Contributions
1,528 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDRotary Wing EnterpriseI know from my recent visit that my right hon. Friend is a champion not only for defence in her constituency, but for defence jobs in particular. She is right about StandardAero…19 Feb 2024HANSARDRoyal Navy CapabilitiesMy right hon. Friend asks an excellent question. I know that there has been a lot of interest, following the deployment in the Red sea, in what the lessons are. I can confirm that…19 Feb 2024HANSARDDefence Manufacturing: EmploymentIn 2022-23, the Ministry of Defence spent £25 billion with UK industry. The most recent estimate shows that that supported 209,000 jobs across the country, of which 47,000 were in…19 Feb 2024HANSARDRoyal Navy CapabilitiesThe Royal Navy has a range of capabilities to support the engagement of land-based targets. Specific threat planning is considered for every deployment or contingency, and…19 Feb 2024HANSARDTrident RenewalThe Dreadnought submarine programme remains within overall budget and on track for the first of class, HMS Dreadnought, to enter service in the early 2030s. Inflation has remained…19 Feb 2024HANSARDRotary Wing EnterpriseI am pleased to say two things to the hon. Lady. First, we will have the announcement on the next stage of the new medium helicopter very soon. I am also pleased to confirm that…19 Feb 2024HANSARDRotary Wing EnterpriseThe rotary wing enterprise programme seeks to improve aircraft availability across support solutions for Apache, Chinook, Merlin and Wildcat from within existing budgets. It will…19 Feb 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am very grateful to my hon. Friend for raising this matter—he is a champion of the defence community in his constituency, and I thank him for his early engagement on it. I…19 Feb 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsThat is a very good question. The distinction is between the Cabinet Office social value rules, which are applied across Government and are irrespective, and the rules that the…19 Feb 2024HANSARDEmissions: Armed ForcesThe MOD has already started its decarbonisation journey in support of the UK’s net zero commitment. At the Royal International Air Tattoo last year, I was pleased to sign the…19 Feb 2024HANSARDEmissions: Armed ForcesI know the hon. Lady is very passionate about this issue. I have just listed the ways in which the individual services are taking steps to reduce their emissions, but we always…19 Feb 2024HANSARDTrident RenewalI agree 100% with my hon. Friend.19 Feb 2024HANSARDTrident RenewalThat is an extraordinary thing for the hon. Gentleman to say. He knows that we will shortly be publishing, before the end of the financial year, our supplementary estimate for the…19 Feb 2024HANSARDInnovative Defence TechnologiesMy right hon. Friend makes an important point. As he knows, RAF Scampton is no longer part of the defence estate, which means we do not have formal responsibility for it. What I…19 Feb 2024HANSARDInnovative Defence TechnologiesDefence is investing over £6.6 billion in advanced research and development. We are working with UK industry and academia to identify and invest in innovative technologies,…19 Feb 2024HANSARDDefence Manufacturing: EmploymentMy hon. Friend asks an excellent question. It helps that we have lots of school groups and young people in the Gallery today, it being half term. I can confirm that last year’s…19 Feb 2024HANSARD TridentI am grateful to the hon. Member for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath (Neale Hanvey) for initiating this debate. We have had a number of exchanges on this matter including, for example,…26 Jan 2024HANSARD TridentThat is wholly erroneous. Yes, we have a very, very close working relationship with the United States. We recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Polaris agreement. With…26 Jan 2024HANSARD TridentI did respond in detail to the written questions the hon. Gentleman tabled last May about those incidents, and the Secretary of State wrote to him about the allegations that were…26 Jan 2024HANSARD Nuclear Defence Infrastructure: Parliamentary ScrutinyI have enjoyed the fact that the hon. Lady has tabled a number of written questions on these matters. I have always answered them as transparently as possible, setting out the…24 Jan 2024