Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will meet with representatives from Unite the Union at BAE Systems Warton to discuss the impact of not purchasing new Typhoon jets for use by the Royal Air Force.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Secretary of State has met with the General Secretary of Unite the Union over the last three months to discuss a range of issues including this.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase mobile phone signal in barracks.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review sets out this Government’s commitment to enhancing the standard of Service Family Accommodation and Single Living Accommodation, which is essential for the morale and retention of Service personnel.
The Ministry of Defence (Defence Digital) has recently signed a new Mobile Device and Airtime Contract with BT. The main service provider under this contract is EE, with the option to use Vodafone as an alternative provider should mobile coverage prove poor with EE.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 61866 on Armed Forces: Buildings, if he will make an estimate of the cost of answering that Question.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The estimated cost of providing a response to Question 61866 - To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2025 to Question 60125 on Armed Forces: Buildings, how many of those properties are in Fylde, would be approximately £7,800.
This is more than the Parliamentary Question disproportionate cost limit of £850.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of adding Lancashire to the pilot of the VALOUR veteran support centres.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
On 26 June 2025 I launched the VALOUR pilot in partnership with Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire.
There are a number of excellent support services available for veterans across this region, and across the UK. Through the enhanced coordination facilitated by VALOUR, the programme will promote a holistic approach to care by helping veterans access the full range of support services available to them.
The pilot will serve as an opportunity to develop a comprehensive blueprint for the VALOUR network. While it is recognised that regional variations will be necessary to ensure the network meets the specific needs of local communities, the lessons learned from the pilot will form the basis for VALOUR across the country.
We continue to move at pace, and VALOUR will be rolled out across the UK in 2026, so I am grateful for Lancashire's engagement and looking forward to working in the area soon.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many VALOUR support centres for veterans he plans to locate in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The detailed structures and processes that will underpin VALOUR are in development and further announcements, including on development funding, will be announced in due course. The first VALOUR pilot was launched on 26 June 2025, in partnership with Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire, and will help to develop a blueprint as VALOUR is rolled out across the country next year.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 60122 on Armed Forces: Buildings, if he will list the locations of his Department's seven sites in Fylde constituency.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The location of the seven sites in Fylde constituency, managed by the Ministry of Defence, can be found below:
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June to Question 60125 on Armed Forces: Buildings, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing formal (a) criteria and (b) guidelines for leasing its properties to third parties.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has formal criteria and guidelines for the leasing of properties to third parties.
Criteria and guidelines for Service Family Accommodation (SFA) leased to non-military personnel is set out in the MOD’s contract with Pinnacle Service Families. A separate process is in place for SFA that is utilised under the Afghan Resettlement Programme.
The remaining leases criteria and guidelines are set out in Joint Service Publication 850.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help support the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
As set out in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Royal Charter, the six member countries contribute to the funding of the Commission in proportion to the number of graves maintained for each nation’s Armed Forces. The United Kingdom is the largest contributor, paying 79% of the Commission’s budget via quarterly payments. For this year, that equates to a UK contribution of £59 million.
Given the scale of the UK contribution, the Secretary of State for Defence is the Chair of the CWGC. Additionally, the Defence Services Secretary represents Defence at the quarterly CWGC Commissioners’ meetings and the regular finance meetings where budgets are agreed and expenditure monitored.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) also work closely with the CWGC on selected commemorative events. Alongside this year’s landmark VE Day 80 and VJ Day 80 anniversaries, DCMS are leading Government assistance to the CWGC’s delivery of the ‘For Evermore Tour’, a programme of over 250 mobile exhibitions and events across the UK and at key global commemorative sites, to honour and share the stories of those who served in the Second World War. Questions related to that specific assistance should be addressed to DCMS.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what military support his Department provides to protect (a) buildings owned by and (b) personnel working for civilian defence contractors.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Contractor buildings and personnel located within the Defence Estate are covered by the security arrangements of the site at which they are situated. Depending on the outputs of the site this may include the use of military support to provide the security arrangements. For those contractor buildings and personnel not based on the Defence Estate, the Minstry of Defence (MOD) do not provide military support. Defence has well established mandated security policies and processes to ensure Defence Industry security controls and measures meet with MODs risk appetite.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2025 to Question 60125 on Armed Forces: Buildings, how many of those properties are in Fylde.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The information is not held in the format requested and could only be provided by retrieving and interrogating large amounts of data which could only be completed at disproportionate cost.