Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the proportion of work on the new CH-47ER helicopters that will take place in the UK.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK value for the Foreign Military Sale of tranche 1 of the Chinook Capability Sustainment Programme, which includes support until 2029, is estimated at 8%, with approximately £151 million to be invested in UK industry.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the estimated initial operating capability date is for the Royal Navy's proposed submersible ship nuclear replacement submarines.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy's submersible ship nuclear AUKUS submarines will be operational from the late 2030s, replacing the current Astute Class.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of RAF Typhoon aircraft are Tranche (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3 variants.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The number and percentage of RAF Typhoon aircraft broken down by Tranche is shown in the table below.
Tranche | Number of Aircraft | Percentage of Aircraft (1) |
Tranche 1 | 30 | 22 |
Tranche 2 | 67 | 49 |
Tranche 3 | 40 | 29 |
Total | 137 | 100 |
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the (a) name, (b) rank upon leaving and (c) year of joining company of all former (i) Army, (ii) Royal Navy and (iii) Royal Air Force officers at one star level or above who have left the service to work for Boeing over the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We can confirm that, under Business Appointment rules, no One or Two Star military officers have reported to the Ministry of Defence that they have taken or are planning to take up a job with Boeing during the past five years. Please note that this is a voluntary process and former officers may have taken up posts without informing the Department.
Three and Four Star military personnel are required to inform the Government Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) about the first job they intend to take after leaving the Armed Forces. This information is held by ACOBA and can be requested at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/advisory-committee-on-business-appointments.
The MOD started to monitor Three Star and Four Star Business Appointments from 2023-24. In the past year no officers at those grades have taken up a post with Boeing.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of when HMS Somerset will (a) complete her ongoing refit and (b) return to operational duty.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
HMS Somerset is not in refit; the ship is currently undertaking a period of planned survey and defect repair work.
The Ministry of Defence does not disclose future programmes or forward-looking availability forecasts in order to preserve the operational security of the Royal Navy's Fleet.
In response to details about the cost and location of HMS Somerset's last refit, I refer the right hon. Member to the answers I gave to you and the right hon. Member for North Durham (Kevan Jones) on 20 July 2023 to Questions 194161 and 194356.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost of refitting HMS Somerset was; who undertook the retrofitting work; and when the refit was (a) started and (b) completed.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
HMS Somerset is not in refit; the ship is currently undertaking a period of planned survey and defect repair work.
The Ministry of Defence does not disclose future programmes or forward-looking availability forecasts in order to preserve the operational security of the Royal Navy's Fleet.
In response to details about the cost and location of HMS Somerset's last refit, I refer the right hon. Member to the answers I gave to you and the right hon. Member for North Durham (Kevan Jones) on 20 July 2023 to Questions 194161 and 194356.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the first E-7 Wedgetail aircraft is expected to achieve initial operating capability within the Royal Air Force.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 April 2024 to the right hon. Member for Garston and Halewood (Maria Eagle) to Question 23108.
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-04-23/23108