06 Feb 24. MPs to examine options to boost the defence economy in Northern Ireland. The cross-party Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has launched an inquiry into how historically low spending on the defence sector in Northern Ireland can be boosted by the UK Government. The amount of cash spent per person on average in the UK is £310, five-times more than the £60 per person spent in NI, despite it being home to defence giants Thales and shipbuilders Harland and Wolff. Small and medium enterprises in NI fare even worse, making up just £3m of the MoD’s £950m spent at smaller businesses nationwide. The new inquiry will examine the causes of low defence investment in Northern Ireland, it’s capabilities in defence and dual-use manufacturing, and what more can be done to make NI more attractive for defence procurement.
Sir Robert Buckland, the Committee’s Chair said: “For many years defence spending in Northern Ireland has lagged far behind that of the UK average. With the MoD’s budget set to rise, we want to find out what it would take to get Northern Ireland a larger share of procurement. We’ve seen in previous inquiries that some of the issues endemic in Northern Ireland society have socio-economic deprivation at their root cause. Finding a way to boost Northern Ireland’s output in the defence sector and cyber security could address these issues by creating hundreds, potentially thousands of high-skilled jobs. We want to hear from companies working in and with the defence sector in Northern Ireland to identify opportunities for boosting spending and the policies that will support it.”
Terms of Reference:
The Committee invites evidence submissions on its website on the following questions before the end of 7 March 2024:
- What factors have contributed to the historical and ongoing low levels of MoD spending with industry in Northern Ireland?
- Could the MoD make more use of Northern Ireland’s defence industrial base and cyber security capabilities?
- Are planned increases in MoD capital budgets over the period to 2027-28 likely to lead to increased MoD spending with industry in Northern Ireland?
- Why is MoD expenditure with SMEs in Northern Ireland so much lower than in other parts of the UK?
- Does Northern Ireland’s workforce have the skills needed to support scale up of the defence and security industries?
- How will recent changes to MoD policy on procurement and its strategic relationship with industry affect companies in Northern Ireland?
- Could additional government support help businesses in Northern Ireland’s defence and cyber security industries to increase exports of their products and services?
House of Commons and House of Lords Hansard Written Answers
03 Feb 24. John Healey MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, sought clarity on the decommissioning schedule of the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers:
“To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the out of service date is for the Royal Navy’s fleet of Type 45 destroyers.”
James Cartlidge, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence (MOD), responded:
“On current plans, the last Type 45 Destroyer will retire from service by the end of 2038.”
In a recent written question to the Ministry of Defence, we also got a glimpse at the scheduled in-service dates for the Type 83 Destroyer, the replacement for Type 45.
“To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the in-service date is for the (a) Type 83 and (b) Future Air Dominance System.”
James Cartlidge, the Minister of State at the MOD, provided a succinct response, outlining the current status and expected service entry for these defence initiatives:
“The Future Air Dominance System (FADS) programme is in the pre-concept phase. The Type 83 warship is one component of the overall FADS system, and under current plans, the First of Class platform is planned to be in service in the late 2030s.”
(Source: News Now/https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/)
Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Safety
Question for Ministry of Defence
Holly Lynch
Labour
Halifax
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2024 to Question 10491 on Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Accidents, how he plans to monitor implementation of the recommendations made by the Defence Safety Authority Service Inquiry into the fatal accident involving a Scimitar Fighting Vehicle on Salisbury Plain Training Area – 15 October 2021, published on 23rd November 2023.
Answer
Dr Andrew Murrison
Conservative
South West Wiltshire
Commons
Answered on 8 February 2024
The welfare of our personnel is of the utmost importance and all 52 of the recommendations in this report have been accepted and assigned an appropriate Owner within the Department. The Owner will, when appropriate, submit their evidence to the Defence Safety Authority, where the Director General will consider closing the outstanding action.
Defence Equipment
Question for Ministry of Defence
Maria Eagle
Labour
Garston and Halewood
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 37 of the National Audit Office’s report entitled The Equipment Plan 2023-2033, HC 315, published on 4 December 2023, what steps he is taking to improve the red rating from the Infrastructure and Projects Authority of MODNet Evolve.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 8 February 2024
Since the last Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) review, the MODNET Evolve programme has appointed a new Senior Responsible Owner and Programme Director. The governance regime has been strengthened and is more robust, and the performance of the programme continues to improve. In accordance with the IPA’s recommendation, the programme has been brigaded into two technically independent capability streams, covering the Official and Secret security tiers.
The primary MODNET Official contract was signed in December and there is a clear, credible plan to migrate to the new supplier, and realise a 60% reduction in running costs.
The future Secret requirement is in the process of being revalidated to ensure the project meets Defence needs and has the flexibility to adapt to rapidly changing threats, technology, and evolving user need.
An IPA review is planned for April, where it is expected that the programme’s rating will improve.
Meteor Missiles: Repairs and Maintenance
Question for Ministry of Defence
Maria Eagle
Labour
Garston and Halewood
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Q65 of the oral evidence by Lt General Sir Robert Magowan to the Committee of Public Accounts on 22 January 2024, HC 451, when he plans to make a decision on whether to complete a midlife upgrade of the Meteor long-range air-to-air missile.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 8 February 2024
The UK, together with the five other Meteor Partner Nations, continues to assess Mid Life options for Meteor and expects to reach a formal decision on the way forward by the end of 2024.
Panther Command and Liaison Vehicle: Decommissioning
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current out of service date is for the Army’s Panther vehicles.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 8 February 2024
Both the original and current out of service date for Panther is 2037.
Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Decommissioning
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current out of service date is for the Army’s remaining Stormer Armoured Vehicles.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 8 February 2024
Both the original and current out of service date is 2026.
Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Decommissioning
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current out of service date is for the Army’s (i) Mastiff, (ii) Ridgeback and (iii) Wolfhound protected mobility vehicles.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 8 February 2024
The original out of service dates was 2024 and the current out of service date is 2028.
Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Decommissioning
Question for Ministry of Defence
John Healey
Labour
Wentworth and Dearne
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current out of service date is for the Army’s Bulldog vehicle.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 8 February 2024
Both the original and current out of service date for Bulldog is 2030.
Ministry of Defence: Procurement
Question for Ministry of Defence
Maria Eagle
Labour
Garston and Halewood
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 37 of the National Audit Office’s report entitled The Equipment Plan 2023-2033, HC 315, published on 4 December 2023, what steps he is taking to improve the red rating from the Infrastructure and Projects Authority of Spearcap 3.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 8 February 2024
Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) delivery confidence assessments reflect a judgement at a particular point in time. They do not represent the likelihood or not of successful delivery but are a representation of the level of risk and what further mitigation may be required in order to reduce such risk. The red rating for the Core Production Capability programme reflects its ambitious timelines. The Department is working closely with Rolls-Royce Submarines to improve delivery confidence, including by increasing production rates and improving manufacturing resilience. The IPA has confirmed the ongoing actions are appropriate.
Defence Suppliers Forum
Question for Ministry of Defence
Maria Eagle
Labour
Garston and Halewood
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 6 of the Defence Suppliers’ Forum publication entitled Collaboration Charter, published on 22 November 2023, which training exercises has in-service feedback been shared with industry partners for since the publication of that charter.
Answer
James Cartlidge
Conservative
South Suffolk
Commons
Answered on 8 February 2024
The Ministry of Defence (MOD)-Industry charter is our first step in delivering the Defence Command Paper Refresh’s intent of building a new partnership with industry and builds on ongoing work to bring industry earlier into the capability development cycle. The charter was only signed in November 2024 and with Industry we are working through the implementation plan. We have made progress already by establishing classified workshops over the last 18 months, including one on Ukraine lessons, and by inviting industry to particate this year in our Planned Force Testing event for the first time. Going forward there will be further Head Office led quarterly classified workshops to share operational challenges and lessons. We will assess the effectiveness through engagement at the Defence Suppliers Forum and by visibly seeing a fundamentally different approach and behaviours between MOD and Industry.