Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the Fleet Solid Support programme manufactured by the UK workforce.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Fleet Solid Support contract will create more than 1,200 UK shipyard jobs and around 800 jobs will be sustained in the UK supply chain. There is also substantial investment being made in the UK including around £100 million into UK shipyards, including £77 million of infrastructure at Harland & Wolff’s Belfast shipyard, the agreement will see a further £21 million invested in skills and technology transfer from Navantia UK. Whilst the majority of the work will take place in the UK, companies in the supply chain are still being engaged. There is also substantial investment being made in UK shipbuilding and ship design.
As prime contractor for the Fleet Solid Support ships Navantia UK is in the process of letting a number of contracts to UK companies, including those already let with BMT and Harland & Wolff. The value of the individual contracts is commercially sensitive information. It is expected that approximately 60% of the contract value will be with UK companies.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the Fleet Solid Support programme will be manufactured using components made in the UK.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Fleet Solid Support contract will create more than 1,200 UK shipyard jobs and around 800 jobs will be sustained in the UK supply chain. There is also substantial investment being made in the UK including around £100 million into UK shipyards, including £77 million of infrastructure at Harland & Wolff’s Belfast shipyard, the agreement will see a further £21 million invested in skills and technology transfer from Navantia UK. Whilst the majority of the work will take place in the UK, companies in the supply chain are still being engaged. There is also substantial investment being made in UK shipbuilding and ship design.
As prime contractor for the Fleet Solid Support ships Navantia UK is in the process of letting a number of contracts to UK companies, including those already let with BMT and Harland & Wolff. The value of the individual contracts is commercially sensitive information. It is expected that approximately 60% of the contract value will be with UK companies.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to respond to Questions 22907 and 22908 tabled by the Rt hon. Member for North Durham.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Fleet Solid Support contract will create more than 1,200 UK shipyard jobs and around 800 jobs will be sustained in the UK supply chain. There is also substantial investment being made in the UK including around £100 million into UK shipyards, including £77 million of infrastructure at Harland & Wolff’s Belfast shipyard, the agreement will see a further £21 million invested in skills and technology transfer from Navantia UK. Whilst the majority of the work will take place in the UK, companies in the supply chain are still being engaged. There is also substantial investment being made in UK shipbuilding and ship design.
As prime contractor for the Fleet Solid Support ships Navantia UK is in the process of letting a number of contracts to UK companies, including those already let with BMT and Harland & Wolff. The value of the individual contracts is commercially sensitive information. It is expected that approximately 60% of the contract value will be with UK companies.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his criteria are for publicly disclosing payments made to contractors working on defence programmes.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Where applicable, the Department publishes a Contract Notice for MOD-issued tenders for new procurements over £12,000 (inc VAT) on Contracts Finder which is in the public domain.
Additionally, the Department provides the Cabinet Office upon request with periodic statistical reports on contracts and tenders over the £12,000 (inc VAT) threshold that have been published or are exempt from publication.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been paid to (a) Harland and Wolff and (b) Navantia UK under the Fleet Solid Support programme.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey) on 23 April 2024 to Question 22462.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many blocks will comprise one vessel in the Fleet Solid Support programme; and how many of those will be fabricated in (a) the UK and (b) Spain.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement (Alex Chalk) to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne on 20 January 2023 to Question 128600.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department paid General Dynamics UK in 2023-24 for the Ajax programme.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024 the Ministry of Defence paid General Dynamics UK £437 million for the AJAX programme. All payments have been made in accordance with performance against the payment schedule and milestone plan within the extant fixed price contract. I am unable to publish the details of the milestones and payment schedule as this may prejudice the Department’s commercial interests.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) France and (b) Spain on the procurement of a new modular training aircraft for the Royal Air Force.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The current RAF Capability Investigation seeks to fully understand the UK's sovereign requirements for future advanced fast-jet training solutions ahead of any potential future international engagement.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department expects to take delivery of new Chinook H-47 extended range aircraft.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The programme will deliver a total of 14 Extended Range Chinook Helicopters to the Department with delivery from 2027.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2024 to Question 16073 on HMS Prince of Wales: Salvage, whether artefacts salvaged illegally from HMS Prince of Wales and seized in Malaysia have been (a) seen and (b) inventoried by UK officials.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
Investigations into the illegal salvage of HMS Prince of Wales by the Malaysian authorities are still ongoing, therefore, it would be inappropriate to comment further until they have been concluded.