Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Navy vessels were at (a) High, (b) Very High and (c) Extremely High readiness in each year since 2022.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
In agreement with the House of Commons Defence Committee (HCDC), Royal Navy Surface Fleet readiness data is provided on a six-monthly basis. This information can be found on the HCDC website but for ease, please find links to the previous two submissions:
committees.parliament.uk/publications/49894/documents/267958/default/
committees.parliament.uk/publications/49270/documents/262458/default/
To protect the operational security of the Fleet, I am unable to provide further granularity.
In addition, the Royal Navy does not hold individual Service Personnel at a readiness state but rather Force Elements or individual units. This information is withheld as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that military memorials are kept in good condition.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Responsibility for military memorials is split between several organisations, depending on the type and location of the memorial.
Across the globe, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintains 23,000 war memorials and war cemeteries commemorating 1.7 million commonwealth casualties who died during the First and Second World Wars. During the Financial Year 2024-25, the Ministry of Defence contributed £56.3 million Grant in Aid funding to support this core commemoration to a high standard, sometimes in inhospitable locations.
Additionally, there are many military memorials, both within the UK and abroad, which have been established, and are owned by institutions such as local authorities, charities, churches, museums, schools, businesses and private individuals. The care and maintenance of such memorials are the sole responsibility of the owner.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps are being taken to (a) clear the backlog of unclaimed Armed Forces pensions and (b) prevent the accumulation of unclaimed pensions in future.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
There is currently no backlog for unclaimed deferred pensions.
The Ministry of Defence continues to conduct tracing exercises 60 working days after the pension due date to establish the member's address and invite them to claim; we continue to explore additional mechanisms to identify individuals who qualify for an unclaimed deferred pension.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the readiness category is of (a) HMS Glasgow, (b) HMS Belfast and (c) HMS Cardiff.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
In agreement with the House of Commons Defence Committee (HCDC), Royal Navy Surface Fleet readiness data is provided on a six-monthly basis. This information can be found on the HCDC website but for ease, please find links to the previous two submissions:
committees.parliament.uk/publications/49894/documents/267958/default/
committees.parliament.uk/publications/49270/documents/262458/default/
To protect the operational security of the Fleet, I am unable to provide further granularity.
In addition, the Royal Navy does not hold individual Service personnel at a readiness state but rather Force Elements or individual units. This information is withheld as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the readiness category is of (a) RFA Lyme Bay, (b) RFA Mounts Bay, (c) RFA Cardigan Bay, (d) RFA Argus, (e) RFA Fort Victoria, (f) RFA Tidespring, (g) RFA Tiderace, (h) RFA Tidesurge and (i) RFA Tideforce.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
In agreement with the House of Commons Defence Committee (HCDC), Royal Navy Surface Fleet readiness data is provided on a six-monthly basis. This information can be found on the HCDC website but for ease, please find links to the previous two submissions:
committees.parliament.uk/publications/49894/documents/267958/default/
committees.parliament.uk/publications/49270/documents/262458/default/
To protect the operational security of the Fleet, I am unable to provide further granularity.
In addition, the Royal Navy does not hold individual Service personnel at a readiness state but rather Force Elements or individual units. This information is withheld as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Navy vessels are at (a) R1, (b) R2, (c) R3, (d) R4, (e) R5, (f) R6, (g) R7, (h) R8, (i) R9, (j) R10 and (k) R11.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
In agreement with the House of Commons Defence Committee (HCDC), Royal Navy Surface Fleet readiness data is provided on a six-monthly basis. This information can be found on the HCDC website but for ease, please find links to the previous two submissions:
committees.parliament.uk/publications/49894/documents/267958/default/
committees.parliament.uk/publications/49270/documents/262458/default/
To protect the operational security of the Fleet, I am unable to provide further granularity.
In addition, the Royal Navy does not hold individual Service personnel at a readiness state but rather Force Elements or individual units. This information is withheld as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Navy personnel are at (a) R1, (b) R2, (c) R3, (d) R4, (e) R5, (f) R6, (g) R7, (h) R8, (i) R9, (j) R10 and (k) R11.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
In agreement with the House of Commons Defence Committee (HCDC), Royal Navy Surface Fleet readiness data is provided on a six-monthly basis. This information can be found on the HCDC website but for ease, please find links to the previous two submissions:
committees.parliament.uk/publications/49894/documents/267958/default/
committees.parliament.uk/publications/49270/documents/262458/default/
To protect the operational security of the Fleet, I am unable to provide further granularity.
In addition, the Royal Navy does not hold individual Service personnel at a readiness state but rather Force Elements or individual units. This information is withheld as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with Greenwich Hospital, Royal Museums Greenwich and the Greenwich Foundation on a coordinated plan to secure the future operations of the Old Royal Naval College.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence works closely with parties who have an interest in the Old Royal Naval College. In exercising his power to grant leases on the Old Royal Naval College, the Secretary of State gives regard to the suitability of occupants to maintain the site, and to public access. Under the terms of their lease, responsibility for heritage conservation, maintenance, and repair rests with the Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College. Public access is a matter for all tenants, and employment is a matter for individual employers on site.
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 help ensure the long-term financial sustainability of and continued public access to the Old Royal Naval College.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence works closely with parties who have an interest in the Old Royal Naval College. In exercising his power to grant leases on the Old Royal Naval College, the Secretary of State gives regard to the suitability of occupants to maintain the site, and to public access. Under the terms of their lease, responsibility for heritage conservation, maintenance, and repair rests with the Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College. Public access is a matter for all tenants, and employment is a matter for individual employers on site.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential risks to employment, public access and heritage conservation at the Old Royal Naval College.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence works closely with parties who have an interest in the Old Royal Naval College. In exercising his power to grant leases on the Old Royal Naval College, the Secretary of State gives regard to the suitability of occupants to maintain the site, and to public access. Under the terms of their lease, responsibility for heritage conservation, maintenance, and repair rests with the Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College. Public access is a matter for all tenants, and employment is a matter for individual employers on site.