Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Defence
Monday 13th July 2015

(9 years, 4 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Michael Fallon Portrait Michael Fallon
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We have plenty of maritime defence, but when we took office we had to end the Nimrod programme, which was years behind schedule and about £700 million or £800 million over-budget. Some 23 Nimrods were ordered back in the 1990s by a Conservative Government, but when we came to office 13 years later not one had actually been delivered.

Andrew Gwynne Portrait Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab)
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The point is that since the Government scrapped Nimrod the UK has been without a maritime patrol aircraft, so may I gently ask the Secretary of State to confirm whether the next strategic defence and security review will contain a commitment to an MPA?

Michael Fallon Portrait Michael Fallon
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First, I should make it clear that we do, through other means, still have some maritime defence capability without maritime patrol aircraft, but we will of course look at a whole range of capabilities as part of the current SDSR which is now well under way.