Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to accelerate the development, testing, production and installation of DragonFire.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK Government is committed to accelerating the development, testing, production, and installation of the DragonFire high energy laser system. The UK remains on track to become the first European NATO nation to bring advanced laser directed energy technology into service. Two major periods of firing trials, conducted successfully in 2025, have been instrumental in advancing the system's readiness for service and operational capability.
In November 2025, the Ministry of Defence awarded a contract to MBDA for the delivery of the first two DragonFire units, with the first of these scheduled for installation on a Type 45 destroyer in 2027, five years earlier than originally planned. This programme exemplifies the MOD's commitment to supporting British technical excellence and rapidly integrating cutting-edge technology to enhance the capabilities of our Armed Forces.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government which company will provide the new electric buses for Sheffield.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
On 12 March it was announced that South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) will receive a grant of £33.4m to help improve air quality in Sheffield by replacing diesel buses with new zero-emission buses. It is for SYMCA to procure these buses.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much they spent to acquire Sheffield Forgemasters; how much more they have invested to date; and what estimate they have made of the cost of future investment.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) spent £2.56 million in August 2021 to acquire Sheffield Forgemasters and its unique defence supply capability in its entirety. To date the MOD has invested a further £542 million in the recapitalisation of the company to modernise and expand its defence manufacturing facilities, including a new 13,000 tonne forging line and a state-of-the-art machining facility. The programme to deliver this is running to cost and schedule and completes in 2033. The total investment is forecast to be £1.3 billion.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 12 February (HL14125), what is the breakdown of the students from England who participated in the Erasmus programme in 2020 by English region.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In 2020, the regional breakdown of higher education students from England who participated in the Erasmus+ programme was:
All Erasmus+ data is publicly available.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Executive Order “Prioritizing the warfighter in defense contracting”, published by the President of the United States of America on 7 January; and whether a similar decision in respect of stock buybacks and excessive corporate distributions would be appropriate for UK Defence procurement.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Executive Order highlighted by the noble Lord outlines potential actions placed upon contractors deemed to be underperforming by the United States Government. Under the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on February 24 2025, the UK Government has similarly strengthened its ability to take action against underperforming suppliers through a more centralized, transparent system.
Under the Procurement Act 2023 (the Act) the UK Government has strengthened its ability to deal with underperforming suppliers. The Act introduced commercial levers to manage systemic underperformance via an expanded exclusions regime. This regime ensures that a suppliers’ historic conduct, including poor performance, breaches of contract or serious misconduct, can be assessed and addressed appropriately. Discretionary exclusion grounds allow contracting authorities to take proportionate action where suppliers have demonstrated significant or persistent poor performance, including any self-cleaning demonstrated by the supplier. Where a supplier is an excluded or excludable supplier, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) must or may restrict their participation in future competitions, depending on the nature of the exclusion, and in the most serious cases a Minister of the Crown may place a supplier on the debarment list, following investigation. This creates a transparent, consistent approach to managing poor performance risk across MOD and wider Government.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero have had with the Ministry of Defence about potential involvement of Sheffield Forgemasters in the programme for small modular nuclear reactors.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
While it would not be appropriate to speculate at this time on specific commercial contracts, Great British Energy – Nuclear’s ambition is for 70% British built products across the small modular reactor fleet, including both on-site and off-site activity.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has regular dialogue with the Ministry of Defence on a range of policy matters, including increased collaboration and alignment between civil and defence nuclear capabilities to maximise associated benefits. These include driving economic growth, boosting the role of nuclear energy and developing innovative nuclear technologies.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what weight is being given to social value and regional economic growth as part of the small modular nuclear reactors programme.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great British Energy-Nuclear's (GBE-N) SMR competition evaluated bids across technical, commercial, and social value criteria, though any specific commitments would remain subject to final government approvals and GBE-N entering into contract with Rolls-Royce SMR.
GBE-N's ambition is for 70% British built products across a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) fleet, including both on-site and off-site activity.
The government wants UK supply chains to develop world-leading expertise across a range of civil nuclear activities and be competitive both domestically and internationally.
To achieve this, we will continue to engage with industry to address barriers to entry in the nuclear sector so that UK companies are well placed to take advantage of the opportunities created.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the manufacturing unions about the role of their members in the work for the small modular nuclear reactors programme.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As announced in November 2025, the Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE-N) small modular reactor (SMR) project will be sited at Wylfa, on Anglesey in North Wales, supporting up to 3,000 jobs on site at peak construction and thousands more across the supply chain.
Ministers and officials engage regularly with industry and workforce representatives, including trade unions, through existing sector‑wide forums, and will do so regarding the SMR Programme as it progresses. Separately, GBE-N has regular engagement with trade union and nuclear supply chain representatives.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with unions representing workers in the combat aircraft sector regarding the future of air platform manufacturing in the UK.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to securing the future of air platform manufacturing in the UK, recognising its importance for skills, economic growth, and national prosperity. The sector is supported through initiatives like the Combat Air Strategy and the Global Combat Air Programme, ensuring the UK maintains its position at the cutting edge of combat air capability.
The MOD engages with unions representing workers in the combat aircraft sector through regular dialogue and consultation. These discussions are part of the Ministry's commitment to supporting the future of air platform manufacturing in the UK, including through initiatives such as the Combat Air Strategy and the Global Combat Air Programme.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 27 January (HL13563), when the contract for the Defence Marine Services Next Generation In-Port Services was signed; and in doing so what consideration was given to social value in line with the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The contract for Defence Marine Services Next Generation In-Port Services was signed on 25 April 2025. This procurement had commenced in 2022 under the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011, rather than the Procurement Act 2023 which came into force in February 2025. In compliance with the regulations in force at the time, the tender evaluation process included assessment of social value responses on education, training and environmental benefits.