Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with his European counterparts on cooperation on aircraft development.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The Ministry of Defence has continuous discussions with several European counterparts related to common platforms, such as A400M and Typhoon, and future capabilities. This includes continuous engagement with Italy as part of the delivery of our joint Global Combat Air Programme. We also have regular engagement with France and Germany to look to deliver interoperability in the development of our respective future combat air systems.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on UK access to the Security Action for Europe fund.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We welcome all European efforts to increase defence spending and provide the critical capability uplift needed by Europe, including through the EU’s European Defence Readiness / ReArm initiatives and the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument.
SAFE was formally adopted by the European Council on 29 May 2025. Alongside the UK’s recently agreed Security and Defence Partnership with the EU, the UK now meets the criteria for discussing participation in the SAFE instrument. Recognising the important role that the UK’s world-leading defence industry plays for European security, the Defence Secretary has already engaged Commissioner Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence and Space, on our ambition to swiftly explore the potential for enhanced cooperation under SAFE. We also continue to engage allies bilaterally, including through the recent Lancaster House modernisation 2.0, to ensure we are all contributing to a more resilient defence industrial base for Europe.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to hold an independent judge-led public inquiry into the 1994 RAF Chinook Helicopter crash.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
In 2010, the Mull of Kintyre independent judge-led review was carried out by Lord Philips and the findings were fully accepted by the Ministry of Defence. The review found that the evidence did not make it possible to reach conclusions on potential technical causes for the crash.
We have carefully considered calls for a public inquiry and we have now received legal representations from the Chinook Justice Campaign and we are considering our response to the points they have raised.