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100134

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Colombia
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department had with the Colombian government on human rights in that country before it took the decision to provide military assistance in that country.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	211346
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2014 answer text <p>Military assistance in Colombia has been provided over many years and the issue of human rights is closely examined before any military assistance to Colombia is approved. The UK has provided expertise and advice to the Colombian Armed Forces on the subjects of international humanitarian law and human rights during military operations at a number of seminars and conferences.<br><br>My right hon. Friend the previous Foreign Secretary (William Hague) raised the issue of human rights with President Santos and Defence Minister Pinzon in February. He welcomed the Colombian Government’s commitment to zero tolerance of human rights abuses and underlined the importance of taking action on threats to human rights defenders and trade unionists. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Latin America Affairs, (Hugo Swire) also raised human rights with the Colombian Government during his visit to Colombia in June.</p> answering member constituency Rayleigh and Wickford answering member printed Mr Mark Francois question first answered 28/10/2014 16:58:27 answering member 1444 label Biography information for Mr Mark Francois
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1020217

	registered interest
	date	05/12/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Army: Suicide
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to tackle the matter of soldiers taking their own life (a) during and (b) after active service.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	199402
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2018 answer text <p>Every study conducted by the Ministry of Defence has found that the risk of suicide amongst the Armed Forces community, including veterans of the 1982 Falkland and 1990-91 Gulf conflicts, is lower than amongst the general population.</p><p>A considerable amount of work has already been undertaken to improve the mental health of Service personnel and to prevent suicide and suicide risk. This includes tackling stigma through education and providing easily accessible, rapid and flexible access to mental health support and healthcare services. Armed Forces personnel undergo &quot;through life&quot; psychological resilience training which enables them to recognise and manage stress in themselves and in their colleagues and actively encourages them to seek help at an early stage.</p><p>However, we continue to look at what more can done. This includes a focused review by the Defence Safety Authority of suicide in Service personnel to identify additional measures for preventing suicide. The review was published on 9 November 2018 by the Defence Safety Authority and work to take forward the recommendations has commenced.</p><p>We have less influence on individuals' behaviour once they are discharged from the Armed Forces, as their mental healthcare becomes the responsibility of the National Health Service in the UK. There are many factors that can result in suicide such as relationship breakdown, debt and employment concerns, not only service in the Armed Forces.</p><p>However, we are not complacent. Any suicide is one too many and a tragedy for the individual, their family, friends and colleagues.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 11/12/2018 16:15:29 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1023956

	registered interest
	date	12/12/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Recruitment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps he is taking to encourage people from all ethnic groups to join the armed forces.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	201648
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2018 answer text <p>The Defence Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, published in October, is based on achieving a vision that reflects our recognition that the recruitment, and inclusion of individuals with diverse skills, perspectives and backgrounds will bring real strength to Defence and wider society.</p><p>The Armed Forces are working towards a target of 10 per cent of recruits to come from Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic backgrounds by 2020.</p><p>Work to increase representation from minority ethnic groups includes better understanding and greater engagement with these communities, reviewing recruitment processes; and better targeted marketing and communications towards potential applicants.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 20/12/2018 15:28:56 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

106252

	registered interest
	date	04/11/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Navy
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to encourage school and college students to become submariners.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	213349
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2014 answer text <p>When invited, the Armed Forces visit schools or colleges to support the school curriculum; to improve the awareness of their role and the range of career opportunities across the Armed Forces, including those unique to the Submarine Service such as nuclear engineering, and to pass on valuable skills such as leadership, teamwork and citizenship. In addition, the Royal Navy has established affiliations with four University Technical Colleges specialising in engineering and technical subjects. Under these affiliations, and it is hoped that more will follow, the Royal Navy will provide engineering expertise to assist with student projects and provide key note speakers.</p><p>Information on the Armed Forces in Britain and abroad, including their role, history, current operations and what it is like to work as part of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, is also available to schools and colleges through the British Armed Forces Learning Resource 2014.</p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 10/11/2014 17:29:07 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1064674

	registered interest
	date	21/02/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Army: Health
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to reduce the proportion of army personnel that cannot be sent overseas due to medical reasons.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	224332
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2019 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 February 2019 to Question 216134 to the hon. Member for Romford (Mr Andrew Rosindell).</p><p>For the Army, the health and wellbeing of personnel is a priority. A range of initiatives and policies are continuously being developed and implemented to address the conditions which most frequently cause medical downgrades.</p><p>The introduction earlier this year of new Physical Employment Standards for Ground Close Combat (GCC) roles followed evidence from research as part of a five-year programme that aims to reduce musculo-skeletal injury and optimise operational effectiveness. Work is now under way to develop the most suitable standards for non-GCC roles.</p><p>Additionally, there are a number of initiatives that aim to provide long-term support to address poor lifestyle choices and weight management issues, which we recognise as an issue for modern society. For example, some units are trialling a Healthy Living programme, using wearable technology linked to an online application which aims to instil a personal responsibility culture for soldiers to maintain their fitness.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 28/02/2019 15:53:57 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood attachment 1 file name 216134_Armed_Forces_Health.docx title 216134 - Armed Forces; Health
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1077120

	registered interest
	date	25/02/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Drugs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many drug tests have been administered in the (a) Royal Air Force and (b) Royal Navy in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	225504
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2019 answer text <p>The numbers provided in the table below relate to the number of drug tests administered each calendar year.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2"><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong>Number of drug tests administered each year in</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Royal Air Force</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Royal Navy*</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2014</strong></p></td><td><p>12,618</p></td><td><p>13,082</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2015</strong></p></td><td><p>12,450</p></td><td><p>13,556</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2016</strong></p></td><td><p>14,061</p></td><td><p>12,846</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2017</strong></p></td><td><p>20,662</p></td><td><p>15,689</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2018</strong></p></td><td><p>27,199</p></td><td><p>24,032</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>*These figures are for the Naval Service which consists of the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Although the selection of personnel for compulsory drug tests is primarily random, a small percentage of personnel are repeatedly selected for testing. Consequently, the number of personnel tested each year does not directly correlate to the number of drug tests completed.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 04/03/2019 16:39:13 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1086473

	registered interest
	date	11/03/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Weather
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what cold weather equipment his Department provides to soldiers.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	230729
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2019 answer text <p>Whether on deployment or exercise, soldiers are supplied with the right equipment for the operational climate. On joining the Army, all soldiers are provided with clothing designed to protect them from all climate conditions experienced in the UK and Western Europe. Soldiers who subsequently deploy to colder climates, such as Estonia, are provided with additional items such as face masks, hats, gloves, cold weather boots, undershirts, thermal jackets and trousers and socks all specifically designed to protect them from the effects of temperatures they will experience.</p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 18/03/2019 14:57:54 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1148120

	registered interest
	date	03/10/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Training
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure the safety of recruits undertaking physical training courses.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	294169
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>We take our duty of care to our personnel very seriously, but risk is inherent in many activities carried out by the Armed Forces. This risk is rendered as low as reasonably practicable during training by ensuring that its design and delivery are subject to strict safety procedures and rigorous risk analysis. Training programmes are also subject to internal or external assurance and audit inspections including by OFSTED.</p><p>On 1 April 2015, we established the Defence Safety Authority which brings together the Defence Safety Regulators and the Accident Investigation Branch, providing independent assurance to the Secretary of State in accordance with his health, safety and environmental policy statement.</p> answering member constituency Plymouth, Moor View answering member printed Johnny Mercer question first answered 08/10/2019 13:31:33 answering member 4485 label Biography information for Johnny Mercer
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1148121

	registered interest
	date	03/10/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Sick Leave
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of level of sickness absence among women in the armed forces in the latest period for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	294243
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes the health and wellbeing of its personnel very seriously. A Health and Wellbeing Strategy for all MOD employees, military and civilian, was published in mid-2015 (updated in August 2016) and is designed to provide guidance to the Chain of Command and civilian line managers on how to manage the health needs, both mental and physical, of their people. The aim is to maximise the number of people fit to work, managing people back to work after a period of sickness, so that they are fit and able to meet the requirements of Defence outputs, including operational effectiveness.</p><p>Whilst the MOD records the medical employability and deployability of Service personnel, more specific information about the level of sickness absence among women - or men - in the Armed Forces is not held centrally. As at 1 May 2019, medical employability for the trained UK Armed Forces was 98 per cent, with a male:female split of 98:97% respectively.</p> answering member constituency Plymouth, Moor View answering member printed Johnny Mercer question first answered 08/10/2019 12:57:21 answering member 4485 label Biography information for Johnny Mercer
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1150834

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces: Racial Harassment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to tackle incidences of racial abuse in the armed forces.
	tabling member constituency	Strangford
	tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
	uin	2722
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>The Armed Forces do not tolerate racist behaviour in any form. All allegations of illegal or inappropriate behaviour are taken extremely seriously and investigated thoroughly. We have a range of initiatives to stamp out this kind of behaviour, including stepping up education programmes including diversity and inclusion training, reviewing our internal disciplinary procedures and raising awareness about available support. However, we recognise we need to do more; earlier this year we adopted the recommendations of Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Michael Wigston's report on inappropriate behaviours, including recommendations on immersive culture and behaviour training at the start of service and at regular intervals throughout, and more training on 'bystanders' so that people have the skills and confidence to intervene when they see inappropriate behaviour. We have established a new team in Defence which will oversee the implementation of ACM Wigston's recommendations.</p> answering member constituency Plymouth, Moor View answering member printed Johnny Mercer question first answered 29/10/2019 15:23:42 answering member 4485 label Biography information for Johnny Mercer
	tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon