Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect of introducing the compulsory disclosure of certification and steel origin in UK defence procurement.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
In December 2016, the Government issued updated guidance on how Departments should ensure they take full account of the value provided by UK steel producers when conducting their procurement activities. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continues to follow this guidance, which has also now been extended to the wider public sector.
In the main, defence steel requirements are sourced by our prime contractors from a range of UK and international suppliers, reflecting the overarching need to ensure competitive cost, time and quality. The specialist nature of some of our steel requirements means that UK steel producers do not always have the capability to supply our programmes. There are no plans to introduce the compulsory disclosure of certification and steel origin in UK defence procurement. However, the MOD is committed to facilitating the right conditions and supply chain opportunities for a competitive and sustainable steel industry across UK defence.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what criteria were used to determine who was invited to the unveiling of the Iraq and Afghanistan Memorial on 9 March 2017.
Answered by Mike Penning
The Iraq and Afghanistan Memorial honours the contribution of all those in the UK Armed Forces and all UK citizens who supported the campaigns in the Gulf region, Iraq and Afghanistan from 1990-2015. As these operations spanned over 25 years, involving some 300,000 Service personnel and many tens of thousands of civilians, attendance could only be on a representative basis. Therefore, to ensure as broad a representation as possible, the Ministry of Defence consulted with a wide and diverse range of groups, including across Government with those Departments and agencies from which personnel had deployed. This included current serving personnel, veterans (including the wounded, holders of gallantry awards and prisoners of war), civil servants, and the very many civilian and charitable organisations that played a role to represent the memory of those who did not return. Attendance from the bereaved community was made on a representative basis via recognised charities and representative groups as with others attending.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to support and uphold the Military Covenant.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
We have already done a huge amount to improve the lives of Service personnel, veterans and their families, as the 2016 Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report demonstrates. We continue to lead work across Government Departments, local authorities, businesses and the charitable sector to embed and sustain delivery of the Covenant, to address disadvantage wherever it arises, and ensure fairness. We have shown our long term commitment to delivering the Covenant by allocating £10 million a year to continue funding projects and initiatives that support our people.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent meetings he has had with campaign groups on the potential introduction of the National Defence Medal to recognise the contribution of veterans.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
Defence Ministers and officials have had no recent meetings with National Defence Medal campaign groups.
For details of our position on this matter I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 December 2015 to Question 19127 to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Melanie Onn).
http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-12-08/19127/
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the level of procurement of British steel by his Department in the last 12 months.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
Defence requirements for steel are in the main sourced by our prime contractors taking into account cost, time and quality. The Ministry of Defence does not therefore hold a central record of the origin of steel utilised in defence projects over the past 12 months. However, the data held shows that UK suppliers have made a significant contribution to the supply of steel for defence, including some 88% of the structural steel for the new Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers.
We will continue to do what we can to address the barriers which might prevent UK steel producers competing effectively in an open market. This includes, where appropriate, publishing information about our future steel requirements.