§ Mr. TyrieTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the risks of joint service military training. [127248]
§ Mr. IngramThe risks associated with the programme to create defence training establishments have been identified and are being appropriately managed and mitigated.
§ Mr. TyrieTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the capital cost is of work required at RAF Halton in order to make it serviceable for joint service police training. [127237]
349W
§ Mr. IngramThe initial estimate of the capital works required at the RAF Halton site to accommodate joint service police training is £90 million. This will provide modernised domestic accommodation, improved site infrastructure and a new joint police training facility.
§ Mr. TyrieTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the capital cost is of work required at Chichester to provide joint police service training, excluding the MoD police; [127238]
(2) if he will estimate the capital cost of initiating a pilot scheme of joint service police training; [127235]
(3) how long it would take to begin operations if a decision were taken to start a pilot of joint service police training; [127234]
(4) whether his Department has done a cost benefit analysis of Chichester as a location for a pilot scheme to extend joint service police training; [127233]
(5) if he will permit a consortium to bid for a pilot scheme incorporating more joint military police training before completion of the Defence Training Review Rationalisation Programme. [127232]
§ Mr. IngramIn 1999 it was estimated that the capital works required at Chichester to provide joint police service training, excluding provision for the Ministry of Defence Police, would be £3.5 million. Subsequent study has shown that the site does not offer the opportunity for redevelopment and modernisation to accommodate the full requirement for joint police training, including the MOD Police.
No pilot scheme is planned for joint service police training.
§ Mr. TyrieTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what initial estimate he has made of the total saving from moving the Royal Military Police from Chichester to the lowest cost site, assuming maintenance of the same overall level of training output. [127239]
§ Mr. IngramThe initial estimate of the total savings from moving the Royal Military Police from Chichester to the lowest cost site is £695,000 per annum. In addition, a receipt from the disposal of the Chichester site will be realised. Over a 25 year period moving from the current service police, MOD Police and Guard Service training locations at Chichester, HMS Excellent, Wethersfield and Worthy Down to the benchmark site at RAF Halton is calculated to generate savings of at least £430 million.
§ Mr. TyrieTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what priority he attaches to joint service military training in relation to other parts of the review of joint service activity. [127240]
§ Mr. IngramJoint service training plays an important role in underpinning joint operational capability. A high priority is placed on delivering joint training when it is appropriate.
§ Mr. TyrieTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether the initiation of full joint service military police training needs to await the outcome of the Defence Training Review Rationalisation Programme; [127242]
350W(2) what joint service military police training is taking place; at what cost; and what proportion (a) by number of trainees and (b) by cost of all military police training, (i) excluding and (ii) including Ministry of Defence police, it represents. [127241]
§ Mr. IngramThere are no plans to initiate joint Service military police training other than through the Defence Training Review rationalisation programme. However, the training at the Royal Military Police Training School (RMPTS) is open to all three Services and some common training has also been carried out with the MOD Police. In practice, personnel from the Royal Marines, Royal Navy and RAF have attended the following courses: Royal Military Police (RMP) Junior Non Commissioned Officers (JNCO), RMP Investigations, and RMP Scenes of Crime. Information for 2001–2002, which is the most recent year for which data are readily available, shows that students from the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and Royal Marines make up 2.5 per cent. of the total student throughput and represented 2.4 per cent. of the total cost of RMPTS courses.
§ Mr. TyrieTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether recent experience of joint service operations in Afghanistan, the Gulf, Sierra Leone and the Falklands have resulted in joint service military training being placed at a higher priority. [127243]
§ Mr. IngramWe have always placed importance on joint service training. Training provided is reviewed in the light of lessons learned from all campaigns.
§ Mr. TyrieTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many army military policemen have been deployed at short notice to support other service policemen to assist with incidents in operations overseas; and in how many cases. [127244]
§ Mr. IngramSince January 2003, 18 members of the Royal Military Police have supported deployed Military Police assets, at short notice, for seven incidents conducted in four overseas locations.