Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to publish official statistics of the (a) total number of serving armed forces personnel in receipt of universal credit and (b) mean average amount of universal credit received by those serving armed forces personnel; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The Ministry of Defence has no plans to collect information on the numbers of Service personnel who are in receipt of Universal Credit. The claiming of benefits is a private matter between the individuals claiming and the Department for Work and Pensions.
The Armed Forces offer their personnel a package which includes a competitive salary, subsidised housing and a non-contributary pension. Following a period under training, starting salaries for Other Ranks have risen to £20,400 per annum to ensure they are paid a living wage; new entrants' rate of pay is payable for a maximum of six months. We would, therefore, anticipate only a small minority of serving personnel being eligible for Universal Credit. However, for the minority of those who are eligible, which may include new entrants undergoing training, advice and assistance in making an application is available from a variety of sources, including Commanding Officers, the single Service welfare organisations, SSAFA and Citizens Advice. Information on universal credit is also available online at: https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to (a) encourage and (b) assist eligible armed forces personnel in receipt of the New Entrant Rate of Pay to apply for universal credit; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The Ministry of Defence has no plans to collect information on the numbers of Service personnel who are in receipt of Universal Credit. The claiming of benefits is a private matter between the individuals claiming and the Department for Work and Pensions.
The Armed Forces offer their personnel a package which includes a competitive salary, subsidised housing and a non-contributary pension. Following a period under training, starting salaries for Other Ranks have risen to £20,400 per annum to ensure they are paid a living wage; new entrants' rate of pay is payable for a maximum of six months. We would, therefore, anticipate only a small minority of serving personnel being eligible for Universal Credit. However, for the minority of those who are eligible, which may include new entrants undergoing training, advice and assistance in making an application is available from a variety of sources, including Commanding Officers, the single Service welfare organisations, SSAFA and Citizens Advice. Information on universal credit is also available online at: https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of UK veterans who have served for more than four years and are originally from commonwealth countries and who no longer have the right to remain in the UK; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The table below shows the total number of Commonwealth Service Personnel who have left the Regular Armed Forces with at least four years’ service in each of the last 10 calendar years.
Calendar Year | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | * | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
Total | 330 | 340 | 660 | 850 |
| 710 | 460 | 350 | 380 | 320 | 190 |
Source: Defence Statistics
Notes/Caveats
Under the Home Office’s Appendix Armed Forces immigration rules, four years is the minimum length of Service upon discharge for Commonwealth citizens to be eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK (more commonly known as settled status). Individuals who choose to return to their country of origin upon discharge and have served for a minimum of four years can submit an application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) the UK within two years of discharge if they meet the Home Office criteria. Separate arrangements exist for those who are medically discharged as a result of their Service and have served less than four years.
Commonwealth citizens can also choose to apply for naturalisation as a British citizen while still serving and can count their Service (including overseas service) towards the Home Office’s five-year UK residency criteria. Naturalisation negates the need to apply for ILR or ILE upon discharge.
UK immigration is a matter for the Home Office, and the Ministry of Defence does not hold information about which former Armed Forces personnel from the Commonwealth have made applications for naturalisation, for ILR or for ILE. Nor does the Ministry of Defence hold information on whether any such application has been successful.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list all of the flights flown by (a) No. 32 squadron since May 2016 and (b) all of the flights flown by aircraft ZZ336.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This information is not held in the format requested. However, I am able to provide the number of taskings undertaken by 32 (The Royal) Squadron and Voyager ZZ336 flights by financial year(FY).
This is provided in the table below. Figures exclude routine aircrew training and engineering test flights.
Financial Year | FY2016-17 | FY2017-18 | FY2018-19 | FY2019-20* |
32 (The Royal) Sqn (Taskings) Note 1 | 301 | 360 | 327 | 217 |
Voyager ZZ336 (Flights)Note 2 | 68 | 110 | 109 | 74 |
*1 Apr-31 December only
Note 1- Each task could include multiple separate flights
Note 2-When not in use as a VIP aircraft, Voyager ZZ336 is also used for air-to-air refuelling alongside the rest of the Voyager fleet based at RAF Brize Norton.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the four BAe 146 aircraft based at RAF Northolt will be retired from service; when replacements for those aircraft will be procured; how many such replacements will be procured; how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to replacing those aircraft; and whether the RAF Voyager ZZ336 will be used for short haul trips previously undertaken by those aircraft.
Answered by James Heappey
The current fleet of four BAe 146 aircraft are planned to be retired from Service on 31 March 2022.
Replacements for those aircraft are currently under consideration as part of normal capability planning.
The fleet of 14 Voyager will continue to support the collective Air Transport task including VIP and Command Support Air Transport tasking.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when representatives of the (a) Jain and (b) Zoroastrian community were invited to national events organised by his Department in each of the last two years.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The Jain and Zoroastrian communities of this country have made, and continue to make, a positive contribution to life in the United Kingdom.
The Ministry of Defence aims to ensure the widest possible representation at national events, while maintaining relevance to the occasion being marked. However, the requested information is not held in the format requested as Defence has no business requirement to maintain records of the religious affiliation of people invited to attend national events.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will invite representatives of the Jain community to national events organised by his Department; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
National Events led by Defence are discrete and each one will attract a varying attendance. The Department aims to ensure the widest possible representation, while maintaining relevance to the occasion being marked.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will encourage commercial flights using RAF Northolt to use sustainable sources of aviation fuel.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
Fuel Services for visiting business aviation flights at RAF Northolt are provided by a contract with World Fuels Group. Therefore decisions on the future availability of sustainable aviation fuel would require contract modification agreement between World Fuels and the Ministry of Defence. There are currently no plans in this regard. All fuel provided must comply with regulatory standards.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if her department offers employees a payroll deduction service to enable staff to join a credit union; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend, the then Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans (Mark Lancaster) on 11 January 2017 to Question 58448.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2019 to Question 252480, if he will publish the name and location of each of the 47 sites which are empty and being disposed of by his Department.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
A copy of the list showing the names and locations of the 47 sites which are empty and being disposed of by the Ministry of Defence is attached.