Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2018 to Question 200133 on Armed Forces: Vehicles, whether Hexavalent Chromium is still being used in vehicle servicing by his Department; and on what date the decision was made to undertake that research.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to managing and reducing hazardous substances and restricted materials throughout the lifetime of equipment to reduce the risk of harm to both human health and the environment. However, Hexavalent Chromium is still used when necessary. The MOD has instigated testing and evaluation of chromate-free paint products since 2012. This research is due to finish in the first quarter of 2019.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has plans to base River-class Offshore Patrol Vessels in Scottish ports. .
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Ministry of Defence has recently announced Batch 1 Offshore Patrol Vessels will be retained to support Batch 2, so the Royal Navy can continue to play an important role in protecting the whole of the UK’s waters. There are currently no plans for the vessels to be stationed in Scottish ports.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse has been of the development of the ecoSUB-µ5-SVP vehicles to be deployed from HMS Enterprise.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The ecoSUB-µ5-SVP vehicles were not developed as part of a defence contract. The vehicles were developed by industry, Planet Ocean, in collaboration with the National Oceanography Centre.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department has used paint containing (a) hexavalent chromium and (b) chromium VI in servicing vehicles.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Hexavalent chromium, which is also known as chromium VI, has been used by the Ministry of Defence in vehicle servicing. Research, concluding in early 2019, is currently being undertaken to investigate alternatives.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the implications for the Royal Navy of the Joint Guidance for the RAN-RN Relationship signed by the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Royal Australian Navy on 28 November 2018; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Joint Guidance, signed by the First Sea Lord and the Chief of the Royal Australian Navy, will increase dialogue and information sharing, particularly in the field of Anti-Submarine Warfare. This will promote interoperability and further our nations' shared values.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 28 November 2018 to Question 194225, whether Queen's Regulation J975 is compatible with the lack of a mandatory requirement to hold a fatal accident inquiry for a military death in Scotland prior to the Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc. (Scotland) Act 2016.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Yes.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what procedures were in place prior to the 2016 Fatal Accident Act coming into force to brief military personnel and their families on the lack of a mandatory requirement for a Fatal Accident Inquiry in Scotland for military deaths.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
It has not been possible to establish what, if anything, military personnel and their families may have been told regarding the differences between the English and Scottish legal systems in the event of a death prior to the introduction of the Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc. (Scotland) Act 2016. We can advise that such information is not included in briefing for military personnel and their families should they have been deployed to Scotland post 2016.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) Sea King helicopters purchased by his Department, (b) RAF personal that crewed the Sea King helicopter fleet and (c) RAF service personal, excluding crew members, that were involved in the daily maintenance of the Sea King helicopter fleet between 1969 and 2016.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Ministry of Defence operated a total of 183 Sea King helicopters between 1969 and their out of service date in September this year.
It is not possible to estimate the number of RAF personnel that either crewed or maintained the Sea King helicopter fleet during that period as this information is not held centrally and personnel records do not provide the granularity of detail required.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Sea King helicopters were decommissioned in 2016; and if any of those helicopters were subsequently brought back into service.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Sixteen Sea King helicopters were decommissioned in 2016. This included two Sea King HU Mk 5 helicopters which were retired from Ministry of Defence service and placed in the disposal reserve, until being regenerated for lease to a company, HeliOperations Ltd, for training purposes. This lease ended in September 2018.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the standard maintenance cycle of the Sea King helicopter included maintenance of the (a) engine, (b) gearbox and (c) heating and ventilation system.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Yes, standard maintenance of the Sea King helicopter included maintenance of the engine, gearbox and the heating and ventilation system.