Lord Richards of Herstmonceux Portrait

Lord Richards of Herstmonceux

Crossbench - Life peer

Became Member: 24th February 2014


2 APPG memberships (as of 24 Jan 2024)
Bahrain, War Crimes
Lord Richards of Herstmonceux has no previous appointments


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Lord Richards of Herstmonceux has voted in 43 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
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Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
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Department Debates
Ministry of Defence
(1 debate contributions)
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Legislation Debates
Lord Richards of Herstmonceux has not made any spoken contributions to legislative debate
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Lords initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Lord Richards of Herstmonceux, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.


Lord Richards of Herstmonceux has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Lord Richards of Herstmonceux has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 9 Written Questions

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Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
9th Dec 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to protect international underwater telecommunication cables; and what would be the consequences of a failure to do so.

Sub-sea cables are a critical part of the UK’s telecommunications infrastructure connecting the UK to the rest of the world. Working with operators, DCMS ensures their security and resilience. We support industry efforts to enhance the cable networks’ resilience to loss or damage and provide advice and guidance to mitigate the risks posed by physical and cyber threats.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
6th Apr 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what variants of CV12 power packs are fitted to (1) the Challenger 2 tank, (2) the Challenger Armoured Recovery and Repair Vehicle (CHARRV), and (3) the Trojan armoured engineer tank.

The variants of the CV12 powerpacks fitted to the Challenger base vehicle family are:


Vehicle

Powerpack

Challenger 2

CV12-6A

Challenger 3

CV12-9A

Challenger Armoured Recovery and Repair Vehicle (CRARRV)

CV12-5C/6C

TITAN/TROJAN

CV12-8A

A small number of CRARRV vehicles are currently fitted with CV12-5C powerpacks that will be replaced with CV12-6C powerpacks on failure or when the vehicle is attending base workshop, whichever comes first.

6th Apr 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the power pack fitted to the new Challenger 3 is (1) a contemporary CV12 engine similar to a 5A, or (2) a CV12 with common rail fuel injection and new engine management system, or (3) something else; and if it is something else, what is its specification.

The variants of the CV12 powerpacks fitted to the Challenger base vehicle family are:


Vehicle

Powerpack

Challenger 2

CV12-6A

Challenger 3

CV12-9A

Challenger Armoured Recovery and Repair Vehicle (CRARRV)

CV12-5C/6C

TITAN/TROJAN

CV12-8A

A small number of CRARRV vehicles are currently fitted with CV12-5C powerpacks that will be replaced with CV12-6C powerpacks on failure or when the vehicle is attending base workshop, whichever comes first.

6th Apr 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in rationalising the variants of the CV12 power packs fitted to the various marks and variants of the Challenger 2 tank, including the armoured engineer vehicles.

Overall powerpack commonality can be only achieved between Challenger 2, Challenger 3 and the Challenger Armoured Recovery and Repair Vehicle following the identification of a replacement refrigerant to fill the crew temperature control system to comply with the Montreal protocol. A post-design services task has been placed on contract with Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land for this work.

6th Apr 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Challenger 3 tank has been trialled by (1) the Armoured Trials and Development Unit at Bovington, or (2) an equivalent establishment; and if so, (a) what track mileage has been covered so far, and (b) with what type of power pack.

The Challenger 3 programme remains in the early stages of Demonstration and Manufacture, with detailed design work ongoing prior to Critical Design Review. The assembly of initial prototypes will follow along with a detailed trials programme.

9th Dec 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it will be possible for a fully formed and equipped 3 Commando Brigade to be embarked on shipping that (1) is owned by, or is under the control of, Her Majesty's Government, or (2) that can be made available to Her Majesty's Government (a) whatever the intentional circumstances, and (b) without significant recourse to the United States assets.

As set out in the Integrated Review, the Royal Marines are now in transition to the Future Commando Force (FCF). The FCF re-designs how Commando Forces operate and fight.

Through one element of this, they will form two Littoral Response Groups (LRG) with associated enablers, including shipping. One LRG will be persistently deployed East of Suez, with an Initial Operating Capability in 2023.

9th Dec 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to The Integrated Review 2021, published on 16 March, what will be the level of readiness of the 3rd (UK) Division; and how many days would it take for at least one manoeuvre brigade to be deployed in an operational theatre outside of the European mainland.

The Army is always ready to fulfil the task of protecting the nation and holds various people and units at different readiness, along with the equipment and stocks required to support them, to enable us to compete against our adversaries, tackle threats at source and reassure allies.

I am unable to disclose further details of the level of readiness of the 3rd (UK) Division, as to do so would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our Armed Forces.

22nd Feb 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) current housing targets, and (2) the effect of current housing targets on (a) communities, and (b) ecosystems; and what plans they have to reduce such housing targets.

To help make home ownership affordable for more people, and to help more people rent their own home, we need to deliver more homes. Last year, we committed to review the standard method formula for assessing local housing need and consulted on how we could best balance the need for clarity, simplicity and transparency for local communities with the Government’s aspirations for the housing market. In December, following consultation, we changed the standard method to help enable the country to deliver 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s. However, this is only the starting point in the process of planning for new homes, it is not a housing target. Local authorities will still need to consider the constraints they face locally, including environmental constraints, to assess how many homes can be delivered in their area.

Our Planning for the Future reforms propose significant changes to the focus and processes of planning – to secure better outcomes including improving our precious countryside and environment alongside increasing the supply of land for new, beautiful homes and sustainable places. The Environment Bill currently before Parliament will legislate for mandatory net gains for biodiversity as a condition of most new development. The planning system will support the implementation of this and overall environmental outcome enhancements.