Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support the UK's strategic commitments in the Indo-Pacific region.
Answered by James Heappey
Defence is an essential part of the Indo-Pacific Tilt, which was set out in the 2021 Integrated Review (IR) Refresh.
Since IR21, the UK has participated in at least 50 exercises in the region, spanning land operations in Ex VIGILANT ISLES, to operations in the air domain as part of the 17 nation Ex PITCH BLACK in Australia. HMS SPEY and HMS TAMAR are also now permanently in the region, the first such permanent presence in more than 25 years.
We are also developing capability partnerships, including AUKUS and GCAP and supporting UK prosperity by strengthening defence exports.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the consequences for his policies of (a) Hezbollah’s alleged involvement in the smuggling of narcotics and (b) the production of Captagon in the Levant.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK remains committed to the stability and security of the Levant and broader Middle East, and reducing the threat posed by malign state and non-state activity, including the smuggling of narcotics. The UK announced sanctions on key actors involved in the Captagon trade last month. We engage regularly with partners to support co-operation efforts and to encourage the publication of relevant data on the trade, including successful seizures.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the security situation in (a) Sudan and (b) the Horn of Africa.
Answered by James Heappey
Defence continually monitors situations of security concern around the world, and Sudan and the Horn of Africa are no exception.
We have a strong Defence network in the region, who actively report on regional security issues that are deemed a threat to UK interests. UK Defence retains the option to adjust resources when necessary, to ensure we have the appropriate level of understanding.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to provide anti-missile detection defence systems to Ukraine.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK has provided Ukraine with thousands of air defence systems and missiles which can detect and destroy incoming missiles, drones and aircraft. Most recently, on 15 May the Prime Minister confirmed the provision of hundreds more air defence missiles.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his Mauritian counterpart about the potential effects on maritime security in the Indian Ocean of transfer of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritian sovereignty.
Answered by James Heappey
The Secretary of State for Defence has not held recent discussions with his Mauritian counterpart.
The UK and Mauritius are in negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory/Chagos Archipelago. The UK and Mauritius have reiterated that any agreement between our two countries will ensure the continued effective operation of the joint UK/US military base on Diego Garcia, which plays a key role in regional security.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Palantir’s performance in their contract with his Department; and whether poor performance would affect further applications from the company for contracts with other departments.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Ministry of Defence closely monitors the performance of all its technology products and services (including Palantir) against defined metrics: Key Performance Indicators, Service Level Agreements, and a service credit regime. Any poor performance is identified, addressed and reported. This is essential to maintaining good relationships and ensuring Defence suppliers continue to meet Defence standards. Defence supplier performance metrics are reported into the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis, evidencing supplier performance against the top key performance indicators.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the British Indian Overseas Territory’s effect on the UK’s national security; and what assessment he has made of the potential implications for national security of those areas no longer being sovereign UK territory.
Answered by James Heappey
The joint UK/US military base on Diego Garcia plays a crucial role in combating some of the most challenging threats to regional and international security, including those from terrorism, organised crime, instability, and piracy.
The UK and Mauritius have decided to begin negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory/Chagos Archipelago. The UK and Mauritius have reiterated that any agreement between our two countries will ensure the continued effective operation of the joint UK/US military base on Diego Garcia.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether joint military exercises have been held with Finland in advance of that country's accession to NATO.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK fully supports Finland's application to join NATO and has, from the outset, offered Finland security assurances through the accession period. The UK and Finland have conducted multiple joint military exercises since Finland announced its application, including a five-week deployment of Challenger 2 tanks, three separate deployments of F35 and Typhoon aircraft, a 10-week deployment by 2 Rifles, and multiple joint training exercises, including Cold Weather Training 22 currently underway north of the Arctic Circle.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department is providing to train the Ukrainian army in the use of heavy artillery.
Answered by James Heappey
We have worked closely with allies and partners to ensure that Ukrainian Armed Forces requirements for equipment, training and support are met at pace. With respect to heavy artillery, we are delivering training on the Multiple-Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) we are providing to Ukraine, as well as on a counter-battery system. We are also hosting a team from New Zealand who are providing Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel with training on the M119-105mm-gun.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department is providing to the Ukrainian navy.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK announced the sale of two Sandown Class Minehunters to Ukraine last year as part of the Ukrainian Naval Capabilities Enhancement Programme (UNCEP). We remain committed to this agreement and have started training Ukrainian Navy personnel to operate the vessels.
In addition, building on the success of Operation ORBITAL, the UK-led Maritime Training Initiative (MTI) began training in September 2020. Maritime courses have been delivered across a broad range of areas such as damage control, firefighting, military diving, operational and logistics planning, tactical navigation, sea surveillance and vessel boarding search and seizure.