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Written Question
Reserve Forces: Recruitment
Thursday 6th July 2023

Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the existing network of bases to facilitate recruitment to the reserve forces.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Armed Forces recruit nationally and do not operate a specific policy of increasing recruitment from particular geographic areas. Armed Forces Careers Offices and wider recruiting staff are spread across the UK and are complemented by dedicated call centres and online recruiting operations, ensuring that all communities have the same recruitment opportunities.


Written Question
Satellite Communications: Procurement
Wednesday 9th February 2022

Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the next steps are for the Skynet 6 Enduring Capability programme; and when a timeline for that programme will be published.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

The Enduring Capability requirement consists of two elements: the satellites and the ground-based infrastructure.

We continue to refine the Enduring Capability satellite requirement and procurement approach in light of the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy and the Defence Space Strategy. As part of this refinement, we will undertake further industry engagement which will inform the satellite programme timeline.

The exact timings for the ground-based elements are dependent on the final agreements reached on the preceding ground and flight control provision programme (the Service Delivery Wrap which is currently being competed).


Written Question
Veterans: Employment
Thursday 21st February 2019

Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will include the scaffolding industry in the career development support it provides for serving military personnel as they come to the end of service.

Answered by Tobias Ellwood

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) provides all Service leavers with resettlement provision to help prepare them for entering the civilian job market and to make a successful transition to employment, or achieve the wider vocational outcome they seek. The provision entitles Service leavers, depending on their discharge category, to duty time, financial assistance and access to Career Transition Partnership (CTP) Services.

The MOD funded CTP provision includes workshops, seminars, career consultancy, resettlement training advice and vocational training, together with job finding support. This provision promotes employment opportunities across all sectors, including the scaffolding and construction sector. The CTP publishes 21 industry guides, including a guide specifically promoting the Construction industry. This sector is recognised as a good option for some of our highly talented Service leavers; however, the choice of post-discharge employment sector must remain with the individual.

All employers are encouraged to engage with the CTP through https://www.ctp.org.uk/employers. By registering with CTP, employers gain access to RightJob to freely advertise available jobs, they can attend employment fairs and are assigned a CTP Employment Relationship Manager (ERM).


Written Question
Ministry of Defence: Contracts
Thursday 8th November 2018

Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what deductions from profit margins are permissible under MOD contracts; and what steps the Government is taking to ensure that there are no costs to the public purse from failed bids and other business related costs.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

When placing contracts through a competitive procurement process the Ministry of Defence (MOD) relies on competitive pressures to restrict profit margins to market rates. Such market pressure is absent in non-competitive contracting where the MOD relies instead upon the protections offered by Part 2 of the Defence Reform Act 2014 (DRA) and the Single Source Contract Regulations 2014 (SSCR).

Under the DRA and SSCR the MOD can make deductions to the profit margin earned on a Qualifying Defence Contract or Qualifying Subcontract, where that profit margin exceeds levels set out in the legislation.

In both competitive and single source contracting, the MOD can negotiate with a contractor Key Performance Incentives and Liquidated Damage provisions. These will have the effect of reducing payments, and hence profit margins, when performance is not to the agreed level.

MOD policy is not to pay suppliers for the costs of their failed bids. In a non-competitive procurement the MOD may consider payment of bid costs if it is the MOD that stops the tender process, at no fault of the supplier.

The MOD will have regard to the Single Source Regulations Office 'Statutory Guidance on Allowable Costs', when considering what if any business-related costs it is appropriate for the Department to accept into contract prices.


Written Question
Veterans: Employment
Wednesday 27th June 2018

Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of encouraging serving military personnel coming to the end of their military service to take up careers in the scaffolding industry.

Answered by Tobias Ellwood

The Ministry of Defence provides all Service leavers with resettlement provision to help prepare them for entering the civilian job market and to make a successful transition to employment, or achieve the wider vocational outcome they seek. The provision entitles Service leavers, depending on their discharge category, to duty time, financial assistance and access to Career Transition Partnership Services.


Written Question
Helicopters: RNAS Culdrose
Monday 30th January 2017

Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has for the future of the depth servicing of helicopters at RNAS Culdrose.

Answered by Harriett Baldwin

The Department has a 25 year support contract with Leonardo Helicopters to complete depth maintenance activity on Merlin helicopters at Royal Naval Air Service Culdrose. There are no plans to change this. I am looking forward to visiting the site this week.


Written Question
Military Aid: Refugees
Friday 18th December 2015

Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will offer military resources to assist with the refugee crisis (a) in Lesbos and (b) elsewhere.

Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

The Ministry of Defence is already supporting the Home Office in its work with refugees. In the Mediterranean, Royal Navy medics and a Royal Marine force protection team are deployed on board the Border Force chartered vessel MV VOS Grace currently in the Aegean Sea, supporting the EU's FRONTEX-led search and rescue operation. The Ministry of Defence has also supported HM Government's Syrian Resettlement Programme through the provision of medical escorts on board some of the charter flights that recently brought Syrian refugees to the UK.

HMS ENTERPRISE is also deployed to the EU Naval Force operation in the Mediterranean tackling the migrant smugglers who profit from the perilous journeys made by migrants across the Central Mediterranean. Royal Navy assets operating in this operation and the earlier search and rescue operation in the summer, have rescued over 7,500 persons in the Mediterranean since May.