Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civil servants in his Department have a criminal conviction.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This information is not centrally held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, Civil Service applicants must declare any criminal convictions during the application process. This is reviewed during the security clearance process run by UKSV. The Ministry of Defence does not routinely employ people with unspent convictions.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2023 to Question 146842 on Ukraine: Defence Equipment, what the total overall cost is of military equipment provided to Ukraine since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by James Heappey
I refer the hon. Member to my previous answer of 22 February 2023. Due to the ongoing nature of the conflict and for reasons of operational security, it would be inappropriate to release information about the value of military equipment provided to Ukraine at this stage.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the value of the military equipment provided to Ukraine since the Russian invasion of Ukraine is.
Answered by James Heappey
Due to the ongoing nature of the conflict and for reasons of operational security, it would be inappropriate to release a breakdown of the value of military equipment provided to Ukraine at this stage.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the civil service headcount for their Department was on (a) 15 November 2022 and (b) 1 February 2020.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) biannual civilian personnel report presents figures on the strengths, inflow and outflow of all civilian personnel employed by the Ministry of Defence and is published at the following link:
MOD biannual civilian personnel statistics: index - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The table below provides Headcounts and Full Time Equivalent (FTE) number of MOD Civilians as at 1 February 2020.
Headcount 1 February 2020 | ||
TLB & Grouping | Headcount | FTE |
UK Strategic Command | 7,064 | 6,737 |
DIO | 4,845 | 4,713 |
HOCS | 8,548 | 8,255 |
Air Command | 4,365 | 4,224 |
Army TLB | 9,422 | 9,100 |
Navy Command | 2,779 | 2,668 |
Unallocated | 6 | 6 |
Royal Fleet Auxiliary | 1,842 | 1,842 |
Level 1 Total | 38,871 | 37,545 |
DE&S Trading Entity | 11,013 | 10,665 |
Dstl | 4,460 | 4,304 |
UK Hydrographic Office | 822 | 788 |
Defence Electronics & Components Agency (DECA) | 430 | 408 |
Defence Nuclear Organisation | 1,772 | 1,735 |
Locally Engaged Civilians | 3,840 | 3,731 |
Overall Total | 61,208 | 59,177 |
The figures for 1 November 2022 are planned for future publication on 1 December 2022.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many employees in his Department work on matters related to covid-19.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Ministry of Defence personnel working on COVID-19 do so primarily as 'business as usual' as part of broader responsibilities. For example, teams that consider the Defence contribution to UK resilience consider issues such as COVID-19 as part of their work on pandemics more broadly. Furthermore, business continuity, health and safety, and Defence Medical Services teams across all parts of Defence continue to manage risks from COVID proactively alongside other communicable disease risks to workplaces or operations.
For roles that are predominantly focussed on COVID-19, there are currently five personnel working in the Department - one on policy, two supporting the Public Inquiry, and two involved in logistics and distribution of COVID-19 related supplies (including Lateral Flow Testing Kits to Defence personnel overseas when deployments or Host Nations require them).
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will detail the losses and special payments valued at under £300,000 for his departmental group as defined by section A4.10.7 in HM Treasury's Managing Public Money for (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) 2020-21.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The losses and special payments valued at under £300,000 for the departmental group for the years 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 as already held on the record of losses for the public sector organisations within the departmental group, in accordance with Managing Public Money (Annex A4.10.7), or as otherwise held for the purposes of special payment disclosures, are set out below. These disclosures are consistent with the organisations' obligations under the Data Protection Act 2018.
2018-19
Total Losses: 129.89 million
Total Special Payments: 9.911 million
2019-20
Total Losses: 35.847 million
Total Special Payments: 14.073 million
2020-21
Total Losses: 82.100 million
Total Special Payments: 4.764 million
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to ensure that his Department and its agencies remove all internal covid-19 related policies, restrictions and mask mandates.
Answered by James Heappey
Throughout the pandemic, the Ministry of Defence has aligned itself with the Government's COVID-19 policies in addition to managing the risks from communicable diseases and viruses as set out in Joint Service Publication 950 on Medical Policy. This has included complying with the Working Safely during Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guidance which sets out the key actions organisations should take to protect employees in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in workplaces.
While COVID-19 regulations are being eased across England and much of the UK, certain risks from COVID-19 remain and consequently it will be appropriate to continue to monitor the situation and to maintain some public health, force protection and health and safety measures in certain settings. For instance, testing and isolation may continue in limited scenarios, such as to enable the operational deployment of personnel overseas. COVID-related measures will continue to be reviewed periodically and rationalised when it is safe to do so, whilst managing the risks to personnel and key Defence outputs.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his current policy is on the wearing of face coverings in his (a) Department, (b) departmental agencies and (c) related bodies during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Defence policy is that personnel should adhere to all applicable UK Government and Devolved Administration guidance on the wearing of face coverings.
In a small number of settings it may not be possible to wear face coverings (e.g. where it would impair communications in safety critical environments) and in these cases risks assessments and other mitigating steps are undertaken to limit the potential spread of COVID-19.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 15 December 2020, HCWS652, on Unconscious bias training, what steps he has taken to phase out unconscious bias training in his Department.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Defence is continually looking at ways to build a fairer, more inclusive, and more effective workplace.
Last year, the Government Equalities Office commissioned a report into unconscious bias and diversity training. It concluded that the training was not achieving its intended aims and would be phased out. In response to this, the Ministry of Defence has phased out unconscious bias training within the Department.
To ensure we continue to build fairer and more effective workplaces the Diversity and Inclusion 2020 course has been replaced by the Inclusion in the Civil Service course. The Inclusion in the Civil Service course comprises of four modules (Equality, diversity, and inclusion in the Civil Service; Our inclusive workplace; Our customers; the legal framework) and has had the unconscious bias training elements removed.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department took to mark International Men's Day on 19 November 2020.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises it is important that we take every opportunity to appreciate and celebrate men on International Men's Day (IMD). Every year IMD offers an opportunity to highlight the important work going on every day across Government aimed at improving the lives of men and boys.
This work ranges from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities looking at outcomes for the whole population, including men; preparation for an Employment Bill which, subject to further consultation, will make flexible working the default unless employers have good reason not to; and delivering the Suicide Prevention Workplan, which sets out action that is being taken across Government Departments and the NHS to reduce suicides, including amongst men. This Government is committed to levelling up opportunity and ensuring fairness for all, regardless of gender.
The MOD plays an active part in the work of IMD as we seek to highlight our positive male role models and raise awareness for men's well-being and the contribution they make to society for the greater good, their families, colleagues, friends and communities. In addition to encouraging our people to participate in the various activities organised by Civil Service Local, the MOD has also organised virtual webinars and online discussions, including a panel discussion on flexible working and positive male role models; a forum on the lived experiences of men; and a discussion on how the menopause affects men.