Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much from the public purse his Department spent on external consultants (a) between 31 March 2022 and 30 March 2023 and (b) since 31 March 2023.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Department maintains a central record of overall consultancy expenditure which is disclosed as part of the Annual Report and Accounts (ARAC).
The most recent available figure for the Department's overall spend on consultancy can be found in the Annual Report and Accounts for Financial Year 2021-22. For ease of reference the value reported was £204.974 million.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much from the public purse his Department spent on external management consultants (a) between 31 March 2022 and 30 March 2023 and (b) since 31 March 2023.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Department does not categorise expenditure for management consultancy separately from overall consultancy spend and therefore this element cannot be separated out.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Committee of Public Accounts report entitled MoD Equipment Plan 2022–2032, HC 731, published on 19 April 2023, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Department does not recognise the claims of a broken procurement system in the Public Account Committee’s report. The MOD is committed to driving effective delivery of capability to the front line and this is reflected in overall performance. The majority of our programmes deliver on or ahead of time and budget.
The Public Account Committee’s claim that the Equipment Plan does not align with the lessons learnt from the Ukraine conflict is unsubstantiated. The events in Ukraine have largely confirmed our 2019 warfighting analysis that underpins in the Equipment Plan and Defence and Security Industrial Strategy.
The MOD has been at the forefront of ensuring that the supplies get into Ukraine as soon as possible in response to the conflict as it evolves. We have trained over 15,000 recruits and provided £2.4 billion of support, including artillery ammunition, as well as leading the world on the gifting of vital capabilities, such as multiple-launch rocket systems, Challenger 2 tanks and now Storm Shadow missiles.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2023 to Question 156045 on Armed Forces: Germany, how many personnel from the (a) RAF, (b) Army and (c) Navy are training with the German armed forces.
Answered by James Heappey
As part of our bilateral relationship UK and Germany offer reciprocal training opportunities within the Armed Forces. As at 24 April 2023, six British military personnel are undertaking training in the German Armed Services: one with the Navy, four with the Army, one with the Air Force.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact on the Scottish economy of cancellation of the Type 32 frigate programme.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
There are currently no plans to withdraw the Type 32 Frigate Programme and it remains a key part of the future fleet for the Royal Navy. The Programme is currently in its concept phase and work continues, across a number of defence organisations, to ensure the programme is affordable.
Defence Equipment and Support (DES) have been allocated overall funding to develop various concepts on multiple projects. It is therefore difficult to delineate precise costs, but we would estimate that approximately c.£4 million of this funding has been allocated to the T32 programme.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on the Type 32 frigate programme.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
There are currently no plans to withdraw the Type 32 Frigate Programme and it remains a key part of the future fleet for the Royal Navy. The Programme is currently in its concept phase and work continues, across a number of defence organisations, to ensure the programme is affordable.
Defence Equipment and Support (DES) have been allocated overall funding to develop various concepts on multiple projects. It is therefore difficult to delineate precise costs, but we would estimate that approximately c.£4 million of this funding has been allocated to the T32 programme.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact on the economy of cancellation of the Type 32 frigate programme.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
There are currently no plans to withdraw the Type 32 Frigate Programme and it remains a key part of the future fleet for the Royal Navy. The Programme is currently in its concept phase and work continues, across a number of defence organisations, to ensure the programme is affordable.
Defence Equipment and Support (DES) have been allocated overall funding to develop various concepts on multiple projects. It is therefore difficult to delineate precise costs, but we would estimate that approximately c.£4 million of this funding has been allocated to the T32 programme.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) other stakeholders about the potential impact of cancellation of the Type 32 frigate programme.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
There are no current plans to withdraw the Type 32 Frigate Programme and it remains a key part of the future fleet. The Programme is currently in its concept phase and work continues to ensure the programme is affordable.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact on shipbuilding in Scotland of cancellation of the Type 32 frigate programme.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
There are no current plans to withdraw the Type 32 Frigate Programme and it remains a key part of the future fleet. The Programme is currently in its concept phase and work continues to ensure the programme is affordable.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of cancelling the Type 32 frigate programme on the Royal Navy's capability.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
There are no current plans to withdraw the Type 32 Frigate Programme and it remains a key part of the future fleet. The Programme is currently in its concept phase and work continues to ensure the programme is affordable.