Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when detailed guidance and criteria for neighbourhood governance structures will be published.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government continues to engage with local government and the communities sector to ensure that we understand best practice. We will lay regulations and in due course.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his department will provide a timetable for reviewing the continued use of real bearskin in military ceremonial uniforms.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The current cost of a bearskin cap is £2,460 including VAT. Whilst the longevity of caps varies depending on how they are maintained, this can be up to and in excess of 20 years.
The Department has not yet identified a synthetic alternative that meets the standards required to provide an effective replacement for bearskin ceremonial caps. However, the Ministry of Defence remains committed to finding a synthetic alternative and continues to welcome submissions of test results, from a testing house accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, on synthetic alternatives that meet our criteria for a suitable, affordable and sustainable alternative to bearskin caps.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his department has made of the comparative lifetime cost of (a) real bearskin caps and (b) identified synthetic alternatives.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The current cost of a bearskin cap is £2,460 including VAT. Whilst the longevity of caps varies depending on how they are maintained, this can be up to and in excess of 20 years.
The Department has not yet identified a synthetic alternative that meets the standards required to provide an effective replacement for bearskin ceremonial caps. However, the Ministry of Defence remains committed to finding a synthetic alternative and continues to welcome submissions of test results, from a testing house accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, on synthetic alternatives that meet our criteria for a suitable, affordable and sustainable alternative to bearskin caps.