Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the saving to the public purse of reducing the proposed E-7 aircraft fleet from five aircraft to (a) four and (b) three aircraft.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
We regularly discuss equipment programmes with our partners, however, I am withholding the detail of any potential saving as it remains commercially sensitive and cannot be disclosed at this time.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the ability of the Government to (a) fulfil its commitments to the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force, the provision of NATO Assurance Measures missions and (b) provide an adequate airborne early warning and control capability on concurrent sovereign operations.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK is in regular dialogue with NATO to agree our commitments to the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force and our provision of NATO Assurance Measures missions on a year-by-year basis. These targets are agreed based upon the forecast availability of both UK and NATO aircraft, and output is closely monitored throughout the period; for this year the UK is forecast to meet all of its agreed NATO Assurance Measures commitments.
Commitment of UK AEW&C capability to sovereign operations is based upon the forecast available assets and the RAF is currently able to meet its contingent commitments. The UK retains the authority to prioritise the employment of its E-3D aircraft in support of additional short-notice (contingent) sovereign operations should the need arise.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) access to phone calls, (b) access to high speed internet and (c) the welfare of armed services personnel deployed abroad on exercise or operations.
Answered by James Heappey
Defence spends in excess of £9 million per year to provide digital welfare services to deployed personnel. To maximise value for money and to get the best possible service for personnel deployed overseas on Operations and Exercises, Defence always seeks to use local telecoms infrastructure (4G, WiFi or Broadband Internet) wherever possible. As a minimum this enables regular daily voice calls and, in most cases, provides access to video communication and on-line entertainment streaming services, but this is dependent on both the infrastructure and security considerations.
When there is no local or only poor-quality fixed infrastructure available (e.g. on deployed Maritime operations), welfare services such as video communications and entertainment services are provided using the Skynet 5 satellites. In recent months, recognising the impact caused by the COVID crisis and the strain on Service personnel, Defence Digital and Airbus Defence and Space has increased capacity for the maritime welfare services.
Future welfare services for deployed personnel will be provided as part of the follow-on Skynet 6 programme, which is expected to be delivered in the mid-2020s timeframe. The aim is to provide service personnel with unlimited access to high-speed internet anywhere in the world and at any time. As this work forms part of an underway competitive tendering process the expected costs cannot be provided at this time.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will ensure that as a result of the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy the UK (a) continues to exceed the NATO target of spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence and (b) at least maintains its level of established strength in each branch of the armed forces and Reserves; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Ben Wallace
Her Majesty's Government will continue to exceed the NATO target of spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence and increase the budget by at least 0.5 above inflation every year of this parliament. The UK is one of only a handful of nations that meets the 2 per cent target, and we remain the largest European Defence spender in NATO. It is too early to speculate on the outcomes of the Integrated Review but I can assure you that our national security capabilities will be determined by the threats that we face and that this country will maintain the strength of our world class Armed Forces.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 26 February 2020, Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, HCWS126, whether it remains his policy that the UK will (a) continue to exceed the NATO target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence and (b) maintain the established strength of all branches of the (i) armed services and (ii) armed forces reservists; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Ben Wallace
Her Majesty's Government will continue to exceed the NATO target of spending 2% of GDP on defence and increase the budget by at least 0.5 above inflation every year. The UK is one of only a handful of nations that meets the 2% target, and we remain the largest European Defence spender in NATO. The Integrated Review will consider all aspects of international policy from defence to diplomacy and development. It is too early to discuss specifics, but I can assure?you?that this country will maintain the strength of our world class Armed Forces.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of serving commissioned officers in (a) the Royal Navy, (b) the Army, (c) the Royal Air Force went to state schools; and what steps his Department is taking to increase that proportion to enhance social mobility; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold information on the type of schools attended by Officers of the British Armed Forces and so I am unable to make the assessment.
However, can I assure him that the MOD is working closely with the Armed Forces in line with the Government's priority to build a fairer society, by attracting talent from the widest possible base across the UK, regardless of socio-economic background, educational status or ethnicity. The opportunities, education, and training provided to both officers and enlisted personnel in both the Regular and Reserve Forces enable recruits to progress as far as their aptitude will take them, regardless of their background.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of the defence industry as part of its review of the UK's Defence and Security Industrial Strategy; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Department is engaging with industry throughout the review in order to seek views and inform the analysis. The Department is using its strong relationship with relevant trade associations and already established Government-Industry fora as much as possible to discuss the review. These include the Defence Suppliers Forum and the Defence Growth Partnership. We are also working alongside colleagues from other Government Departments to engage with industry through broader security focussed groups such as the Security & Resilience Growth Partnership and the Cyber Growth Partnership.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to accelerate the timescale for the (a) the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme (b) the Challenger 2 Lethality Enhancement Programme; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
There are currently no plans to make any changes to the Warrior Capability Sustainment Project or the Challenger 2 Life Extension Project. The Government's Integrated Security Defence and Foreign Policy Review will consider all aspects of our defence and security capabilities including these projects.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the report published in November 2019 by RUSI entitled, The Future of Fires, what plans he has to allocate funding from the public purse to (a) anti-tank capability, (b) 155 mm field artillery, (c) long-range precision fires and (d) ground-based air defence.
Answered by James Heappey
The Army is in the process of assessing its future requirement for an artillery system capability and has established a programme, known as Mobile Fires Platform, to refine the requirement and modernise the capability.
Asked by: Jack Lopresti (Conservative - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on the continuation of the role of British forces in training and equipping Iraqi security forces and Kurdish security forces in the event that the US Administration withdraws its forces from the Kurdistan region in Iraq.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The UK has a persistent partnership with Iraq. We are committed to supporting the Iraqi Security Forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga in countering the threat from Daesh. Together with Iraq, we have a shared aim of ensuring Daesh's enduring defeat, in addition to a long-term commitment to stabilisation of the country. Our efforts to support a stable and prosperous Iraq are vital to UK national security.