Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether she plans to hold discussions with the Government of Saudi Arabia on future UK arms sales to that country; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Defence exports are one of many subjects discussed between the UK and Saudi Arabia as part of our ongoing bilateral relationship in which Defence trade remains crucial for our mutual security and prosperity.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects Morpheus will receive a supply of radios to enable them to transmit data from their platforms to other users.
Answered by Guto Bebb
Morpheus will deliver a core component of the next generation of tactical Communication and Information Systems capability and will replace the in-service Bowman communications system. It will re-use those elements of the Bowman system that are still fit-for-purpose and this includes the Bowman radios in the early phase. This approach means that Morpheus will be able to transmit data between users across a network from the outset.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects to reply to the letters to him from the hon. Member for Tewkesbury dated 20 July 2015 and 21 October 2015 on the treatment of veterans and the terms of the Military Covenant.
Answered by Michael Fallon
The case that the hon. Member refers to is complicated and sensitive and is still being reviewed by officials. I will write to him as soon as this review concludes.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to answer the letters from the hon. Member for Tewkesbury dated 20 July and 21 October 2015.
Answered by Michael Fallon
I apologise for the time taken to respond to the hon. Member's letters. I will write to the hon. Member shortly on this issue.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on the future of the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency at Ashchurch near Tewkesbury; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Philip Dunne
As my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement (Philip Dunne), stated in the House on 8 June 2015 (Official Report, column 892), the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has signed a land sale development partnership contract for the redevelopment of the Ashchurch site. We anticipate commencing the transfer of the site to our development partner, Vinci St Modwen, in phases beginning in 2018.
Transfer of the site is dependent on the MOD re-providing certain capabilities, which are currently located at Ashchurch, to other locations. This includes capabilities managed on behalf of the Department by Babcock following their acquisition of the Defence Support Group. Assessment studies are under way and recommendations are expected in summer 2016. We continue to regularly engage with Trades Union representatives to inform them of progress.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what help is available (a) nationally and (b) in Gloucestershire for soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Ministry of Defence is committed to looking after the mental health of our Armed Forces, and our medical services are configured to provide community-based healthcare in line with national best practice. In the UK, we have 16 military Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs), which are located to be convenient for major centres of military population, and which support the provision of healthcare that is available through Service primary care facilities. Service personnel based in Gloucestershire who require treatment at a DCMH would be most likely to attend the facilities at Brize Norton in Oxfordshire or Tidworth in Wiltshire.
The DCMH mental health teams comprise psychiatrists and mental health nurses, with access to clinical psychologists and mental health social workers. A wide range of psychiatric and psychological treatments are available, including medication, psychological therapies, and environmental adjustment where appropriate. In-patient care, when necessary, is provided in dedicated psychiatric units through a central contract with an in-patient psychiatric care provider.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps he is taking to protect the Yazidi community in and around Mount Sinjar from ISIS; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Julian Brazier
The Ministry of Defence has not conducted any humanitarian aid drops in and around MountSinjar since the summer, although the coalition has done. UK and coalition airstrikes, in support of Iraqi security forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga, have continued to check and push back ISIL, helping to reduce the threat posed to the Yazidi community.
The Department for International Development is leading the UK's humanitarian response. The UK Government is delivering £39.5 million of aid to Iraq. This includes: support to over 200,000 people affected by the recent crisis, delivering essential winter supplies to 14,000 vulnerable displaced families, providing cash and voucher assistance to help 16,000 families buy warm winter clothing and ensuring 4,500 families are sheltered from winter conditions.