Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Defence

Oral Answers to Questions

Mike Freer Excerpts
Monday 3rd February 2014

(10 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Hammond of Runnymede Portrait Mr Philip Hammond
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As in other areas, we strongly support the completion of the single market. However, we do not support some of the other proposals that would have interfered with our sovereign capabilities relating to the defence industry.

Mike Freer Portrait Mike Freer (Finchley and Golders Green) (Con)
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T6. I welcome the announcements made at the UK-France summit on Friday about further co-operation between our two countries. Will my right hon. Friend assure the House that the combined joint expeditionary force remains on track to be fully operational by 2016?

Mark Francois Portrait Mr Francois
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Yes, I can give that assurance, but the date is 2016. The level of ambition that we declared in 2012 was for an early-entry combined force capable of a time-limited but complex intervention operation in the face of multiple threats up to the highest intensity, and I can confirm to the House that we are on track to achieve that by 2016.