PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS
14 Oct 08. Evidence Session
UK national security and resilience
Tuesday 21 October 2008
At 10.30 am in Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster (room subject to change), oral evidence will be taken from:
* Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth, Minister for the Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence
* Admiral Lord West of Spithead KCB DSC, Under Secretary of State for Security and Counter Terrorism, Home Office
House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 15 Oct 2008
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to make arrangements for members of the armed services serving in Afghanistan to be able to receive Christmas parcels after the end of October. [226882]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The MOD, in conjunction with Royal Mail Group, provides a free mail service for letters and packets, up to 2 kg in weight, from families and friends to named MOD personnel deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq throughout the year. The latest posting date to guarantee Christmas delivery is 5 December 2008.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Mastiffs, (b)
Vector, (c) Jackal and (d) Ridgeback vehicles have been ordered by his
Department; and how many have been delivered. [226912]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The breakdown of Mastiff, Vector, Jackal and Ridgeback ordered and delivered to date is as follows;
Number ordered Number delivered
Mastiff 282 108
Vector 185 178
Jackal 202 130
Ridgback 15 70
House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 16 Oct 2008
Aircraft Carriers: Shipbuilding
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the first plate of metal for each of the two new aircraft carriers will be cut. [227357]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The formal cutting of the first plate of metal for each of the new aircraft carriers corresponds with the start of production in the main shipyards, which is expected to commence in early 2009 for HMS Queen Elizabeth and mid-2010 for HMS Prince of Wales. However, long lead items, including steel, have been procured.
Future Surface Combatant
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent
assessments have been made of the vulnerability of future frigates to missile strikes; what studies have been undertaken of the relative resilience against such strikes of (a) trimaran and (b) conventional frigate hull designs for the Future Surface Combatant (FSC); and if he will make a statement on progress in the design of the proposed variants of the FSC. [227065]
Mr. Quentin Davies: The Future Surface Combatant (FSC) programme is still in the early stages of concept and the design is not expected to be confirmed until early in the next decade. Some work has been undertaken to assess the merits of using different types of hull form, including trimaran and conventional designs. Studies to assess the vulnerability and resilience to missile strikes of FSC are, however, planned.
Lords Hansard text for 13 Oct 2008
Monday 13 October 2008
Armed Forces: Contracts
Lord Lee of Trafford asked Her Majesty’s Government: What alternatives were considered before awarding the Defence Technology and Innovation Centre, BAE Systems and QinetiQ contracts to develop a prototype 155 mm heavy gun for use on Royal Navy warships in support of land forces; what is the value of those contracts; what is the total requirement for such a gun; and what is the expected timescale to bring it into service. [HL5357]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): The Defence Technology and Innovation Centre awarded a £8.1 million contract to CORDA (a wholly owned subsidiary of BAE Systems) which allocated tasks to BAE Land Systems and QinetiQ to research the feasibility and associated technology requirement for the Army’s 155mm ordnance to be f