Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they had with the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions about the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Marine Services Next Generation (DMS-NG) programme did not seek tenders directly for the Vessel Replacement Programme (VRP), as the endorsed procurement strategy was to include this as part of the broader In-Port Services contract. Tenderers for the main contract were expected to select their own supply chain to deliver the VRP and Serco made the decision to sub-contract to Damen Shipyards Group.
While there was no policy requirement to engage for this procurement, and there are no records of discussions with the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions specifically on the DMS-NG contracts, the Department remains committed to open dialogue with stakeholders and to supporting UK shipbuilding through the National Shipbuilding Strategy and associated initiatives. The Ministry of Defence now engages regularly with industry bodies and trade unions in accordance with the 2025 Defence publication “The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy”.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government which British shipyards were invited to tender for vessels under the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts, and which submitted a bid.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Marine Services Next Generation (DMS-NG) programme did not seek tenders directly for the Vessel Replacement Programme (VRP), as the endorsed procurement strategy was to include this as part of the broader In-Port Services contract. Tenderers for the main contract were expected to select their own supply chain to deliver the VRP and Serco made the decision to sub-contract to Damen Shipyards Group.
While there was no policy requirement to engage for this procurement, and there are no records of discussions with the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions specifically on the DMS-NG contracts, the Department remains committed to open dialogue with stakeholders and to supporting UK shipbuilding through the National Shipbuilding Strategy and associated initiatives. The Ministry of Defence now engages regularly with industry bodies and trade unions in accordance with the 2025 Defence publication “The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy”.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the invitation to tender for vessels for the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts included any requirement for the employment of trainees or apprentices.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Each of the four Defence Marine Services - Next Generation (DMS-NG) contracts includes Social Value requirements, which are based on the most appropriate outcomes and themes as set out in the Social Value Model. The DMS-NG invitations to tender included education and training, requiring tenderers to support educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications. They did not prescribe or constrain how the tenderers should meet the requirements and did not specify requirements for trainees and apprentices separately in relation to the Vessel Replacement Programme (which is to be delivered as part of the In-Port Marine Services Contract).
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there are any social value requirements in the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts with Serco.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Each of the four Defence Marine Services - Next Generation (DMS-NG) contracts includes Social Value requirements, which are based on the most appropriate outcomes and themes as set out in the Social Value Model. The DMS-NG invitations to tender included education and training, requiring tenderers to support educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications. They did not prescribe or constrain how the tenderers should meet the requirements and did not specify requirements for trainees and apprentices separately in relation to the Vessel Replacement Programme (which is to be delivered as part of the In-Port Marine Services Contract).
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the value of the supply chain of the contract for the vessels being constructed for the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Vessel Replacement Programme within the Defence Marine Services Next Generation In-Port Services contract represents approximately £200 million, 22% of the total In-Port Services contract value. Serco, as the prime contractor, is responsible for managing its supply chain and made the decision to sub-contract to Damen Shipyards Group. The Ministry of Defence monitors prime contractor reporting to ensure compliance with contractual obligations and value-for-money principles.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to announce the appointment of the National Armaments Director, and when they expect the director to take up the role.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
An announcement on the appointment of the National Armaments Director will be made in due course once the necessary recruitment processes and relevant approvals have been finalised.
The successful candidate will take up the role after the appropriate notice period from their previous employer has been served.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what evaluation they have made of the ongoing utility of the Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention following recent developments in Eastern and Northern Europe.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (also known as the Ottawa Convention) continues to play an important role in protecting civilians from harm caused by anti-personnel landmines. As a State Party to the Ottawa Convention, the UK’s commitment to it remains unwavering. We continue to encourage countries to join the Ottawa Convention, subscribe to its provisions; and discourage States from using anti-personnel landmines.
His Majesty's Government has noted that Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have stated their intention to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty. The UK acknowledges and shares concerns about the security environment in the region as a result of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. We also acknowledge that it is the sovereign right of those countries to make this decision. The UK will work to mitigate impacts on vital arms control and disarmament norms, while continuing to engage bilaterally on the actions States plan to take.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the cost per unit of the new single living accommodation block at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst; and where were the units manufactured.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The new Single Living Accommodation (SLA) block at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) provides 53 en-suite single bedspaces for Senior Ranks, with utilities, drying rooms, a kitchen and furnished communal space.
While this information is not held in the format requested, the overall contract value for the new SLA block at RMAS was £10.91 million; project cost capture does not split the cost into a single bedspace. The SLA block was manufactured in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the number of graduate nuclear (a) engineers and (b) scientists required for the military nuclear programme.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
As announced in the Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) Command Paper: Delivering the UK’s Nuclear Deterrent as a National Endeavor, the Department is investing to increase its intake of nuclear sector graduates by an additional 2,000 personnel over the next four years.
Of these 2,000, over 1,600 are for the DNE, with up to 70% of these graduates expected to join in engineering posts with the remainder in a range of supporting professions such as science (including physics, material science, nuclear science), commercial and finance.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what lessons his Department has learned for the future provision of service accommodation from the Single Living Accommodation Modernisation project.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Lessons learnt from the Single Living Accommodation Modernisation project include that it provided value for money through standardisation of design, and economies of scale through a managed pipeline of projects.
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is continuing to realise these benefits through our Single Living Accommodation Programmatic Approach.
Standard designs have been developed in consultation with the front-line commands and industry partners.
Design layouts have been amended to provide better functional spaces in bedrooms and common areas.
The design of building fabric and services has been improved to achieve through life Net Zero Carbon requirements.