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Written Question
Ministry of Defence: Land
Monday 21st September 2020

Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will delay the decision on disposal of his Departments land at Chorlton Cum Backford, Chester, until further consultation with (a) previous landowners and (b) local residents has been undertaken.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

In accordance with the Crichel Down Rules, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) offered the land at Chorlton Cum Backford, to the former owner. These rules require all Government Departments to offer back surplus land (that meets the conditions set out in the rules) to the former owner at current market value.

Consultation with the former owner began in September 2019. The former owner has had the opportunity to consider the formal valuation of current market value since June 2020. The former owner has provided his response. The DIO are reviewing the former owner’s proposal.

If the sale to the former owner does not proceed, then the site will be offered to the open market, in line with Treasury Guidance. This enables consultation with all interested parties, including local residents.


Written Question
Defence: Procurement
Monday 21st September 2020

Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

What recent assessment he has made of the contribution of defence procurement contracts to the UK economy.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

The Ministry of Defence spent £19.2 billion with UK industry and commerce in financial year 2018-19, directly supporting 119,000 jobs across the country and indirectly supporting many thousands more.


Written Question
Land: Sales
Wednesday 16th September 2020

Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the sale of land which was the site of his Departments former fuel store depot at Chorlton by Backford, Chester, is subject to the Crichell Down rules.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

In January 2019, it was declared that land at Backford Depot at Chorlton by Backford in Chester was surplus to Ministry of Defence requirements and was to be sold by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation.

In accordance with Treasury Guidelines, any disposal action commences with an investigation of whether the Crichel Down Rules (CDR) apply, this was undertaken for the Backford site and the CDR were found to apply. Potential Former Owners were asked to identify themselves following an advertisement in January 2019. The Department is currently in negotiations with a Former Owner and the CDR process is ongoing.


Written Question
Defence: Research
Monday 28th October 2019

Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on military research and development of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Ministry of Defence does not anticipate any significant effect on military Research and Development should the UK leave the EU without a deal and has put in place plans to manage the most likely short-term impacts.

We will continue to work with our European partners to improve our defence capabilities through co-operative research and armaments projects via our existing bilateral and multilateral relationships - and much of this already takes place outside an EU framework. This will help UK defence industry to continue to operate effectively in the global markets as a trusted, capable, collaborative partner.


Written Question
Military Aircraft
Monday 28th October 2019

Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect on the development of future combat air systems of the UK leaving the EU.

Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK defence industry is globally competitive, and we are confident it will continue to thrive in the future. We will continue to work with our allies and partners on the development of capability that we need to keep us safe, and much of this, such as Typhoon, already takes place outside of an EU framework.


Written Question
Army
Thursday 3rd October 2019

Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he he has taken to ensure the preparedness of the British Army for the UK leaving the EU.

Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton

The British Army's preparedness is being addressed as part of the MOD's overall preparations for the UK leaving the EU.


Written Question
Ministry of Defence: Capita
Wednesday 31st October 2018

Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which contracts awarded by his Department are operated by Capita.

Answered by Tobias Ellwood

The Ministry of Defence has 81 current contracts with Capita and 49 contracts which have end dates in the past but which are still to receive final payments or be formally closed down on the system. The total value of these arrangements is £1.28 billion.

This analysis incorporates contracts with Capita subsidiaries including PageOne Communications and Trustmarque Solutions.

These contracts cover a range of services, including the Army Recruiting Partnering Project, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation Strategic Business Partner and the Higher Education Pathway contract.


Written Question
Moorland: Fires
Tuesday 10th July 2018

Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK military helicopters have been used to fight moorland fires in Lancashire and Greater Manchester to date.

Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton

No Military helicopters have been used in support of the firefighting efforts in Lancashire and Greater Manchester. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) did, at the outset of the incident, request the support of an RAF Chinook helicopter. However, after an early scene assessment on the morning of 28 July GMFRS notified the Ministry of Defence that the planned helicopter support was no longer necessary. As with all major incidents, military liaison officers remain engaged at the local level, providing advice and support.


Written Question
Military Bases: Chester
Friday 18th November 2016

Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many residential properties there are on the Dale barracks site in Chester; and how many such properties are (a) occupied by servicemen, servicewomen or service families, (b) unoccupied and (c) privately owned.

Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton

There are no Service Family Accommodation properties on Dale Barracks. Those which support the Barracks are all outside the wire.

There are 564 Single Living Accommodation bed spaces of which 402 are occupied and 162 are unoccupied. These unoccupied rooms are routinely used for people attending courses at Dale Barracks.


Written Question
Veterans: Employment
Wednesday 2nd November 2016

Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support veterans into employment.

Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) ensures that Armed Forces personnel can serve safe in the knowledge that when they leave active service they will be well supported to translate their acquired skills, experience and qualifications into the second career they aspire to. Service life is positive in this regard and the skills Service leavers possess are in demand from UK employers who recognise the benefits of bringing this talent into their organisation.

To support this the MOD has a robust and effective resettlement system in place - this includes the highly successful Career Transition Partnership (CTP) which has helped 85 per cent of Service Leavers in 2014/15 find sustainable employment within six months of leaving the Armed Forces. This is particularly notable when compared to an employment rate of 73 per cent in the General UK population. The CTP is the MOD's official provider of resettlement services to those leaving the Armed Forces and provides one-to-one guidance, training and signposts employment opportunities to about 15,000 Service Leavers.

All personnel are eligible for the CTP resettlement provision including those medically discharged, or leaving the Armed Forces due to redundancy. Personnel with less than four years' Service receive CTP Future Horizons. Personnel with between four and five years' Service receive the Employment Support Programme. Personnel with at least six years' Service receive an enhanced service - the Core Resettlement Programme. These free resettlement services are offered to all ranks of Service personnel and offers flexible support which can be accessed two years before discharge, through to two years post discharge in order to ensure that making the transition to civilian life is as smooth as possible.