Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the security of UK (a) military bases and (b) service personnel in the Middle East.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The force protection of UK Service personnel and our bases in the Middle East is kept under constant review. For reasons of operational security, I am unable to comment on specific assessments or mitigations.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department plans to take to commemorate the D-Day landings.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is the lead Department for the Government’s National UK D-Day 80th anniversary and is working across Whitehall and with external stakeholders to lead a programme of official commemorations in the UK and in France, ensuring our Normandy Veterans are the VIPs for this significant anniversary.
The UK’s National Commemorative Event in Portsmouth will once again highlight this nation’s major contribution as a leading partner in the Western Alliance. The programme will commemorate the service and sacrifice of all who fought under British command on D-Day, by honouring our veterans, securing their legacy within our youth and demonstrating the UK’s global role in defence and security alliances.
The official programme includes:
UK:
A National Commemoration on Southsea Common, Portsmouth on 5 June – an audience of 4,000 and live BBC One broadcast.
In France on 5 June:
A Royal British Legion service of commemoration in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Bayeux War Cemetery, with up to 50 Normandy veterans present and 1,500 guests.
A CWGC led Bayeux Cathedral Service in partnership with the MOD for 1,000 guests.
A CWGC and MOD partnered BBC One live broadcast from Bayeux War Cemetery when all 4,144 graves will be illuminated.
In France on 6 June:
A National Commemoration at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver sur Mer with up to 50 Normandy veterans present and an audience of 2,500, live broadcast on BBC One. It is the first time, during a major commemorative year, that this event will take place at the Memorial following its official opening in 2021.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on equality, diversity and inclusion (a) events and (b) training in the last 12 months.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many posts there are for (a) press, (b) media and (c) other communications staff in his Department; and what the salary band is for each post.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) press, media team is made up of 15 employees. Roles range from grades Executive Officer to Grade 6 and have salary ranges between £28,300 to £31,060 up to £67,820 to £76,490. This figure is for the MOD Directorate of Defence Communications Press Office and Media personnel only.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what targets his Department has set to help achieve the Government's commitments on net zero.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Government set out how we would meet our commitments in the Net Zero Strategy in 2021 which included a detailed breakdown of actions required across all sectors in the economy. This was updated in 2023 through the publication of 'Powering Up Britain'.
The UK has halved its emissions, ahead of every other major economy, and we have grown our economy by over 70% since 1990. The UK over-achieved against the first and second carbon budgets, and the latest projections show that we are on track to meet the third.
We have one of the most ambitious decarbonisation targets in the world, and we have set more stretching targets for 2030 than most countries. We plan to cut emissions by 68% by 2030, which is more than the EU, Japan or the United States.
At the Royal International Air Tattoo in 2023, I was pleased to sign the Defence Net Zero Aviation Charter on behalf of MOD. Defence will continue to contribute to the achievement of the UK’s Net Zero commitment as set out in our Strategic Approach to Climate Change and Sustainability.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of Iranian military facilities established in Syria.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK has long made clear our apprehension towards Iran's reckless and destabilising activity in Syria. Iran's support to militant and proscribed groups, including potentially more permanent Iranian military bases, directly counters UK interests. The Ministry of Defence continues to maintain thorough assessments of the threats to stability and security across the Middle East region including Syria. The Government is also committed to working with the international community to ensure Iran and the regime are held to account for their destabilising activity in Syria.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had recent discussions with his international counterparts on the potential impact of the construction of the Seine-Nord Europe canal on unrecovered British war dead.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
Ministry of Defence (MOD) officials are aware of this and are in regular contact with the stakeholders of the Seine Nord Canal project. Ministry of Defence will endeavour to ensure the remains of any UK personnel are identified in accordance with our usual process.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on achieving water neutrality on his Department’s estate.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is working to achieve water neutrality by abstracting ground water from bore holes. MOD has also implemented a policy requirement that all new build and major refurbishment projects in water stressed areas must incorporate rainwater or grey water systems to reduce water abstraction demand, unless there are overriding technical or operational reasons.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using Stratospheric unscrewed air systems.
Answered by Alex Chalk
The Ministry of Defence is sponsoring a High-Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) Operational Concept Demonstrator (OCD) through Project AETHER. Feasibility activity has been conducted since 2016 to demonstrate the utility of stratospheric aircraft. The project has conducted a range of assessment including with fixed wing aircraft and balloons. This work is now continuing under an assessment phase including further flight trials to inform the next steps for future investment.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the US Covert Long Dwell Stratospheric Architecture programme.
Answered by Alex Chalk
The Department are in regular contact with the US Department of Defense to share knowledge between projects. We do not have specific information relating to the programme requested.