Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much it costs his Department on an annual basis to pay for and maintain empty properties owned by his Department; how much and what proportion of that amount is spent on renting those properties; and what the total annual cost is of his Department's residential property portfolio.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The cost of holding and maintaining empty Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties managed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in the UK in Financial Year 2021-22 was £37.9 million; of this, £33.8 million is attributed to rental costs.
The total cost of the MOD’s UK residential property portfolio for Financial Year 2021-22 was £429 million.
The MOD has an active management programme to continue to reduce the number of empty properties it holds. The SFA void rate has reduced from 23% in 2018 to c18% on 1 May 2022. Currently, in the UK, 1,100 vacant houses are earmarked for disposal and 2,600 are being kept vacant currently for modernisation and improvements. 25,000 moves were managed across the UK Defence Estate during the year 2021-22.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the document MOD surplus inventory for sale, published online, to whom and where his Department sells the surplus equipment; and what happens to the income from those sales.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA) has a range of supply options for what is a wide variety of surplus equipment not all of which represents military capability, routes are principally Government to Government sales as well as wider to UK industry. In addition, DESA coordinates several specialist contractors (selected through open competition) for the sale of defence equipment to the public and industry, both in the UK and overseas.
All revenue is returned directly back to each of the Front Line Commands.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the estimated cost is of stationing a Type 32 frigate in the Indo-Pacific.
Answered by James Heappey
The Type 32 programme is in pre-concept phase, therefore the costs associated with stationing a frigate at different locations - including the Indo-Pacific - will be built up as the programme matures.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government has taken to respond to the recommendations that it accepted made by the Second Report of the Defence Committee, Protecting those who protect us: Women in the Armed Forces from Recruitment to Civilian Life, published 25 July 2021.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Defence is grateful to all the women who contributed to the Defence Committee's Report; we have listened carefully and are implementing bold changes in response. The Secretary of State for Defence personally tested the Ministry of Defence's response with the Defence Service Women's Networks to ensure the important issues highlighted by the Report were comprehensively addressed and that no opportunity was missed to bring about meaningful and enduring change.
The Chiefs of Staff are fully committed to making the Armed Forces inclusive and respectful working environments. This is essential for operational effectiveness. They are personally leading programmes to root out remaining unacceptable behaviour in their organisations.
As a direct result of this inquiry, Defence has committed to:
A six-month sprint to accelerate new Women's Health policies
A six-month sprint to improve Servicewomen's uniform and equipment
Strengthen rules on sexual offences and exploitation
A more independent Service Complaints process
Career penalties for "cover ups"
A new Defence Serious Crime Unit and improved victim care and support
Learn from international Defence organisations
Action to help women achieve promotions
Regular dialogue with Service Women and Gender Networks
Improve Servicewomen's training experience
We remain committed to implementing the combined recommendations of the Defence Committee inquiry, the Wigston Review and the Gray Review in full. Cultural change takes time and we accept this will be an enduring programme of work to which senior leaders across Defence are committed.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spends on its online social media feeds.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) maintains social media profiles with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin. A complete list of these channels are available via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence/about/social-media-use
These feeds are not a chargeable service and so are free for the MOD to access and update.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the impact of the reduction in day-to-day spending on the future viability of (a) Clive Barracks and (b) Nesscliffe Training Area.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
In line with the announcement by Secretary of State for Defence on 25 November 2021, I can confirm that, following detailed assessment, the disposal of Clive Barracks will be delayed by four years from 2025 to 2029. Officials will continue to engage with the local authority to release the site for meaningful future use. All sites identified for disposal are maintained to ensure they support military capability and remain safe and legally compliant.
The Ministry of Defence has no plans to stop using Nesscliffe Training Area. In fact, this year has seen investment through the construction of three new carbon efficient accommodation blocks on the site.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has for the future of Nesscliffe Training Area.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
In line with the announcement by Secretary of State for Defence on 25 November 2021, I can confirm that, following detailed assessment, the disposal of Clive Barracks will be delayed by four years from 2025 to 2029. Officials will continue to engage with the local authority to release the site for meaningful future use. All sites identified for disposal are maintained to ensure they support military capability and remain safe and legally compliant.
The Ministry of Defence has no plans to stop using Nesscliffe Training Area. In fact, this year has seen investment through the construction of three new carbon efficient accommodation blocks on the site.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has for the future of Clive Barracks.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
In line with the announcement by Secretary of State for Defence on 25 November 2021, I can confirm that, following detailed assessment, the disposal of Clive Barracks will be delayed by four years from 2025 to 2029. Officials will continue to engage with the local authority to release the site for meaningful future use. All sites identified for disposal are maintained to ensure they support military capability and remain safe and legally compliant.
The Ministry of Defence has no plans to stop using Nesscliffe Training Area. In fact, this year has seen investment through the construction of three new carbon efficient accommodation blocks on the site.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has for the future of RAF Shawbury.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
RAF Shawbury will continue to be an essential part of the RAF's training delivery establishments.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what risk assessment was undertaken before awarding the cloud contract for GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 to Amazon.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
These are not contracts awarded by the Ministry of Defence and I refer the Hon. Gentleman to the relevant Departments.