House of Commons and House of Lords Hansard Written Answers
Q
Asked by Mr Peter Bone
(Wellingborough)
[N]
Asked on: 05 July 2017
Ministry of Defence
Defence: Expenditure
3075
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that all members of NATO spend at least two per cent of their gross domestic product on defence.
A
Answered by: Mark Lancaster
Answered on: 10 July 2017
Government Ministers and officials regularly discuss the Defence Investment Pledge (DIP) with NATO Allies. The DIP was a key outcome of the NATO summit in Wales in 2014 at which Allies agreed to spend two per cent of GDP on Defence by 2024. Progress against this target has been made but there is more to do. Defencespending by European Allies is increasing, and all Allies have agreed to commit to putting the DIP into national plans by the end of 2017. The UK already meets the DIP target, will continue to do so for the rest of this decade, and will increase Defence spending by 0.5 per cent above inflation every year until 2021.
Q
Asked by Tommy Sheppard
(Edinburgh East)
[N]
Asked on: 04 July 2017
Ministry of Defence
Trident: Electronic Warfare
2990
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the cyber security of the Trident nuclear weapons system.
A
Answered by: Sir Michael Fallon
Answered on: 10 July 2017
We continually assess the capability of the United Kingdom’s nuclear submarine fleet to ensure its operational effectiveness and to maintain resilience against potential threats.
I am withholding information on the specific systems used by our submarines as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
Q
Asked by Tim Farron
(Westmorland and Lonsdale)
[N]
Asked on: 04 July 2017
Ministry of Defence
Type 26 Frigates
2762
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 27 June 2017, Contingent Liability, HCWS 14, that three Type 26 global combat ships will be built, (a) how much steel in tonnes will be used to construct those ships and (b) what the country of origin is of that steel.
A
Answered by: Harriett Baldwin
Answered on: 10 July 2017
Around 4,000 tonnes of steel will be required to build each Type 26 Frigate. Steel will be sourced principally from the UK and Sweden. For some grades of plate steel the combination of thickness, size and flatness specifications needed for the Type 26 Frigates mean that the steel cannot be sourced in its entirety in the UK.
Q
Asked by Stephen Kinnock
(Aberavon)
Asked on: 04 July 2017
Ministry of Defence
Defence: Procurement
2688
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect of introducing the compulsory disclosure of certification and steel origin in UK defence procurement.
A
Answered by: Harriett Baldwin
Answered on: 10 July 2017
In December 2016, the Government issued updated guidance on how Departments should ensure they take full account of the value provided by UK steel producers when conducting their procurement activities. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continues to follow this guidance, which has also now been extended to the wider public sector.
In the main, defence steel requirements are sourced by our prime contractors from a range of UK and international suppliers, reflecting the overarching need to ensure competitive cost, time and quality. The specialist nature of some of our steel requirements means that UK steel producers do not always have the capability to supply our programmes. There are no plans to introduce the compulsory disclosure of certification and steel origin in UK defence procurement. However, the MOD is committed to facilitating the right conditions and supply chain opportunities for a competitive and sustainable steel industry across UK defence.
Q
Asked by Wayne David
(Caerphilly)
[N]
Asked on: 04 July