Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
What steps his Department has taken to help support communities in north Cornwall during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by James Heappey
The Armed Forces’ contribution to the Government’s COVID-19 response has been invaluable. North Cornwall is no exception.
Mobile Testing Units deployed to Bude, Bodmin and Launceston, providing a vital service to local communities.
Nine military planners deployed to assist the Devon and Cornwall Local Resilience Forum with PPE distribution and testing, and a team of two soldiers were available to courier testing kits to Residential Care Homes across Cornwall and Devon.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress her Department is making on the (a) construction and (b) commissioning of offshore patrol vessels for deployment in the South West.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The first two Batch 2 River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels, HMS Forth and HMS Medway are now in service with the Royal Navy. Ship 3, Trent, is in the final phase of acceptance, while Ships 4 and 5, Tamar and Spey, remain under construction. All five ships are expected to be in-service before the end of 2021 and, under current plans, will be based at Portsmouth.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to honour and commemorate the 30 British soldiers who died in Germany in 1921 and 1922 while implementing conditions of the Treaty of Versailles and who lie in unmarked graves in Opole in Poland by asking the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to undertake the marking of their graves.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is established to commemorate those members of the Commonwealth forces who lost their lives between 4 August 1914 and 31 August 1921, and between 3 September 1939 to 31 December 1947. The CWGC remit does not extend beyond those dates.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department plans to take to resolve the matter of around £25 million a year being allocated from the public purse to rent disused, derelict and abandoned married quarters.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Ministry of Defence intends to reduce significantly, the number of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties currently unoccupied through the Void Reduction Plan. This will be achieved via a combination of the following measures:
Continuing to sub-let SFA for which there is a known long-term Defence requirement, with the aim of achieving around 3,000 sublets across 100 Defence sites;
The release of more than 200 SFA currently supplied through Bulk Lease Hire and Private Finance Initiative arrangements;
Releasing 234 SFA at Canterbury and Bordon to Annington Homes in the current financial year (FY);
Demolishing 680 SFA, which are no longer required.An annual handback of at least 500 SFA per year to Annington Homes from FY 2019-20 until FY 2026-27 enabled by the Defence Estate Optimisation Programme.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department expects to be the duties of HMS Tamar, announced for construction on 8 December 2016.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The cutting-edge technology of the Royal Navy's versatile new River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels will enable these warships to carry out a wide range of tasks. They will support our destroyers and frigates in delivering their tasks, will conduct disaster relief missions, and enhance our contribution to maritime security and fishery protection, increasing the Royal Navy's ability to defend UK interests at home and abroad.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to protect the armed forces from persistent legal claims.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave in the House on 18 April 2016 to Question 904485 to the hon. Member for Braintree (James Cleverly).