17 Jan 25. Former MI6 Chief Sir Alex Younger to discuss grey zone threats.
Evidence Session: Defence in the Grey Zone
Tuesday 21 January 2025, 10.30, Committee Room 16
Watch live on parliamentlive.tv
Former Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, Sir Alex Younger, will give evidence to the Defence Committee in a session starting at 10.30 on Tuesday 21 January.
Dr Margriet Drent, Policy Advisor for the Counter Hybrid Unit at the Ministry of Defence of The Netherlands, will also give evidence.
The Committee will examine the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD’s) contribution towards combatting grey zone threats – threats that fall below the perceived threshold for military action – such as sabotaging undersea cables.
For the first part of the session, the Committee will hear from Dr Drent, focusing on The Netherlands’ efforts to adopt a whole-of-nation approach to grey zone threats. Questions are likely to cover the role of deterrence and the Reserve Forces.
Sir Alex Younger will give evidence in the second part of the session. Sir Alex Younger spent three decades as a career intelligence officer in MI6, including six years as Chief of the agency. He has also served as Director of Counter Terrorism, from 2009 to 2012. This part of the session is likely to cover the nature and origins of the threats that the UK faces. Committee Members may examine the strengths and weakness of liberal democracies when it comes to countering grey zone threats.
10.30, Tuesday 21 January:
- Dr Margriet Drent – Policy Advisor for the Counter Hybrid Unit at the Ministry of Defence of The Netherlands
Approx. 11.30:
- Sir Alex Younger – Ex-Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, 2014-2020
19 Jan 25. Public to question MPs on the use of evidence in Parliament at ‘reverse’ Select Committee hearing.
In a unique development at the opening of Evidence Week in Parliament on Monday 20th January, the chairs of nine parliamentary Select Committees will take the witness seat to be questioned by voters about the evidence behind legislation.
- How are renewable energy options compared?
- What assessments have been done on the impact of rural transport cuts on access to medicine?
- Do MPs calculate trade-offs between conservation and energy efficient homes?
- Is Parliament tracking post-covid attendance in schools?
- What evidence supports the Government’s statement that Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims will double in 4 years?
- What is the evidence behind different parental leave entitlements?
- What evidence will Parliament demand from water companies?
- Is prisons policy based on more evidence or on values?
These and other questions have been drawn from constituencies across the UK by the charity Sense about Science and by community groups including MumsNet, MoneySavingExpert and Shout Out UK. The exchanges will be livestreamed [1] to kick off this year’s Evidence Week in Parliament, organised by Sense about Science, the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology and the House of Commons and House of Lords Libraries.
While the rest of the week brings cutting edge science briefings and training to Westminster, Tracey Brown, director of Sense about Science points out:
“MPs care about what the public cares about – and the public cares a lot more about sound reasoning and evidence than is often portrayed. People want policies that add up, and they want their MPs to be interrogating that, so get to set that out at the opening event next week.”
A 2024 survey by Sense about Science and Ipsos [2] found that:
- The public are not confident that MPs are equipped to question the government about evidence on polices, including the use of AI (66% not very or not at all confident), Climate change (64%), Healthcare (61%), Energy policy (59%) and the economy (58%).
- 74% think it is important the government shows the public all the evidence used to make important policy decisions (up from 66% in 2023 and 61% in 2022).
- Most people think politicians pay too little attention to evidence (62%, up from 51% in 2023 and 53% in 2022).
Chi Onwurah MP, Chair of the Commons’ Science Innovation and Technology Committee, who will take the hot seat in front of public questioners in the Wilson Room, described Evidence Week as an “invaluable opportunity’” In full:
“Scientific evidence forms the base of all sound legislation and scrutiny. Robust evidence and analysis are vital to effectively tackle the biggest challenges our country faces, whether it’s economic growth, climate change or making our NHS fit for the future.
“This is why Evidence Week is such an invaluable opportunity – it brings together parliamentarians, researchers and the public to discuss and understand the evidence behind important policy issues. MPs need to have the skills, knowledge and confidence to effectively scrutinise the Government’s policies, hold it to account, and ensure it delivers on its goals.”
Rhiannon Evans, Head of Communications at Mumsnet, said:
“We’re delighted to be taking part in Evidence Week. Our nine m Mumsnet users are highly engaged with politics, and we see conversations on our forums every day where Mumsnetters scrutinise the evidence (or lack of!) behind the policy decisions that affect their lives. We’re looking forward to putting some of those questions to decision makers directly”.
Katie Watts, Head of Campaigns and Policy at MoneySavingExpert, said:
“When it comes to the pound in your pocket, consumers want reassurance that government decisions truly consider the reality of their lives. This event is a great opportunity to highlight that people really value transparent policymaking: knowing what evidence has been used to make decisions and to assess the impact on their finances, consumer rights and quality of life. I really welcome the willingness of the committee members to open a window to members of the public and answer their questions on how they look for and use evidence in their work.”
Voters will question the following Select Committees: Chi Onwurah MP (Chair, Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee), Bill Esterson MP (Chair, Energy Security and Net Zero Select Committee), Toby Perkins MP (Chair, Environmental Audit Select Committee), Layla Moran MP (Chair, Health and Social Care Select Committee), Helen Hayes MP (Chair, Education Select Committee), Lord Foster (Chair, Justice and Home Affairs Select Committee), Debbie Abrahams MP (Chair, Work and Pensions Select Committee), Yuan Yang MP (Treasury Select Committee) and Lord Moylan (Chair, Built Environment Select Committee).
Proceedings will open with the public panel of questioners being advised by national experts, including Sir Ian Diamond, the National Statistician, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, CEO of UKRI and Grant Hill-Cawthorne, the House of Commons Librarian, on how information is provided to government and parliament.
Prof Grant Hill-Cawthorne, House of Commons Librarian and Managing Director of Research and Information, said:
“Evidence Week is a brilliant opportunity for researchers, parliamentarians and the public to come together to highlight the importance of high-quality evidence in the work we all do.
“Access to robust, trustworthy and politically impartial evidence, information and analysis is essential to the work carried out by parliamentarians every day. In a world of fast-developing artificial intelligence and disinformation, high quality, impartial evidence is crucial for policymakers and underpins the services provided by the parliamentary libraries.”
Lucas Scott-Harston, Head of Opportunities, Monitoring & Evaluation (OME) at Shout Out UK, said:
“SOUK is delighted to participate in the Sense about Science Evidence Week, which brings together the public, researchers and parliamentarians to discuss how evidence is used and scrutinised at Westminster. As an organisation whose mission is to protect and amplify democracy through political and media literacy, we firmly believe in the importance of this campaign.”
“Public scrutiny and a transparent legislative process are both crucial elements of a healthy democratic system. At SOUK we have worked tirelessly since 2015 to ensure all citizens, regardless of their socio-economic background, ethnicity, or gender can improve their political and media literacy levels, empowering them to become democratically engaged and informed citizens. We strongly support the Sense about Science Evidence Week campaign, which aligns with this mission and ethos.”
Professor Mary Ryan FREng CBE, Vice-Provost for Research and Enterprise at Imperial College London, said:
“I am delighted that Evidence Week is back for another year and will be showcasing some of the vital and exciting work that Imperial College London is doing to tackle the growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance.
Every year, Evidence Week plays a critical role in keeping MPs and policymakers informed about the latest developments on pressing policy issues and highlighting the important role that science and scientists play in generating the evidence needed to inform effective decision-making.”
13 Jan 25. Report: The Global Combat Air Programme. Defence Committee: GCAP timescale is ambitious and Gov’t must keep pace.
The Defence Committee has today (14 January) published a report on the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), welcoming the programme’s progress but cautioning the need to stay on track to meet the in-service target date of 2035.
The Global Combat Air Programme is an international partnership between the UK, Japan and Italy which will design, manufacture, and deliver a next-generation crewed combat aircraft.
Controlling costs and multi-year funding
With increasing pressure on the defence budget, the report calls for Government and industry to keep tight control of the costs of GCAP. It calls on Government to consider a multi-year funding arrangement to put the programme on a secure footing and provide international partners with confidence in the UK’s ongoing commitment.
Additionally, there must be transparency around the programme’s budget, and information on costs should be made available to Parliament and the public as GCAP proceeds.
Retaining a skilled workforce
The defence industry is facing fierce competition from other sectors for skilled workers. While GCAP is a welcome opportunity to attract new talent into the UK’s combat air industry, the focus cannot just be on the recruitment of new apprentices into industry primes.
Today’s report calls for a holistic approach to recruitment and retention that ensures that the existing Typhoon manufacturing workforce is transitioned onto GCAP. This will be a challenge, given dwindling production of Typhoon in the UK and the gap until full-scale production of Tempest is underway.
The report calls the failure to capitalise on the success of the Hawk trainer aircraft remarkably short-sighted and deeply regrettable.
Maintaining pace to meet an ambitious timescale
The report describes GCAP’s timescale as ambitious. It underscores the need for delivery structures at governmental and industrial levels to be sufficiently empowered to take timely and binding decisions as the programme progresses.
Chair of the Defence Committee, Tan Dhesi MP, said: “GCAP is an exciting opportunity to make the fighter jet of the future. The world is an increasingly volatile and dangerous place and new air power capabilities – such as those promised by GCAP – will be essential if we are to meet the challenges ahead. While today’s report welcomes GCAP, it also cautions that the MOD must have a firm grip on the programme. All too often multilateral defence programmes are beset with soaring costs and mounting delays. GCAP must break the mould. GCAP’s timescales are ambitious – we have a window of opportunity now, at this early stage, to make choices that set the programme on the right track. If we are to maintain pace and meet the 2035 target, the programme must be structured to enable the right people to make timely and binding decisions. History shows us that costs can easily spiral, but pressures on the UK’s defence budget mean there is no margin for mismanagement.
“The MOD should take a holistic approach to recruitment and skills. While we should seek out and nurture budding talent, the UK already has a workforce with a wealth of experience and expertise. The MOD should work with those skilled workers, including those currently working on Typhoon, to bring them onto GCAP. The UK’s proud history in combat air manufacturing is rooted in its workforce: it’s people that will be key to the success of GCAP, and the MOD must ensure that they are prioritised.”
10 Jan 25. Service Complaints Ombudsman to be questioned by the Defence Committee. Evidence Session: One-off session on the work of the Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces
Tuesday 14 January 2025, 10.30, The Grimond Room
Watch live on parliamentlive.tv
The Defence Committee will hold an evidence session with the Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces (SCOAF), Mariette Hughes, at 10.30 on Tuesday 14 January.
This session takes place as legislation passes through Parliament seeking to replace the role of SCOAF with an Armed Forces Commissioner. Members are likely to ask for Ms Hughes’ views on the proposed role and the transition period.
The Armed Forces Covenant is likely to be discussed, covering the implications of the Government’s plans to bring the Covenant ‘fully into law’, and asking where the Covenant could be improved. The Committee has recently launched an inquiry into the Armed Forces Covenant.
Questions are likely to also cover the Ombudsman’s 2023 annual report, examining the breakdown of complaints, including the overrepresentation of female Service Personnel, the under-representation of Reservists and the timeliness of the Services in investigating complaints.
10.30, Tuesday 14 January:
- Mariette Hughes – Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces