Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any tanks other than Challenger 2 are in storage.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I can confirm that Challenger 2 is the only tank currently held in storage.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, Defence how many Aardvark AMCS Mk4 mine flail vehicles (a) are in storage, (b) are in use and (c) were donated to Ukraine between February 2022 and June 2023.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Aardvark AMCS Mk4 is not in service with the British Armed Forces. There are none in storage nor have any been Granted in Kind to Ukraine by the UK.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason his Department donated 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine; and for what reason his Department did not donate all Challenger 2 tanks not due to be upgraded to Challenger 3.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK’s decision to send a squadron of 14 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks to Ukraine delivered a coherent and combat effective capability and, in doing so, unlocked dozens of additional Main Battle Tanks from international partners.
A decision on what will happen to the Challenger 2 platforms not being used as part of the Challenger 3 programme has not yet been taken.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Python Minefield Breaching Systems (a) are in storage, (b) are in use and (c) were donated to Ukraine between February 2022 and June 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
I am withholding the number of in-service Python as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the British Armed Forces.
I can confirm however that no Python Minefield Breaching Systems have been Granted in Kind to Ukraine by the UK.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to donate more Minefield Breaching Systems to Ukraine.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK does plan to donate additional Minefield Breaching Systems to Ukraine. However, due to operational security I will not provide a specific breakdown.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the (a) vehicle-mounted and (b) on-the person (i) mine clearing and (ii) explosive ordnance disposal equipment donated to Ukraine was for (A) clearance in unoccupied territory and(B) breaching Russian minefields.
Answered by James Heappey
We do not comment on the tactical employment of GiK to ensure the safety and security of the Ukrainian service personnel.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many remotely operated minefield breaching systems his Department has provided to Ukraine (a) since 1 February 2022 and (b) before 1 June 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
We have not provided any remotely operated minefield breaching systems during this time period.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Trojan platforms were donated to Ukraine between February 2022 and June 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
We have not donated any Trojan platforms to Ukraine during that time period.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Minefield Breaching Systems were donated to Ukraine between February 2022 and June 2023.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK has provided considerable equipment and training to Ukraine to improve their ability to clear mines. This has included over 1,500 sets of both vehicle-mounted and 'on-the person' mine clearing and explosive ordnance disposal equipment, including necessary training.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Procurement Policy Note 04/20: Recovery and Transition from COVID-19, published on 9 June 2020, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of maintaining the provision of contractual relief as a result of covid-19 in line with Procurement Policy Notice 02/20; which (a) companies and (b) work areas will be affected by changes to that contractual relief; and what the timeframe is for proposals to change that contractual relief.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
In line with the Government's Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 04/20, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will be extending the provision for contractual relief outlined in PPN 02/20 until October 2020, where that is appropriate and necessary. This will apply to all MOD procurement activity. On current plans and in line with the wider Government policy, we expect to cease the provision of contractual relief by the end of October 2020.