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PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

May 1, 2020 by

01 May 20. Evidence Session – FAC to take evidence from Imagination Technologies.

Tuesday 5 May, 2.30.

  • Please note there is no access to Parliament
  • Session will have remote participation by witnesses and Committee members
  • Watch LIVE

On Tuesday 5 May at 2.30 pm, the Foreign Affairs Committee will hold an evidence session with witnesses from Imagination Technologies on the Committee’s Inquiry into The FCO’s role in blocking foreign asset stripping in the UK.

The session will focus on the importance of Imagination’s intellectual property to UK national security, the validity of claims that the company would be moved abroad, and the role of the Foreign Office in preventing hostile foreign takeovers.

Written evidence received ahead of the session will be published.

Witnesses

At 2.30pm –

  • Sir Hossein Yassaie, former CEO, Imagination Technologies;

At approximately 3.00pm –

  • Dr Ron Black, former CEO, Imagination Technologies
  • Ray Bingham, acting CEO, Imagination Technologies; Co-Founder and Partner, Canyon Bridge
  • John Rayfield, Chief Technical Officer, Imagination Technologies

Proceedings will be webcast live on the Parliamentary website at www.parliamentlive.tv

Written evidence published ahead of asset stripping session on Imagination Technologies

Ahead of its first oral evidence session into the FCO’s role in blocking foreign asset stripping in the UK, the Foreign Affairs Committee has today published a series of written evidence.

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Tugendhat MP, said:  “After the sale of Imagination Technologies in 2017, Britain was assured that the company would remain in the UK. Last month, we witnessed a failed attempt by what is effectively a Chinese state-backed investment fund to try to appoint four new directors to the Imagination board. We have to question the motivation here.  In recent years, we’ve witnessed too many of our country’s brilliant tech firms get snapped up by other nations – with potentially significant economic and foreign policy implications and the UK government do too little about it. Next week we will be investigating the importance of tech companies in our ability to influence a changing world and protect our national security and, therefore, the potential consequences of changes of control. We will be exploring what tools the Government needs to protect Britain’s interests. We will also hear form those who witnessed it, including both the current and previous chief executives of the company.”

House of Commons and House of Lords Hansard Written Answers

Q

Asked by Mr Stephen Morgan

(Portsmouth South)

Asked on: 20 April 2020

Ministry of Defence

Aerospace Industry: Contracts

37952

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that payments made to companies that have aerospace contracts with that Department are timely.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 24 April 2020

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is alert to the financial challenges that the Covid-19 outbreak is placing on all our suppliers, including those in the aerospace industry. In line with our usual payment policies, we are ensuring that outstanding invoices are paid promptly and are also encouraging primes and mid-tier suppliers to pay invoices as quickly as possible to their sub-tiers.

In addition, the MOD is enacting the Government Procurement Policy Note 02/20 published in March 2020, which sets out information and guidance for public bodies on paying suppliers to ensure service continuity during and after the Covid-19 outbreak. That includes ensuring that suppliers at risk will continue to be paid as normal and consideration of interim payments will be made where appropriate.

Q

Asked by Mr Stephen Morgan

(Portsmouth South)

Asked on: 20 April 2020

Ministry of Defence

Aerospace Industry: Contracts

37953

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect of the financial security of the aerospace sector on SMEs in the supply chain for Government contracts.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 24 April 2020

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has processes in place to routinely monitor the financial health of all its major suppliers, drawing on both internal and external analysis, and open-source financial information. Regular meetings are also held with the mid-tier and small and medium-sized enterprise communities.

The MOD will continue to work closely with colleagues in the Cabinet Office and other Government Departments to monitor risk across the Government’s supplier base, especially in light of the current Covid-19 situation.

Q

Asked by Mr Stephen Morgan

(Portsmouth South)

Asked on: 20 April 2020

Ministry of Defence

Aerospace Industry: Contracts

37951

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the outcomes of contracts between his Department and companies within the aerospace industry are not adversely affected by the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on those companies.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 24 April 2020

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is closely monitoring the impact of Covid-19 on defence suppliers, including those within the aerospace industry. We remain closely engaged with our key suppliers at this critical time and have also established regular meetings with the mid-tier and small and medium-sized enterprise communities to ensure we understand the impact the Covid-19 outbreak is having throughout the supply chain.

In line with our usual payment policies, we are ensuring that outstanding invoices are paid promptly and are also encouraging prime and mid-tier suppliers to pay invoices as quickly as possible to their sub-tiers.

Q

Asked by Jessica Morden

(Newport East)

[N]

Asked on: 24 April 2020

Ministry of Defence

Global Positioning System: Military Bases

39513

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure military access to GPS satellites resilient to jamming of signals for (a) communications, (b) direct energy weapons, (c) route planning and (d) local confirmation; and if he will make a statement.

A

Answered by: Jeremy Quin

Answered on: 29 April 2020

UK Armed Forces rely upon accurate Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) information for a variety of critical applications. GPS, owned and run by the US Armed Forces, is our main system; as a tier 1 nation, we have privileged access to the most secure GPS signals. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a dedicated Research & Development programme looking at diminishing traditional PNT vulnerabilities. This includes key work with industry on research into anti-jam techniques (jamming is the most common form of PNT interference) and the £70 million Robust Global Navigation System contract to deliver Multi Constellation Open Signal receivers, further decreasing our vulnerabilities. The MOD is committed to a systems-of-systems approach to managing PNT vulnerabilities, including with cross-Government partners.

 

 

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