Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to help ensure the maintenance of the graves of British servicemen in Simon’s Town, South Africa.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) maintain 185 graves, mostly of the fallen from the two World Wars at Dido Valley Cemetery, and (on behalf of the Ministry of Defence) 41 graves from the Anglo-Boer War at the Seaforth Cemetery in Simon’s Town, South Africa.
Maintenance includes ensuring that headstones and memorials are kept clean and in good condition through repair of weather or other damage, and that the surrounding gardens are also in keeping with CWGC standards. Further detail can be found at https://www.cwgc.org/our-work/caring-for-our-sites/.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veteran ID cards have been distributed in each local authority area to veterans who left service before December 2018.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The HM Armed Forces Veteran Card Scheme has had a two-phase rollout. Phase 1 is complete; all Service leavers since December 2018 automatically receive a Veteran Card from the Ministry of Defence as part of their Service Leaver Pack.
Phase 2 extends access to the Veteran Card to those who left before December 2018. The new digital application and verification service launched at 00:01 on 28 January 2024 allowing pre-2018 veterans to apply for the card.
The current delivery contract allows for the production of 50,000 Phase 2 pre-2018 veteran cards per month and are issued within an average of 15 calendar days from date of application receipt. As of 12 September 2024, there have been a total of 143,380 Phase 2 applications received, and 133,387 cards issued. Demand is determined by the number of veterans who choose to apply and not the overall number of veterans in the UK.
The attached table shows the total number of Phase two cards distributed by postal county.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to mitigate the potential impact of Royal Fleet Auxiliary strike action.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continues to engage with the Maritime Trade Unions, who represent members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), to discuss a resolution to the on-going RFA pay dispute.
While the pay dispute is the immediate concern, we are committed to improving the RFA "offer" to ensure it remains competitive in the long-term. The RFA are highly valued, specialist personnel. We are committed to listening to their concerns and keeping a continued dialogue to address the issues they have raised.
The MOD operates a whole force model, bringing military, civilian and contracted staff together to deliver its defence outcomes; we continue to proactively collaborate with our stakeholders and partners to sustain outputs whilst discussions with the Maritime Trade Unions remain ongoing.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to respond to Questions 1829 and 1830 on Armed Forces: Housing tabled by the Hon. Member for North Shropshire on 25 July 2024 for answer on 30 July 2024.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This Government is committed to setting new minimum standards for military housing. We are assessing options to drive up standards and deliver the homes our Service families deserve. As a first step, we are establishing an Armed Forces Commissioner as an independent champion for our service personnel to raise issues which impact on service life, including housing.
This Government continues to invest to improve the quality of UK Service Family Accommodation (SFA). In 2024-25, £180 million is allocated to improve insulation in c600 homes, implement c1,000 long-term damp and mould remediations and refurbish 200 long-term empty homes. 1,700 minor damp and mould improvement packages are planned, and 30 more homes will receive upgraded heating solutions.
A Single Living Accommodation (SLA) Expert Group, including Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Top-Level Budget representatives is continuing to address Defence Minimum Standard measures to improve the quality of SLA.
The Department is looking at the recommendations of the Kerslake Review which reported before the General Election.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve the quality of accommodation for (a) service people and (b) their families.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This Government is committed to setting new minimum standards for military housing. We are assessing options to drive up standards and deliver the homes our Service families deserve. As a first step, we are establishing an Armed Forces Commissioner as an independent champion for our service personnel to raise issues which impact on service life, including housing.
This Government continues to invest to improve the quality of UK Service Family Accommodation (SFA). In 2024-25, £180 million is allocated to improve insulation in c600 homes, implement c1,000 long-term damp and mould remediations and refurbish 200 long-term empty homes. 1,700 minor damp and mould improvement packages are planned, and 30 more homes will receive upgraded heating solutions.
A Single Living Accommodation (SLA) Expert Group, including Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Top-Level Budget representatives is continuing to address Defence Minimum Standard measures to improve the quality of SLA.
The Department is looking at the recommendations of the Kerslake Review which reported before the General Election.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will make military service family accommodation subject to the decent homes standard.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This Government is committed to setting new minimum standards for military housing. We are assessing options to drive up standards and deliver the homes our Service families deserve. As a first step, we are establishing an Armed Forces Commissioner as an independent champion for our service personnel to raise issues which impact on service life, including housing.
This Government continues to invest to improve the quality of UK Service Family Accommodation (SFA). In 2024-25, £180 million is allocated to improve insulation in c600 homes, implement c1,000 long-term damp and mould remediations and refurbish 200 long-term empty homes. 1,700 minor damp and mould improvement packages are planned, and 30 more homes will receive upgraded heating solutions.
A Single Living Accommodation (SLA) Expert Group, including Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Top-Level Budget representatives is continuing to address Defence Minimum Standard measures to improve the quality of SLA.
The Department is looking at the recommendations of the Kerslake Review which reported before the General Election.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with (a) the United States and (b) Australia on the potential merits of expanding Pillar II of the AUKUS agreement to include Canada.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
In recognition of the enduring partnership the UK holds with Canada, alongside Canada's close bilateral defence partnerships with each member of AUKUS, the Prime Minister, President Biden and Prime Minister Albanese, announced on 17 September that we were consulting with Canada, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea to identify possibilities for collaboration on advanced capabilities under AUKUS Pillar II. This collaboration on a project by project basis was discussed again at the AUKUS Defence Ministers Meeting in London on 26 September.
Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom continue to work together as members of the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), a collaboration of 14 countries and the European Union, to catalyse public and private investment in responsible critical minerals supply chains globally.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will return blood and diagnostics tests taken after detonation to UK nuclear test veterans.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I have met with representatives of the nuclear test veteran community and am committed to continuing that engagement to consider the concerns raised, including looking into questions raised on medical records.
Nuclear test veterans can request access to their personal information held by the Ministry of Defence about their time in the military, including Service and Medical records. To do so they need to submit a Subject Access Request (SAR) under the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA).
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will meet nuclear test veterans to discuss compensation.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I am committed to regularly meeting with veterans to learn about their experiences and understand how the Government can provide the right support to them.
This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country. I have already met with parliamentary colleagues and representatives of the nuclear test veteran community. I remain committed to continuing that engagement to thank nuclear test veterans for their service and to further understand their current concerns.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of inviting Canada to join Pillar II of the AUKUS agreement.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
In recognition of the enduring partnership the UK holds with Canada, alongside Canada's close bilateral defence partnerships with each member of AUKUS, the Prime Minister, President Biden and Prime Minister Albanese, announced on 17 September that we were consulting with Canada, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea to identify possibilities for collaboration on advanced capabilities under AUKUS Pillar II. This collaboration on a project by project basis was discussed again at the AUKUS Defence Ministers Meeting in London on 26 September.
Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom continue to work together as members of the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), a collaboration of 14 countries and the European Union, to catalyse public and private investment in responsible critical minerals supply chains globally.