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PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

March 6, 2020 by

06 Mar 20. New inquiry and evidence session: Integrated Review. The Defence Committee is launching the first phase of an inquiry into the upcoming Integrated Review.

At the end of 2019 the Government announced plans to conduct a comprehensive Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review, heralded as “the most radical reassessment of [the UK’s] place in the world since the end of the Cold War”.

The Defence Committee is conducting an initial inquiry to explore how the Government should be conducting this review, and what lessons can be learned from previous reviews from the UK Governments and Governments across the world.

Once the Committee has reported on this, they plan to commence with stage two of the inquiry: holding additional sessions on the strategic security and defence challenges facing the UK and collecting evidence on the future of the UK’s defence and security policies and capabilities.

The Chair of the Committee, the Rt Hon. Tobias Ellwood MP said: “Britain is facing an increasingly unpredictable world, where new threats are emerging every day. The Government must upgrade our defence posture and clarify the UK’s position in the world in order for us to stay ahead of the many challenges we face.

The Integrated Review provides a perfect opportunity for the Government to set out how it intends to wield greater influence on the world stage, while also keeping its citizens and infrastructure safe.

The Committee and I will be running a thorough inquiry into this review, but we cannot do so without starting with the basics: what does best practice look like?

Until both we and the Government have established this, it will be impossible to produce a realistic and comprehensive plan for the UK to maintain its security and standing on the world stage.”

The Committee will hold its first evidence session for this inquiry on Tuesday 10 March at 2.45pm. (Venue: The Wilson Room, Portcullis House)

04 Mar 20. All Party Parliamentary Group for Sovereign Defence Manufacturing Capability. Jack Lopresti, MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke has established an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Sovereign Defence Manufacturing Capability, which held its inaugural Annual General Meeting on 15th January 2019. At this meeting Mr Lopresti was elected to chair the Group for the next year.

At a meeting of the Group in the House of Commons, on Wednesday 26th February, Mr Lopresti said: “As the Government embarks on its Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, it is important that we examine the strategic value of a Sovereign Defence Manufacturing Capability.”

“The amount invested in maintaining a strong defence capability reflects the importance that HM Government attaches to it. I’m very proud to represent a constituency that plays such a leading role in the UK’s world-class defence industry. Major employers within this industry have a significant presence in the area I represent, including Airbus, Rolls-Royce, GKN, BAE Systems, MBDA and Boeing. With 8,000 MOD civil servants based locally at DE & S Abbey Wood, I have seen for myself the great work that they do in ensuring that our armed forces get the equipment they need.”

The initial meeting (on 26th February) took evidence from Howard Wheeldon, a noted commentator on the defence sector. Subsequent meetings will hear from academics, representatives from industry, as well as others. A report will form the basis for a submission from the APPG into the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy. (Source: Nick Watts)

House of Commons and House of Lords Hansard Written Answers

Q

Asked by Jack Lopresti

(Filton and Bradley Stoke)

Asked on: 25 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Procurement

20461

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to accelerate the timescale for the (a) the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme (b) the Challenger 2 Lethality Enhancement Programme; and if he will make a statement.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 04 March 2020

There are currently no plans to make any changes to the Warrior Capability Sustainment Project or the Challenger 2 Life Extension Project. The Government’s Integrated Security Defence and Foreign Policy Review will consider all aspects of our defence and security capabilities including these projects.

Q

Asked by Luke Pollard

(Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)

Asked on: 26 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Nuclear Submarines: Decommissioning

21291

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review will tackle the timeline and delivery of the recycling of the retired nuclear submarines stored at (a) Devonport and (b) Rosyth.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 04 March 2020

The Ministry of Defence is fully committed to its part in supporting the successful delivery of the Government’s ambition for the Integrated Review.

We remain committed to the disposal of our decommissioned submarines in a safe, secure, cost-effective and environmentally sound manner, as soon as practicably possible.

Q

Asked by Nia Griffith

(Llanelli)

[N]

Asked on: 26 February 2020

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review

21185

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy will be completed before the finalisation of a UK-EU security partnership.

A

Answered by: James Cleverly

Answered on: 04 March 2020

Holding answer received on 02 March 2020

The main bulk of the integrated review is expected to conclude in line with the Comprehensive Spending Review later this year, although implementation of its recommendations will be a multi-year project.

Q

Asked by Mr Kevan Jones

(North Durham)

[N]

Asked on: 26 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Procurement

21167

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department has allocated from the public purse to the Ajax programme in each year from 2012 to 2019.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 04 March 2020

Holding answer received on 02 March 2020

The table below sets out the amount spent on the AJAX programme, rounded to the nearest £100:

FY2012-13 FY2013-14 FY2014-15 FY2015-16 FY2016-17

£92,138,700 £71,902,200 £281,655,700 £274,362,100 £351,382,300

FY2017-18 FY2018-19

£463,278,400 £600,936, 200

BATTLESPACE Comment: The PQ does not elaborate on the application of these funds but it is a huge amount to get to the production stage without seeing one production vehicle.

Q

Asked by Mr Kevan Jones

(North Durham)

Asked on: 26 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Maritime Patrol Aircraft

21172

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support package his Department has agreed with Boeing for the P-8 aircraft; and what proportion of the through-life support of those aircraft will take place in the UK.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 04 March 2020

Commercial work to agree the future support arrangements for the Royal Air Force (RAF) Poseidon fleet is ongoing, and in order to protect the commercial interests of the Ministry of Defence, I cannot provide any further detail at this stage. Currently, support for the two aircraft that have already been delivered is being provided as part of the Foreign Military Sale case. This is enabling us to make use of the arrangements already in place for US Navy aircraft.

Q

Asked by Mr Kevan Jones

(North Durham)

[N]

Asked on: 28 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Type 31 Frigates: Procurement

22370

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the National Shipbuilding Strategy, whether the cost of the Type 31 Frigate remains £250 million.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 04 March 2020

The average production cost will be £250 million per ship. This is consistent with the challenge laid down for the Type 31 programme in the National Shipbuilding Strategy.

Q

Asked by Mr Kevan Jones

(North Durham)

[N]

Asked on: 28 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Type 31 Frigates

22371

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the through-life support costs are of the Type 31 Frigate.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 04 March 2020

It is too early to say what the through life support costs of the Type 31 Frigate will be.

Q

Asked by Mr Kevan Jones

(North Durham)

Asked on: 28 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Type 31 Frigates: Procurement

22375

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2020 to Question 18618 on Type 31 Frigates, when the in water date is for the remaining Type 31 Frigates.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 04 March 2020

In the context of Type 31 the phrase ‘in the water’ means the point at which the ship is transported out of the assembly hall to an adjacent wet basin where it will be lowered into the water or ‘floated out’. Government Furnished Equipment will be integrated into the ship at appropriate points, including after ‘float out’ as is common practice in the building of warships.

The programme remains on track for the first ship to be in the water by 2023, however further information on the ‘in the water’ dates of the remaining Type 31 ships is commercially sensitive. The disclosure of this information would be prejudicial to commercial interests as the contractor is still in the process of finalising subcontractor supply chain agreements.

Q

Asked by Mr Kevan Jones

(North Durham)

[N]

Asked on: 28 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Type 31 Frigates: Iron and Steel

22377

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to include British steel within the supply chain of the Type 31 Frigate; what proportion of the hull contains British steel; and what the UK content is of the entire ship.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 04 March 2020

It is too early to say what the steel requirement for the Type 31 Frigates might be. In line with Cabinet Office guidance on the procurement of steel in major projects, the Type 31 prime contractor, Babcock will make its steel requirements known to the UK steel industry in order that they may consider bidding.

Q

Asked by Lord West of Spithead

Asked on: 24 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Warships

HL1829

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they remain committed to maintaining a force of 19 operational destroyers and frigates by the 2030s, as stated in their report National Shipbuilders Strategy, published in September 2017.

A

Answered by: Baroness Goldie

Answered on: 03 March 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 Lord Empey

Asked on: 26 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Type 31 Frigates

HL1928

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to accelerate the construction of the new Type 31 class of frigates for the Royal Navy, given the increasing workload being created by the situation in the Gulf and the imminent deployment of the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers.

A

Answered by: Baroness Goldie

Answered on: 03 March 2020

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

The first Type 31 Frigate will be in the water in 2023 and Babcock is contractually obliged to deliver all five Type 31 Frigates to the Ministry of Defence by the end of 2028.

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 Caroline Lucas

(Brighton, Pavilion)

[R]

Asked on: 21 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Nuclear Submarines: Nuclear Weapons

18605

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on procedures to provide nuclear submarine commanders on distant patrol with information to determine the legality of an order to fire a nuclear missile.

A

Answered by: James Heappey

Answered on: 02 March 2020

The United Kingdom would not use any of its weapons, whether conventional or nuclear, contrary to international law. Only the Prime Minister can authorise the firing of nuclear weapons, with legal advice contributing to that decision, and the Commanding Officer of the ballistic missile submarine must confirm that the authorisation to fire meets the rigorous authentication processes in place.

We will not comment on the details of our submarine operations – including these authentication processes, what information is provided to the submarine and how information is provided to the submarine – for the purposes of safeguarding national security.

Q

Asked by Mr Kevan Jones

(North Durham)

[N]

Asked on: 21 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Type 23 Frigates

18617

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has plans to delay the incremental retirement of the Type 23 frigates; and whether he has made an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of a sustainment programme for those frigates.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 02 March 2020

On current plans the last Type 23 frigate will transition out of service in 2035.

The Type 23 frigate class is continually being updated and upgraded to meet new threats or to replace obsolete technology. This is achieved via a Through Life Management Plan. With regard to the cost of the programme, this draws together a number of capability enhancements; the information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Q

Asked by Mr Kevan Jones

(North Durham)

Asked on: 21 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft: Finance

18620

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much Government funding has been spent on the defence estate to facilitate the (a) delivery and (b) maintenance of the F-35b.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 02 March 2020

Significant infrastructure upgrades have taken place to facilitate the delivery and maintenance of the F-35b. To date c.£421 million has been spent.

Q

Asked by Mr Kevan Jones

(North Durham)

[N]

Asked on: 26 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Warships: Deployment

21161

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to manpower shortages and delayed refit and retrofit programmes, whether the Royal Navy is able to put 19 destroyers and frigates to sea.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 02 March 2020

The Royal Navy has the workforce required to meet their commitments, and we remain committed to ensuring they have the ships and capabilities required to fulfil Defence commitments now and in the future.

Q

Asked by Mr Kevan Jones

(North Durham)

Asked on: 26 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Type 31 Frigates

21164

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Type 31 will possess an anti-ship-missile capability.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 02 March 2020

Flexible by design, the Type 31 frigates will be adaptable to a range of capabilities, which may include an anti-ship missile system.

Q

Asked by Jonathan Edwards

(Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)

[N]

Asked on: 26 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Nuclear Weapons

21226

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the required lethality for the proposed Mark 7 nuclear warhead.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 02 March 2020

The Mk7 aeroshell is planned to be common to both the UK replacement warhead and the US W93. The Government is confident that the UK’s replacement warhead will continue to deliver an effective, independent, minimum, credible deterrent. We are withholding information about the effectiveness of the UK replacement warhead for the purposes of safeguarding national security.

Q

Asked by Mr Kevan Jones

(North Durham)

[N]

Asked on: 26 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Lockheed Martin

21166

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the level of consolidated damages payments made by Lockheed Martin to his Department was in each of the last five financial years.

A

Answered by: Johnny Mercer

Answered on: 02 March 2020

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not routinely use the term ‘consolidated damages’, so your question has been interpreted to mean ‘liquidated damages’.

In 2017-18, the MOD recovered liquidated damages from Lockheed Martin worth £350,000. No other payments were recovered in the last five years.

Q

Asked by Mr Kevan Jones

(North Durham)

Asked on: 26 February 2020

Ministry of Defence

Type 23 Frigates

21173

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the service life of a Type 23 frigate is.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 02 March 2020

The Type 23 frigates have been in service since the 1980s and were originally designed with an 18-year life span. They have over the last thirty years become the mainstay of Royal Navy operations and are flexible vessels that have proven their versatility in warfighting, peacekeeping and maritime security operations around the globe. The Type 23 frigates are continually being updated and upgraded to meet new threats or to replace obsolete technology. This is achieved via a Through Life Management Plan.

On current plans the last Type 23 frigate will transition out of service in 2035.

 

 

 

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