Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has with international allies on the provision of arms and resources to Ukraine.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Secretary of State for Defence regularly holds discussions with international partners on how to best support Ukraine, including at the recent NATO Defence Ministers meeting. This includes regular discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart.
At the last Ukraine Defence Contact Group in September, Allies committed to continue their support for Ukraine, both in the immediate fight and for the long term.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many national security data breaches were recorded (a) within his Department and (b) by armed forces personnel deployed overseas in 2023.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Ministry of Defence is unable to disclose this information for national security reasons.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with his European counterparts on the scope of work of the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
As a founding member, the Ministry of Defence has valued the opportunities for close collaboration and interoperability with our allies which the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) presents since 1996. We take our obligations under the OCCAR Convention seriously.
Our Board of Supervisors member Vice Admiral Sir Rick Thompson meets with his counterparts biannually to discuss both strategic and programmatic matters.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the recent negotiations in the United States Congress on the allocation of funding for military support for Ukraine, whether he has had recent discussions with his NATO counterparts on the implications for their policies of the United States' potential decision to withdraw military support for Ukraine.
Answered by James Heappey
The Secretary of State for Defence regularly holds discussions with his NATO counterparts, including the US, on a range of issues. They will discuss NATO support to Ukraine at the upcoming NATO Defence Ministers Meeting on 15 February. The UK and US together will continue to urge our NATO allies to make the commitments that Ukraine needs to gain a vital edge on the battlefield.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the potential savings of reducing the armed forces by 10,000 personnel in each year until 2030-31.
Answered by James Heappey
The Ministry of Defence is already committed to a reduction in Regular military personnel as part of the restructuring of the Armed Forces following the 2021 Integrated Spending Review. This restructuring presents Defence with the opportunity to undertake the modernisation required to meet all of their current commitments, keep the country safe, and deliver a force that is fit for the challenges of the future. The Government remains committed to ensuring that this country has the world class Armed Forces that it needs and deserves, with an extra £11 billion recently allocated over the next five years that will provide improved resilience and readiness for the military.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the UK’s defence readiness.
Answered by James Heappey
Defence takes a threat-led approach to setting our readiness, ensuring that the Armed Forces are ready to deter adversaries and defend the nation.
Our capability and readiness levels are regularly reviewed to ensure that they are consistent with our strategic approach and are relevant to the threat.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average waiting time is for a pilot between selection for and beginning Typhoon flight training; and what the longest time is that a pilot has waited to begin that training.
Answered by James Heappey
A pilot is selected to fly Typhoon on completion of their Advanced Fast Jet Training. The average waiting time between selection to fly Typhoon and beginning training on the Typhoon Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) was 28 weeks, with the longest waiting time being 49 weeks. The wait between selection and starting the Typhoon OCU has begun to reduce, with the most recent wait time being approximately eight weeks.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many pilots fully trained to fly Typhoon aircraft are employed in the Royal Air Force.
Answered by James Heappey
I am withholding the information requested as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the longest period of time an RAF pilot has taken to complete their flight training from commencement.
Answered by James Heappey
I have interpreted your question to relate to Typhoon pilots. The longest period for an individual to complete their flying training from starting Elementary Flying Training to completing their training in the Military Flying Training System was six years and three months. This does not include the time in the Typhoon Operational Conversion Unit. The time taken by individuals to complete their flying training can be subject to several impacting variables, such as personal aptitude and weather. The current average time taken to complete this training is significantly lower.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many full complements of the ground crew the RAF currently has available.
Answered by James Heappey
I have interpreted ground crew as Royal Air Force (RAF) personnel in Trade Group 1, which includes Aircraft Maintenance Avionic, Aircraft Maintenance Mechanic and Weapons Technicians.
As of 1 October 2022, the total number of personnel was 5,860 (rounded to the nearest 10).
This data covers trained RAF Regular personnel only and excludes RAF Reservists.