Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list all UK military units deployed in Gibraltar as of April 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
As of April 2023, the following UK units are deployed to Gibraltar:
· HQ British Forces Gibraltar, including.
· Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron
· RAF Gibraltar
· HMS TRENT
· Additionally, the following units are locally raised in Gibraltar:
o Royal Gibraltar Regiment
o Gibraltar Defence Police
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many foreign military aircraft landed at RAF Gibraltar in 2022, broken down by country.
Answered by James Heappey
From 1 January to 31 December 2022, nine non-UK military aircraft landed at RAF Gibraltar. These are broken down as follows:
· United States of America - eight
· Canada - one
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there are any international military personnel deployed in Gibraltar as of April 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
There are four non-UK personnel deployed in Gibraltar as of April 2023.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ministry of Defence personnel are deployed in Gibraltar (a) permanently and (b) temporarily, broken down by unit.
Answered by James Heappey
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) employs 952 personnel in Gibraltar, of which 528 are locally employed civilians. The remainder are military and UK-based civil servants.
The individual units of deployed MOD personnel are broken down as follows:
· Royal Gibraltar Regiment - 235 personnel
· Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron - 28 personnel
· RAF Gibraltar - 16 personnel
· HQ British Forces Gibraltar - 145 personnel
Gibraltar is routinely used by visiting Royal Navy ships, RAF aircraft and other units that temporarily deploy to conduct training. These visits total approximately 12,000 to 14,000 personnel per year. Exact numbers fluctuate, but indicative figures based on the number of visits in calendar year 2022 are as follows:
· 79 ship visits per year (2022), which equates to around 6,000 to 7,000 Naval personnel.
· 117 military aircraft per year (2022), with around 4,000 military passengers.
· 2,000-3,000 personnel on training deployments per year, mostly from the Army.
· HMS TRENT (63 Ship's Company) is also forward deployed from Gibraltar.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has a channel of communication with Spanish authorities on (a) military flights landing at RAF Gibraltar and (b) amphibious operations launched from Gibraltar.
Answered by James Heappey
The Ministry of Defence retains channels of communication with Spanish counterparts, at official and senior levels, on a range of issues. Where appropriate to do so, the UK Ministry of Defence shares some information relating to military operations with Spanish authorities; this is in line with our usual practices for cooperating with Allies.
Asked by: Karl Turner (Labour - Kingston upon Hull East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the number of vessels by flag register that qualify for the Tonnage Tax scheme.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Based on the 2022/23 returns to the Department for Transport from each of the companies within the UK Tonnage Tax scheme the figures for the number of vessels under each flag are as follows:
*UK - 274
Liberia – 125
Marshall Islands – 53
Bahamas – 50
*Isle of Man – 36
Malta – 36
Panama – 22
Hong Kong – 16
Cyprus – 15
Norway – 13
Singapore – 13
*Gibraltar – 11
Madeira – 10
Bermuda – 9
Antigua & Barbuda – 6
Brazil – 3
Finland – 3
Netherlands – 2
Portugal – 2
*Cayman Islands – 1
St Vincent & the Grenadines – 1
Spain – 1
* Part of the Red Ensign Group
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government why British Citizens who are subject to taxation by HM Revenue & Customs and are living in a British Overseas Territory are not eligible for an uplift in their state pension.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
There is no connection between State Pension uprating and taxation.
An individual’s UK State Pension is based on the number of qualifying years on their National Insurance record.
The Government has a clear position, which has remained a consistent policy of successive Governments for around 70 years. UK State Pensions are payable worldwide and are uprated abroad where we have a legal requirement to do so; for example in the European Economic Area, or countries where we have a reciprocal social security agreement that allows for State Pension uprating which include the British Overseas Territories of Gibraltar and Bermuda. We have no plans to change this policy.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to annually uprate the UK basic state pension to qualifying individuals on the same basis regardless of the state or territory in which they are currently resident; and what reciprocal agreements they have made, if any, with other countries in respect of pension uprating.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
UK State Pensions are payable worldwide and up-rated overseas where there is a legal requirement to do so – for example where there is a reciprocal agreement in place that allows for up-rating. The policy on up-rating is longstanding and has been supported by successive Governments for over 70 years. The Government has no plans to change this policy.
The UK has reciprocal social security agreements, which provide State Pension up-rating, with the following authorities:
The UK also has agreements in place with the European Economic Area and Switzerland which provide for State Pension up-rating.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation units there are at Gibraltar Barracks (Minley); and how many personnel are based at that site.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
I will write to the right hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) size in hectares and (b) Housing Unit Potential of Mons Barracks.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Alexander Barracks, Pirbright Nr Guildford is 75.448 hectares in size.
Elizabeth Barracks, Pirbright Nr Guildford is 18.380 hectares in size.
Gibraltar Barracks is 87.311 hectares in size.
Hammersley Barracks is 4.890 hectares in size.
Lille Barracks is 14.136 hectares in size.
Mons Barracks is 18.742 hectares in size.
No assessment has been made of the Housing Unit Potential of these sites, as they have not been identified for disposal.