01 Feb 12. Select Committee Announcement. PUBLICATION OF REPORT – OPERATIONS IN LIBYA. The Defence Committee published a report on Operations in Libya at 00.01 am (BST) on Wednesday 8 February 2012. This will be the Committee’s Ninth Report of Session 2010–12 (HC 950).
The report will be made available on the Committee’s website, www.parliament.uk/defcom, on Wednesday 8 February and copies may be purchased from the Parliamentary Bookshop (12 Bridge Street, Westminster, London, SW1A 2JX) on the day of release.
House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for Tuesday 01 February 2012
Aircraft Carriers
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the Statement of Intent on Carrier Co-operation and Maritime Power Projection with the US; [91944]
(2) if he will estimate the cost of the operations with the US on training covered by the Statement of Intent on Carrier Co-operation and Maritime Power Projection in each year up to 2020; [91945]
(3) if he will estimate the cost of the number of personnel who will be assigned to training covered by the Statement of Intent on Carrier Co-operation and Maritime Power Projection; and what training they will receive. [91946]
Peter Luff: The Statement of Intent, jointly signed at Defence Secretary level on 5 January 2012, provides a high level framework for US/UK co-operation as the UK regenerates a carrier strike capability. Principal co-operative activities, including training, will be taken forward progressively through the working group structure established by the Statement of Intent and may, if necessary, be subject to separate and specific agreements. It is not possible at this early stage to provide estimates of costs that might arise from co-operative activities undertaken within the framework of the Statement of Intent.
The document will be placed in the Library of the House.
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) pursuant to the answer of 12 January 2012, Official Report, column 416W, on aircraft carriers, whether his Department has conducted, or plans to conduct, investigations into the compatibility of advanced arresting gear with the Joint Combat Aircraft; and whether it has contributed, or intends to contribute, resources to investigations carried out by the US; [92453]
(2) on what date his Department was first made aware of compatibility issues in relation to the advanced arresting gear and the Joint Combat Aircraft. [92454]
Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence is aware of the F35C Arrestor Hook compatibility issues, which came to light during Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) testing in August 2011. Discoveries of this nature can only be expected during development of such complex technology and design solutions to the Arrestor Hook arrangements are already well advanced. These will be tested and proven as part of the ongoing JSF development test programme, in which the UK is fully engaged as a level one partner, with approximately 40 civilian and military personnel embedded across various US sites.
Harrier Aircraft: Sales
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2012, Official Report, column 940W, on Harrier aircraft, (1) what monetary value was given to the associated support equipment included in the sale of the Harrier aircraft; [92456]
(2) what the original cost was of the associated support equipment included in the sale of the Harrier aircraft to the US; and if he will make a statement; [92457]
(3) which company or companies invoiced his Department for (a) £0.7 million and (b) £0.4 million for consultancy services associated with the sale of Harrier aircraft to the US; what the consultancy services provided were; and how many hours of work, by how many consultants, these payments were for. [92458]
Peter Luff: The sale value of 72 Harrier airframes spares and associated support equipment to the US Government was nego