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PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

February 28, 2020 by

House of Commons and House of Lords Hansard Written Answers

Q

Asked by Grahame Morris

(Easington)

Asked on: 10 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Defence: Innovation

14688

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) Engagement Day at Cranfield University on 11 February 2020, whether his Department has plans for further DASA engagement events in the (a) the North East and (b) UK.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 17 February 2020

I am delighted that my predecessor (James Heappey MP) attended the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) engagement day at Cranfield on 11 February, and met Small and Medium Enterprises and academics attending the event. This was the first event of this type and needs to be evaluated before a decision is made on staging further events. In the meantime, DASA has a team of regional Innovation Partners who regularly attend events across the UK, including in the North East of England.

The Innovation Partners will continue to look for the right opportunities to engage with suppliers who could support innovation for the defence and security of the UK.

Q

Asked by Luke Pollard

(Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)

Asked on: 13 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Warships

2046

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his current projection is of the number of Type (a) 23, (b) 26, (c) 31e and (d) 45 ships that will be in service in the Royal Navy in each year from 2020 to 2030.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 26 February 2020

We remain committed to ensuring the Royal Navy has the ships and capabilities required to fulfil Defence commitments now and in the future.

Babcock is contractually obligated to deliver five Type 31 Frigates to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) by the end of 2028, and HMS GLASGOW, the first of the Type 26 Frigates, will be in-service with the MOD in 2027. The last Type 23 Frigate will be transitioned out of service in 2035. The first Type 45 Destroyer entered service in 2010, these Destroyers have a projected 25-year life span.

The Prime Minister has committed to undertake the deepest review of Britain’s security, defence and foreign policy. This review will examine how we strengthen and prioritise our alliances, diplomacy and development and will consider all aspects of our defence and security capabilities, including our approach to procurement and maintaining our technological edge. We are considering a number of options to increase the availability of ships during this period.

Q

Asked by Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts

Asked on: 13 February 2020

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Qassem Soleimani

HL1649

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 January (HL Deb, col 258) and the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 January (HL523), whether the military operation on 3 January which killed General Soleimani met the test of imminence for the purposes of self-defence in international law.

A

Answered by: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Answered on: 26 February 2020

Article 51 of the UN Charter recognises that all States have an inherent right of self-defence. The strike against Soleimani was not a UK operation. It is for the United States to say how the criteria for self-defence are met, and you will be aware that the United States set out the basis for its action in a letter to the UN Security Council dated 8 January 2020.

Q

Asked by Sir Edward Leigh

(Gainsborough)

Asked on: 21 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Red Arrows

18484

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team plans to vacate RAF Scampton; and to which RAF base that Team will relocate.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 26 February 2020

As announced in July 2018, RAF Scampton is due to close in 2022. The future location of the Red Arrows is still being determined, with RAF Leeming, RAF Waddington and RAF Wittering identified as potential sites.

Q

Asked by Chi Onwurah

(Newcastle upon Tyne Central)

[N]

Asked on: 21 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Huawei

18812

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) meetings and (b) other representations his Department has had with Huawei since 1 January 2019.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 26 February 2020

The Ministry of Defence publishes in arrears details of Ministers’ and Senior Officials’ meetings on a quarterly basis on:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-with-external-organisations-in-the-ministry-of-defence and https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/senior-staff-meetings-with-external-organisations .

The following details can be found in the returns:

The date of the meeting

The name of the organisation or individuals who attended the meeting

The purpose of the meeting

Q

Asked by Mr Kevan Jones

North Durham) [N]

Asked on: 21 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Type 31 Frigates: Procurement

18614

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on defence capabilities of the decision to delay the delivery of Type 31 frigates until 2027.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 26 February 2020

There is no delay to the delivery of the Type 31 frigates. The first ship will be in the water in 2023 and all five ships will be delivered by the end of 2028.

Five Batch 2 Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), built in partnership with BAE Systems on the Clyde, are being delivered for the Royal Navy. HMS FORTH and HMS MEDWAY are currently deployed. HMS TRENT and HMS TAMAR have been delivered and HMS SPEY is expected to be delivered to the Royal Navy by the end of the year. Of the three Batch 1 OPVs, HMS TYNE and HMS MERSEY are operational, and HMS SEVERN is being prepared to return to service. Their tasking will be based on Defence requirements.

Q

Asked by Mr Kevan Jones

(North Durham) [N]

Asked on: 21 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Astute Class Submarines: Procurement

18615

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Royal Navy has procured seven Astute-class submarines.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 26 February 2020

We remain committed to delivering seven Astute Class submarines by 2026. The contract for the procurement of the seventh and last boat in this Class, AGINCOURT, was announced in May 2018, underpinning the commitment made in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Q

Asked by Lord West of Spithead

Asked on: 11 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Frigates: Deployment

HL1551

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many frigates that are available for operations they estimate will be in the Royal Navy order of battle in (1) 2024, (2) 2025, and (3) 2026.

A

Answered by: Baroness Goldie

Answered on: 25 February 2020

We remain committed to ensuring that the Royal Navy will have the ships required to fulfil Defence commitments now and in the future.

The Prime Minister has committed to undertake the deepest review of Britain’s security, defence and foreign policy. This review will examine how we strengthen and prioritise our alliances, diplomacy and development and will consider all aspects of our defence and security capabilities, including our approach to procurement and maintaining our technological edge.

Q

Asked by Mr Kevan Jones North Durham)

Asked on: 12 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Defence: Procurement

1175

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the security of the supply of critical materials for the UK defence industry.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 25 February 2020

The Ministry of Defence recognises the importance of working with industry to assure the resilience of defence supply chains. We routinely engage with our key suppliers to ensure we have access to the capabilities our Armed Forces require.

Q

Asked by Mr Kevan Jones (North Durham)

Asked on: 12 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Household Cavalry: Armoured Fighting Vehicles

1183

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2020 to Question 5354 on Household Cavalry: Armoured Fighting Vehicles, what the cost to the public purse is of that delay.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 25 February 2020

There is no cost to the public purse as a result of the delay to the Household Cavalry receiving AJAX.

BATTLESPACE Comment: The NAO report is believed to have stated ‘technical issues,’ as the cause for this delay. It does not cover whether this is the ‘turret wobble,’ or the chassis problems caused by weight issues reported by sources close to BATTLESPACE?

Q

Asked by Emily Thornberry (Islington South and Finsbury)

Asked on: 12 February 2020

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Press Freedom

1206

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to help promote the merits of freedom of the press overseas.

A

Answered by: Nigel Adams

Answered on: 25 February 2020

The British Government is fully committed to promote media freedom and protect journalists. We believe that media freedom is vital to functioning democracies and that journalists must be able to investigate and report without undue interference.

Alongside Canada, we hosted the first Global Conference on Media Freedom in London in July 2019. The former Foreign Secretary announced an international campaign to end the climate of impunity and mobilise a consensus behind the protection of journalists worldwide.

Our media freedom campaign initiatives are designed to add value to, and reinforce, existing mechanisms, including those of the UN and other international organisations. We have convened a Media Freedom Coalition: a partnership of 35 countries working to hold abusers to account. The first official level meeting of the Coalition took place in Geneva on 29 January. Working closely with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the UK has established a £3m Global Media Defence Fund to help protect journalists around the world. The UK works with media organisations and civil society around the world to deliver projects to protect and enable journalists. And, at the request of the UK and Canadian Governments, Lord Neuberger and Amal Clooney have convened an independent High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom. On the 13 February, the Panel released the first in a series of advisory reports that will provide recommendations to the Governments on how they can increase protections for the media.

  • UK Ministers and senior officials regularly raise concerns in multilateral fora, such as the UN Human Rights Council and the Council of Europe, about countries that do not comply with their human rights obligations. In addition, we use the UK’s extensive diplomatic network to raise concerns about media freedom bilaterally. This includes individual cases where journalists and other media professionals are persecuted or attacked; or where governments are introducing laws and policies that could lead to restrictive practices.

Q

Asked by Tulip Siddiq (Hampstead and Kilburn)

Asked on: 13 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

International Military Services: Finance

5153

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2020 to Question 13610 and the Answer of 3 February 2020 to Question 9095, on International Military Services: Finance, what plans he has to ensure that IMS Ltd complies in the 2019-20 financial year with the requirements of the Ordnance Factories and Military Services Act 1984 in respect of the (a) £382 million payment into court and (b) £5 million dividend paid in 2010 to the then Secretary of State.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 25 February 2020

The Department will always comply with any applicable substantive or procedural requirements of legislation.

Q

Asked by Lord Harris of Haringey

Asked on: 10 February 2020

Home Office

Prevent Oversight Board

HL1473

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Prevent Oversight Board, as referenced in the statutory guidance published in accordance with the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, still exists; and if so, (1) what is its current membership, and (2) when it last met.

A

Answered by: Baroness Williams of Trafford

Answered on: 24 February 2020

The Prevent Oversight Board is currently in existence. The Board membership includes Ministerial and Director-level representatives and their equivalents across the following Whitehall departments:

Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Defence, Department for Education, Department of Health and Social Care, Counter Terrorism Police Headquarters (CTPHQ), Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC), Welsh Government, Scottish Government, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the Security Services, Cabinet Office, and Charity Commission.

  • Departments and agencies which are not listed as standing members can be invited as required.
  • The Board last convened in November 2018.
  • Q
  • Asked by Mr Gregory Campbell
  • (East Londonderry)
  • [N]
  • Asked on: 11 February 2020
  • Ministry of Defence
  • EU Battlegroups
  • 14963
  • To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK defence forces will be deployed with the EU battlegroup until 31 December 2020.
  • A
  • Answered by: James Heappey
  • Answered on: 24 February 2020
  • There will be no UK forces deployed to an EU Battlegroup during 2020.

 

 

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