14 Jan 19. Defence Committee – Oral Evidence Session – Global Islamist Terrorism. Tuesday 15 January 2019 Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster
At 11:15am:
- David Patrikarakos, Oxford Research Group
- Emily Knowles, Oxford Research Group
- Chris Woods, Airwars
This is the first evidence session in the Defence Committee’s Global Islamist Terrorism inquiry. The inquiry is set to examine the role that UK defence plays in countering Islamist terrorism and how effective it is. In this session, the Committee will be examining how social media has changed the battlefield and the role played by building partner capacity and air support to partners in UK counter terrorism strategy.
10 Jan 19. Defence Committee – New Inquiry. Work Of The Service Complaints Ombudsman. In March 2014, the Government announced plans to establish a new Service Complaints Ombudsman in place of the Service Complaints Commissioner and to reform the complaints system. The Defence Committee undertook detailed scrutiny of the Government’s proposals and in its report suggested several key amendments to the legislation, many of which were incorporated into the Armed Forces (Service Complaints and Financial Assistance) Act 2015. The Committee also held a pre-appointment hearing with Nicola Williams, the Government’s nominee to be the first Service Complaints Ombudsman. The Ombudsman and the new complaints system have now been in operation for approximately three years and the Committee will take evidence from the Ombudsman on 26 February on her role and the effectiveness of the new system. To inform the session, the Committee would welcome written evidence on the following matters:
- The effectiveness of the Service Complaints Ombudsman, including the level of resources and powers available to her;
- The effectiveness of the new complaints system and any possible future improvements;
- The findings and recommendations of the Ombudsman in her 2017 Annual Report and the Ministry of Defence’s response; and
- The Ombudsman’s relationship with the Ministry of Defence and each of the individual Services.
Please note that the Committee is unable to discuss, deal with, or investigate individual cases.
The deadline for written evidence is 7 February 2019.
Submissions should state clearly who the submission is from e.g. ‘Written evidence submitted by <Name>’ and be no longer than 3,000 words. Please contact the Committee staff if you wish to discuss this.
Submissions must be a self-contained memorandum in Word or Rich Text Format (not PDFs). Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference and the document should, if possible, include an executive summary.
Submissions should be original work, not previously published or circulated elsewhere. Once submitted, your submission becomes the property of the Committee and no public use should be made of it unless you have first obtained permission from the Clerk of the Committee.
Please bear in mind that the Committee will not consider individual cases or matters currently before a court of law, or matters in respect of which court proceedings are imminent. If you anticipate such issues arising, you should discuss with the Clerk of the Committee how this might affect your submission.
The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to publish the written evidence it receives. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure; the Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence.
The personal information you supply will be processed in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 for the purposes of attributing the evidence you submit and contacting you as necessary in connection with its processing. The Clerk of the House of Commons is the data controller for the purposes of the Act.
House of Commons and House of Lords Hansard Written Answers
Q
Asked by Luke Pollard
(Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Asked on: 20 December 2018
Ministry of Defence
Type 31 Frigates: Costs
204634
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much allowance he has made for taxes and national insurance in his Department’s calculations of the cost of a Type 31e frigate with a set price of £250m.
A
Answered by: Stuart Andrew
Answered on: 08 January 2019
The National Shipbuilding Strategy makes clear that we judge that the capabilities the Royal Navy requires can be accommodated within the £250 million price, and our market research indicates that beyond this price the vessels would not be attractive to the sector of the export market we are targeting. We have conducted and shared this market analysis with industry. It is now for industry to develop proposals to deliver Type 31e at the price we have set, taking into account their costs, including normal business costs such as taxes and national insurance payments.
Q
Asked by Tulip Siddiq
(Hampstead and Kilburn)
Asked on: 20 December 2018
Ministry of Defence
International Military Services: Disclosure of Information
204592
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will instruct the directors of International Military Services Ltd to declassify their records using the same protocols that apply to his Department’s own records.
A
Answered by: Stuart Andrew
Answered on: 08 January 2019
Due to ongoing legal proceedings between International Military Services Ltd and the Iranian Ministry of Defence and Support for the Armed Forces of Iran (known as MODSAF), it would not be appropriate for the Ministry of Defence to comment.