Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps he has taken with the Secretary of State for Education to increase the number of Combined Cadet Forces in state schools.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
Through the joint Department for Education (DfE) and Ministry of Defence (MOD) Cadet Expansion Programme (CEP), over 250 new cadet units have opened in state schools, with priority given to less affluent areas. Prior to CEP, 75% of school units were in independent schools, with 25% in state schools. There are now over 500 cadet units in UK schools, and now more than 60% of these units are in the state sector.
Since 2021, DfE have been providing additional funding for state schools in England to help with the administrative support of Combined Cadet Force (CCF) contingents. This funding, which DfE has recently extended until the end of Academic Year 2023-24, directly supports School Staff Instructors who are vital for the sustainment of a school's CCF unit.
DfE and MOD are continuing to work on the Government's ambition to increase the number of cadets in schools to 60,000 by April 2024, ensuring that more children in state schools have the opportunities that have long been a feature of the independent sector.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has taken recent steps to increase the number of joint training exercises between the British and Cypriot armed forces.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK Armed Forces and the Cypriot Armed Forces have a long-standing and fruitful bilateral defence relationship. The UK regularly participates in joint exercises with the Cypriot Armed Forces, including Ex APHRODITE SHIELD earlier this year and annual participation in Ex ARGONAUT, Ex NEMESIS and Ex CAMBRIAN PATROL.
Our Armed Forces' participation in joint exercises with the Cypriot Armed Forces is driven through the Bilateral Defence Cooperation Programme (BDCP). First signed in 2016, and reviewed at annual Staff Talks, the implementation of the BDCP has resulted in the growth of our bilateral defence relationship with the Republic of Cyprus. We continue to explore opportunities to deepen our co-operation across the breath of defence, including through joint training exercises.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is taking steps to help neurodiverse people make a contribution to the work of the armed forces.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 November 2022 to Question 89028.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of accusations of discrimination against white men in recruitment decisions by the Royal Air Force on quality of recruits.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
There has been no reduction in the quality of recruits joining the Royal Air Force (RAF) and all individuals joining the RAF must meet the required standard. Defence will continue to do all it can to attract the best people from the widest pool of talent, whatever their background, gender or ethnicity.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to bring forward the date of the planned rollout of Challenger 3 battle tanks to the Army.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The intent remains to build 148 Challenger 3 Main Battle Tanks, as set out in the 2021 Defence Command Paper. The programme is on schedule to achieve Initial Operating Capability in 2027 and Full Operating Capability in 2030.
More broadly, the number of Challenger 3 remains under review to ensure the Army's Main Battle Tank fleet is sufficient to meet Defence's needs.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much and what proportion of the £11 billion increase in his Department's budget he plans to allocate to Armed Forces pay and housing.
Answered by Alex Chalk
The Department is currently working through the outcome of the Spring Budget on 15 March and it is too early to provide an indication of how the funding for future years will be allocated.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help increase the uptake of job transition services for veterans.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works collaboratively with the Office for Veterans’ Affairs and with other Government Departments to support Service leavers and veterans transition into civilian employment. The MOD provided significant input into the Government’s Veterans' Strategy Action Plan: 2022 to 2024 and is a member of the newly formed Veteran Employers Group, which is chaired by the Minister for Veterans Affairs.
Resettlement services are offered to all personnel leaving the Armed Forces, with employment support and training delivered through the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to all Regular Service leavers. The CTP is the official provider of Armed Forces resettlement support to all Service Leavers, regardless of time served. The CTP is a partnering agreement between the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Right Management Ltd, who are global career development and outplacement specialists and part of the ManpowerGroup.
This resettlement provision is designed to help personnel leaving the Armed Forces to prepare for entering the civilian job market and to make a successful transition to employment or achieve the wider vocational outcome they seek. Resettlement support is available from two years prior to leaving and two years after discharge. The provision entitles Service leavers to resettlement support which, depending on their discharge category, includes duty time, financial assistance and access to CTP Services. The CTP provision is individually tailored and includes workshops, seminars, one-to-one career consultancy, resettlement training advice and vocational training, together with job finding support.
The latest statistics show that 78% of Service leavers used a billable CTP Service ( Career Transition Partnership ex-service personnel employment outcomes statistics: index - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) ). For those Service leavers looking to transition into civilian employment when leaving the Armed Forces, around 83% are successfully employed within six months of leaving the Armed Forces. Moreover, the satisfaction rates of Service leavers accessing CTP support are typically around 90%.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support veterans transitioning to civilian employment.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works collaboratively with the Office for Veterans’ Affairs and with other Government Departments to support Service leavers and veterans transition into civilian employment. The MOD provided significant input into the Government’s Veterans' Strategy Action Plan: 2022 to 2024 and is a member of the newly formed Veteran Employers Group, which is chaired by the Minister for Veterans Affairs.
Resettlement services are offered to all personnel leaving the Armed Forces, with employment support and training delivered through the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to all Regular Service leavers. The CTP is the official provider of Armed Forces resettlement support to all Service Leavers, regardless of time served. The CTP is a partnering agreement between the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Right Management Ltd, who are global career development and outplacement specialists and part of the ManpowerGroup.
This resettlement provision is designed to help personnel leaving the Armed Forces to prepare for entering the civilian job market and to make a successful transition to employment or achieve the wider vocational outcome they seek. Resettlement support is available from two years prior to leaving and two years after discharge. The provision entitles Service leavers to resettlement support which, depending on their discharge category, includes duty time, financial assistance and access to CTP Services. The CTP provision is individually tailored and includes workshops, seminars, one-to-one career consultancy, resettlement training advice and vocational training, together with job finding support.
The latest statistics show that 78% of Service leavers used a billable CTP Service ( Career Transition Partnership ex-service personnel employment outcomes statistics: index - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) ). For those Service leavers looking to transition into civilian employment when leaving the Armed Forces, around 83% are successfully employed within six months of leaving the Armed Forces. Moreover, the satisfaction rates of Service leavers accessing CTP support are typically around 90%.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase access for neurodiverse people to serve in the Armed Forces.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
Entry requirements are kept under continual review. This ensures they are fair to everyone with aspirations of an Armed Forces career and are informed by the latest evidence.
We value diversity and are committed to recruiting and retaining the best people possible. It is also essential that all new entrants to the Armed Forces have the capacity to serve in all respects for the period of their engagement, ensuring operational efficiency, safety for the individual and safety for others. Consequently, there are a number of conditions that are a bar to Service
Candidates with Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Dyspraxia can serve in the Armed Forces, if they meet the selection, training and performance standards. While other conditions such as Autism and ADHD may be a bar to Service entry, this is not automatically the case. Every application is considered on a case by case basis by recruiting clinicians, who will make an individual assessment of the condition, its severity and the need for treatment. If an application is rejected on medical grounds, a candidate can appeal the decision to the recruiting Service, providing additional medical evidence if required.
There is also an executive waiver process where the employing Service may, exceptionally, recruit someone who does not meet the existing entry standards. This may include individuals with unique specialist skills. Again, this would be determined on a case by case basis.