Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Royal Engineers have helped to construct road bridges in (a) aid and (b) peacekeeping missions.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Corps of Royal Engineers primarily builds temporary bridges that enable military road traffic to cross dry and wet gaps during operational deployments. The Corps of Royal Engineers has not recently helped to construct road bridges in aid or peacekeeping missions. Although not deploying or constructing bridges, the Corps has remained heavily involved in overseas peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts over the last decade including in South Sudan, Sierra Leone and the Caribbean.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2024 to Question 11388 on Ministry of Defence: Ministers' Private Offices, what the cost of the 2022 refurbishment works was; and what those refurbishment works entailed.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The cost of refurbishment works to Ministers’ Private Offices in 2022 totalled c£27,000.
The works comprised wallpapering and replacement carpets.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any refurbishments have been made to ministerial offices in his Department in each of the last two years.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Refurbishment works were carried out to Ministerial offices in 2022. No refurbishment works took place in 2023.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to his Department have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last three years.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
There have been no reports of any lost or missing Ministerial Red Boxes within the Ministry of Defence during the last three years.
The Departmental security unit records and investigates each reported loss from the Department. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2024 to Question 9109 on Ministry of Defence: Sexual Offences, how much has been paid by the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force in (i) common law compensation claims that included an allegation of sexual abuse and (ii) out-of-court damages in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
Pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2024 to Question 9109 common law compensation claims received since 2019 which have included an allegation of sexual assault or sexual abuse, have resulted in the damages payments below split by Service.
The payments include damages paid on an interim basis for continuing claims and damages paid on full and final settlement basis.
2019 (a) Army - £826,610.68; (b) Royal Navy - £406,250.00; (c) RAF - £1,211,900.00
2020 (a) Army - £1,132,960.25; (b) Royal Navy - £415,180.00; (c) RAF - £1,350,000.00
2021 (a) Army - £163,500.00; (b) Royal Navy - £1,015,900.00; (c) RAF - £508,250.00
2022 (a) Army - £425,335.00; (b) Royal Navy - £720,513.58; (c) RAF - £50,500.00
2023 (a) Army - £110,000.00; (b) Royal Navy - Nil; (c) RAF – Nil
Since all settlements were reached out of Court it is not possible to separate between the two categories (i) and (ii).
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2023 to Question 6862 on Ministry of Defence: Trespass, if he will provide a list of all locations which were accessed without authorisation in that period.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
This information is being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security. The Ministry of Defence takes the security of our sites extremely seriously and we have robust measures in place to assure the integrity of these arrangements.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2023 to Question 6863 on Ministry of Defence: Theft, what each of the (a) items of service equipment and (b) other defence assets were.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The numbers of instances provided previously in Question 6863, in the table below, will have included both live and closed cases and therefore we can now only list those items for closed cases so as not to compromise live ongoing investigations.
Subcategory | Number of Instances |
Service equipment | 153 |
Other Defence assets | 34 |
These figures were drawn from the Defence Confidential Hotline Case Management System data. It should also be noted that whilst items are initially reported as stolen, in some instances it is subsequently established that the items were lost as opposed to stolen.
The following table lists (a) items of service equipment and (b) other defence assets that were previously provided as headline figures in Question 6863:
Case Number | Fraud Subcategory | Item(s) |
1 | Other Defence assets | Dyson heaters |
2 | Other Defence assets | Multi Meter |
3 | Service Equipment | General Service Respirator, Canisters and Respirator Bag |
4 | Service Equipment | Body armour and helmet |
5 | Service Equipment | Helmet |
6 | Service Equipment | General Service Respirator, Mark 7 ballistic helmet and Virtus body armour carrier |
7 | Other Defence assets | Light bulb |
8 | Service Equipment | Virtus Helmet |
9 | Service Equipment | Virtus Helmet |
10 | Service Equipment | Virtus Helmet & Body Armour |
11 | Service Equipment | Virtus Helmet |
12 | Service Equipment | Virtus Body Armour Fillers |
13 | Other Defence assets | Watt Bike Trainer Monitor |
14 | Service Equipment | G0 Helmet |
15 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS helmet, helmet mandible and body armour |
16 | Service Equipment | Bergen, MOD (A) issued VIRTUS scalable vest, VIRTUS Helmet, Webbing and General Service Respirator |
17 | Service Equipment | Small Arms Protection Vest |
18 | Service Equipment | Army Recruitment Gazebo |
19 | Service Equipment | Virtus Helmet |
20 | Other Defence assets | Flat Screen TV |
21 | Other Defence assets | Silver pheasant ornaments |
22 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS scalable vest |
23 | Service Equipment | MOD (A) issued VIRTUS Helmet, Scalable vest and ancillaries, MOD laptop |
24 | Service Equipment | Pedal Cycle |
25 | Other Defence assets | MOD issued Tools |
26 | Service Equipment | Virtus Helmet |
27 | Service Equipment | Ammunition |
28 | Service Equipment | General Service Respirator |
29 | Other Defence assets | MOD ID Card |
30 | Service Equipment | Electronic ear defence |
31 | Service Equipment | Hawke Laser Range Finders. |
32 | Service Equipment | Daysacks Including MOD and Personal equipment. |
33 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS equipment |
34 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS helmet |
35 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS webbing and scalable vest |
36 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS scalable vest and General Service Respirator |
37 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS 17L Daysack. |
38 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS helmet |
39 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS helmet |
40 | Service Equipment | Webbing; vest; helmet; and bag. |
41 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS mandible, webbing and day sack and personal items |
42 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS scalable vest |
43 | Service Equipment | Alleged Loss of GSR |
44 | Service Equipment | LED 40" Smart TV |
45 | Service Equipment | Daysacks |
46 | Service Equipment | Respirator & Filter ACTO CAT 2 |
47 | Service Equipment | Helmet |
48 | Service Equipment | Fuel |
49 | Service Equipment | CES Items |
50 | Service Equipment | Replica Scale Model Siege Gun. |
51 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS body armour system |
52 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS helmet |
53 | Service Equipment | MOD(A) Respirator |
54 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS body armour |
55 | Other Defence assets | X-Box Controllers |
56 | Service Equipment | Detector Gas, Helmet Ground Troops, Endoscope Camera. |
57 | Service Equipment | Land Rover Tyre Rims. |
58 | Service Equipment | Alleged theft of Virtus daysack/VIRTUS helmet |
59 | Service Equipment | Rifle, blank rounds and attachments |
60 | Service Equipment | ACTO Small Arms Protection vest |
61 | Service Equipment | Personal items/issued kit |
62 | Service Equipment | Assault ladders, tent equipment, vehicle parts and uniform |
63 | Other Defence assets | Outboard motor and propellers |
64 | Service Equipment | MOD(A) VIRTUS TAC vest, MOD(A) VIRTUS helmet and MOD(A) General Service Respirator |
65 | Service Equipment | Body armour |
66 | Service Equipment | Body armour, helmet, empty magazines, scopes and silencer for a rifle. |
Service Equipment | Body armour, helmet, empty magazines, scopes and silencer for a rifle. | |
67 | Service Equipment | Apple iPad Pro21 and cash |
68 | Service Equipment | Radio equipment |
69 | Service Equipment | Virtus Kit |
70 | Other Defence assets | Office supplies and personal phone |
71 | Service Equipment | MOD Issue Laptop |
72 | Service Equipment | Field Pack Bergens and SILVA Compass |
73 | Other Defence assets | Ninja Foodi Max Air Fryer |
74 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS helmet |
75 | Service Equipment | Gym equipment |
76 | Service Equipment | Ground Helmet |
77 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS scalable vest |
78 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS helmet and scalable vest, and General Service Respirator |
79 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS Scalable Vest, Nape Protections and General Service respirator filters |
80 | Service Equipment | MOD (A) issued Fridge |
81 | Service Equipment | Issued Medals |
82 | Service Equipment | Bowman Cable Assembly |
83 | Service Equipment | Drills |
84 | Service Equipment | Not stated |
85 | Service Equipment | Virtus Helmet |
86 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS scalable vest, helmet, General Service Respirator and cash |
87 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS Helmet and emergency release strap |
88 | Service Equipment | CES Kit |
89 | Service Equipment | Canbus Terminator |
90 | Service Equipment | Peltor Ear Defence |
91 | Other Defence assets | White goods |
92 | Service Equipment | Drill Rounds |
93 | Service Equipment | Military Equipment |
94 | Service Equipment | WRENCH TOQUE/RATCHET HANDLE & SLIDING T BAR |
95 | Service Equipment | General Mechanic Tool Kit |
96 | Service Equipment | MOD (A) Watt Bike |
97 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS Helmet & Scalable Vests |
98 | Service Equipment | Pedal Cycle |
99 | Service Equipment | Toolbox |
100 | Service Equipment | Baker Rifle |
101 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS Bergan |
102 | Other Defence assets | Pedal Cycle |
103 | Other Defence assets | Generator airlines from an MOD(A) issued mounted generator trailer |
104 | Other Defence assets | Decommissioned Heavy Machine Gun |
105 | Other Defence assets | VIRTUS daysack and laptop charger |
106 | Service Equipment | Tools |
107 | Service Equipment | MOD(A) binoculars |
108 | Service Equipment | Exercise equipment |
109 | Service Equipment | Altberg boots & Respirator |
110 | Other Defence assets | MOD issued UBAC and MOD issued MTP Trousers |
111 | Service Equipment | Night Vision Scopes. |
112 | Service Equipment | Tumble dryer |
113 | Service Equipment | MK7 helmet & VIRTUS shoulder pads |
Service Equipment | MK7 helmet & VIRTUS shoulder pads | |
114 | Service Equipment | 50" TV |
115 | Other Defence assets | Jackery Power bank |
116 | Service Equipment | VIRTUS Body Armour and other military equipment |
117 | Other Defence assets | Diamond brooch |
118 | Service Equipment | CES items |
119 | Service Equipment | Medical bergens and collapsible stretchers |
120 | Service Equipment | HMNVG's |
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there have been any power cuts on their Department's property in each of the last three years.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Information on power cuts on Ministry of Defence property in each of the last three years can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many thefts of his Department's property were reported in the last year; and thefts of what.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works hard to detect and deter theft and there are robust processes in place to raise awareness of the need for vigilance in all aspects of security. Just as theft occurs in wider society, the MOD is not immune, and we actively encourage individuals to report any evidence of loss or suspicion of theft. It is important to note that in some cases of reported theft the property is later recovered. In the case of key assets however, MOD sites have a wide range of additional security measures to ensure their safety.
For the period 14 December 2022 to 14 December 2023, we have a reported 213 cases of theft broken down as follows:
Subcategory | Number of Instances |
Service equipment | 153 |
Other Defence assets | 34 |
IT/Telecoms | 10 |
Cash | 8 |
Fuel | 6 |
Metal | 2 |
Total | 213 |
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many instances of trespassing on his Department's property have been reported in the last year.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The Ministry of Defence takes the security of our sites extremely seriously and we have robust measures in place to assure the integrity of these arrangements. For the period 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023, we had 107 reported cases of unauthorised access.
To put this into context the Ministry of Defence has over 1000 sites in the UK. This figure includes incidents at sites which are publicly accessible, disused, or not deemed as sensitive sites.