Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many gas safety certificates in Service Accommodation have (a) been approved and (b) remain unapproved as of 28 June 2023.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As at 28 June 2023 44,089 Service Family Accommodation (SFA) homes which have a mains gas supply (98.6%) have a valid gas safety certificate and 642 do not, of which 311 are occupied SFA properties.
The statutory requirement to conduct a Landlord’s Gas Safety Inspection and to provide a certificate only applies where a home is occupied.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much fuel is consumed in an average half-hour flight in a Typhoon; and how much that fuel costs.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Fuel usage and costs are not recorded on a per hour or per flight basis. Actual fuel usage is dependent upon a wide range of variables including aircraft weight, sortie type and length, weather and power use. Fuel costs also vary greatly dependent on the source of the fuel and more than one method of fuelling can be used for any given flight hour. For example, baseline fuels costs will vastly differ between Ministry of Defence (MOD) bulk fuel contracts, or commercial rates with fuel suppliers when visiting non-MOD aerodromes, or receiving Air-to-Air Refuelling support from RAF tanker aircraft and those of Partner Nations.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the value of the (a) non-military and (b) non-lethal aid provided by the Government to the Ukrainian government.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK has committed £220 million of non-military humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the region. A review of humanitarian spend will be published in late 2023.
The government has committed £2.3 billion in military aid to support Ukraine and wider operational activity in the region. This includes £1.9 billion of rapid procurement which is a combination of both lethal and non-lethal aid. It would not be appropriate to provide a breakdown of spending for live operational activity at this time.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ajax vehicles are unusable because they are awaiting the outcome of testing.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
General Dynamics Land Systems (UK) completed 41 vehicle production runs in 2022. This included a mix of newly produced vehicles (19) and an uplift of earlier build standard vehicles (22). Some of these vehicles will support Reliability Growth Trials and ongoing Verification and Validation testing of the integrated vehicle.
The use of vehicles held by the Ministry of Defence is limited to specific activities, for example for maintenance purposes, in accordance with strict safety restrictions. The exception is for those vehicles being used under specific safety controls for trials and Verification and Validation testing and that have had the noise and vibration modifications incorporated.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ajax vehicles have been manufactured and completed in the last 12 months.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
General Dynamics Land Systems (UK) completed 41 vehicle production runs in 2022. This included a mix of newly produced vehicles (19) and an uplift of earlier build standard vehicles (22). Some of these vehicles will support Reliability Growth Trials and ongoing Verification and Validation testing of the integrated vehicle.
The use of vehicles held by the Ministry of Defence is limited to specific activities, for example for maintenance purposes, in accordance with strict safety restrictions. The exception is for those vehicles being used under specific safety controls for trials and Verification and Validation testing and that have had the noise and vibration modifications incorporated.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the width of a seat in a Typhoon fighter jet is.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The width of the seat varies from 47-50cm across its length.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cattle were accidentally killed by military operations in 2021-22.
Answered by James Heappey
This information is not held by the Ministry of Defence, and we have had no claims for compensation for cattle accidentally killed as a result of military operations in 2021-22.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether approval by military staff was sought prior to the Prime Minister taking control of a Tycoon fighter jet.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Yes. Prior approval for the Prime Minister to take limited and temporary control of the aircraft was received. Once airborne this is dependent upon the pilot's assessment of circumstances and conditions, for safety reasons.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the average amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted during a 30-minute flight of a Tycoon fighter jet.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
There is no viable carbon-free fuel currently available to complete Typhoon's operational mission which is critical to the defence of the nation. However, the RAF has introduced measures to ensure that greater proportions of routine training can be achieved using flight simulators. This will be further enhanced through incremental acquisition of Project Gladiator, which will allow the UK to undertake additional synthetic training for air, land and maritime forces, all on a secure network. This therefore enhances sustainability, as aircrew will require fewer live flying sorties to maintain combat effectiveness.
More broadly, the RAF is committed to achieving NetZero by 2040 and is leading efforts international efforts to harness collaboration between global air and space forces on the common challenges faced, working together to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and existing supply chains, using new technologies including sustainable and synthetic aviation fuels and alternative sources of energy.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the environmental impact of a Typhoon fighter jet taking flight.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
There is no viable carbon-free fuel currently available to complete Typhoon's operational mission which is critical to the defence of the nation. However, the RAF has introduced measures to ensure that greater proportions of routine training can be achieved using flight simulators. This will be further enhanced through incremental acquisition of Project Gladiator, which will allow the UK to undertake additional synthetic training for air, land and maritime forces, all on a secure network. This therefore enhances sustainability, as aircrew will require fewer live flying sorties to maintain combat effectiveness.
More broadly, the RAF is committed to achieving NetZero by 2040 and is leading efforts international efforts to harness collaboration between global air and space forces on the common challenges faced, working together to reduce dependency on fossil fuels and existing supply chains, using new technologies including sustainable and synthetic aviation fuels and alternative sources of energy.