House of Commons and House of Lords Hansard Written Answers
Q
Asked by Paul Farrelly
(Newcastle-under-Lyme)
[N]
Asked on: 19 July 2019
Ministry of Defence
Autonomous Weapons
279386
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of supporting a ban on lethal autonomous weapons systems.
A
Answered by: Mark Lancaster
Answered on: 24 July 2019
The United Kingdom does not support a ban on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems .The UK considers its extant legal and regulatory framework for the development, assurance and deployment of military systems to be sufficient to ensure that the capabilities we field will always meet our obligations under international law.
Q Asked by Jonathan Edwards
(Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Asked on: 15 July 2019
Department for International Trade
Defence and Security Organisation
277164
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many staff worked for the Defence and Security Organisation (DSO) on 1 April 2019; how many of those staff worked in the Export Support Team; and what the DSO’s budget is for 2019-20.
A
Answered by: Graham Stuart
Answered on: 23 July 2019
As of 1 April 2019 the Defence and Security Organisation (DSO) had a total workforce of 111 staff of which 23 worked for the Export Support Team and were military MOD staff.
DSO’s budget for 2019-20 is £8.4m.
Q
Asked by Gerald Jones
(Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney)
[N]
Asked on: 18 July 2019
Ministry of Defence
Defence: Procurement
279107
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when her Department will announce the preferred bidder for the Future Service Delivery Contract.
A
Answered by: Mr Tobias Ellwood
Answered on: 23 July 2019
Bids for this contract have only just been received and have not yet been evaluated. Depending how fully they meet the Department’s requirements, we provisionally envisage announcing the preferred bidder in December 2019.
Q
Asked by Gerald Jones
(Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney)
[N]
Asked on: 18 July 2019
Ministry of Defence
Defence: Procurement
279108
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Future Service Delivery Contract will include the (a) War Pension Scheme, (b) Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and (c) Medals Office.
A
Answered by: Mr Tobias Ellwood
Answered on: 23 July 2019
These functions are being Market Tested as options as part of the Future Service Delivery Contract competition. No decision to outsource them has been taken. They would be outsourced only if that provided best outcome for the Ministry of Defence, the serving and former Service personnel affected and the taxpayer.
Q
Asked by Nia Griffith
(Llanelli)
[N]
Asked on: 18 July 2019
Ministry of Defence
Defence Fire and Rescue Service: Serco
278932
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 18 July 2019 on Defence Fire and Rescue Project, HCWS1758, what the total cost was to his Department of the legal challenge from Serco Ltd.
A
Answered by: Mr Tobias Ellwood
Answered on: 23 July 2019
The total cost of Serco’s legal challenge to the Defence Fire and Rescue procurement process is expected to be less than £11 million. The majority of this is the cost of the financial settlement mutually agreed with Serco, the details of which were set out in my statement of 18 July 2019 (HCWS1758).
Q
Asked by Nia Griffith
(Llanelli)
[N]
Asked on: 18 July 2019
Ministry of Defence
Defence Fire and Rescue Service
278933
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Written Statement of 18 July 2019 on Defence Fire and Rescue Project, HCWS1758, for what reasons her Department decided that that project will improve safety for firefighter personnel.
A
Answered by: Mr Tobias Ellwood
Answered on: 23 July 2019
The Defence Fire and Rescue Project contract introduces additional investment into the Defence Fire and Rescue capability which will contribute to improvements in safety for both firefighters and the wider defencepopulation. This includes the introduction of new types of firefighting vehicles and technology that limits the exposure of firefighters to high hazard areas; additional breathing apparatus simulators; easier access to training in a greater range of locations; more training scenarios in simulators and a greater focus on prevention and protection.
Q
Asked by Lord West of Spithead
Asked on: 16 July 2019
Ministry of Defence
Type 31 Frigates
HL17237
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the action information system in the Type 31e frigates will be compatible with that in the Type 26 frigates in terms of operations room training and cross-operating of personnel.
A
Answered by: Earl Howe
Answered on: 22 July 2019
The Type 31e frigate programme is currently in its Competitive Design Phase. I am unable at this time to comment on the ship systems being offered by the bidders as to do so would be prejudicial to the commercial interests of the Ministry of Defence.
Q
Asked by Lord West of Spithead
Asked on: 16 July 2019
Ministry of Defence
Type 26 Frigates
HL17238
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether contingency work has occurred with BAE Systems to ascertain whether the T26 programme could be accelerated in a time of national emergency or for any other reason; and if not, why not.
A
Answered by: Earl Howe
Answered on: 22 July 2019
I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave to the noble Lord, Lord Moonie on 12 March 2019 in response to Question number HL14108.
Any Ministry of Defence plan could be subject to revision in the event of a national emergency if the nature of that emergency required it.
HL14108 – Type 26 Frigates (Word Document, 22.32 KB)
Q
Asked by Mr Mark Francois
(Rayleigh and Wickford)
[N]
Asked on: 17 July 2019
Ministry of Defence
Astute Class Submarines
278417
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) procurement and (b) life-cycle costs are for a Royal Navy Astute Class submarine.
A
Answered by: Stuart Andrew
Answered on: 22 July 2019
It is not possible to identify a single unit cost for an Astute Class submarine as Boats one to three (Astute, Ambush, and Artful) were contracted as a batch, with the rest of the class subject to separate contractual arrangements. However, as an example of the main costs involved, the whole-boat contract for Agincourt, the seventh and last boat in the class, announced in May 2018, was £1.5 billion. This covers the totality of work involved in the boat build, including test and commissioning. The procurement costs include initial support provisioning, however, in-service support costs of a submarine will vary with the individual platform material state. These costs form part of wider submarine maintenance contracts and are not easily identifiable separately and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Q
Asked by Mr Mark Francois
(Rayleigh and Wickford)
[N]
Asked on: 17 July 2019
Ministry of Defence
Future Large Aircraft
278419
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether restrictions have been imposed on the type of stores that are carried by the A400M as a result of vibration problems with that aircraft.
A
Answered by: Stuart Andrew
Answered on: 22 July 2019
A400M routinely carries ordnance, munitions and explosives in support of the UK’s Defence commitments including in the broader Middle East. The type of stores that can be carried have been cleared through a qualification process in line with operational priorities, and there are no restrictions specific to A400M due to vibration.
Q
Asked by Mr Mark Francois
(Rayleigh and Wickford)
[N]
Asked on: 17 July 2019
Ministry of Defence
Future Large Aircraft
278420
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse is of the programme of work being undertaken by Airbus to increase the (a) serviceability and (b) reliability of the RAF’s A400m aircraft fleet.
A
Answered by: Stuart Andrew
Answered on: 22 July 2019
There is no single activity or programme to address aircraft serviceability. All aircraft are operated and maintained in accordance with the Air System Document Set, which includes the Operator’s Maintenance Plan. This defines the servicing schedules and their periodicity based primarily on usage. With regard to reliability, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 1 July 2019 to Question 269009.
Q
Asked by Mr Kevan Jones
(North Durham)
[N]
Asked on: 17 July 2019
Ministry of Defence
Type 31 Frigates: Radar
278406
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which radar system will be attached to the Type 31a frigate.
A
Answered by: Stuart Andrew
Answered on: 22 July 2019
At this stage in the programme it is too early to confirm design, equipment and systems for the Type 31e frigates.
Final decisions will be made at the main investment decision point, taking into account the role of the ship, operating environment and future threats.
Q
Asked by Mr Kevan Jones
(North Durham)
Asked on: 17 July 2019
Ministry of Defence
Maritime Patrol Aircraft: Guided Weapons
278407
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether her Department has plans to modify the missile systems of P-8 aircraft.
A
Answered by: Stuart Andrew
Answered on: 22 July 2019
There are currently no plans to modify the weapon systems of the P-8A Poseidon. However, once we have reached the full operating capability of the aircraft, the Department will be in a position to assess the weapon choices available that meet our needs and to enable us to make decisions on future aircraft configurations.
Q
Asked by Mr Kevan Jones
(North Durham)
[N]
Asked on: 17 July 2019
Ministry of Defence
Torpedoes: Procurement
278411
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it remains her Department’s policy to take the Sting Ray lightweight torpedo out of service between 2026-2030; and what plans her Department has for the replacement that torpedo.
A
Answered by: Stuart Andrew
Answered on: 22 July 2019
The Royal Navy has embarked upon a pre-concept phase regarding the future light weight torpedo programme which will assess the options for extension or replacement of the Sting Ray torpedo.