Contributions
1,619 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDRoyal Navy: ShipsI will take the last question first. My noble friend is aware that very strict procurement rules now govern MoD procurement, and that the budgets for the Type 26 and Type 31 are…22 Jun 2022HANSARDRoyal Navy: ShipsThey are very different ships, as the noble Lord will understand. The intention is that the National Shipbuilding Office for the MROSS will seek to maximise the opportunities for…22 Jun 2022HANSARDRoyal Navy: ShipsI remind the noble Lord that the defence budget has one of the biggest settlements, from this Government, that it has seen in decades. That includes a period when the noble Lord…22 Jun 2022HANSARDRoyal Navy: ShipsAs the noble Lord is aware, maritime activity in the Black Sea is governed by the Montreux convention, which Turkey has deployed. For the moment, that restricts activity. The…22 Jun 2022HANSARDUkraine: UK and NATO Military CommitmentFirst, I echo the noble Lord’s sentiments of gratitude to our Armed Forces. I have already participated in one of the services, up in Scotland, and I did so with a great sense of…21 Jun 2022HANSARDUkraine: UK and NATO Military CommitmentWith the greatest respect to the noble Lord, who, as he knows, I admire hugely, I disagree with his analysis. With the biggest investment since the end of the Cold War, the Army…21 Jun 2022HANSARDUkraine: UK and NATO Military CommitmentI do not agree with my noble friend’s somewhat dismissive commentary on how the UK has responded to this. I think, by universal assent, the UK has played a pivotal role in coming…21 Jun 2022HANSARDUkraine: UK and NATO Military CommitmentAs ever, I appreciate the noble Lord’s interest in these matters. Indeed, the Defence Artificial Intelligence Strategy was published on 15 June. It is an important development; on…21 Jun 2022HANSARDUkraine: WeaponsI refer my noble friend to recent activity engaged in by the Secretary of State for Defence, not least his presence yesterday, to which I referred in response to the noble Lord,…16 Jun 2022HANSARDUkraine: WeaponsI partially covered my noble friend’s question in my earlier response, because it is these multiple launch rocket systems that we have committed to provide. The training has…16 Jun 2022HANSARDUkraine: WeaponsI say to the noble and gallant Lord that, as previously indicated, the department is fully engaged with industry, because we want to ensure that all equipment granted in kind to…16 Jun 2022HANSARDUkraine: WeaponsI am unable to provide anything more specific to the noble Lord in addition to what I have previously said. I cannot offer a detailed inventory of what is currently in storage in…16 Jun 2022HANSARDUkraine: WeaponsI can confirm to the noble and gallant Lord that we have been deploying elements of all three armed services. That includes bulking up the presence in Cyprus, because we have four…16 Jun 2022HANSARDUkraine: WeaponsThe UK takes the view that it is all hands to the pump. We welcome the contribution from any nations which think they can assist Ukraine. The visit to Kyiv by the countries to…16 Jun 2022HANSARDUkraine: WeaponsMy Lords, we liaise on a daily basis with Ukraine and continue to provide the defensive equipment it needs. The Defence Secretary participated in the Ukraine donor contact group…16 Jun 2022HANSARDUkraine: WeaponsWe keep weapon stockpile levels and requirements under constant review, and that informs our response to Ukraine. I reassure the noble Lord that we are fully engaged with…16 Jun 2022HANSARDUkraine: WeaponsI do not have such specific information before me to give to the noble Lord, but I will make inquiries. If there is any illumination I can provide to him, I will happily do that.16 Jun 2022HANSARDUkraine: UK Military SupportI reassure the noble Lord that we have offered training to ensure that, when they get the equipment, the Ukrainian armed forces can use it effectively. We are all aware of how…11 May 2022HANSARDUkraine: UK Military SupportThe noble Lord will understand that, for reasons of operational security, I cannot comment in detail on supply routes, but we are satisfied that the supplies are reaching the…11 May 2022HANSARDUkraine: UK Military SupportWe always keep our capacity under review. The integrated review, with the comprehensive spending review, have laid out the strategic direction for defence in this country. We…11 May 2022