Oral Answers to Questions

Grahame Morris Excerpts

Monday 21st February 2022 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Kenny MacAskill. Not here. I call Grahame Morris.

[Grahame Morris (Easington) (Lab)]

6. What steps his Department is taking to help ensure the resilience of the helicopter supply chain in the UK.

[Christian Matheson (City of Chester) (Lab)]

17. What steps his Department is taking to help ensure the resilience of helicopter (a) manufacturing and (b) supply chains in the UK.

[The Minister for Defence Procurement (Jeremy Quin)]

We recognise the need to manage risk and ensure resilience in our manufacturing and supply chains, including rotary wing. Through past and current investment in rotary wing capabilities, including Wildcat and Apache, and upgrades to Merlin and Chinook, the UK industrial base remains well placed to support existing and future helicopter platforms, and continues to be a market of great interest to our industrial partners.

[Grahame Morris]

I thank the Minister for that response and I declare an interest as chair of the Unite group of Labour MPs in Parliament. Further to my Defence question of 15 November, when I asked the Minister what steps his Department was taking to ensure the resilience of the helicopter supply chain in the UK, will he now assure the House that, whoever wins the contract, the new Puma-replacement helicopters will be both manufactured and assembled here in the United Kingdom?