Asked by: Emma Lewell (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish his Department's contracts with BAE Systems (a) in place, (b) under negotiation and (c) completed in the two years to 18 January 2023; and what the value of each of those contracts is.
Answered by Alex Chalk
I will write to the hon. Member shortly, and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Emma Lewell (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his department has made on (a) designing and (b) building a new multi-role surveillance vessel; and what estimate he has made of the potential cost of that project.
Answered by Alec Shelbrooke
Commercial discussions are currently taking place in relation to the procurement of a Multi Role Ocean Surveillance capability. Divulging any further detail may prejudice these discussions at this time.
Planning work has commenced for the concept and assessment phase of the project to design and build a Multi Role Ocean Surveillance capability.
Asked by: Emma Lewell (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on acquiring the Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Ships; and what recent estimate he has made of the cost of this project.
Answered by Alec Shelbrooke
Commercial discussions are currently taking place in relation to the procurement of a Multi Role Ocean Surveillance capability. Divulging any further detail may prejudice these discussions at this time.
Planning work has commenced for the concept and assessment phase of the project to design and build a Multi Role Ocean Surveillance capability.
Asked by: Emma Lewell (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Ship will be crewed by directly employed civilian seafarers who will be covered by collective agreements with maritime trade unions.
Answered by Alec Shelbrooke
Work is ongoing to consider the exact composition of the crew of the Multi-Role Surveillance Ship and a decision will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Emma Lewell (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on his Department’s procurement of multi-role surveillance vessels.
Answered by Ben Wallace
I meet regularly with the Secretary of State for Transport to discuss a range of topics. The Ministry of Defence is leading the procurement of the Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance ships. While I have not met with the Secretary of State for Transport to specifically discuss this procurement, officials from both Departments did discuss the programme during the development of the National Maritime Security Strategy.
Asked by: Emma Lewell (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the representatives from the (a) maritime industry and (b) UK Chamber of Shipping who attended the last meeting of the Shipping Defence Advisory Council.
Answered by Alec Shelbrooke
I am unable to provide you with this information as it contains personal data of third parties which cannot be released without the consent of the individuals who attended the last meeting, in accordance with the data protection act.
Asked by: Emma Lewell (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when recruitment and retention of civilian seafarers in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary was last discussed at the Shipping Defence Advisory Council.
Answered by Alec Shelbrooke
Recruitment and retention of civilian Seafarers within the Royal Fleet Auxiliary is not discussed at the Shipping Defence Advisory Council as it is considered an internal Ministry of Defence matter.
Asked by: Emma Lewell (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on the recruitment and retention of civilian crew in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Answered by James Heappey
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a significant employer of UK professional seafarers. To ensure workforce recruitment and retention, the RFA constantly reviews the terms and conditions of service in accordance with department policy.
Asked by: Emma Lewell (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the National Strategy for Maritime Security, published on 15 August 2022, on (a) operational capacity and (b) crewing levels in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Answered by Alec Shelbrooke
There has been no direct assessment of the impact of the National Strategy for Maritime Security against the operational capacity or crewing levels for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). The RFA continues to deliver against its commitments for defence, and adjusts its workforce structure accordingly to meet the current and future operating plan.