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802191

registered interest
date	06/12/2017
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Strike Experimentation Group
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress has been made on establishing the Strike Experimentation Group.
tabling member constituency	Llanelli
tabling member printed	Nia Griffith
uin	117878
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2017 answer text <p>The Strike Experimentation Group (SEG) was established in Warminster in April 2017 and is part of the headquarters of 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade. This will build and develop understanding of the Strike concept within the brigade and its units. The SEG has engaged with Allies, including in the US, France, Canada and Italy, to develop opportunities for combined experimentation and knowledge exchange. They have also developed some early tactics for operational analysis by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, and conducted a battlegroup level live experiment with the Canadian Army to investigate armoured cavalry techniques using a surrogate for the Ajax vehicles.</p><p>Since the statement on refinements to the Army's structure by the then Secretary of State for Defence on 15 December 2016 [HCWS367], the Army has made minor changes to the sequencing of units to form Strike. The 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade will become the first Strike Brigade by 2020. It will comprise the Household Cavalry Regiment, the Royal Dragoon Guards, 1st Battalion Scots Guards, and 3rd Battalion The Rifles.</p> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster question first answered 11/12/2017 17:57:39 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
tabling member	1541 label Biography information for Dame Nia Griffith

801156

registered interest
date	05/12/2017
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Military Exercises
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, (a) when and (b) for what reasons, the decision was taken to reduce the number of joint warrior exercises from two to one in 2018.
tabling member constituency	Llanelli
tabling member printed	Nia Griffith
uin	117715
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2017 answer text <p>When determining the Royal Navy's exercise programme it was identified that there were several training opportunities that coincided with the Joint Warrior exercise programmed for the autumn of 2018. In addition to the multinational Joint Expeditionary Force exercise designed to enhance the UK's ability to respond rapidly anywhere in the world, the Royal Navy has now committed to two major international military exercises with significant UK involvement. These exercises will combine all the training requirement that a second Joint Warrior would have delivered. The exercises are SAIF SAREEA 3 - the biggest UK-Omani exercise to be held in the last 15 years - and TRIDENT JUNCTURE 2018 - a NATO exercise held every three years and hosted in Norway in 2018.</p><p>There is therefore no requirement for the second Joint Warrior Exercise in 2018.</p> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster question first answered 11/12/2017 17:56:49 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
tabling member	1541 label Biography information for Dame Nia Griffith

765678

registered interest
date	06/10/2017
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, how much each branch of the armed forces spent on advertising and marketing for recruitment purposes in each year from 2010 to date.
tabling member constituency	Llanelli
tabling member printed	Nia Griffith
uin	106165
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/10/2017 answer text <p>The information requested for 1 January 2015 to 30 September 2017 is shown below. Comparable data prior to that date is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2015 (£)</p></td><td><p>2016 (£)</p></td><td><p>2017 to September (£)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Army</p></td><td><p>6,463,372</p></td><td><p>6,698,303</p></td><td><p>10,011,284</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Royal Navy &amp; Royal Marines</p></td><td><p>13,190,328</p></td><td><p>11,409,885</p></td><td><p>11,621,005</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Royal Air Force</p></td><td><p>7,948,700</p></td><td><p>9,086,473</p></td><td><p>7,903,457</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>TOTAL</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>27,602,400</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>27,194,661</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>29,535,746</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster question first answered 11/10/2017 16:50:41 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
tabling member	1541 label Biography information for Dame Nia Griffith

755709

registered interest
date	04/09/2017
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2017 to Question 5260, on the Navy, whether the personnel numbers targets have changed from SDSR 2015 for each Service; and what the personnel targets are for each Service by 2025.
tabling member constituency	Llanelli
tabling member printed	Nia Griffith
uin	7013
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2017 answer text <p>The Government is committed to maintaining the overall size of the Armed Forces.</p> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster question first answered 07/09/2017 14:45:20 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
tabling member	1541 label Biography information for Dame Nia Griffith

722967

registered interest
date	20/04/2017
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 51, paragraph 4.49 of the 46th Report of the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body, published on 28 March 2017, on what basis his Department calculated that the future accommodation model would result in savings of £500 million over 10 years.
tabling member constituency	Llanelli
tabling member printed	Nia Griffith
uin	71485
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2017 answer text <p>The 2015 Spending Review committed the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to savings of around £500 million from accommodation over the next 10 years through reduced running costs, capital receipts and savings. Inefficiencies in the current model mean that it costs the MOD around two pounds for every pound of effective accommodation subsidy Service personnel receive; by making the model more efficient we aim to realise these savings and also create a fairer model that provides Service personnel with more choice.</p> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster question first answered 25/04/2017 11:37:53 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
tabling member	1541 label Biography information for Dame Nia Griffith

714466

registered interest
date	28/03/2017
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on substitute service (a) family and (b) single accommodation in each year from 2010 to 2017.
tabling member constituency	Llanelli
tabling member printed	Nia Griffith
uin	69392
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2017 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence has spent the following amounts on substitute service family accommodation:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Financial Year (FY)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Expenditure (£million)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>27.48</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>29.49</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>32.68</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>28.69</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15</p></td><td><p>22.47</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>23.45</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>15.17 (forecast)</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The overall costs include rent, Council tax and water rates. Please note the costs for FY2016-17 are as forecast at the end of March 2017 and could change slightly before year end.</p><p> </p><p>Information on substitute single service accommodation could be provided only at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster question first answered 18/04/2017 15:27:53 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
tabling member	1541 label Biography information for Dame Nia Griffith

714477

registered interest
date	28/03/2017
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.73 of the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body 46th Report, what steps his Department is taking to promote cohesion between Regulars and Reserves as part of the Whole Force approach.
tabling member constituency	Llanelli
tabling member printed	Nia Griffith
uin	69623
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/04/2017 answer text <p>The Services are committed to achieving culture change to break down barriers between Regulars and Reserves and improve cohesion. This is being addressed through a number of programmes.</p><p>We continue to invest in more integrated training and in equipment for the Reserves. Reserves have access to the same equipment and technology as Regulars across all the Services. Army Reserve Units are now commonly paired with Regular Units and train alongside them using the same modern equipment and, when required, may also deploy with them. The Army also employs individual reservists alongside Regular personnel, for example in intelligence roles. The Maritime and RAF Reserves are most often used to provide individuals and small teams for specific roles. Their training is designed to integrate them with the Regulars.</p><p>We have streamlined the process for transferring from the Regulars to the Reserves to enable people with key skills to share their knowledge and expertise. We are also actively working to identify any policy or process issues that may hinder the use of reservists and to remove these barriers wherever possible.</p><p>We have developed a set of indicators of culture change and we have put in place a process through which the Services will assess their progress against these indicators and provide evidence of that progress to senior leadership in the Department. This will allow the Ministry of Defence to identify and share examples of good practice as well as issues to be addressed.</p><p>These initiatives have begun to have a positive effect. In the 2016 Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey, almost two thirds of Regulars who had served alongside Reservists rated them as professional, with a similar number rating the Reserves' contribution as valuable. This is a firm foundation on which we can build and we are working to do so.</p> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster question first answered 04/04/2017 14:30:55 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
tabling member	1541 label Biography information for Dame Nia Griffith

714478

registered interest
date	28/03/2017
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Surveys
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 increase response rates (a) to the armed forces, (b) families and (c) the reserves Continuous Attitude Survey.
tabling member constituency	Llanelli
tabling member printed	Nia Griffith
uin	69631
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2017 answer text <p>The Armed Forces constantly strive to sustain and improve the response rates for the three Continuous Attitude Surveys (CAS). We do this in various ways, including by reducing the burden on respondents by ensuring that the number of questions is minimised and that they are written in a straightforward way. We also ensure that the surveys reach their intended audience by tracking their distribution and using nominated points of contact at unit level to assist with the distribution of surveys and with communications. Units are given their individual response rates so they can gauge where they rank against other units and the chain of command is held responsible for maximising response rates.</p><p>The Department and the chain of command provide clear messages about the importance of responding to the surveys and we also ensure that the most convenient methods for responding to the survey are available to respondents, including opening up the surveys to be completed online. In addition, Service personnel, some of whom do not have regular access to IT systems, have the option of completing a paper survey.</p><p>Our approach is supported by an integrated CAS communications strategy with various communication methods employed, both centrally and through each of the Services. Messages are communicated using various channels including through announcements on the Ministry of Defence and single Service intranet sites, and regular adverts on British Forces Broadcasting Services. There has been an increased emphasis on social media for the 2017 surveys, including the use of Twitter. Use is also made of relevant networks and publications to spread communications more widely, for example through Soldier magazine and the Service Families Federations. The importance of participation in the CASs and the actions taken as a result, are included in Senior Command briefings. Email and postcard reminders are sent out to coincide with other communication efforts.</p><p>Each survey has a Service infographic summarising key findings, and these are included in communications as well as standalone posters. In addition, all findings from the CASs are published on the gov.uk website.</p> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster question first answered 18/04/2017 15:21:04 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
tabling member	1541 label Biography information for Dame Nia Griffith

714484

registered interest
date	28/03/2017
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Housing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraphs 4.12 and 4.13 of the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body 46th Report, what mechanisms his Department has in place to monitor CarillionAmey's improvements.
tabling member constituency	Llanelli
tabling member printed	Nia Griffith
uin	69641
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2017 answer text <p>The National Housing Prime contractor CarillionAmey, with support from the Ministry of Defence (MOD), has ensured that performance levels against their Improvement Plan have been met and sustained since May 2016. MOD officials continue to work closely with CarillionAmey to monitor and drive further improvements going forward and representatives from both organisations meet fortnightly to review performance.</p> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster question first answered 18/04/2017 15:25:22 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
tabling member	1541 label Biography information for Dame Nia Griffith

714485

registered interest
date	28/03/2017
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Career Development
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraphs 5.9, page 55, of the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body 46th Report, published in March 2017, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that service personnel are able to raise concerns about their employment and responsibilities without fear of negative consequences on their careers.
tabling member constituency	Llanelli
tabling member printed	Nia Griffith
uin	69642
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2017 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to making the service complaints process as fair, effective and efficient as it can be. Our people need to have confidence that any issues arising from their Service can be raised and will be investigated and resolved without negative consequences on their careers. Our new service complaints system was implemented on 1 January 2016 and is designed to provide quicker outcomes, and to promote greater confidence in the system, including through the use of more open communications. The new system also replaced the Service Complaints Commissioner with a new Ombudsman with increased powers which we expect will give our Armed Forces personnel increased confidence that the internal service complaints system is fair, efficient and effective.</p><p>On 3 April 2017 the Service Complaints Ombudsman published her annual report for 2016 on the fairness, effectiveness and efficiency of the service complaints system. The Ombudsman reported on the working of her office and the new service complaints system in 2016, and the MOD will now carefully consider the findings and recommendations made in the report to see how we might further improve the process.</p> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster question first answered 18/04/2017 15:26:57 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
tabling member	1541 label Biography information for Dame Nia Griffith