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Written Question
Armed Forces: Housing
Friday 13th March 2020

Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has plans to publish an initial assessment of the results from the Future Accommodation Model pilots.

Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)

The Future Accommodation Model (FAM) pilot was launched in September 2019 and will run for three years. The Ministry of Defence provides regular updates to the Public Accounts Committee and through the Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report on the status of the FAM. In addition, Defence Ministers will update the House as we consider the full business case for FAM in 2022, when a decision on whether to roll out the FAM across other UK bases will be made; we will not be in a position to judge the success of the pilot until we have a complete picture in 2022.


Written Question
Army
Monday 2nd March 2020

Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to maintain the size of the British Army throughout the 2019 Parliament.

Answered by James Heappey

The Government will undertake an integrated review of Britain's security, defence and foreign policy. This will examine how we strengthen and prioritise our alliances, diplomacy and development and will consider all aspects of our defence and security capabilities. A key strand of the review will explore how we modernise the equipment and improve the capability of our world-class Armed Forces, including that of the British Army.


Written Question
Warships
Wednesday 26th February 2020

Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department’s projection is of the number of Type (a) 23, (b) 26, (c) 31e and (d) 45 ships that will be in service in the Royal Navy in each year from 2020 to 2030.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

We remain committed to ensuring the Royal Navy has the ships and capabilities required to fulfil Defence commitments now and in the future.

Babcock is contractually obligated to deliver five Type 31 Frigates to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) by the end of 2028, and HMS GLASGOW, the first of the Type 26 Frigates, will be in-service with the MOD in 2027. The last Type 23 Frigate will be transitioned out of service in 2035. The first Type 45 Destroyer entered service in 2010, these Destroyers have a projected 25-year life span.

The Prime Minister has committed to undertake the deepest review of Britain's security, defence and foreign policy. This review will examine how we strengthen and prioritise our alliances, diplomacy and development and will consider all aspects of our defence and security capabilities, including our approach to procurement and maintaining our technological edge. We are considering a number of options to increase the availability of ships during this period.


Written Question
Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans History Month
Thursday 13th February 2020

Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to mark LGBT history month.

Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)

This is a significant year for the LGBT community and Defence as we celebrate 20 years since the ban was lifted on LGBT personnel serving within the Armed Forces. I was honoured to host a reception in January at the Houses of Parliament and make a personal apology to those who experienced discrimination before 2000.

Various events are taking place throughout February across Defence to celebrate LGBT History Month which are being actively publicised through both internal and external communications, including regular social media posts on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter with Defence case studies. Some of the highlights include a ‘Let’s talk about Inclusion’ event where a panel will discuss the LGBT History Month and inclusion with a question and answer session to open up conversations and give staff the confidence to have open discussions; a workshop that explored the issues LGBT staff face in the workplace; a Royal Navy conference, Navy Pride 20 – ‘The Past, Present and Future’; an Army memorial event at the National Memorial Arboretum and the Royal Air Force’s Freedom Network taking part in a collaborative media project with the RAF Museum. In addition, a number of Defence establishments are celebrating the month through raising the rainbow flag.

Looking further ahead, I am proud that Defence will be recognising and celebrating various events throughout the year, such as Pride, Transgender Day of Visibility, Transgender Day of Remembrance, National Coming Out Day and more.


Written Question
Sri Lanka: Military Aid
Thursday 6th February 2020

Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department is providing to Sri Lanka to combat (a) terrorism and (b) drug trafficking.

Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Sri Lanka and UK defence relationship was significantly strengthened in 2019 with the appointment of a resident Defence Adviser.

Following the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks in 2019, the UK offered support to the Sri Lankan authorities based on the UK experience of tackling terrorism. Ministry of Defence support has included providing training to Sri Lanka in countering Improvised Explosive Devices, with some Sri Lankan students attending training in the UK.

HMS Montrose visited Colombo in April 2019 as part of her deployment in the Indian Ocean and conducted a short exercise with the Sri Lankan Navy. This visit was an opportunity for the UK and Sri Lankan Navies to compare experience in countering drug trafficking, and to share the tactics and techniques which have proven most effective in tackling this shared global threat.


Written Question
HMS Queen Elizabeth
Tuesday 28th January 2020

Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of the build and commission for the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carriers.

Answered by James Heappey

The final cost of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier programme is the subject of ongoing commercial negotiations with the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, and I am therefore withholding our current cost estimate as its disclosure at this time would be prejudicial to the commercial interests of the Ministry of Defence.


Written Question
Defence
Monday 20th January 2020

Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish his Department's next Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Answered by Ben Wallace

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, Earl Howe, on 8 January 2020 in the House of Lords (Official Report, column 177).


Written Question
Defence
Monday 20th January 2020

Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to publish (a) Defence Space Strategy and (b) Defence Arctic Strategy.

Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Defence Space Strategy has developed significantly. We are currently reviewing the right timing for publication and how best to align it with the emerging National Space Strategy. The Ministry of Defence is firmly committed to a number of space programmes, and we are assessing our space capabilities, coherence and requirements. The strategy on the UK's Defence Contribution in the High North will be published shortly.


Written Question
Railways: Armed Forces
Tuesday 29th October 2019

Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many serving personnel use the HM Forces Railcard.

Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)

In Financial Year 2018-19, 65,759 HM Forces Railcards were issued to those who are eligible, each of which is valid for 12 months.


Written Question
Railways: Armed Forces
Tuesday 29th October 2019

Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many active HM Forces Railcards there are.

Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)

In Financial Year 2018-19, 65,759 HM Forces Railcards were issued to those who are eligible, each of which is valid for 12 months.