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Written Question
Defence: Recruitment
Monday 11th September 2023

Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help increase the availability of labour for the defence manufacturing industry.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

With over 100 apprenticeship schemes and 20,000 apprentices under training, defence is offering exciting opportunities to grow the skills we need, including in priority areas like the nuclear enterprise. We are working to improve this further, for example through the National Shipbuilding Office collaboration with the Department for Education to grow the UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce.


Written Question
Social Security Benefits
Tuesday 22nd November 2022

Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to provide equivalent pensions and other benefits to Ghurkas and members of the Nepalese community living in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Medical discharges in the UK Armed Forces involve a series of practices and protocols, which differ in each Service to meet their specific employment requirements. Due to these differences, data is presented separately for each Service.

The table below provides the numbers and percentage of UK Regular Armed Forces personnel who were medically discharged with a principal cause of mental and behavioural disorders between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2022, by Service and financial year.

Royal Navy

Army

RAF

Year

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

2012-13

45

10%

188

11%

30

15%

2013-14

36

11%

279

13%

29

19%

2014-15

40

11%

282

13%

37

25%

2015-16

72

17%

363

21%

38

28%

2016-17

62

14%

385

20%

42

30%

2017-18

89

18%

418

25%

68

36%

2018-19

83

21%

359

29%

52

33%

2019-20

92

25%

350

35%

73

43%

2020-21

80

24%

311

47%

56

46%

2021-22

127

26%

306

46%

72

43%

Figures include trained and untrained UK Regular personnel. Army Regular personnel include Gurkha and Military Provost Guard Service. The Royal Navy includes both Royal Navy and Royal Marines.

Percentages presented are the percentage of all cause coded medical discharges.

Medical discharges due to mental and behavioural disorders were identified as personnel discharged with a principal or contributory cause of discharge coded as F00 - F99 according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems Tenth Revision (ICD-10).

Figures for cause information between 2019-20 and 2021-22 are provisional and subject to change.


Written Question
Armed Forces: Housing
Monday 24th October 2022

Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve the quality of housing for service families with disabled children; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Alec Shelbrooke

An improved process for managing Additional Needs Disability Adaptations (ANDAs) for Service personnel and their families, including disabled children, was implemented in April this year with the introduction of the new Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) Accommodation contracts.

Required works must be approved within a target of 15 days of receiving ANDA applications and an accompanying Occupational Therapist's report. Pinnacle, the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) National Accommodation Management Services supplier, is responsible for providing weekly progress reports to families and each family is provided with a dedicated contact person.

The MOD, through the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), give the highest priority to ANDAs and work closely with the Service Families Federations and Welfare Teams to ensure families and their children are provided with fit-for-purpose adaptations to meet their changing needs. DIO also liaise with the Forces Additional Needs & Disability Forum (FANDF) which gives families the opportunity to express their concerns and suggestions for further service improvements to DIO.


Written Question
Armed Forces: Housing
Monday 24th October 2022

Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of disability facilities in Service Family Accommodation; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Alec Shelbrooke

An improved process for managing Additional Needs Disability Adaptations (ANDAs) for Service personnel and their families, including disabled children, was implemented in April this year with the introduction of the new Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) Accommodation contracts.

Required works must be approved within a target of 15 days of receiving ANDA applications and an accompanying Occupational Therapist's report. Pinnacle, the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) National Accommodation Management Services supplier, is responsible for providing weekly progress reports to families and each family is provided with a dedicated contact person.

The MOD, through the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), give the highest priority to ANDAs and work closely with the Service Families Federations and Welfare Teams to ensure families and their children are provided with fit-for-purpose adaptations to meet their changing needs. DIO also liaise with the Forces Additional Needs & Disability Forum (FANDF) which gives families the opportunity to express their concerns and suggestions for further service improvements to DIO.


Written Question
Business: Cybersecurity
Tuesday 26th April 2022

Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many companies (a) made bids and (b) are being considered for the supply of protective electronic countermeasures; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

It is assumed this question is referring to the current competition to appoint a System Integrator for Project CRENIC, related to the provision of Force Protection Electronic Countermeasures. Following receipt of answers from industry to a dynamic pre qualification questionnaire, three separate industry teams received an Invitation to Negotiate and submitted tenders. Contract award is expected to be announced later in 2022.


Written Question
Veterans: Radiation Exposure
Tuesday 29th March 2022

Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of issuing a form of recognition for people who were stationed on Christmas Island and affected by the test bombs during 1957 and 1958; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 March 2022 to Question 132301 to the hon. Member for Glenrothes (Peter Grant MP).


Written Question
Merlin Helicopters
Thursday 13th January 2022

Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects to make a decision on re-engining the Merlin fleet of helicopters; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

Work to determine the future support requirements for the Merlin helicopter fleet is currently underway. This may result in a different engine being installed on Merlin, although a procurement decision is not expected until mid-2023.


Written Question
Military Aircraft: Helicopters
Thursday 13th January 2022

Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects to make a decision on the Puma replacement; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

Following on from the Early Market Engagement and Market Interest Day, we are intending to initiate the formal competition in February 2022. Subject to industry responses and timely approvals, we are aiming for a decision date in late 2023. It is important that we give industry sufficient time to compile detailed competitive bids in order to reduce risk in the latter stages of the competition.


Written Question
Defence: Employment
Monday 10th January 2022

Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the availability of employment opportunities in the defence manufacturing sector.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

Drawing on employment and turnover data taken from ONS business surveys we estimate the Ministry of Defence supports over 200,000 direct and indirect jobs with UK industry.

Our £24 billion of additional investment in Defence will help generate greater employment opportunities as will our focus in DSIS of working with industry on future opportunities and Research and Development.


Written Question
Nepal: Coronavirus
Monday 24th May 2021

Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of sending a unit of Gurkhas who have been vaccinated against covid-19 to Nepal to help counter the spreading of that virus in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by James Heappey

We are committed to our long-standing bilateral defence relationship with the Government of Nepal. Gurkhas have made an outstanding contribution to the UK through their years of dedicated service and are held in high esteem by the British Army and public alike. We are hugely proud that Gurkhas continue to serve in the British Army.

The UK Government is one of the leading donors to Covax, committing £548million to the scheme, which will provide doses for almost a fifth of Nepal's population. The UK has funded a new £180,000 duplex oxygen generation plant at the Nepal Police Hospital in Kathmandu to help address oxygen shortages to treat COVID19 patients. To further support the Government of Nepal during the current wave of COVID19 in the region, the MOD will send a small Military Advisory team to Nepal to assess the situation in-country. The advisors have experience of dealing with the challenges of COVID19 in the UK and will draw on subject matter experts.

We will continue to monitor the situation in Nepal and keep our assistance under careful review.