Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his plans are for the future of the Challenger 2 tanks in service that will not be upgraded to Challenger 3.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
A decision on what will happen to the remaining Challenger 2 platforms is currently under review.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department (a) has received evidence of and (b) is investigating allegations that RAF recruitment (i) policy and (ii) practice as at 1 August 2022 contravened the Equality Act 2010.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Air Force has instigated a Non-Statutory Inquiry (NSI) which is looking at its historical recruiting culture. The NSI is due to conclude early next year, therefore, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further while this is ongoing.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Armed Forces Careers Offices prioritised (a) BAME and (b) female candidates for RAF computer based aptitude tests between 26 October and 23 November 2020.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Air Force has instigated a Non-Statutory Inquiry (NSI) which is looking at its historical recruiting culture. The NSI is due to conclude early next year, therefore, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further while this is ongoing.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the RAF diversity statistics.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Diversity statistics for the RAF are published biannually. The latest published statistics are available at the following link:
Biannual_Diversity_Statistics_Publication_April22.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)
the next edition of the diversity statistics is expected to be published by 31 January 2023.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 13 December 2018 to Question 200586 on Armed Forces: Radiation Exposure and to National Archives documents Annex G to O92/2534(ASD 26), dated 9 January 1957, and C/6084/PA 1, dated 19 November 1957, where the results of the samples referred to in those documents are held.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Service personnel who were present at the UK nuclear weapon tests may have had blood samples taken throughout their career. Any records taken either before, during or after participation at the UK nuclear weapon tests would be held in individual military medical records in the Government's archives.
These medical records are unlikely to be collated in a form related to samples or incidences, and to ascertain what blood and urine tests may have been undertaken by service personnel would require the individual medical record of each of the personnel present at the UK nuclear tests to be located and reviewed. These records are not held centrally and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.
The Atomic Weapons Establishment holds copies of the results of urine radioactivity measurements and blood tests for a small number of individuals where these were included in scientific documentation on the nuclear weapons trials.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what tests his Department has carried out on (a) blood and (b) urine samples taken from people who served at UK nuclear tests between 1952 and 1991.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Service personnel who were present at the UK nuclear weapon tests may have had blood samples taken throughout their career. Any records taken either before, during or after participation at the UK nuclear weapon tests would be held in individual military medical records in the Government's archives.
These medical records are unlikely to be collated in a form related to samples or incidences, and to ascertain what blood and urine tests may have been undertaken by service personnel would require the individual medical record of each of the personnel present at the UK nuclear tests to be located and reviewed. These records are not held centrally and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.
The Atomic Weapons Establishment holds copies of the results of urine radioactivity measurements and blood tests for a small number of individuals where these were included in scientific documentation on the nuclear weapons trials.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 38 of the report of the Director of the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment on Operation Hurricane, ref AWRE-T1/54, what records his Department holds on urine samples taken from servicemen present at the UK atomic weapons tests in the 1950s.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Service personnel who were present at the UK nuclear weapon tests may have had blood samples taken throughout their career. Any records taken either before, during or after participation at the UK nuclear weapon tests would be held in individual military medical records in the Government's archives.
These medical records are unlikely to be collated in a form related to samples or incidences, and to ascertain what blood and urine tests may have been undertaken by service personnel would require the individual medical record of each of the personnel present at the UK nuclear tests to be located and reviewed. These records are not held centrally and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.
The Atomic Weapons Establishment holds copies of the results of urine radioactivity measurements and blood tests for a small number of individuals where these were included in scientific documentation on the nuclear weapons trials.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on data that was gathered from blood samples taken from servicemen (a) before, (b) during and (c) after their service at the UK nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Service personnel who were present at the UK nuclear weapon tests may have had blood samples taken throughout their career. Any records taken either before, during or after participation at the UK nuclear weapon tests would be held in individual military medical records in the Government's archives.
These medical records are unlikely to be collated in a form related to samples or incidences, and to ascertain what blood and urine tests may have been undertaken by service personnel would require the individual medical record of each of the personnel present at the UK nuclear tests to be located and reviewed. These records are not held centrally and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.
The Atomic Weapons Establishment holds copies of the results of urine radioactivity measurements and blood tests for a small number of individuals where these were included in scientific documentation on the nuclear weapons trials.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to take steps to amend the National Security Bill to help tackle potential threats to national security arising from former Army Air Corps, Fleet Air Arm and Royal Air Force personnel being recruited by the People’s Liberation Army.
Answered by James Heappey
The Ministry of Defence has worked closely with the Home Office and the whole of Government on the development of the National Security Bill, currently before Parliament. This Bill will keep pace with this and the wider changing threat.
The Bill makes the UK an even harder target for any states seeking to conduct hostile acts against the UK, steal our information for their advantage, or interfere in our society covertly. It brings together vital new measures to protect the UK, modernising counter espionage laws and addressing the ever-evolving threat to our national security.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any Chinese personnel have attended training courses at (a) the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, (b) Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, (c) Britannia Royal Naval College, (d) Royal Air College Cranwell and (e) other training establishments of the armed forces in the last five years.
Answered by James Heappey
The numbers of Chinese nationals who have attended UK Defence training establishments from 2010 is as follows:
Financial Year | RAF Cranwell | Royal Military Academy Sandhurst | Royal Naval College Dartmouth | Joint Services Command and Staff College Shrivenham | Defence Academy (Royal College of Defence Studies) | All Arms Drill Wing Pirbright | Defence Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Munitions and Search Training Regiment | Total |
2010-11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
2011-12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
2012-13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
2013-14 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
2014-15 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
2015-16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
2016-17 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
2017-18 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
2018-19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 11 |
2019-20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
2020-21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
2021-22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
I offer here a more comprehensive picture than has been previously requested.
Numbers have changed from previous answers for a number of reasons: the inclusion of RCDS (a Defence establishment, but not a military base); the capturing of some activity not previously counted; and some changes due to realigning figures from calendar to financial years.
The UK has never provided training that contained any sensitive information and it did not compromise the Official Secrets Act. No training has been provided to Chinese personnel since 2020, either in the UK or in the People’s Republic of China.