Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps have been taken to preserve the wreck of HMS Victory, which sank in 1744.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
It is UK Government Policy to ensure our historic military shipwrecks are offered appropriate protection and management. In September 2024, Wessex Archaeology in partnership with the Ministry of Defence, completed a non-intrusive survey of the wreck site of HMS Victory 1744. The findings will enable the Ministry of Defence to continue protecting the site. The site of HMS Victory 1744 is one of a number that UK Government monitors.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Malaysian Government on the protection of the wreck of HMS Prince of Wales, sunk in December 1941.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Illegally salvaged artefacts from HMS Prince of Wales seized by Malaysian authorities are part of an ongoing Malaysian criminal investigation. The UK Ministry of Defence and the British High Commission continue to work closely with the relevant authorities in the region to afford these sites suitable protection. As investigations into the illegal salvage are still ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further until these investigations have concluded.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his expected timetable is for when the first Multi-Role Support Ship vessel will enter service.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Funding for the concept phase of Multi Role Support Ship (MRSS) has been approved by HM Treasury. I can confirm that the platform will be procured through the new Integrated Procurement Model (IPM), which I recently announced. As such, the next step in the programme will be for me to receive and review the Independent Advice Note (IAN) on MRSS which will inform the concept and design phases of the programme. As I said in my Oral Statement of 28th February, announcing the IPM, the aim of this note is “to provide a credible second opinion for Ministers to weigh alongside the military’s proposed requirement” (Hansard ref).
The IAN will provide advice on key policy choices, to ensure we set the programme up for success from the off. In particular, this is to core policy issues are transparently considered at the earliest stage, and then locked down as far as possible, so that the remaining procurement stages can proceed at pace, and in a context of underlying policy certainty. Policy areas to be informed by the IAN will include:
Advice would draw on expertise from across the Defence Enterprise, including, but not restricted to: DSTL; DE&S; DSE/DBT.
The total programme budget will be allocated on completion of the concept phase. It is too early in that process to have committed expenditure or actual spend.
MRSS will enter service in the early 2030s, providing highly flexible warships, able to deploy on a wider variety of operations. They will be lean-crewed, with the precise crew requirement being confirmed during the concept phase.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding has (a) been committed to and (b) been spent on the Multi-Role Support Ship programme.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Funding for the concept phase of Multi Role Support Ship (MRSS) has been approved by HM Treasury. I can confirm that the platform will be procured through the new Integrated Procurement Model (IPM), which I recently announced. As such, the next step in the programme will be for me to receive and review the Independent Advice Note (IAN) on MRSS which will inform the concept and design phases of the programme. As I said in my Oral Statement of 28th February, announcing the IPM, the aim of this note is “to provide a credible second opinion for Ministers to weigh alongside the military’s proposed requirement” (Hansard ref).
The IAN will provide advice on key policy choices, to ensure we set the programme up for success from the off. In particular, this is to core policy issues are transparently considered at the earliest stage, and then locked down as far as possible, so that the remaining procurement stages can proceed at pace, and in a context of underlying policy certainty. Policy areas to be informed by the IAN will include:
Advice would draw on expertise from across the Defence Enterprise, including, but not restricted to: DSTL; DE&S; DSE/DBT.
The total programme budget will be allocated on completion of the concept phase. It is too early in that process to have committed expenditure or actual spend.
MRSS will enter service in the early 2030s, providing highly flexible warships, able to deploy on a wider variety of operations. They will be lean-crewed, with the precise crew requirement being confirmed during the concept phase.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what average number of crew will be required per Multi-Role Support Ship.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Funding for the concept phase of Multi Role Support Ship (MRSS) has been approved by HM Treasury. I can confirm that the platform will be procured through the new Integrated Procurement Model (IPM), which I recently announced. As such, the next step in the programme will be for me to receive and review the Independent Advice Note (IAN) on MRSS which will inform the concept and design phases of the programme. As I said in my Oral Statement of 28th February, announcing the IPM, the aim of this note is “to provide a credible second opinion for Ministers to weigh alongside the military’s proposed requirement” (Hansard ref).
The IAN will provide advice on key policy choices, to ensure we set the programme up for success from the off. In particular, this is to core policy issues are transparently considered at the earliest stage, and then locked down as far as possible, so that the remaining procurement stages can proceed at pace, and in a context of underlying policy certainty. Policy areas to be informed by the IAN will include:
Advice would draw on expertise from across the Defence Enterprise, including, but not restricted to: DSTL; DE&S; DSE/DBT.
The total programme budget will be allocated on completion of the concept phase. It is too early in that process to have committed expenditure or actual spend.
MRSS will enter service in the early 2030s, providing highly flexible warships, able to deploy on a wider variety of operations. They will be lean-crewed, with the precise crew requirement being confirmed during the concept phase.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much he has spent on post-life extension upkeep of HMS Argyll.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 May 2024 to Question 26276 to the hon. Member for Angus (Mr Doogan).
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether the Malaysian authorities have requested assistance from his Department in their investigations into the illegal salvage of HMS Prince of Wales.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The Malaysian authorities are in the process of conducting a wide-ranging investigation into the illegal salvage of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse. The Ministry of Defence and British High Commission are in close contact with Malaysian authorities and continue to push for a quick investigation as well as the release of the artefacts back into British hands.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what discussions he has had with his Malaysian counterpart on the wrecks of HMS (a) Prince of Wales and (b) Repulse.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The Malaysian authorities are in the process of conducting a wide-ranging investigation into the illegal salvage of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse. The Ministry of Defence and British High Commission are in close contact with Malaysian authorities and continue to push for a quick investigation as well as the release of the artefacts back into British hands.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the Fleet Solid Support programme manufactured by the UK workforce.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Fleet Solid Support contract will create more than 1,200 UK shipyard jobs and around 800 jobs will be sustained in the UK supply chain. There is also substantial investment being made in the UK including around £100 million into UK shipyards, including £77 million of infrastructure at Harland & Wolff’s Belfast shipyard, the agreement will see a further £21 million invested in skills and technology transfer from Navantia UK. Whilst the majority of the work will take place in the UK, companies in the supply chain are still being engaged. There is also substantial investment being made in UK shipbuilding and ship design.
As prime contractor for the Fleet Solid Support ships Navantia UK is in the process of letting a number of contracts to UK companies, including those already let with BMT and Harland & Wolff. The value of the individual contracts is commercially sensitive information. It is expected that approximately 60% of the contract value will be with UK companies.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the Fleet Solid Support programme will be manufactured using components made in the UK.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Fleet Solid Support contract will create more than 1,200 UK shipyard jobs and around 800 jobs will be sustained in the UK supply chain. There is also substantial investment being made in the UK including around £100 million into UK shipyards, including £77 million of infrastructure at Harland & Wolff’s Belfast shipyard, the agreement will see a further £21 million invested in skills and technology transfer from Navantia UK. Whilst the majority of the work will take place in the UK, companies in the supply chain are still being engaged. There is also substantial investment being made in UK shipbuilding and ship design.
As prime contractor for the Fleet Solid Support ships Navantia UK is in the process of letting a number of contracts to UK companies, including those already let with BMT and Harland & Wolff. The value of the individual contracts is commercially sensitive information. It is expected that approximately 60% of the contract value will be with UK companies.