Contributions
1,619 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDArmy Foundation College: Welfare Inspection RegimeThe noble Lord refers to profoundly regrettable and utterly unacceptable incidents, but it is important to put the period of nine years to which he refers into a more specific…11 May 2023HANSARDArmy Foundation College: Welfare Inspection RegimeMy Lords, we welcome that Ofsted rated the Army Foundation College in Harrogate as outstanding in all areas and for overall effectiveness, reflecting the excellent standard of the…11 May 2023HANSARDFrigatesDefence is not a major consumer of steel: indeed, for the financial year 2020-21, it consumed a little over 4,808 tonnes, and the forecast up to 2030 is for an average of 8,640…10 May 2023HANSARDFrigatesI would like to nail the myth that there are delays. The Type 31 is on schedule and has proved a very satisfactory model of contract—five of them are to be off contract by 2028.…10 May 2023HANSARDFrigatesThe noble and gallant Lord makes a very important distinction. It is the case that we have identified the need for our Royal Navy to be resilient and flexible and, as I indicated…10 May 2023HANSARDFrigatesI can understand the noble Lord’s diffidence in trying to describe what the SNP is building at the Ferguson shipyard. Having said that, I pay tribute to the skills of the…10 May 2023HANSARDFrigatesNo, not at all: the threats remain as important and potentially lethal as they have ever been. But they come in multiple forms, some of which are different from the ones the noble…10 May 2023HANSARDFrigatesThe surface fleet availability comprises a total of 53 vessels. Of these, 37 are available and 16 are unavailable. Of those 16, a considerable number are in deep maintenance and…10 May 2023HANSARDFrigatesThe noble Lord makes a very important point. For example, in Scotland, with BAE Systems developing the Type 26 in the Clyde, Babcock developing the Type 31 from the Forth, and…10 May 2023HANSARDFrigatesI am not entirely sure of the noble Lord’s analysis and historic comparator: we are operating in a different age, with a different character of threat. The current shipbuilding…10 May 2023HANSARDFrigatesMy Lords, the refreshed National Shipbuilding Strategy is a mechanism for providing clarity to industry on future shipbuilding requirements for the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy…10 May 2023HANSARDWarrior Capability Sustainment ProgrammeMy Lords, the integrated review has set the British Army on a course of exciting transformation. Cancelling the Warrior capability sustainment programme, rather than spending…03 May 2023HANSARDWarrior Capability Sustainment ProgrammeI hesitate to rebuke my noble friend, of whom I am very fond, but there is at least one person in this Chamber who is extremely excited about the MoD equipment programme sustained…03 May 2023HANSARDWarrior Capability Sustainment ProgrammeI actually said that the department is aware of the need to look at the opportunity of a different approach to procurement, and there may be situations where there is something on…03 May 2023HANSARDWarrior Capability Sustainment ProgrammeI do not share the noble Lord’s pessimistic assessment. As I have pointed out, there is in place an exciting programme of land vehicles. For Boxer, initial operating capability…03 May 2023HANSARDWarrior Capability Sustainment ProgrammeI do not have specific information to reply to that question, but I shall make inquiries and disclose what is available to the noble and gallant Lord.03 May 2023HANSARDWarrior Capability Sustainment ProgrammeI have admitted at this Dispatch Box, and my right honourable friend the Secretary of State has indicated similarly, that over successive Governments there has been a hollowing…03 May 2023HANSARDWarrior Capability Sustainment ProgrammeI can confirm that the Army has been allocated £200 million to keep Warrior going and to assist with funding of Challenger 2. This is all about bridging the important period of…03 May 2023HANSARDWarrior Capability Sustainment ProgrammeIn relation to Ajax, I confirm for the noble Lord that the initial operating capability requires 50 operational deployable vehicles to be delivered and to be achieved by December…03 May 2023HANSARDWarrior Capability Sustainment ProgrammeI do not have specific information about that. As my noble friend is aware, Challenger 2 is operating, and the Challenger 3 upgrade is in place. I shall make inquiries; if I can…03 May 2023