Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department asked local authorities in Northern Ireland to apply to host Armed Forces Day in 2017.
Answered by Mike Penning
| It is a matter for local authorities to decide whether to apply to host Armed Forces Day in 2017. | ||||||
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the (a) criteria by which applicants are selected and (b) names of applicants who applied to host Armed Forces Day in 2017.
Answered by Mike Penning
Guidance on applying to host the Armed Forces Day National Event is available from the Ministry of Defence's Ceremonial Events and Commemorations Team whose contact details are on the Armed Forces Day Website: www.armedforcesday.org.uk.
Applications typically take the form of a letter from the Local Authority Leader /Chief Executive, to the Defence Minister in the House of Lords (Earl Howe). This letter is assessed to gauge the strength of the applicant's argument as to why they should be selected, and the quality of their proposals for the event. In addition, the following aspects are considered:
Proximity to previous national events - there would be an aspiration to stage the event in a different region of the country to previous events, in order to capture a fresh local audience.
Maturity of any existing annual event hosted by the applicant.
Availability of a suitable venue and infrastructure within the applicant's jurisdiction.
Support of local populace for the Armed Forces.
The applicant's capacity to administer an event of equivalent scale and significance.
Financial resource available, and plans to secure adequate sponsorship.
While it would be inappropriate to name the authorities that lost out to Liverpool City Council in the process of selecting the hosts for the National Armed Forces Day event in 2017, we can confirm that no formal bid was received from any local authority in Ulster.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the deadline for the receipt of applications for Armed Forces Day 2018 will be.
Answered by Mike Penning
Applications for the National Event are accepted at any time, though should typically be submitted by the end of March in the preceding year, so March 2017 for the 2018 event.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funding he plans to allocate to the Royal Irish Aftercare Service in the next financial year.
Answered by Julian Brazier
The Ulster Defence Regiment and The Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service) Aftercare Service provides a vital service to support all veterans and dependants of those Regiments as well as sick and wounded personnel who leave the Armed Forces and wish to settle in Northern Ireland. Around £900,000 has been allocated to deliver this service in financial year 2016-17. Looking ahead as part of our commitment to deliver the most effective and efficient services to our veterans the Ministry of Defence is considering integrating the Aftercare Service into the MOD's broader veterans welfare organisation, Veterans UK.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to maintain the Royal Irish Aftercare Service in support of veterans of Operation Banner in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Julian Brazier
The Ulster Defence Regiment and The Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service) Aftercare Service provides a vital service to support all veterans and dependants of those Regiments as well as sick and wounded personnel who leave the Armed Forces and wish to settle in Northern Ireland. Around £900,000 has been allocated to deliver this service in financial year 2016-17. Looking ahead as part of our commitment to deliver the most effective and efficient services to our veterans the Ministry of Defence is considering integrating the Aftercare Service into the MOD's broader veterans welfare organisation, Veterans UK.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on the Gateway Project for armed forces veterans; and what plans he has to include Northern Ireland within the scope of that project.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Ministry of Defence has explored options for the development of a veterans gateway service to provide a single cross-sector point of access for all veterans. The Armed Forces Covenant Reference Group has recently directed that the Covenant Fund prioritise funding for a pilot project to set up a 24 hours a day single point of contact veterans gateway service in financial year 2016-17 and this will be formally announced shortly. The project's reach will extend across the UK, including Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has for funding by his Department of regimental museums over the next five years; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
In addition to the National Army Museum, in the current financial year the Ministry of Defence (MOD) supported 69 regimental and corps museums across the UK through a combination of a £1.3 million total grant in aid, £1.6 million salary costs, and providing utilities and some support running costs when a museum is located on a MOD site. Funding beyond the current financial year will be set later this year, and will be subject to the normal review process.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to ensure that checks on the complement and manning limit of reservist regiments are performed regularly and on time.
Answered by Julian Brazier
The Reserve is a vital component of the Army's military capability and the Ministry of Defence is committed to ensuring it continues to grow and contains the correct capability mix. There are a series of mechanisms to ensure this is the case.
The Secretary of State chairs regular meetings to review manning levels in the Army Reserve. In addition, manning levels are routinely reviewed through the Defence People and Training Board, Defence Board Meetings and a series of holding-to-account processes.
The Army also monitors the size and shape of its Reserve through bi-monthly boards, whilst the Executive Committee of the Army Board reviews manning levels on a quarterly basis.
Asked by: Jeffrey M Donaldson (Independent - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve the attendance of reservists at weekly drills, training exercises and medical assessments.
Answered by Julian Brazier
The majority of Reserve personnel train on a regular basis, effectively balancing their commitment to their Service with the competing demands of a busy modern life. The Ministry of Defence recognises and rewards reservists' commitment to our nation in various ways.
We have provided better equipment, and more opportunities for interesting and challenging experiences, including exercises, adventurous training and overseas training.
Volunteer reservists are paid for attendance at training and also receive a tax-exempt training bounty provided they fulfil their Service's annual training requirement including a two week camp or course. They have also received an annual paid leave entitlement since 1 April 2013.
In addition, since April 2015, reservists have been eligible for the new Armed Forces Pension Scheme for non-mobilised service, based on paid attendance.
These are just some examples of the actions the Department has taken to demonstrate that reservists are valued and valuable.