House of Commons Written Answers 13 February 2014
Aircraft Carriers
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the benefits of the addition of a ski ramp to the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers’ radar cross-section. [187613]
Mr Dunne: An assessment of the effect of the addition of a ramp on the ship’s radar cross-section was undertaken during the design phase of the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers programme. The effect of the addition of a ramp on the radar cross-section of the ship is negligible. I am withholding details of the radar cross-section of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, as release would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
Cybercrime
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many attempted cyber attacks on his Department were recorded in the last 12 months. [187308]
Mr Francois: Within the Ministry of Defence there are technical, organisational, procedural and physical measures in place to protect against and mitigate the impact of cyber attacks. However, we do not comment on the specific detail of cyber security incidents.
Defence Munitions
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the outsourcing of Defence Munitions Plymouth. [187092]
Dr Murrison: The future of Defence Munitions Plymouth is being considered as part of the Weapons End-to-End Transformation Programme which is looking at optimising the weapons supply chain. The work is considering a number of options, but it is too early say what the outcome might be.
Libya
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what involvement UK armed forces currently have in Libya. [187321]
Mr Francois: The UK has a Defence Advisory Team in Tripoli of 24 personnel, commanded by a Brigadier, which works to support the UK/Libya relationship and provides advice through advisors embedded in the Libyan MOD, navy, air force, land forces and border security force. There is also a senior disarmament advisor working with the Government of Libya, the UN and international partners on disarmament issues.
The team also provides the platform for short term training teams to support a variety of programmes, including strategic communication, developing explosive ordnance disposal schools, supporting the creation of a joint operational planning staff and naval training.
In November 2013, the UK also established a Defence Section within the British embassy, Tripoli with a Defence Attaché.
Navy
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether plans to establish a Navy Safety Centre have been approved; and where this centre will be located. [187337]
Dr Murrison: The plans for the Navy Safety Centre have been approved and it is based in Navy Command Headquarters in Portsmouth. The Centre will achieve full operating capability by the end of 2014.
Trident
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what recent estimate he has made of the cost at outturn prices of the Trident replacement programme; [187135]
(2) what estimate he has made of the (a) expenditure and percentage share of his Department’s procurement budget that the design and construction of the Trident replacement submarines will represent and (b) what the running costs and percentage share of his Department’s overall spending of the existing Trident nuclear weapons system will be in each of the next 10 years; [187142]
(3) what the estimated annual expenditure and percentage share of his Department’s procurement budget the design and construction of the Astute-class submarines will represent in each of the next 10 years. [187143]
Dr Murrison: Current forecast costs, including planned Submarine Enterprise Performance Programme efficiency measures, indicate that we remain within the 2006 White Paper estimates of £11 billion-£14 billion