Tag: John Spellar

  • John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to hold urgent discussions with her French counterparts on border controls at Dover and other British ports.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Home Secretary met with her French counterpart, Interior Minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, on Tuesday 30 August.

    The two nations committed to a number of specific steps, including:

    Further securing the ports and tunnel in the region – Britain has already provided around £85 million to reinforce security;

    Addressing humanitarian challenges in Calais, where around 7,000 migrants are now gathered – including 5,000 without housing;

    Continuing to work together to return illegal migrants in Calais who are not in need of protection;

    Bringing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to the UK when in their best interest.

    A joint statement from both governments after talks reaffirmed the commitment to working together to strengthen the security of our shared border, and to preserve the vital economic link supported by the juxtaposed controls in Calais.

  • John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many requests have been made to the DVLA for vehicle owner addresses in the last 12 months by private parking companies.

    Andrew Jones

    Requests to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for vehicle keeper data can be made electronically or manually by post.

    In 2015, 3,623,724 requests for vehicle keeper data from private parking companies were made electronically. A further 253,500 requests were made manually by post. The figure for manual requests includes enquiries from private parking companies and other organisations or individuals who can demonstrate reasonable cause for needing the information.

  • John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that his Department’s purchasing policies support British (a) industry and (b) agriculture.

    Harriett Baldwin

    In 2013, HM Treasury outsourced the majority of its procurement and commercial services to Crown Commercial Service.

    All procurement activity is undertaken reflecting policy direction communicated via Procurement Policy Notes as issued by Cabinet Office, as well as the Public Contract Regulations 2015.

  • John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the Government made a decision to use French steel for the new Trident submarines.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Steel for the Successor submarine programme is sourced by the Prime Contractor, BAE Systems. There was no viable UK bid for the specialised steel required for this part of the Successor submarine manufacture.

    Other stages of construction will include grades of steel manufactured by British suppliers and we expect them to take the opportunity to bid.

    85% of BAE System’s supply chain for the new submarines is based in the UK.

  • John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of new HGV drivers who will be required in each of the next five years.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department is working with other parts of Government to encourage and enable more people to become lorry drivers, including via apprenticeships and action related to Jobcentre Plus.

    The Department is taking steps to ensure that the increased demand for driving tests is accommodated through recruiting driving examiners and providing increased numbers of test appointments.

  • John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that his Department’s purchasing policies support British (a) industry and (b) agriculture.

    Mr Mark Francois

    Public procurement policy is the responsibility of the Cabinet Office through the Crown Commercial Service.

    The Department’s purchasing policies support the Government’s commitment to do all it can to ensure UK suppliers can compete effectively for public sector contracts, in line with our current international obligations and guidance issued by the Crown Commercial Service.

  • John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of people leaving the armed forces are still unemployed six months after the end of their service.

    Mark Lancaster

    UK Service personnel with four or more years’ Service who voluntarily left the Armed Forces in Financial Year 2014-15 (the latest statistic available) and used the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) services had the following estimated employment outcomes, up to six months after leaving:

    Service

    Employed %

    Economically Inactive %

    Unemployed %

    Royal Navy

    89% (1,950)

    7% (160)

    3% (70)

    Army

    84% (6,560)

    9% (690)

    7% (510)

    Royal Air Force

    83% (1,710)

    14% (290)

    4% (70)

    Total Average %

    85% (10,220)

    10% (1,150)

    6% (640)

    Notes: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not record the training outcomes of Service leavers. The following categories of personnel have been included in the definition of those leaving Service voluntarily; those reaching the end of their engagement; those giving notice to terminate and those medically discharged. Figures include all Service leavers who used the Career Transition Partnership, less Early Service Leavers (this includes those with less than four years’ service and those compulsorily discharged). The numbers and percentages for employment outcomes cannot be summed together, as the unemployment figures were calculated on a different population to the employment and economically inactive figures. All totals and sub-totals have been rounded and so may not equal the sums of their rounded parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

    For Early Service Leavers (ESL i.e. those with less than four years service or those compulsorily discharged irrespective of length of Service), the Future Horizons Programme (FHP) for ESL was introduced on 1 October 2013. Between 1 October 2013 and 31 March 2014 approximately 33% of eligible personnel participated in FHP. During Financial Year 2014-15 some 62% of eligible personnel participated in the Future Horizons Programme. Prior to the establishment of FHP all ESL were entitled to unit level support as part of standard MOD policy.

    From 1 October 2015, the resettlement provision for ESL is termed CTP Future Horizons. Official statistics on the six-months post-discharge employment status of ESL who used CTP Future Horizons will be published in January 2017 as part of the CTP official statistic.

  • John Spellar – 2022 Parliamentary Question on Supporting UK Companies in the Defence Sector

    John Spellar – 2022 Parliamentary Question on Supporting UK Companies in the Defence Sector

    The parliamentary question asked by John Spellar, the Labour MP for Warley, in the House of Commons on 12 December 2022.

    John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)

    What steps he is taking to support UK companies in the defence sector.

    Mr Virendra Sharma (Ealing, Southall) (Lab)

    What steps he is taking to support UK companies in the defence sector.

    The Minister for Defence Procurement (Alex Chalk)

    The defence and security industrial strategy is helping to retain onshore critical industries for our national security and our future. The Ministry of Defence supports the development of a more productive and competitive UK defence sector. With a significant footprint across the UK and the procurement pipeline, the MOD is well placed to contribute to economic growth and levelling up.

    John Spellar

    May I take the Minister back to the subject of the fleet solid support ships? I realise that he is new to the job, but he has been ducking and diving during earlier exchanges. The prime contractor, as Ministers have admitted, is Navantia. What guarantees have they obtained that the boats will be built in the United Kingdom—especially the first in class—and in respect of the numbers of apprenticeships that would ensure capacity for the future?

    Alex Chalk

    As is always the case, the precise details of the contract will be set out in due course, but these facts are absolutely clear: the award is of £1.6 billion to deliver three vessels, and this will be a British ship built to a British design in a British dockyard, mostly with British steel. I hoped that the right hon. Gentleman would support this development, because it strengthens British shipbuilding—and, by the way, it also means £70 million for a British dockyard, which he should certainly support.

    Mr Sharma

    I welcome recent developments in the Tempest programme. Having our own combat air industrial capabilities is incredibly important, and ensures that we are not dependent on the Americans, but what is the MOD doing to ensure that all the enablers for modern combat are built here and bring real industrial value to the UK?

    Alex Chalk

    I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising such an important point. He is absolutely right; this provides a capability that will ensure that we stay one step ahead of our adversaries, and it will be a collaboration. If ever there was a symbol of global Britain, this is it: us working with the Japanese and the Italians to produce something that is cutting-edge. If I may say so, that is a message that I hope his colleagues will understand as well. It is by working with other countries to share and develop expertise that we can make all the free world that bit freer and safer.

    Simon Fell (Barrow and Furness) (Con)

    I welcome Friday’s announcement about the UK, Italy and Japan working closely together on the next generation of combat aircraft. This, of course, sits alongside the partnership of the UK, the United States and Australia—AUKUS—and shows that such partnerships are important not only for our national security and the security of the Indo-Pacific, but for UK companies and UK jobs. Does my hon. and learned Friend agree?

    Alex Chalk

    My hon. Friend makes the point brilliantly. This is about investing in capability to ensure that expertise remains in the UK, and that we learn and collaborate in developing the next generation of expertise, but there is also the potential to export. Previous examples of our successful collaboration include Typhoon, with more than 600 units sold overseas. If we get this right—and there is every reason to think we will—there will be such opportunities in the future as well.

    Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con)

    Does the Minister agree that, contrary to the Opposition’s claim, supporting UK companies in the defence sector not only makes good economic sense, but is critical to ensuring that the sector is aligned with the Department’s national security objectives?

    Alex Chalk

    My hon. Friend is absolutely right. So many of these collaborations lead to direct investment into British shipyards—for example, the over £70 million that we were just talking about. But what does this mean in pounds, shillings and pence? It means that those defence jobs are paid, on average, 15% higher than the average wage, and that is just one reason why we need to keep them in the UK.

    John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)

    Contrary to the drivel we have just been listening to, there are absolutely no guarantees about British jobs and British apprenticeships in British yards. At what point are Ministers going to stop talking about it and actually use procurement to deliver and secure the future of British yards?

    Alex Chalk

    With great respect, that is completely wrong and risks being misleading. What has been made crystal clear is that these ships will be built, integrated and assembled in the United Kingdom. Appledore will get work; Harland and Wolff will get work—there will be investment and jobs in those shipyards. That is good news and surely something we should be welcoming.

    Virginia Crosbie (Ynys Môn) (Con)

    Ascent Flight Training at RAF Valley on Ynys Môn has been awarded a £175 million contract to expand pilot training, with four new Texan T6 aircraft, a new simulator, 11 additional flying instructors and nine new engineering roles. From 2024, RAF Valley will be responsible for training 53 student pilots, up from 36. Will the Minister pay tribute to Ascent Flight Training, to the whole force and to all those who support RAF Valley for playing their part in keeping us safe?

    Alex Chalk

    My hon. Friend is such a champion of defence on Ynys Môn, and yes, I absolutely pay tribute to them. It is only through their fantastic work that we can come together as a nation, develop the capabilities that we need and keep us and the next generation safe.

    Mr Speaker

    I call the shadow Minister.

    Chris Evans (Islwyn) (Lab/Co-op)

    The National Audit Office has found the defence equipment plan to be already outdated on its publication and based on optimistic assumptions. With inflation out of control and with foreign currency fluctuations, does the Minister expect defence companies to bear the brunt of this turmoil, and if so, will this ultimately lead to the loss of British jobs?

    Alex Chalk

    No, I do not. I am new to this Department, as the hon. Member indicates, but one of the things I am really pleased about is to see the ambition that exists within this Government to develop the capabilities we need. I was also pleased to see that, notwithstanding the difficult circumstances that we and the whole world are in because of inflation, this Government are committed to ensuring that those capabilities remain, that those critical developments—Type 26, Type 31, the future combat air system, Poseidon and so much other equipment —remain in the pipeline, and that we do what we properly should to lead the world in supporting our friends in Ukraine.

  • John Spellar – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    John Spellar – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what preparations his Department has made for (a) upcoming changes in EU legislation regarding the chemical PFOA and (b) the technical effect of that legislation on the performance of camouflage print on the Army’s multi-terrain pattern uniforms and ensemble.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The upcoming change to EU legislation on the use of Perfluorooctanoic acid is a matter for the contractor, who has to meet the specifications set by the Ministry of Defence. We do not expect the change in EU legislation to adversely affect the production or performance of combat clothing used by the UK’s Armed Forces.

  • John Spellar – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    John Spellar – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will update the travel advice regarding the Punjab on his Department’s website to advise travellers to give serious consideration to not travelling until the situation in that region stabilises.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office reviews travel advice on a regular basis and we have updated the travel advice for India to reflect the situation on the ground in Punjab. Whilst the situation in Punjab has eased since October, calls for further protests continue. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and update travel advice accordingly.