Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees in each year since 2021.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The table below gives the overall expenditure on consultancies in the last five financial years by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), On Vote Agencies, Executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies and Other Bodies (such as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Royal Hospital Chelsea, the Reserve Forces and Cadet Associations and International Military Services Ltd.).
Financial Year | Consultancy Expenditure (£million) |
2020-21 | 109.668 |
2021-22 | 134.942 |
2022-23 | 149.105 |
2023-24 | 86.276 |
We have taken immediate action to stop all non-essential government consultancy spending in 2024-25 as part of our commitment to secure value for money for taxpayers, crack down on waste, and get a grip of MOD budgets
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with trade unions on plans to close Defence Business Services offices at Cheadle Hulme and Walker House, Liverpool, and move these posts to Blackpool.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
Officials have kept Trade Unions appraised of progress at all stages of the programme and been engaged in positive negotiations, including the conclusion of a collective agreement on a non-standard move package for all staff with no unagreed redundancies. The Chief Executive most recently met with Trade Unions on 26 October and officials will continue to engage and consult with the Trade Unions in line with the Ministry of Defence's Employment Relations Framework Agreement.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Business Service work place programme, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of relocating staff into existing government hubs in Liverpool and Manchester compared with consolidating staff workplaces to a single site.
Answered by Alex Chalk
Consolidation at a single location was decided at stage one of a multi-stage assessment process and enables Defence Business Services to offer more flexible career opportunities for staff and options for efficient delivery of services. The down selection of options was made by comparing the qualitative benefits and through life costs of potential sites based on several factors including operational risk, sustainability, and compliance with key user requirements.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Defence Business Service workplace programme on workers with protected characteristics.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
Equality Impact Assessments which cover protected characteristics have been undertaken and updated as part of the options evaluation process that culminated in the approval of a final business case in July 2022. The Assessment was most recently updated in September 2022 with feedback from the Trade Unions and members of the staff Equality & Diversity network. It will be regularly reviewed in consultation with TUs and staff representatives throughout the lifecycle of the programme.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Government's review into the impact of the pre-2000 ban on homosexual personnel in the military will commence.
Answered by Leo Docherty
Defence remains proud of all our LGBT+ military and civilian personnel and the significant contributions they make to ensure our security, support our national interests, and safeguard our prosperity. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Office for Veterans’ Affairs are jointly commissioning an independent review to better understand the impacts and implications of the pre-2000 ban on homosexuals serving in HM Armed Forces. The review underlines the MOD’s unwavering commitment to understanding how best to support its veteran and LGBT+ community. Work is currently underway to appoint an independent review chair and the independent review is expected to commence in the near future, following their appointment. The independent review chair and the terms of reference for the review will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to announce the name of the Chair of the Independent Review into the impact of the pre-2000 ban on homosexual personnel in the military.
Answered by Leo Docherty
We hope to be in a position to announce the Chair of the Independent Review in the near future.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of drug and alcohol addiction support services for (a) serving armed forces personnel and (b) veterans.
Answered by Johnny Mercer
Drug and alcohol abuse is incompatible with the standards we expect of those who Serve in the Armed Forces. For those Serving Personnel needing help to overcome addiction, treatment is provided via the Defence Medical Establishment. Veterans’ healthcare, including treatment for drug and alcohol dependency, is the responsibility of the NHS in England and the Devolved Administrations.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Prime Minister, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the procedures for investigating and responding to breaches of the Ministerial Code; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Boris Johnson
The Ministerial Code makes clear the high standards of behaviour that Ministers are expected to maintain. Ministers are personally responsible for deciding how to act and conduct themselves in the light of the Ministerial Code and for justifying their actions and conduct to Parliament and the public to whom they are ultimately accountable. As Prime Minister I take any allegations about misconduct seriously and, as the ultimate arbiter of conduct under the Code, can follow the process set out in paragraph 1.4 of the Code.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many former service personnel are in receipt of (a) service disability pensions and (b) other service pensions in (i) the Liverpool City Region and (ii) Liverpool, Walton constituency.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Information regarding former Service personnel in receipt of Armed Forces Pension Scheme payments in both the Liverpool City Region and the Walton constituency is not readily available and I will write to the hon. Member with the information shortly.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Operation Ruman in providing humanitarian aid to Caribbean islands affected by hurricane Irma.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The military response to Hurricane Irma was swift. RFA Mounts Bay was pre-positioned in the Caribbean; and ships, planes, and helicopters addressed priority issues such as making food, water and shelter available, making critical infrastructure functional and supporting maintenance of law and order where required. The UK Military helped deliver aid to areas otherwise cut-off.