Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Andrew Murrison and Julian Brazier(8 years, 3 months ago)
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Mr Brazier
The Department gets a constant stream of advice from the DA and several other sources on the matter that the hon. Gentleman ingeniously managed to work into his question.
Dr Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire) (Con)
Does my hon. Friend agree that Army 2020 and the creation of regional forces will help to grow future defence attachés and will enable officers to follow a career path that includes a substantial element of foreign service, allowing them to get the skills necessary to be effective defence attachés?
Mr Brazier
My hon. Friend is exactly right on that matter, as he of course knows, having previously done the international brief in the Ministry of Defence. The new approach of having brigades facing particular parts of the world means that expertise and institutional memory on particular regions will grow. Combining that with the greatly improved career prospects for DAs should in the medium term greatly enhance our representation.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Andrew Murrison and Julian Brazier(8 years, 4 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Mr Brazier
To date, £3.5 billion has been spent on the aircraft carrier programme in Scotland. In 2014, we placed a £348 million contract for three offshore patrol vessels, helping to sustain 800 Scottish jobs, and helping, too, to secure the skills for the eight Type 26 global combat ships planned to be constructed on the Clyde. The general purpose frigates may also be built on the Clyde, but it is too early to commit to a decision.
Dr Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire) (Con)
In making decisions on the general purpose frigate, will the Minister keep in mind the need to avoid the difficulties that the Type 45s have had in their electrical and mechanical propulsion systems?
Mr Brazier
Yes; they are fine ships, but mistakes were made under the last Government.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Andrew Murrison and Julian Brazier(8 years, 6 months ago)
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Mr Brazier
The Prime Minister was quite right that our relationship with our European partners plays a very important role in defence.
Dr Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire) (Con)
Will my hon. Friend remind the hon. Member for Cambridge (Daniel Zeichner) how many times, in the 10 years since its inception, that the EU battle groups have actually been deployed?
Mr Brazier
The EU battle groups have not yet been deployed. The EU does have five significant common security and defence policy missions at the moment, complementing areas where NATO has chosen not to become involved.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Andrew Murrison and Julian Brazier(8 years, 7 months ago)
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Dr Andrew Murrison (South West Wiltshire) (Con)
Maritime patrol aircraft featured large in last year’s referendum, but does my hon. Friend agree that they are pretty pointless, either manned or unmanned, unless there is the data-gathering and analysis technology to go with it, and the wherewithal to respond to any threats that emerge—something that the SNP failed to offer last year?