The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the pre-concept phase activity for the General Purpose Frigate programme to conclude.
Harriett Baldwin
It is too soon to say when the pre-concept phase will conclude.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the expected lifespan is of the Sea Ceptor Anti-Air Missile System.
Harriett Baldwin
The Sea Ceptor system is currently being fitted to the Royal Navy’s Type 23 Frigates as the principal anti-air missile system and will also be fitted to the Royal Navy’s future Type 26 Frigates as they enter service. The capability will remain in service for over 40 years to align with the out of service date for the Type 26 Frigate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the contract with KPMG to provide oversight to the Successor programme.
Harriett Baldwin
KPMG are not providing oversight to the Successor programme. In July 2015, KPMG were awarded the Acquisition Support Partner framework contract, assisting the Ministry of Defence to improve the performance of its overall acquisition system. This includes but is not restricted to supporting the nuclear and submarine enterprise.
The contract has been published on the Government website (Contracts Finder) and can be accessed by the following link:
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) assets and (b) personnel of his Department were involved in Exercise Northern Coasts in the Baltic Sea in each of the last five years.
Mike Penning
During 2015 and 2016 one Sandown Class Mine Counter Measures Vessel, with a ship’s company of 43 and 40 personnel respectively, was sent on Exercise Northern Coasts in the Baltic Sea. No assets or personnel were involved in the previous three years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to stop the shipment of UK nuclear waste to Andnyamantha homelands in Australia up to 2020.
Jesse Norman
There is a very small quantity of Australian owned radioactive waste currently stored in the UK. We anticipate that this will be returned to Australia in due course in line with contractual commitments. The location of any storage and disposal facilities for this waste will be a matter for the Australian authorities.
Any shipment of radioactive material out of the UK will comply with all relevant international laws and use ships which meet national and international requirements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the Answer of 17 March 2016 to Question 30754 and the Written Ministerial Statement of 21 July 2016, HCWS 125, whether Saudi Arabia remains fully compliant with the UK’s export license criteria.
Mark Garnier
The Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously. The test applied to an export licence application is whether the proposed export complies with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. We carefully assess each licence application against these Criteria and will not grant a licence if to do so would breach the Criteria.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the Answer of 17 March 2016 to Question 30754, how many arms export licenses to Saudi Arabia have been revoked in each year since 2009-10.
Mark Garnier
Data relating to export licences issued, refused or revoked for all destinations is published as official statistics on the GOV.UK website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the oral contribution of the then Minister for Defence Procurement of 24 May 2016, column 403, on Yemen: cluster munitions, that his Department is investigating allegations that Saudi Arabia used UK-supplied cluster munitions, if he will (a) provide an update on the progress and conclusions of those investigations and (b) confirm whether those investigations also explored the possibility that UK-supplied aircraft were used to drop those munitions.
Sir Michael Fallon
The Government takes these allegations very seriously. We have analysed the case carefully and raised the issue with the Saudi-led Coalition.
The key test for our continued arms exports to Saudi Arabia in relation to International Humanitarian Law (IHL) is whether there is a clear risk that those weapons might be used in a serious violation of IHL. This is kept under careful and continual review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to provide equipment and training support to the army of the Kurdistan regional government; and if he will make a statement.
Mike Penning
Since 2014 UK Service personnel have been deployed to the Kurdish region to train and support the Peshmerga in their fight against Daesh. In addition, the UK has gifted some 50 tonnes of non-lethal support, 40 heavy machine guns and over a million rounds of ammunition, with the most recent shipment delivered in July 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that apprenticeships and training programmes are adequately supported through current and future defence procurement (a) guidance and (b) programmes; and if he will make a statement.
Mark Lancaster
The Ministry of Defence is proud to be the single largest provider of quality apprenticeships in the UK, having delivered more than 150,000. We therefore play an important role in helping the Government meet its commitment to reaching three million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020.
We work closely with colleagues across Government and industry to help maintain and develop the essential skills needed to deliver defence outputs. That includes working with industry partners to develop new world-class apprenticeship standards. Where we know that specific skills are needed for the effective delivery of defence capability, our procurement policies allow for consideration of these skills in our tendering activity, and their continued development through the life of relevant contracts.