Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have signed new contracts or renewed existing contracts with Fujitsu this year.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Details of central government contracts where the contract value is above £12,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search. In addition to extensions available under Fujitsu’s existing contracts, Contracts Finder provides details of five services provided by Fujitsu, that have been extended through direct awards since January. These service extensions ensured continuity of public services, whilst competitive procurements are being set up, as appropriate.
Cabinet Office has reviewed cases for supplier service extensions in line with the commercial spend controls process in order to ensure continuity of public services.
In January 2024, Fujitsu said it would withdraw from bidding for contracts for new work with new Government customers until the Post Office Horizon inquiry concludes – it would only bid for work with existing Government customers where it already has a contract with them, or where there is an agreed need for Fujitsu’s skills and capabilities.
Fujitsu's bid approach is detailed in this letter, deposited in Parliament. For more details, please see here.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which Government Departments have contracts with Fujitsu and what is the value of each contract.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Details of central government contracts where the contract value is above £12,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search. In addition to extensions available under Fujitsu’s existing contracts, Contracts Finder provides details of five services provided by Fujitsu, that have been extended through direct awards since January. These service extensions ensured continuity of public services, whilst competitive procurements are being set up, as appropriate.
Cabinet Office has reviewed cases for supplier service extensions in line with the commercial spend controls process in order to ensure continuity of public services.
In January 2024, Fujitsu said it would withdraw from bidding for contracts for new work with new Government customers until the Post Office Horizon inquiry concludes – it would only bid for work with existing Government customers where it already has a contract with them, or where there is an agreed need for Fujitsu’s skills and capabilities.
Fujitsu's bid approach is detailed in this letter, deposited in Parliament. For more details, please see here.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with Fujitsu regarding a tender for the contract to replace the Post Office Horizon system.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Post Office have a contract with Fujitsu until March 2025 for the Horizon IT system, and are in negotiations with Fujitsu regarding an extension to that contract. Officials at the Department have met with Fujitsu to discuss the importance of a contract extension, which would allow continuity of service in post office branches while Post Office develops a replacement to the Horizon system.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Fujitsu regarding payment of compensation by the company because of their involvement in the Post Office Horizon scandal.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government welcomes the fact that Fujitsu has acknowledged their moral obligation to make a contribution to the cost of redress. At the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry the UK head of Fujitsu stated that he is willing and ready to engage with Government on the size of the contribution. Once the statutory Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry has reviewed all the evidence and the Chair, Sir Wyn Williams, has delivered his report, the Department will consider his findings and take appropriate action.
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).