Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) his core Department and (b) executive agencies of his Department at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The number of cards held across the Ministry of Defence and DSTL (executive agency) at the end of calendar years 2022 and 2023 were as follows:
End of Calendar Year | Core Department | Executive Agencies |
2022 | 8,853 | 281 |
2023 | 8,542 | 302 |
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2024 to Question 9612 on Ministry of Defence: Ministers' Private Offices, how much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in his Department between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024; and on what items this was spent.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024, the total cost of refurbishment works in Ministers’ Private Offices was c£27,000. The works compromised wallpapering and replacement carpets.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on government procurement card purchases (a) above and (b) below £500 net of refunded payments in (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Departmental spend on Government procurement card (GPC) purchase above £500 net of refunded payments is published here in line with Government policy:
MOD: spending over £500 on a GPC for January to December 2022 - GOV.UK
MOD: spending over £500 on a GPC for January to December 2023 - GOV.UK
The total spend for those purchases below £500 and net of refunded payments is set out below:
Between January and December 2022: £14,409,930.39
Between January and December 2023: £19,274,574.11
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the correction notice published on 19 April 2024 in relation to his Department's 2022-23 annual report, what are the top five categories of supplies and spares in the armed forces' inventories where his Department has identified discrepancies between the originally published totals of 740 million items of more than 640,000 different types and the revised totals of 457 million items of more than 517,000 different types.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The top five categories of supplies and spares in the armed forces' inventories amounting to the total of 457 million items and 517,000 different types are as follows:
. | 2022-23 | 2022-23 |
GWMB [Guided Weapons Missiles & Bombs] , Strat Weapons, Munitions & Armament Stores (Inc Bullets, Mortars, Flares, Explosives, Paveway & Supporting Equipment) | 53,000 | 382 million |
Engineering and Technical (Capability Specific Spares & Parts - Engines, Gearboxes) | 408,000 | 44 million |
General Stores (Tools, Packaging and Non-Capability Specific Parts) | 31,000 | 13 million |
Clothing and Textiles | 17,000 | 14 million |
Medical and Veterinary Stores | 8,000 | 4 million |
Total | 517,000 | 457 million |
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the correction notices published on 19 April 2024 in relation to his Department's annual reports from 2018-19 to 2022-23, what accounts for the inaccurate estimates of the armed forces' inventories of supplies and spares published in the original copies of those reports; and whether the equivalent estimates in his Department's annual reports for years prior to 2018-19 remain accurate.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
This was an unfortunate administrative error, however the note to the accounts on volumes of inventory is essentially narrative and is not audited. The financial values of the stock that we hold are audited and the Department is confident in their accuracy in each set of accounts. Reporting responsibility for the quantities of inventory within the Department and included within the notes to the accounts changed in financial year 2017-18, therefore data prior to this time is unavailable. We have no reason to believe that the data was inaccurate prior to this point but are unable to confirm this.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 15 April 2024 to Question 20231 on Ministry of Defence: Aviation and with reference to page 13 of the Cabinet Office Guidance on Ministers’ gifts (given and received), travel, hospitality received and meetings with external organisations and individuals, updated on 2 April 2024, for what reason the answer does not provide the total cost of each RAF flight.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
Transparency data is provided in line with longstanding Government guidance, this includes the provision of costs for RAF flights for Ministerial travel.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's data entitled MOD's ministerial travel, October to December 2023, published on 22 March 2024, whether the published costs of the RAF flights taken by Ministers in his Department during that period represented the total cost of each flight.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The figures provided outline the net cost for the Ministry of Defence of the RAF flight and are a breakdown for each passenger relating to personnel costs and allowances.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March to Question 16658 on Sloane Helicopters: Contracts, whether the value of the contract extension will be disclosed alongside the publication of the new Contract Award notice.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
I would be content to make the information available following the publication of the new contract award.
More broadly, I would note that such transport arrangements are long-standing and have operated under successive Governments of all political colours.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February to Question 14510 on Sloane Helicopters: Contracts, whether he will be able to publish the figure requested in that question once the deadline for bids for the new Rotary Wing Command Support Air Transport Helicopter Service contract (procurement reference 412734/1312240) has passed on 15 March 2024.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Releasing the contract extension value before the Contract Award for the future Rotary Wing Command Support Air Transport Helicopter Service could prejudice my department and our industry partner's commercial interests in the competition. The value of both the future contract and the current extension will remain commercially sensitive until 30 days after the Contract Award. At that point the final Contract Award Notice will be made available on Contracts Finder as part of standard practice.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2023 to Question 4104 on Sloane Helicopters: Contracts, what is the value of the contract extension agreed between his Department and Sloane Helicopters to cover the period from the expiry of the previous Rotary Wing Command Support Air Transport Helicopter Service contract on 30 September 2023 and the start of the new contract with procurement reference 412734/1312240 on 1 December 2024.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
To release the value of this contract extension could prejudice my Department's and our commercial partner's commercial interests for a future competition for the Rotary Wing Command Support Air Transport Helicopter Service contract. The value of the contract let under the future competition will be published as part of the Contract Award Notice which will be available on Contracts Finder.