Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
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
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.
The variants of the CV12 powerpacks fitted to the Challenger base vehicle family are:
| 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.
The variants of the CV12 powerpacks fitted to the Challenger base vehicle family are:
| 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.