Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Ministry of Defence Police budget is in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial year; and whether he undertook a risk assessment before determining the budget for the next financial year.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The annual budget for the Ministry of Defence Police is as follows:
Financial year 2024-25 = £182.7 million.
Budgets for 2025-26 for all Government Departments will be set through the ongoing Spending Review.
We take the security of our establishments very seriously and have a range of measures in place to ensure the integrity of our arrangements. These measures are kept under constant review and adjusted according to the threat. It is, however, long standing policy that we do not comment on the detail of those arrangements.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to recruit new officers to the Ministry of Defence Police.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
There are currently recruitment and retention issues affecting policing nationally. To counteract this, we target our recruitment campaigns in locations facing the most acute recruitment challenges, and we use a variety of outreach methods to promote opportunities to join the Force, including social media; events; briefings; and our recruitment website. Recruitment levels are kept under constant review and are driven by Defence requirements and operational need.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of staff that the Ministry of Defence Police will have in the 2025-26 financial year; and whether a risk assessment was undertaken when determining this.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The officer requirement for 2025-26 is dependent on a number of factors including operational need and changes in Defence priorities. We take the security of our establishments very seriously and have a range of measures in place to ensure the integrity of our arrangements. These measures are kept under constant review and adjusted according to the threat. It is, however, long standing policy that we do not comment on the detail of those arrangements.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made a risk assessment of the potential withdrawal of Ministry of Defence Police from (a) DM Gosport and (b) other Defence Munition sites.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
We take the security of our establishments very seriously and have a range of measures in place to ensure the integrity of our arrangements. These measures are kept under constant review and adjusted according to the threat. It is, however, long standing policy that we do not comment on the detail of those arrangements.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the workspace for Ministry of Defence Police at (a) DM Gosport and (b) other Defence Munition sites.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Defence site owners complete generic site assessments. The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) assess the adequacy of their direct workspace, such as officer environs, and ensure equipment and vehicles are fit for officers to perform their duties safely and effectively.
The MOD takes the security of Defence people, assets and sites extremely seriously and MDP works with MOD stakeholders to manage and mitigate any risk to MOD security and to ensure that MDP deployment is optimised across Defence sites.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is making to improve retention rates in the Ministry of Defence Police.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Department has approved a new package of regional and function allowances that significantly improve the attractiveness of the overall pay offer for joining the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) and aligns to those of its counterparts in Home Office Forces. In addition, the MDP has increased the regularity of its recruitment campaigns and introduced a combination of regional and national entry routes. The MDP has also rolled out new equipment to its officers to enhance their working conditions.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 August 2024 to Question 3668 on Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Pay, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing pay rises to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary that are in line with those offered to (a) Royal Navy personnel and (b) civil servants.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary are highly valued, specialist personnel. We are committed to listening to their concerns and keeping a continued dialogue to address the issues they have raised. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continues to engage with the Maritime Trade Unions (MTUs), who represent members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), to discuss a resolution to the on-going RFA pay dispute.
Recognising that the RFA is the largest employer of British non-military seafarers, the RFA intend to introduce a series of new recruitment and retention initiatives, including enhanced lateral entry routes from maritime industry, improved occupational health measures and a suite of options to increase working flexibility.
The MOD continues to work with both MTUs to resolve the on-going RFA pay dispute whilst mitigating potential impact of strike action to ensure that the Royal Navy continues to deliver its maritime commitments.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 August 2024 to Question 3668 on Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Pay, when his Department next plans to review the pay structures of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary are highly valued, specialist personnel. We are committed to listening to their concerns and keeping a continued dialogue to address the issues they have raised. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continues to engage with the Maritime Trade Unions (MTUs), who represent members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), to discuss a resolution to the on-going RFA pay dispute.
Recognising that the RFA is the largest employer of British non-military seafarers, the RFA intend to introduce a series of new recruitment and retention initiatives, including enhanced lateral entry routes from maritime industry, improved occupational health measures and a suite of options to increase working flexibility.
The MOD continues to work with both MTUs to resolve the on-going RFA pay dispute whilst mitigating potential impact of strike action to ensure that the Royal Navy continues to deliver its maritime commitments.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to tackle staff shortages in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary are highly valued, specialist personnel. We are committed to listening to their concerns and keeping a continued dialogue to address the issues they have raised. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continues to engage with the Maritime Trade Unions (MTUs), who represent members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), to discuss a resolution to the on-going RFA pay dispute.
Recognising that the RFA is the largest employer of British non-military seafarers, the RFA intend to introduce a series of new recruitment and retention initiatives, including enhanced lateral entry routes from maritime industry, improved occupational health measures and a suite of options to increase working flexibility.
The MOD continues to work with both MTUs to resolve the on-going RFA pay dispute whilst mitigating potential impact of strike action to ensure that the Royal Navy continues to deliver its maritime commitments.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation on the future of Fort Blockhouse.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The Ministry of Defence continues to explore all options with stakeholders for the future use of this site. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation regularly updates Ministers on plans for the defence estate.