Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Statement of 28 May 2015 on safety at HM Naval Base Clyde, which of Able Seaman William McNeilly's concerns proved to be accurate; and what steps were taken in response.

As the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend, the Member for Sevenoaks, (Michael Fallon) reported in his Written Statement of 28 May 2015 (Column 1WS), and as I reiterated during the Adjournment Debate the same day (Column 293), the Royal Navy's investigation into Able Seaman NcNeilly's concerns found most of them to be either factually incorrect or the result of mis- or partial understanding.

Some of his concerns drew on historical, previously known events, none of which had compromised our deterrent capability and from which, where appropriate, lessons had been learned to develop our procedures as part of a continuous improvement programme.

Only one of his allegations remains to be fully concluded - that electronic cigarettes were used onboard the submarine. No corroborative evidence that this practice was taking place has been found. The chain of command is considering if certain products may be suitable for use onboard submarines in the future. As I said in the Debate, it is not possible or reasonable to provide complete transparency on all that has been found, as this concerns the protection of the deterrent capability.