16 Feb 24. Defence Committee closes evidence on Future Aviation Capabilities with MOD procurement minister and senior military officials. On Wednesday 21 February the Commons Defence Committee concluded oral evidence in its inquiry into the future of the UK’s aviation defence capabilities, following its previous inquiry into aviation procurement.
The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) has the potential to be one of the most important defence programmes of the next decade for the UK, but key decisions on the workshare across the three countries involved – the UK, Italy and Japan – are yet to be confirmed.
Questioning in this final session is likely to cover practical, logistical and technical elements of the programme, including funding structures, the integration of uncrewed aircraft, and the role of new technologies including AI.
Recruiting, training and retaining a skilled workforce to deliver GCAP has been identified as a significant challenge.
The Committee will also explore other Ministry of Defence procurements including plans for the replacement of the Hawk advanced jet trainer, ongoing delays to the New Medium-Lift Helicopter competition, and the purchase of additional Chinook helicopters from the US.
At 2:30pm:
- James Cartlidge MP, Minister for Defence Procurement at Ministry of Defence
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton KCB, Chief of the Air Staff at Ministry of Defence
- Lieutenant General Rob Magowan CB CBE, Chief of the Defence Staff (Financial and Military Capability) at Ministry of Defence
- Richard Berthon OBE, Director Future Combat Air at Ministry of Defence
House of Commons and House of Lords Hansard Written Answers
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems: Arms Trade
Question for Department for Business and Trade
Tommy Sheppard
Scottish National Party
Edinburgh East
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what (a) value and (b) type of (i) import and (ii) export licences have been granted to Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd in the last five years.
Answer
Greg Hands
Conservative
Chelsea and Fulham
Commons
Answered on 22 February 2024
HM Government publishes data on export licensing decisions on a quarterly basis in the Official Statistics, including data on outcome, end user destination, overall value, type (e.g. military, other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data.(opens in a new tab)
The most recent publication was on 16 January 2024 and covered licensing decisions made between 1 April – 30 June 2023.
Arms Trade: Israel
Question for Department for Business and Trade
Caroline Lucas
Green Party
Brighton, Pavilion
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policy on arms exports to Israel of the press notice by Amnesty International entitled Israel/OPT: New evidence of unlawful Israeli attacks in Gaza causing mass civilian casualties amid real risk of genocide, published on 12 February 2024.
Answer
Greg Hands
Conservative
Chelsea and Fulham
Commons
Answered on 22 February 2024
The Government continues to monitor closely the situation in Israel and Gaza. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against our Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, including with regard to international humanitarian law. All licences are kept under careful and continual review and we are able to amend, suspend, refuse or revoke licences in response to changing international circumstances.
Radio Waves: Health Hazards
Question for Ministry of Defence
Dame Angela Eagle
Labour
Wallasey
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential level of risk posed by working in close proximity to radio frequency emitters.
Answer
Dr Andrew Murrison
Conservative
South West Wiltshire
Commons
Answered on 21 February 2024
Joint Service Publication (JSP) 392, Management of radiation protection in defence, provides defence staff with guidance on radiological protection of personnel within establishments and units to prevent harm. This includes applying safety standards which set the limits for exposure, and ensuring defence personnel are aware and equipped to manage working with these hazards.
In conjunction with JSP 392, JSP 375, Management of health and safety in Defence, mandates that all military activities must be risk assessed to identify and manage potential risks, including working in close proximity to radio frequency emitters. The accountable person, who may be a commander or manager, is responsible for identifying risks and providing mitigations to prevent harm.
Veterans: Employment Schemes
Question for Ministry of Defence
Steve McCabe
Labour
Birmingham, Selly Oak
Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help increase the uptake of job transition services for veterans.
Answer
Dr Andrew Murrison
Conservative
South West Wiltshire
Commons
Answered on 21 February 2024
Resettlement services are offered to all personnel leaving the Regular Armed Forces with employment support and training delivered through the an official provider, the Career Transition Partnership (CTP). CTP supports the transition from military to civilian life through a range of career and employment support services . CTP works with hundreds of employers who recognise the talent pool leaving the Armed Forces and the skills, experience and strong working ethos Service leavers bring with them after a military career.
Although the CTP service is available to all personnel who qualify, some may choose not to use it. From 27 November 2023 all Service leavers have been automatically registered with the CTP and must now actively ‘opt out’.
Over the past 25 years the CTP has provided transition support to over 310,000 Service leavers across all ranks and Services, with an average of 15,000 accessing the programme each year. Defence Statistics have published annual figures detailing employment outcomes for Service leavers who left during 2021/22 on www.GOV.uk(opens in a new tab) – https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/career-transition-partnership-ex-service-personnel-employment-outcomes-financial-year-202122(opens in a new tab). 87% of Service personnel who left the UK Armed Forces and used a billable CTP service were employed after six months.