Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Goldie on 13 July (HL1351), what proportion of those using chaplaincy provided by their service identified as non-religious; what reasons were given for dissatisfaction with or a neutral stance towards the service received; what steps have been taken to improve the service in response to the 30-40 per cent of respondents who declared themselves either neutral towards or dissatisfied with the service they had received; and what resources, including funded posts comparable to religious chaplaincy, are provided to the various staff networks, including the Humanist And Non-religious in Defence Network, to provide support to those Service personnel who do not wish to talk to a Chaplain.

Answered by Baroness Goldie - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Information regarding how many users of the chaplaincy identified as non-religious is not held. Data regarding any protected characteristics of individuals seeking confidential pastoral support is not normally recorded, nor will they necessarily even arise or be disclosed unless they have a direct bearing upon the issues at hand.

Where dissatisfaction or a neutral stance is expressed in the Armed Forces Continuous Attitudes Survey (AFCAS), the specific reasoning behind each survey response is not recorded. AFCAS does not go into that level of detail, however, local evaluations in-Unit routinely show high levels of satisfaction with the teaching and pastoral care that chaplaincy provides.

Neutral responses with the AFCAS survey are often in effect a “not applicable (N/A)” response. In this case the respondents are not likely to have sought direct support from the chaplaincy in the time frame of the AFCAS survey. As they are unlikely to have accessed or used the service provided, there are no specific measures targeting improvement for this cohort of respondents.

Information regarding a breakdown of resources comparing the chaplaincy to the various staff networks that provide support to Service personnel is not held in the format requested.

The question of the religion, belief, or any other protected characteristics of an individual in contact with chaplaincy has absolutely no bearing on priority of access for pastoral support. Pastoral support is delivered according to need and open to all.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Goldie on 4 July (HL1126), whether there are existing arrangements in place to train foreign officers in operating Royal Navy submarine nuclear power plants.

Answered by Baroness Goldie - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Royal Navy (RN) routinely provides training to foreign Nationals through International Defence Training arrangements. Under the AUKUS arrangements, this now includes the attendance of Australian personnel on RN Nuclear Propulsion training courses. The operation of RN nuclear submarine propulsion plants by Australian personnel remains subject to further enabling work.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Goldie on 20 June (HL691), whether there has been a change to the agreement that two squadrons would have Royal Naval Fleet Air Arm designation.

Answered by Baroness Goldie - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Three F35 Squadrons are designated as Royal Air Force. A fourth, 809 Naval Air Squadron will carry Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm designs. The fifth Lighting Force squadron has yet to be designated, with a timeline on identity and ownership yet to be established.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Goldie on 20 June (HL693), when the UK will be able to deploy a carrier with its full load of 36 F-35B UK aircraft, should the operational requirement demand it.

Answered by Baroness Goldie - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

On current plans, by the end of 2025, the UK will have procured 48 F-35Bs.

The Queen Elizabeth Class carriers have been designed to be able to embark 40 aircraft, a mix of fixed wing and rotary wing. The composition and size of the any embarked air group in a deploying carrier will be tailored to meet the operational requirement.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Goldie on 20 June (HL695), what representations they have made, if any, to the government of the United States regarding the (1) manufacture, and (2) delivery profile, of F-35 combat aircraft, given the changes to the orders made for that aircraft by other governments.

Answered by Baroness Goldie - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

We have informed the US led F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) of our Tranche 2 purchase intention. However, we are subject to our internationally agreed manufacture and delivery schedules, and capacity limitations in the overall F-35 development programme with its many global customers.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Goldie on 20 June (HL692), whether the RAF Tempest jet will be a carrier-capable aircraft.

Answered by Baroness Goldie - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is being designed to replace the capabilities provided by the RAF’s Typhoon aircraft, which will leave service by 2040. This includes roles such as quick reaction alert with the ability to be fully interoperable with F-35B. It is therefore being designed to operate from airfields on the land.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Goldie on 13 April (HL7497), when they will announce their decision on a rebate to (1) service personnel, and (2) their families, living in serviced accommodation.

Answered by Baroness Goldie - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has been working to explore options for the calculation and implementation of a potential rebate to Service personnel and families in Service Accommodation. The MOD aims to make an announcement in the near future.

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