Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release on the award of a £1.6 billion contract to Thales in Belfast for the manufacture of lightweight-multirole missiles, published on 2 March 2025, what relative weight was given to (a) technical capability, (b) cost, (c) delivery timelines and (d) risk assessment when awarding the contract.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him to Question 35735 on 12 March 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release on the award of a £1.6 billion contract to Thales in Belfast for the manufacture of lightweight-multirole missiles, published on 2 March 2025, under what circumstances the contract could be terminated.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The contract includes provisions for termination in a range of circumstances. Releasing the detail of those provisions could potentially harm our relations with the Government of Ukraine, noting that the contract was placed on its behalf pursuant to an international agreement between the UK and Ukraine and is being funded by the Ukraine Government, with support from UK Export Finance.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release on the award of a £1.6 billion contract to Thales in Belfast for the manufacture of lightweight-multirole missiles, published on 2 March 2025, whether (a) an open prior information notice or (b) a voluntary ex-ante transparency notice was published in relation to the procurement.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Neither a Prior Information Notice nor voluntary ex-ante transparency notice were published, noting that this procurement is excluded from applicable procurement legislation as it is pursuant to an international agreement between the UK and Ukraine.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release on the award of a £1.6 billion contract to Thales in Belfast for the manufacture of lightweight-multirole missiles, published on 2 March 2025, whether the contract was awarded under a single-source procurement route.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ukraine Government has selected the Lightweight Multi-role Missile because it has demonstrated itself to be a highly effective short-range air defence capability. This procurement was not subject to competition, noting that it is excluded from applicable procurement legislation as we are acting on behalf of the Ukraine Government pursuant to an international agreement between the UK and Ukraine.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release on the award of a £1.6 billion contract to Thales in Belfast for the manufacture of lightweight-multirole missiles, published on 2 March 2025, whether the contract was reviewed by the Single Source Regulations Office.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ukraine Government selected the lightweight-multirole missile because it has demonstrated itself to be a highly effective short range air defence capability. Because the UK Ministry of Defence is acting on behalf of the Ukrainian Government in procuring these missiles, pursuant to an international agreement between the UK and Ukraine, and the contract is being funded by the Ukraine Government with support from UK Export Finance, the procurement is excluded from the procurement legislation which would normally be applicable.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release on the award of a £1.6 billion contract to Thales in Belfast for the manufacture of lightweight-multirole missiles, published on 2 March 2025, whether a value-for-money assessment was conducted before awarding the contract.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him to Question 35734 on 10 March 2025.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the number of claims that have been (a) made and (b) paid under the Duty Reimbursement Scheme for goods brought into Northern Ireland since the scheme was established.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Duty Reimbursement Scheme (DRS) has been operational since June 2023, allowing businesses who move goods into Northern Ireland to reclaim or remit duty provided that the goods can be shown not to have subsequently entered the EU.

DRS claims are processed within 120 days of receipt, although generally the processing time for claims is much shorter. As of 14 March 2025, the average processing time for a DRS claim is 16 days.

Businesses also have a three-year window from the date they were notified of the duty being owed to make a claim under the DRS.

HMRC has published extensive guidance and will continue to support businesses to use the scheme effectively, as well as other schemes such as the Customs Duty Waiver Scheme.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the average time taken for applicants to the Duty Reimbursement Scheme to be reimbursed for duty paid on goods brought into Northern Ireland.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Duty Reimbursement Scheme (DRS) has been operational since June 2023, allowing businesses who move goods into Northern Ireland to reclaim or remit duty provided that the goods can be shown not to have subsequently entered the EU.

DRS claims are processed within 120 days of receipt, although generally the processing time for claims is much shorter. As of 14 March 2025, the average processing time for a DRS claim is 16 days.

Businesses also have a three-year window from the date they were notified of the duty being owed to make a claim under the DRS.

HMRC has published extensive guidance and will continue to support businesses to use the scheme effectively, as well as other schemes such as the Customs Duty Waiver Scheme.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release on the award of a £1.6 billion contract to Thales in Belfast for the manufacture of lightweight-multirole missiles, published on 2 March 2025, what (a) transparency reporting obligations and (b) performance milestones have been placed on Thales Northern Ireland.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him to Question 40323 on 28 March 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release on the award of a £1.6 billion contract to Thales in Belfast for the manufacture of lightweight-multirole missiles, published on 2 March 2025, whether procurement thresholds were considered when awarding the contract.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him to Question 40323 on 28 March 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release on the award of a £1.6 billion contract to Thales in Belfast for the manufacture of lightweight-multirole missiles, published on 2 March 2025, whether regulatory compliance audits were undertaken on the contract.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him to Question 40323 on 28 March 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release on the award of a £1.6 billion contract to Thales in Belfast for the manufacture of lightweight-multirole missiles, published on 2 March 2025, whether specific contractual provisions allow for the potential extension of the contract.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The contract does not include executable options to extend its duration. The scope will be awarded in a phased manner, and the contract does include provisions to extend specific delivery dates in certain circumstances.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release on the award of a £1.6 billion contract to Thales in Belfast for the manufacture of lightweight-multirole missiles, published on 2 March 2025, whether the contract was awarded via (a) the Dynamic Purchasing System and (b) a Crown Commercial Service framework.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

No. Procurement of this type of capability is not available through the Dynamic Purchasing System or a Crown Commercial Service framework.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Historic £1.6bn deal provides thousands of air defence missiles for Ukraine and boosts UK jobs and growth, published 2 March 2025, whether an assessment was conducted under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 to determine whether a direct award was justifiable based on (a) extreme urgency and (b) operational necessity.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him to Question 40323 on 28 March 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Historic £1.6bn deal provides thousands of air defence missiles for Ukraine and boosts UK jobs and growth, published 2 March 2025, whether contractual contingency measures exist within the contract in the event of (a) production delays, (b) cost overruns and (c) failure to meet performance criteria.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The contract includes provisions to incentivise the specified delivery dates and, where relevant, performance criteria, with remedies available if those contractual obligations are not met. The scope will be placed in a phased manner, with the intent being that each phase is subject to a firm price.