Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2024 to Question 23368 on Armed Forces: Mefloquine, how many of the common law claims have been resolved; and how many unresolved common law claims are the subject of continuing legal action.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
To date, 60 claims have been partially settled and three claims have been fully settled. Partially settled claims are those where damages have been agreed and paid to a Claimant, but where the Claimant's solicitor's costs remain in dispute.
A total of 457 claims are the subject of continuing legal action, in that they have not yet been resolved.
A trial has been listed for March 2025 to establish generic issues. At this trial 10 lead cases from the largest Claimant cohort will be heard. The trial means that all other claims are stayed until the outcome of the lead cases is decided.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many claims have been made by current or former service personnel in respect of adverse effects caused by being prescribed the drug mefloquine, larium, in each of the last three years for which information is available; and of those, how many have been resolved.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Department has been notified of a total of 686 common law claims relating to the alleged adverse effects of Lariam. A breakdown of claims in each of the last three years is not readily available, however, most the claims were notified prior to April 2021. The Ministry of Defence continues to resolve claims wherever possible.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to assist the Nepalese Government with its covid-19 vaccination programme; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by James Heappey
We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Nepal during this pandemic. The UK has an enduring defence relationship with Nepal and their Armed Forces.
The UK was one of the first countries to send life-saving medical equipment to Nepal, including 260 ventilators and thousands of pieces of personal protective equipment, to help the country's fight against Covid-19. The UK is one of the leading donors to COVAX, having committed £548 million to the scheme. COVAX has allocated 2,000,000 vaccine doses to Nepal, of which 348,000 have already been delivered and we understand another tranche will arrive by August.
UK aid to the Gurkha Welfare Trust has also ensured access to life-saving support and supplies to Gurkha veterans and their communities throughout the pandemic. Their distinguished service is a source of immense pride in both our countries.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the facility at the Army Personnel Centre enabling people to trace the service records of their relatives will be fully operational; and when a search made for an individual with Army Service Number 14603451 and date of birth 5 June 1907 can be actioned.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
Due to COVID-19, staff at the Army Personnel Centre (APC) in Glasgow have been required to work from home since lockdown. During this time, they have received over 10,000 requests for copies of Service records. Most Service records are in their original hard copy paper format and could not therefore be retrieved from the archives and copied by APC staff working at home. Although APC staff have now started returning to the workplace, it is not possible to say how long it will take to process all the requests they have received. However, the request for a copy of the Service record relating to Army Service Number 14603451 has been completed and was sent to the requester on 28 August.
An online facility is also being developed by the Ministry of Defence to enable individuals to apply for the Service records of deceased military service personnel. This is subject to assessment by the Government Digital Service later this year. If that assessment is positive the online system will be made available to the public via the Government Digital Service platform.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the milk and dairy products used by his Department comes from UK producers; what steps he is taking to increase that proportion; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Information on the proportion of milk and dairy products used by the Ministry of Defence that comes from UK producers is not held.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to ensure that there is a public celebration on 25 May 2020 for the diamond anniversary of the first test-flight of XH558 vulcan aircraft; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by James Heappey
The Ministry of Defence has no plans to mark the anniversary of the first test flight of Vulcan XH558.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of medical measures to protect members of the armed forces against nerve agents following the incidents in Salisbury and Amesbury last year.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The response to this unique incident in the UK was predominately led by other Government Departments, supported by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Post event there was detailed examination of the properties of the nerve agent and its medical management by military and civilian scientific and medical communities, re-affirming the effectiveness of our current Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) medical countermeasures and the importance of continuing medical care.
The MOD, in collaboration with countermeasure development partners, will use the information and lessons identified for future capability development as well as the continuing training of first responders and medical personnel. Furthermore, the UK has shared valuable information with its allies to allow them to assess their CBRN medical countermeasures and maximise interoperability.
Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's Void Reduction Plan; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
A copy of the Department's Service Family Accommodation Void Reduction Plan has been placed in the Library of the House.
The Department is delivering a Void Reduction Plan to reduce the number of vacant Service Family Accommodation properties from around 11,000 to the optimal 10% management margin of around 5,000 by 2022.
This will be achieved through a combination of anticipated increase in occupation by Service personnel and families, disposal, demolition of derelict properties, sub-letting to civilian tenants, and wider estate optimisation.
The announcement in this House on 28 February concerning the Department's revised plans for the future laydown of the Estate under the Defence Estate Optimisation Programme are currently being incorporated into the Void Reduction Plan.