Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterparts in (a) Europe, (b) the Middle East and (c) Asia on procurement of the (i) Eurofighter Typhoon and (ii) other defence aircraft which were designed and manufactured in the UK.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The UK Government supports industry partners with the export of UK defence equipment, including Typhoon, across a number of global campaigns. Ministers across Government are actively involved in these campaigns.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of recent usage of the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft on the timescales for its replacement by the Tempest model.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Recent usage of the Typhoon will not affect the introduction of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) which is being developed to enter service from 2035, before Typhoon’s earliest possible out of service date of 2040. Routine fleet management of flying hours will ensure the Typhoon fleet is able to remain in frontline service and react to surge requirements until then.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) recent assessment he has made of the airworthiness of the current fleet of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft operated by the RAF and (b) amount of funding his Department has allocated to maintain and upgrade the existing aircraft.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The RAF's Continuing Airworthiness Management processes provide assurance that all Air Systems are airworthy, available, maintained to defined standards, and with sustained compliance to regulations.
The Typhoon Total Availability eNterprise (TyTAN) is a ten-year £2.1 billion agreement with BAE Systems for support for the Typhoon fleet, established in 2016.
Continual modernisation is a core element of the Typhoon programme. The UK Government has approved investment to complete development of the European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mark 2 and to deliver it into service via a four nation NATO programme called Phased 4 Enhancement (P4E). The P4E programme integrates ECRS Mk2 onto Typhoon together with a package of other upgrades agreed by the UK MOD and our partners.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many serving Armed Forces personnel have committed suicide in the last (a) month, (b) two months, (c) six months, (d) year and (e) two years; and in which service branches those suicides occurred.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 February 2020 to Question 1237 to the hon. Member for Newport East (Jessica Morden).
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's 22 October 2018, New study into Iraq and Afghanistan veterans launched, whether that study will record and analyse the roles in which those people served.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The study announced on 22 October 2018 is investigating the cause of death, including of suicide, for all personnel who deployed to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2001 and 2014. The study includes personnel who are still in service and those that have transitioned into civilian life.
The study will initially focus on the whole of the Armed Forces including those who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. If a higher mortality rate is found to exist in veterans of the conflicts, it is likely that a more detailed analysis of the data will be conducted including the impact of whether the personnel were in a combat, combat support or combat service support role.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what events he plans to attend to commemorate the centenary of the signing of the Armistice.
Answered by Gavin Williamson
It was my very great privilege to attend the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance on Saturday evening and the Cenotaph Service and special Westminster Abbey Service on Sunday. These events were especially poignant for falling on the exact centenary of the Armistice and were a chance to honour all those who served their country.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many serving Armed Forces personnel have committed suicide in the last (a) month, (b) two months, (c) six months, (d) year and (e) two years; and in which service branches those suicides occurred.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Ministry of Defence publishes annual statistics on the rates of suicide amongst Serving personnel annually and the rates for the period 1 January 1984 to 31 December 2107, published on 27 March 2018, can be found at the following address:
The following provides a breakdown of coroner confirmed suicide and open verdict deaths (in line with the definition used by the Office for National Statistics) by month and Service from 1 October 2016 to 30 September 2018 (the last full month available) as requested. It should be noted that the numbers presented may change when outstanding coroner verdicts are returned on deaths that have occurred since 1 October 2016.
In September 2018 (the last full month available) there were no coroner confirmed suicide or open verdict deaths.
In August and September 2018 (the last full two months available) there were no coroner confirmed suicide or open verdict deaths.
From 1 April 2018 to 30 September 2018 (the last full six months available) there were no coroner confirmed suicide or open verdict deaths.
From 1 October 2017 to 30 September 2018 (the last full 12 months available) there were four coroner confirmed suicide or open verdict deaths. Three personnel were from the Army and one from the RAF.
From 1 October 2016 to 30 September 2018 (the last full 24 months available) there were 13 coroner confirmed suicide or open verdict deaths. Three personnel were from the Naval Service[1], nine from the Army and one from the RAF.
Suicide among members of the Armed Forces remains extremely rare and is generally lower than comparative rates in the civilian population.
[1] Royal Navy and Royal Marines
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces veterans who have served in the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) (LANCS) have received treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder in the last five years.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Information on the number of veterans who have served in the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) (LANCS) and received treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the last five years is not held by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
The NHS in England and the Devolved Administrations are responsible for the provision of healthcare, including mental healthcare, for veterans. Veterans in England, Scotland and Wales receive priority access to NHS secondary care for Service related conditions, subject to the clinical need of all patients. The MOD also provides support through its Departments of Community Mental Health, and the Veterans and Reserves Mental Health Programme.
In England, veterans and Service personnel approaching discharge benefit from the NHS England Veterans Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service (VMH TILs) which increases access to appropriate and timely mental health services. In April 2018 NHS England launched the Veterans Mental Health Complex Treatment Service (VMH CTS) which provides an enhanced service for veterans who have military-attributable complex mental health problems, including PTSD, that have not been resolved earlier in the care/support pathway. Access to the VMH CTS is via a single point of referral from the VMH TILS.
Veterans can also access support services via:
www.gov.uk/mental-health-support-for-the-uk-armed-forces or call the MOD's Veterans UK helpline on 0808 1914 2 18, Combat Stress 24-hour veterans' mental health helpline on 0800 138 1619 or the Veterans Gateway:
https://www.veteransgateway.org.uk/
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on maintaining Fulwood Barracks in the last five years.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Maintenance costs for Fulwood Barracks amounted to £4.25 million over the last five years.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proposals his Department has considered relating to Fulwood Barracks after its closure in 2022; and what assessment has been made of potential uses for that site.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Since there is no defence requirement for the site at Fulwood Barracks beyond 2022, Ministry of Defence (MOD) officials will work closely with the Local Authority and other interested parties to consider the best possible future use for the site, including for housing or commercial use. Closing Defence establishments can often provide new opportunities for local re-use and development.
The MOD recognises the historical significance of this particular site and will work with any new owners to find a long-term sustainable solution for preserving the heritage associated with the site.