Contributions
413 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDArmed Forces PersonnelI have been here long enough to be able to pay tribute to my hon. Friend for his consistent defence of the 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. The same National Audit…18 Feb 2019HANSARDArmed Forces PersonnelThat is a very important question. The hon. Lady will be aware of the £1.9 billion investment in cyber across Government. I have taken a particular personal interest in this…18 Feb 2019HANSARDArmed Forces PersonnelI could not disagree more. I think we have a clear vision as to what we want our Army to do in 2019. Equally, the hon. Gentleman should be encouraged by the fact that as of…18 Feb 2019HANSARDArmed Forces PersonnelWe remain committed to maintaining the overall size of the armed forces, and we have a range of measures under way to improve recruitment and retention. The challenge is kept…18 Feb 2019HANSARDAfghanistan: Locally Employed StaffI am responsible for overseeing and assuring the delivery of the ex-gratia redundancy scheme and intimidation policy, in support of former Afghan locally employed staff (LES), on…30 Jan 2019HANSARDRAF Aerobatic Team: North American TourOn 21 October 2018, the Secretary of State for Defence announced that the Royal Air Force aerobatic team (the Red Arrows) will fly the flag for Britain, both in the skies and on…23 Jan 2019HANSARDNo-deal EU Exit Contingency Planning: Call-out OrderA new order has been made under section 56(1B) of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 to enable reservists to be called into permanent service in support of the HMG contingency planning…17 Jan 2019HANSARDOffensive Cyber-capabilitiesMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. I can reassure the House that all our offensive cyber operations comply with the law of armed conflict, and with national and international…14 Jan 2019HANSARDOffensive Cyber-capabilitiesThe short answer is by utilising the skillsets of the private sector. In many ways we have done this by recognising the use of reserves. We cannot always compete with the salaries…14 Jan 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsWe review the policy constantly, and I will update the House in due course.14 Jan 2019HANSARDOffensive Cyber-capabilitiesIt is very much within the agreement. Equally, this is a priority, which is precisely why we are investing £1.9 billion in it over coming years.14 Jan 2019HANSARDLeaving the EU: Future Defence RelationshipThe UK will pursue a distinctive, independent and sovereign foreign and defence policy that meets British interests and promotes our values. The political declaration negotiated…14 Jan 2019HANSARDIllegal Immigration (English Channel)With respect to the hon. Gentleman, he seems to be confusing a number of different issues. The role of the fleet ready escort is certainly very different from that in which HMS…14 Jan 2019HANSARDIllegal Immigration (English Channel)As I have tried to explain, migration is a matter for the Home Office. In this case, it has made a request for us to supply a vessel, HMS Mersey, to act as a platform for Border…14 Jan 2019HANSARDIllegal Immigration (English Channel)Migration control is, of course, not a responsibility of the Ministry of Defence or the Royal Navy; it is a responsibility of the Home Office, so my hon. Friend’s question is…14 Jan 2019HANSARDIllegal Immigration (English Channel)As the House is aware, HMS Mersey, an offshore patrol vessel—OPV—was deployed on 3 January in support of Border Force activity in the channel. Additionally, our support includes…14 Jan 2019HANSARDCapita’s Army Recruitment ContractThe Army is working closely with Capita, with multiple interventions now in place and delivering improvements. Regular soldier applications are at a five-year high, supported by…14 Jan 2019HANSARDCapita’s Army Recruitment ContractThere are certainly alternative plans in place should this contract not perform, and the Secretary of State has made it absolutely clear that he has not ruled that out. However, I…14 Jan 2019HANSARDCapita’s Army Recruitment ContractWe have been quite open about the fact that there have been challenges in this contract. Equally, the Chief of the Defence Staff, in his appearance before the Select Committee the…14 Jan 2019HANSARDCapita’s Army Recruitment ContractYes. The very fact that everybody seems to be talking about it is a very positive sign. Time will tell, but early indications are that applications are up by over 20% on this time…14 Jan 2019