Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what advice his Department gives to military personnel on alcohol intake and good health.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) provides a package of measures to educate Service personnel on the dangers of alcohol misuse to help them make informed decisions, and has introduced extensive policy and guidance for Commanding Officers. Each Service has a clear substance misuse education and training policy. We believe personnel have the necessary information to allow them to make informed decisions, but the focus of all activities is to encourage a sensible social approach to alcohol consumption.
The Department has also established a working group to look at the research outcomes and identify key policy or behavioural changes to support the reduction in alcohol misuse. The working group has introduced a number of initiatives to promote a sensible attitude to alcohol and encourage all Service personnel to take responsibility for their own actions. An alcohol strategy is being developed along four lines; Prevention, Intervention, Protection and Engagement. The emphasis will be on good leadership and role modelling behaviour at all levels as well as supporting alcohol-free social and leisure initiatives, and ensuring alternative options are available to support individuals to make informed choices. The MOD has also entered into a partnership with DrinkAware to identify methods to increase awareness of the dangers of alcohol misuse across the Armed Forces.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Government will decide in which port HMS Tamar will be based.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
HMS TAMAR will be based in Her Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has conducted a dilapidation survey of Stonehouse Barracks.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has not conducted a dilapidation survey of Stonehouse Barracks. The estimated date of release is 2023. The MOD holds condition records as part of its normal estate maintenance programmes; dilapidation and other surveys will be undertaken in the early stages of the disposal process.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has undertaken a dilapidation survey of the Citadel in Plymouth.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has not conducted a dilapidation survey of the Citadel in Plymouth. The estimated date of release is 2024.
The MOD holds condition records as part of its normal estate maintenance programmes; dilapidation and other surveys will be undertaken in the early stages of the disposal process. The Citadel is a historic Grade 2 monument, which the MOD has taken great care to maintain under the direction of English Heritage; this maintenance will continue up to the disposal date.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy that Devonport dockyard is considered a potential location for the building of new ships as part of his National Shipbuilding Strategy.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
As the hon. Member will be aware, although ship building in Devonport has ceased, the dockyard plays a leading role in UK naval ship repair, maintenance and support.
The Government published Sir John Parker's independent report to inform the National Shipbuilding Strategy in full on 29 November. It is important that the Government gives Sir John's work the full consideration that it deserves. I have asked Ministry of Defence officials, working with others across Government, to examine the report and recommendations, and to discuss them with Industry. Sir John has set Industry the challenge to deliver higher productivity and shorter build cycle times, and it will be for Industry to consider the optimum locations to base their shipbuilding work.
The Government's response in spring 2017, which will be the National Shipbuilding Strategy, will detail how we are dealing with all of Sir John's recommendations.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to give the Crown Estate notice that it will be releasing its tenancy of the Citadel.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The estimated date of disposal for the Royal Citadel is 2024. The Department will ensure the appropriate amount of notice is given to the Crown Estate; however the date for this is not yet known.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Ministry of Defence contractors have signed the community covenant.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
This information is not held in the format requested.
However, over 1,200 commercial organisations have signed the Armed Forces Covenant, pledging specific support for the Armed Forces Community.
Details of them can be viewed at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/armed-force-corporate-covenant-signed-pledges
Some of our major contractors who have signed the Covenant are:
Airbus
Amey
Atkins
Atos
Babcock
BAE Systems
Boeing
Capita
Carillion
Compass Group
Deloitte
EY
G4S
General Dynamics
Hewlett Packard
Interserve
KBR
KPMG
Leonardo
PwC
Rolls Royce
Serco
Sodexo
Thales
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made in the Army Recruiting Partnership Project; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mike Penning
The Army's recruiting performance continues to get better, and the candidate's experience is improved through better communication processes, with improved processing and greater levels of candidate involvement. Inflow has increased year on year.
However, the delivery of the ICT has been further delayed, and approval has been requested for a revised Go-Live date of November 2017. Capita is working to deliver an earlier date of spring 2017 and I maintain a keen oversight of this issue.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) regular and reserve armed forces personnel and (b) regular and reserve armed forces personnel based in Plymouth have been involved in operations to control the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa.
Answered by Mark Francois
As at 17 March 2015, the total number of Regular and Reserve Armed Forces personnel who have deployed to Sierra Leone on operations to assist in controlling the recent Ebola outbreak is 1,310. Of these, 109 were undertaking roles based in Plymouth prior to their deployment. These figures include both those who are currently deployed in Sierra Leone and those who have completed their deployment and returned to the UK or other duties.
Asked by: Oliver Colvile (Conservative - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the effect of the Maritime Support Delivery Framework will be on employment levels at HMNB Devonport.
Answered by Julian Brazier
The Maritime Support Delivery Framework contracts will sustain around 7,500 jobs in total, with around 4,000 of these jobs at Her Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Devonport, a further 1,500 at HMNB Clyde and more than 2,000 at HMNB Portsmouth.