rate in the UK general population in 2014 was 16.8 per 100,000 compared to a UK Armed Forces male Tri-Service rate of 4 per 100,000.
1 Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2012) Suicide Rates in the United Kingdom, 2006 to 2010
2 Suicides in the United Kingdom 2013 Registrations, release 4 February 2016, ONS.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's publication, UK armed forces suicide and open verdict deaths: 1984-2015, published on 31 March 2016, what the aggregated five-year average number of deaths recorded as suicide or as an open verdict of Army personnel were in which the deceased have been (a) deployed and (b) not deployed.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Defence Statistics maintains a database of individual deployment records from November 2001. The attached table, therefore, provides an annual breakdown of coroner-confirmed suicides and open verdict deaths among UK Armed Forces personnel as a whole and for each Service in the calendar years 2002 to 2015. It provides a breakdown by those who had previously deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan and those who had not deployed to either operation. The numbers presented may change when outstanding coroner verdicts are returned on deaths that have occurred since 2007.
The Figures presented are the actual number of suicide and open verdict deaths per year rather than five year average numbers. Between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2015 a total of 82 Armed Forces personnel who had deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan were recorded by a coroner as being either a suicide or open verdict death. In the same period, a total of 107 Armed Forces personnel who had not deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan were recorded as a suicide or open verdict death. For context, a total of 634 UK Armed Forces personnel deaths as a result of operations in Iraq or Afghanistan and there were a total of 1,395 non-operational UK Armed Forces deaths over the same period.
Suicide rates across the Services show a declining trend since the 1990s, similar to that seen in the UK general population. Rates among the UK Regular Armed Forces were lower than the UK general population1,2 throughout 1984-2015. The male suicide rate in the UK general population in 2014 was 16.8 per 100,000 compared to a UK Armed Forces male Tri-Service rate of 4 per 100,000.
1 Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2012) Suicide Rates in the United Kingdom, 2006 to 2010
2 Suicides in the United Kingdom 2013 Registrations, release 4 February 2016, ONS.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent industrial action by Atomic Weapons Establishment staff on the delivery of his Department's nuclear weapons programme.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
Trade union members at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) have been undertaking industrial action since 14 November 2016 in relation to proposed changes to the AWE Pension Scheme by AWE plc. Robust measures are in place to manage any impact of this industrial action.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what changes there have been in the proportion of people leaving the armed forces who participate in the Career Transitions Service since the introduction of the Future Horizons programme.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Future Horizons Programme (FHP, known as CTP (Career Transition Partnership) Future Horizons since 1 October 2015) was introduced on 1 October 2013, therefore statistics have been provided on participation in the support provided by the CTP pre- and post- 1 October 2013.
Between 1 April 2009 and 30 September 2013, 54 per cent of Service leavers used billable CTP services on the Core Resettlement Programme (CRP, previously known as the Full Resettlement Programme) or the Employment Support Programme (ESP).
In comparison, between 1 October 2013 and 31 March 2016, 74 per cent of Service leavers used billable CTP services on the CRP, ESP or the FHP.
The rise in the participation of billable CTP services between the two time periods (1 April 2009 to 30 September 2013 and 1 October 2013 to 31 March 2016) is not solely due to the introduction of the FHP. The percentage of Service leavers using billable CTP services on the CRP and ESP also increased by eight percentage points to 62 per cent.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 13 January 2017, Defence Infrastructure Reform, what capital (a) investment is planned to be made and (b) receipts are planned to be realised in each of the 10 years of the programme.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
As set out in the Better Defence Estate strategy published in November 2016 the Ministry of Defence will be investing £4 billion over 10 years to create a Defence estate which supports capability by being of better quality, more cost effective and efficient, as well as 30% smaller overall by 2040.
The strategy will also derive savings of more than £140 million in running costs over ten years, rising to nearly £3 billion by 2040, which can be re-invested back into Defence.
The profile across the 10-year programme of planned costs, savings and receipts is being refined to support the investment approval decisions for the implementation programmes.
The recommendations of our review into how the estate is managed and infrastructure decisions taken across Defence, which were set out in my Written Statement of 13 January 2017 (HCWS410), will help ensure that every pound we spend on our estate represents optimum value for money.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 13 January 2017, Defence Infrastructure Reform, what planned savings in running costs are expected in each of the 10 years of the programme.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
As set out in the Better Defence Estate strategy published in November 2016 the Ministry of Defence will be investing £4 billion over 10 years to create a Defence estate which supports capability by being of better quality, more cost effective and efficient, as well as 30% smaller overall by 2040.
The strategy will also derive savings of more than £140 million in running costs over ten years, rising to nearly £3 billion by 2040, which can be re-invested back into Defence.
The profile across the 10-year programme of planned costs, savings and receipts is being refined to support the investment approval decisions for the implementation programmes.
The recommendations of our review into how the estate is managed and infrastructure decisions taken across Defence, which were set out in my Written Statement of 13 January 2017 (HCWS410), will help ensure that every pound we spend on our estate represents optimum value for money.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether training and assistance provided by the Government to non-governmental forces in Libya is subject to an agreement with the Libyan Government of National Accord.
Answered by Mike Penning
Any support that we offer to any forces in Libya will be predicated on an agreement with the Government of National Accord.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the objectives set for the armed forces operating in (a) Iraq and (b) Syria include the identification of UK nationals involved in conflicts in those countries.
Answered by Mike Penning
The UK supports Counter-Daesh Coalition operations in Iraq and Syria with Royal Air Force aircraft (carrying out airstrikes and providing other key airborne capabilities) and by providing training to Iraqi security forces (including to the Kurdish Peshmerga).
Neither activity brings UK personnel into immediate contact with Daesh fighters but any information gained on UK nationals involved in conflicts in the two countries would be shared with the appropriate UK authorities.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the armed forces provide training and assistance to forces operating in Libya which are (a) allied with the Libyan Government of National Accord and (b) other Libyan-based forces.
Answered by Mike Penning
We are working closely with the UN and Libya's Government of National Accord in order to assist them in their efforts to deliver security for the people of Libya. Part of this ongoing support has included the provision of UK military advisers and RAF flights to transport them, as well as visits to Libya by UK military personnel based in the British Embassy and the UN Support Mission in Tunis. Additionally, the UK provided a military training team to the first phase of the EU's training for the Libyan Coastguard, although this took place in international waters.