(11 years, 11 months ago)
Commons ChamberUrgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.
Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.
This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record
I agree with the right hon. Gentleman that the long-term solution to the problem in Afghanistan must involve a political solution, and the pressure is very much on Afghan political leaders, and those in neighbouring countries, to bring that progress about. In the meantime, our task is to ensure that Afghan national security forces provide the security envelope within which any such political settlement can be deployed.
Given the extensive training that is already carried out over several years, why not end combat duties for our troops now, let the Afghans learn the remaining lessons by experience, and get most of our troops home for Christmas?
My right hon. Friend is ignoring the realities of the situation on the ground. UK trainers and mentors have a dual role with Afghan forces. Not only do they enhance the preparedness of those forces, they act as a bridge to enablers such as indirect fire, and helicopter and medical support, which are still necessarily provided by ISAF forces. We have a clear plan to draw down our engagement over two years, and we are steadily withdrawing from combat. To give my right hon. Friend an example, at the beginning of the current six-month tour, we operated 81 separate patrol bases, checkpoints and forward operating bases in Helmand province. That number is now down to 34. We are withdrawing quite quickly from the combat role, but we have a job to do and we will carry on doing it.
(12 years, 8 months ago)
Commons ChamberMy hon. Friend speaks from his own personal experience, and he is absolutely right that early service leavers are often those who have the greatest difficulty. I would like to thank him again for his “Fighting Fit” report on the mental health needs of ex-servicemen, and indeed for his recent work on prosthetics. In fact, everyone—even someone who has served for a very brief period—gets some resettlement advice. Inevitably, those who have served for a brief period have less need to adjust, if I may put it that way, because their service has been so short.
Will the Minister look again at ideas put forward by me and others in the past to allow service personnel to buy a property while still serving in the armed forces, or to build housing equity before they leave, in order to avoid the problem of homelessness?
My right hon. Friend raises an excellent point. There are schemes that we are taking forward to ensure that people can get priority in some ways. For instance, my right hon. Friend may not know that until recently—in fact, this is still the case—a BFPO address may not count as a proper address for creditworthiness; we are taking steps to change that.
(12 years, 8 months ago)
Ministerial CorrectionsAs at 7 September 2011, the Order of Battle for the fleet was as follows:
Number | |
---|---|
Landing Platform Helicopter | 12 |
Landing Platform Dock | 2 |
T45 | 3 |
T42 | 3 |
T23 | 13 |
Hunt Class MCV | 8 |
Sandown Class MCV | 7 |
River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels | 3 |
Helicopter Offshore Patrol Vessels | 1 |
P2000 Patrol Boats | 18 |
Ocean Survey Vessels | 1 |
Coastal Survey Vessels | 3 |
Antarctic Patrol Ship | 1 |
Ships Submersible Ballistic Nuclear | 4 |
Ship Submersible Nuclear | 7 |
Assault Helicopters—Sea King Mk4 | 3 Sqns |
Search and Rescue—Sea King Mk5 | 2 Sqns |
Airbourne Surveillance and Control—Sea King Mk7 | 3 Sqns |
Anti Submarine and Anti Surface: | |
Merlin Mk1 Lynx | 4 Sqns |
Mk3 and Mk8 | 3 Sqns |
Battlefield Helicopters—Lynx Mk9 | 1 Sqn |
Elementary Flying | 3 Sqns |
Beechcraft King Air 350ER Avenger | 1 Sqn |
1 HMS Illustrious is now operating in the Landing Platform Helicopter role, as well as HMS Ocean. |
Number | |
---|---|
Fleet Tankers | 2 |
Support Tankers | 1 |
Small Fleet Tankers | 2 |
Fleet Replenishment Ships | 3 |
Landing Ship Dock | 3 |
Aviation Training Ship | 1 |
Forward Repair Ship | 1 |
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many warships are available for active service in the Navy.
[Official Report, 2 November 2011, Vol. 534, c. 660W.]
Letter of correction from Peter Luff:
An error has been identified in the written answer given to the right hon. Member for Wokingham (Mr Redwood) on 2 November 2011. The original answer included an error which failed to take account of the recent decommissioning of a Type 42 Destroyer on 30 June 2011.
The full answer given was as follows:
Details of the number of Royal Navy warships available, in various states of readiness, for active service are provided in the following table:
Number | |
---|---|
Landing Platform Helicopter | 12 |
Landing Platform Dock | 2 |
Type 45 Destroyer | 3 |
Type 42 Destroyer | 4 |
Type 23 Frigate | 13 |
Hunt Class Mine Counter Measures Vessel | 8 |
Sandown Class Mine Counter Measures Vessel | 7 |
River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels | 3 |
River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels (Helicopter) | 1 |
P2000 Patrol Boats | 18 |
Ocean Survey Vessels | 1 |
Coastal Survey Vessels | 3 |
Ice Patrol Ship | 1 |
Ships Submersible Ballistic Nuclear | 4 |
Ship Submersible Nuclear | 7 |
1 HMS Illustrious is now operating in the Landing Platform Helicopter role, as well as HMS Ocean. |
(13 years, 1 month ago)
Commons ChamberThat is our plan, and I have agreed to my officials now getting involved in contract negotiations. They were not previously able to do so because we were not guaranteed that we would have the budget. When we make decisions of this nature we must ensure that we have the wherewithal to pay for them. Otherwise, as I have said, they are simply a wish list.
As the Secretary of State is proposing to close the large Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers garrison at Arborfield in my constituency, will he ensure that the officials working on the disposal, who aim to make a substantial capital gain for new housing, will understand that some of the money will be needed for transport and educational facilities for the large new settlement they have in mind?
I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for his support and understanding on this issue and know that he will be disappointed that the units are being moved out of Arborfield. We intend to achieve that in a measured way by 2014-15. I am sure that discussions will be ongoing with the local authority on the financial implications he has pointed out.
(13 years, 4 months ago)
Commons ChamberUrgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.
Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.
This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record
Will the Minister remind the House how many uniformed armed services personnel will need to leave the service over the next two years under the current plans, and will he tell us why this cannot be done by means of natural wastage rather than redundancies?
As far as possible, it is being done by means of natural wastage, and indeed by reducing recruiting, but, as my right hon. Friend will understand, we must continue to recruit because otherwise there will be an imbalance in the armed forces. The number that we are looking at, off the top of my head—in fact I have it here, if my right hon. Friend will wait one second—is 11,000.
(13 years, 6 months ago)
Commons ChamberUrgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.
Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.
This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record
The redundancy process in the RAF will proceed as it should. The individuals concerned will be informed, and we will see whether alternatives are available for them. Those who need to leave will do so under the rules for compulsory redundancy, which are set out clearly for the armed forces.
What is the current rate of natural wastage for civilian and uniformed personnel? In future, will it be possible to achieve the reductions mainly through natural wastage rather than compulsory redundancy?
The cases are different for civilian and military personnel. In the military there is a compulsory redundancy programme, so that we maintain the shape of the armed forces. We must maintain not just those on the front line, but the enablers whom they require. Things are different in the civil service—and while we will be losing 17,000 personnel across the armed forces, we will be losing 25,000 from the civil service in the Ministry of Defence.