Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of (a) the SSN-AUKUS programme, (b) supporting the in-service (i) submarine and (ii) SSN fleet, (c) maintenance programmes on SSN submarines and (d) HM Naval Base Clyde in the 2022-23 financial year.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The SSN-AUKUS programme is currently in its design phase. A cost estimate will be substantiated once Class size requirements have been agreed and the programme enters its next phase, ready for manufacture.
I can confirm that in financial year (FY) 2022-23, the cost of in-service support and maintenance programmes for submarines was £594 million. Due to commercial sensitivities and consolidated management information, it is not possible to break out the cost of maintenance programmes from the cost of total in service support.
In FY 2022-23, the cost of His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde was £278 million, including all infrastructure costs.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of the Defence Nuclear Enterprise for the 2022-23 financial year.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The definition of the Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) and scope of the associated nuclear ringfenced budget was agreed during financial year 2023-24. Prior to the estimated cost for 2023-24 being reported in supplementary estimates in February 2024, total DNE costs (within this definition) had never been reported, as activities are spread across different budgetary areas of the Department.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which policies under each arms length body reporting to their Department fall within the scope of the Environmental principles policy statement, published on 31 January 2023.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The 2021 Environment Act Environmental Principles duty does not apply to policy relating to the Armed Service, Defence and National Security.
However, the Environmental Principles Policy Statement is taken account of as part of Ministry of Defence policy decisions making processes. As such under the Policy Statement there is no requirement to maintain a comprehensive list of policies published since 1 November 2023, whether developed by a central department or an arm’s length body, which are not covered by stated exemptions.
The environmental principles policy statement provides further information on what is considered policy in scope of the duty.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason his Department’s criteria for faux fur replacement for the (a) King’s Guard’s bearskin and (b) Royal Horse Artillery's busby caps are different.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery soldiers’ busby is smaller and lighter than the King’s Guards ceremonial bearskin cap, and as such the faux fur replacement criteria differs.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 5417 on Israel: Military Aid, whether it is his Department's policy not to provide military equipment to Israel since 7 October 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK has a longstanding defence relationship with Israel. Any gifting of military equipment by the UK Government is considered on a case-by-case basis and is assessed against the UK’s Strategic Export Licensing Criteria.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the UAE on arms shipments to Darfur.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Secretary of State for Defence has had no recent discussions with his counterpart in the UAE on arms shipments to Darfur.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Department has lead operational responsibility for the evacuation from Pakistan of Afghan people who are eligible to come to the UK.
Answered by James Heappey
The Ministry of Defence oversees relocations from Pakistan of eligible Afghans under Afghan Relocation and Resettlement Policy (ARAP) scheme, working in partnership with other Departments. For the separate Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), flights and travel assistance are arranged by the Home Office and its partners, including the International Organization for Migration.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the (a) whole-life programme cost of the Trident successor programme, (b) capital costs associated with (i) submarine acquisition, (ii) Trident missile renewal and (iii) basing facilities, (c) operating costs of the (A) successor fleet and (B) associated capability to protect and sustain that fleet, (d) future costs associated with the Atomic Weapons Establishment maintaining an on-going nuclear warhead design capability and (e) decommissioning costs for that programme; whether these estimates account for recent increases in inflation; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Ministry of Defence co-ordinates a range of interdependent programmes to support, maintain and renew the United Kingdom's independent nuclear deterrent as well as the decommissioning and disposal activities for defence nuclear capabilities when they leave service. The cost of these programmes and activity is spread across many budgetary areas of the Department and has not previously been reported separately. From financial year 2023-24 we will report the majority of nuclear spend as a separate line in the Department's Supply Estimates.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 20 March 2023 to Question HL6144 on Ukraine: Ammunition and to UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/77/49 adopted by the General Assembly on 7 December 2022, if prior to making the decision to provide Ukraine with ammunition, including armour piercing rounds which contain depleted uranium, he held discussions with relevant international organisations about the finding in the Resolution that the magnitude of the potential long-term effects on human beings and the environment of the use of armaments and ammunitions containing depleted uranium is not yet fully understood.
Answered by James Heappey
No. Given the lack of tangible evidence to the contrary, we do not recognise the presupposed potential risk to health and the environment and therefore do not support UN resolutions that presuppose depleted uranium is harmful.
The UK notes that environmental and long-term health effects of the use of depleted uranium munitions have been thoroughly investigated by the World Health Organization, the United Nations Environmental Program, the International Atomic Energy Agency, NATO, the Centres for Disease Control, the European Commission, and others, none of which has documented long-term environmental or health effects attributable to use of these munitions.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 20 March 2023 to Question HL6144 on Ukraine: Ammunition and to UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/77/49 adopted by the General Assembly on 7 December 2022, when he last made an assessment of the potential hazards to human beings and the environment from the contamination of territories with depleted uranium residues; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by James Heappey
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has assessed the potential hazards to human beings and the environment following the use of depleted uranium munitions on the battlefield through the monitoring of UK military veterans and environmental surveys. The results of these indicate that the hazards to people and the environment are low, which is consistent with the findings of independent studies by the Royal Society, United Nations Environment Programme, and the European Commission.
The monitoring of UK veterans was based on the advice of the Depleted Uranium Oversight Board (DUOB), which concluded its work in 2007. The DUOB's final report can be found here:
MOD remains open to significant new findings in this area.