First elected: 30th June 2011
Left House: 30th March 2015 (Defeated)
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
These initiatives were driven by Iain McKenzie, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Iain McKenzie has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Iain McKenzie has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
Iain McKenzie has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Iain McKenzie has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
There is a full and robust process for monitoring and implementing and evaluating all city deals which is overseen by the Local Growth Committee chaired by my Rt Hon Friend the Deputy Prime Minister.
Daily price reports of wholesale trading in transport fuels are available through commercial subscription services; with certain wholesale price information available publicly, for example from specialist press and motoring organisations.
Small businesses are vital to our economy and our small business owners have driven this economic recovery. The Inverclyde constituency has benefitted from a number of support schemes. The Business Bank’s Start-Up Loan programme has already provided 16 loans, with a value of £55,000, to people starting a business in Inverclyde. And since May 2010, the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme has supported loans in the area with a total value of £970,000.
We are committed to making Britain the best place in the world to start and grow a business, and are doing this in a number of ways:
Voter registration is now easier and more convenient than ever before with the launch of on-line registration. Applying to register now takes as little as 2-3 minutes and has been a big success so far – over 3 million people have applied to register to vote under Individual Electoral Registration, the majority on-line and over 90% of users are satisfied with the on-line service.
We have also invested £4.2 million shared across every ERO in Great Britain and 5 national organisations to support the costs of activities aimed at increasing the rate of voter registration.
There is no consensus across Government on this issue and there are no plans to legislate to extend the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds before the next UK General Election.
The first tranche of the UK Government's £500m funding would be received in 2015/16, subject to the agreement being signed by all parties during the weeks ahead.
Local leaders across Glasgow and the Clyde Valley have worked together to agree a series of infrastructure schemes that could be taken forward over the next twenty years as a result of the Glasgow Infrastructure Fund.
Targeted initiatives to encourage manufacturing in Scotland are a devolved matter for the Scottish Government. However we are taking steps to strengthen manufacturing capability across the UK. These include support for innovation and technology commercialisation through the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, help for businesses seeking to tap into opportunities in foreign markets, and in January 2014, Reshore UK was set up to assist UK manufacturers looking to win back production and jobs from overseas.
We are taking action to increase manufacturing investment. In the 2014 Budget, my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer doubled the annual investment allowance to £500,000 until the end of 2015. 100% first year capital allowances in enterprise zones will also be extended for three years to 31 March 2020.
We are also helping energy intensive industries by compensating them for indirect costs of the carbon price floor and EU ETS extending beyond 2015-16. EIIs will also be compensated for the Renewable Obligation and Feed In Tariffs from 2016-17.
The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs have 173 staff dedicated to the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage.
The Government is already taking tougher action on employers that break minimum wage law. We have made it simpler to name and shame employers that don't pay the national minimum wage and increased the financial penalty that employers pay for breaking the law.
The latest published statistics show that as at the end of December 2013, there were 427,897 solar panel installations on domestic properties, representing 97 per cent of the total number of solar panels installed in GB (442,102).
Statistics to the end of March 2014 will be published at 09:30am on Wednesday 23rd April 2014 on the DECC Statistics webpage:
The Department's latest estimates for households installing energy efficient products in their property do not assume a single payback period. The time required to recover installation costs will depend on a large number of factors, specific to the household. Some of the main influencing factors are: the property's type and size; the measures installed and their cost; the household's pattern of energy use before the installation; the energy efficiency of the property before the installation; and whether or not there was a subsidy to contribute to the measure's cost.
All the Department's take-up projections for energy efficiency measures assume that the households installing measures will recover all the installation costs, with payback ranging from 0 to 25 years.
We introduced the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers, providing £1,500 payments to encourage and support smaller employers to take on young apprentices. The 2014 Budget made available £170 million additional funding over 2014-18, which will provide over 100,000 additional incentive payments.
This in addition to wider steps taken to make apprenticeships more attractive and accessible by simplifying the recruitment process and removing unnecessary bureaucracy.
The Government is on track to deliver its aspiration of awarding 25% of central government business to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), directly and through the supply chain. We have already substantially reformed the public procurement landscape to level the playing field for suppliers of different sizes and make things easier for all. Further measures that come into force in early 2015 to make public sector business more accessible to SMEs include:
· Ensuring all new contract opportunities are accessible in one place;
· Removing burdensome Pre-Qualification (PQQs) for low vale procurements and standardising PQQs for higher value contracts; and
· Ensuring all suppliers in public sector supply chains are paid promptly.
As part of our long-term economic plan this Government is reforming procurement, saving taxpayers £5.4 billion last year alone compared to spending the year before the last General Election. Our reforms are supporting suppliers of all size and we have increased the proportion of business won by SMEs.
This Government is committed to the roll-out of Superfast Broadband throughout the UK and I enjoy regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Scotland regarding delivery of superfast broadband in Scotland.
The Government has already contributed £100.80m to projects to increase the provision of broadband in Scotland. I am pleased to note that we have made a further £21m available to the Scottish Government to further extend coverage as part of the second phase of the Superfast Broadband Programme. At the end of October 2014, the Superfast Broadband Programme ‘Rest of Scotland Project’ had provided fibre coverage to 113,000 premises and the ‘Highland and Islands Project’ had covered 28,400 premises.
The Government has been in discussions with stakeholders on tackling partial not-spots since the Spring. The current consultation will build on those discussions and give a wide range of people, and organisations, a reasonable opportunity to comment on the Government’s proposed options.
The Department for Education does not have reliable official figures on the numbers of young carers in the UK and estimates vary considerably.
In England, the Department is investing in the first national research project on young carers. This will provide data about the numbers of young carers and their families, with information about the nature of the care they provide and the issues they face. Findings from this research should also offer a baseline from which we can measure the effectiveness of forthcoming legislative changes which aim to improve the identification and support of young carers and their families.
The devolved governments are responsible for children who are carers in their areas.
The Government is committed to our strategy to make England free of bovine TB, of which culling badgers in areas where the disease is rife is a key element. The outcome of this year’s cull in Somerset indicates that industry-led culling can, in the right circumstances, deliver the level of effectiveness required to be confident of achieving disease control benefits.
The results for Gloucestershire show that continued progress is needed taking into account the additional challenges of interference and harassment by activists. The cost of the badger cull pilots in 2013 was £6.3 million. The estimated cost of England failing to tackle bovine TB is estimated to be £1 billion in the next decade.
Wind power will make a significant contribution to the UK meeting its renewable energy and climate change targets. However, development has to be in the right place. Government planning guidance therefore makes it clear that the need for renewable energy should not automatically override concerns about local impacts. When applications for wind turbines are determined, the impacts on matters such as ecology, noise, landscape, heritage and amenity are considered.
The review of allocations of Common Agricultural Policy funds between UK administrations will take place in 2016/17. Defra will first work with the devolved administrations to decide on the data needed to facilitate a comparison of payments across the UK. One area that will be examined in the review is a comparison of land types and payment areas; this will be easier when all UK administrations have begun the transition to area based payments.
We will continue to make it clear at every appropriate opportunity that we see no justification for lethal scientific research on whales.We are now working within the EU and with other key parties to try to ensure that the findings of the International Court of Justice are reflected in the working practices of the International Whaling Commission, as the competent body for the conservation of whales.
The humanitarian crisis in Syria has reached catastrophic proportions. The UN estimates that 9.3 million people are in dire need of humanitarian aid within Syria. At least 6.5 million people in Syria have been forced to flee their homes to other areas of the country and there are now over 2.8 million refugees in the region.
The UK is supporting efforts to end Female Genital Mutilation worldwide by making the largest single donor commitment ever to this issue, with a flagship programme of £35 million over 5 years. We also aim to galvanise unprecedented political commitment for this neglected issue.
On 22 July, the Prime Minister, the International Development Secretary, the Home Secretary and UNICEF will host Girl Summit 2014, an event to bring together community leaders, grassroots organisations, governments, international organisations and the private sector to build on current efforts and rally a global movement to end FGM and child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) in a generation, everywhere, forever.
The humanitarian crisis in Syria has reached catastrophic proportions. The UN estimates that 9.3 million people are in dire need of humanitarian aid within Syria. At least 6.5 million people in Syria have been forced to flee their homes to other areas of the country and there are now over 2.8 million refugees in the region.
A key element of the Government's strategy for the railways is improving connectivity to support economic growth - facilitating business, commuting and leisure journeys.
Projects and programmes that are set to improve connectivity between the north of England and Scotland by increasing capacity, reducing journey times, and/or improving performance or train frequencies include:
(a)Electrification in the North West of England – ten brand new four-coach electric trains commenced operation on the route between Manchester Airport and Edinburgh/Glasgow in May this year;
(b)The refranchising programme – including a recent Direct Award to Virgin West Coast Trains and award of the next InterCity East Coast franchise later this year and the next TransPennine Express franchise in 2015;
(c)HS2 – as announced in November last year, the Department is undertaking a study in collaboration with the Scottish Government to identify the broad options available to make further capacity and journey time improvements between northern England and Scotland.
Medical advice, including from the Chief Medical Officer, is clear that quarantining returning healthcare workers, or others coming to the United Kingdom from Sierra Leone, is not a proportionate response to the level of risk Ebola represents to the public at this time. However, all protocols and procedures are kept under careful review, guided by the best scientific evidence, to ensure they remain appropriate in the light of changing circumstances
In addition, UK hospitals are well prepared to handle infectious disease and any patient displaying symptoms would be cared for by specialist staff in an isolation unit.
Carers are central to our reform of care and support and there are significant improvements in the Care Act for carers. The Care Act extends carers rights to an assessment, which is based on the appearance of a need for support and consideration of the impact of caring on the carer and the outcomes they wish to achieve. For the first time, local authorities have a duty to meet carers’ eligible needs for support based on an eligibility framework. The Act creates a well-being principle to underpin the care and support system. This means that the well-being and outcomes that matter to people will be at the heart of every decision that is made – this principle applies equally to carers.
Supporting carers to remain mentally and physically well is one of four key priorities of the coalition Government’s 2010 national carers’ strategy. We have set out our commitments to carers from 2014 – 2016 in the recently updated National Carers Strategy: Second Action Plan which also outlines the main achievements in recognising and supporting carers. The plan retains the four priorities of the 2010 strategy.
We are investing £400 million between 2011 to 2015, to improve National Health Service support for carers and to enable them to take a break from their caring responsibilities. The carers’ breaks funding of £130 million for 2015-16 will be in the Better Care Fund.
Support for carers is integral to the work NHS England is leading to improve the quality of life of people with long term conditions. Its action plan NHS England: Commitment to Carers contains eight priorities and 37 commitments that will help the NHS to deliver the care and support carers have said they need. It includes a specific commitment to “promote and work towards parity of esteem for carers so that mental health and wellbeing is considered and supported alongside physical health needs”.
NHS England has no plans to introduce a new enhanced service scheme for 2015-16 to incentivise general practitioner (GP) surgeries to identify and refer carers to local councils for support. However, some existing enhanced services do offer support for carers. For example, one of the requirements of the Dementia Enhanced Service, known as “Facilitating timely diagnosis and support for people with dementia”, is that GP practices should identify carers of people diagnosed with dementia.
If the carer is registered with the practice, he or she should be offered a health check, which would include signposting to any other relevant services to support their health and wellbeing.
The Department does not collect this information centrally.
Terms and conditions of employment for social care workers are essentially a matter for local employers within the existing requirements of employment legislation.
Skills for Care, the partner in the sector skills council for social care, in England, collects information on the number of adult social care workers in England on zero-hours contracts.
The National Minimum Data Set for Social Care 2013 and Skills for Care workforce shows that there are an estimated 250,000 adult social care workers on zero-hours contracts.
We have legislated to give carers new rights, which mean that for the first time, they will have a legal right to receive support of their eligible needs. To meet the cost of these new rights, we are providing over £100 million in 2015-16 to local authorities, with consequent increases rising to around £300 million in 2019-20 and subsequent years.
We are investing £400 million between 2011 and 2015, to improve National Health Service support for carers and to enable them to take a break from their caring responsibilities. The carers’ breaks funding of £130 million for 2015-16 will be in the Better Care Fund.
Through the Carers Social Action Support Fund, Government has recently invested £700,000 in seven projects which will offer peer support and breaks that can make a difference to carers’ lives.
The Department of Health, together with the Government Equalities Office and the Department for Work and Pensions, is investing £1.4 million in a number of local pilots to explore ways in which to help people balance work with caring responsibilities.
In addition, we have set out our commitments to carers from 2014 – 2016 in the recently updated National Carers Strategy: Second Action Plan which also outlines the main achievements in recognising and supporting carers.
The Government recognises that carers play a vital role in looking after friends or family members who need support. That is why we have continued to uprate the level of Carer’s Allowance by the Consumer Price Index. Carer’s Allowance will increase from £61.35 to £62.10 in April 2015 as part of the annual uprating of benefits. The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his 2014 Autumn Statement that the earnings limit in Carer’s Allowance will increase from £102 to £110 per week from April 2015.
People who are entitled to Carer's Allowance may have a carer premium, currently £34.20 a week, included in the assessment of income-related benefits such as Income Support and Housing Benefit. An equivalent additional amount for carers is included in the assessment of Pension Credit. A carer element will also be included in Universal Credit at the rate of £148.61 per monthly assessment period. This means that carers can receive these benefits at a higher rate than other recipients.
On 3 July, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) discussed the political situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Israeli Foreign Minister.
The 26-28 May presidential election in Egypt was an important moment for the millions of Egyptians who expressed their opinion through the ballot box. I made a statement on 3 June in which I congratulated President el-Sisi on his election and urged Egypt's leaders to ensure that Egypt's transition leads towards accountable and democratic governance, underpinned by strong and accountable institutions. We look forward to working with President el-Sisi and his government to strengthen the broad and productive relationship between both our peoples.
We continue to believe that the best way for Egyptians to achieve the goals of the 25 January revolution of 2011 is through an inclusive political process in which all groups can participate. The UK stands ready to support the Egyptian people in achieving this.
Petro Poroshenko won the 25 May Presidential elections with almost 55 per cent of the vote. The high turn-out demonstrated the Ukrainian people's determination to decide their own future without outside interference, and has sent a decisive signal of their desire for unity, reform and a new future for their country. Illegal armed groups sought to deny the citizens of Donetsk and Luhansk their right to vote. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) paid tribute to election commission staff in the region who were subjected to appalling levels of intimidation by these armed groups, and also to the citizens in eastern Ukraine who overcame all obstacles to vote or who tried to do so.
In his inaugural speech on 7 June, Mr Poroshenko committed to reach out to all regions, to normalise relations with Russia, and to work to restore stability and calm. Under his leadership, we hope that Ukraine can now move forward with reconciliation and much needed reform.
The UK remains firmly committed to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the whole of Ukraine. We look forward to working with Mr Poroshenko and the Ukrainian government in their efforts to build a safe, independent and prosperous country.
(a) I refer the hon Member to my answer of 11 June to the hon Member for The Wrekin (Official Report, column 208W).
(b) The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) discussed the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict declaration with National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz in March and was pleased that, as a result of further discussions with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan was also represented by Sartaj Aziz at the Global Summit on Ending Sexual Violence Initative summit last week.
Pakistan is included as a “country of concern” in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual Human Rights Report. We regularly raise the subject of human rights for all Pakistan's citizens with the Government of Pakistan in accordance with their constitution and international standards. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) and other ministers raised human rights concerns with the Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his recent visit.
During the World Cup, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office will have a comprehensive consular plan in place to assist any British nationals that require our assistance. This includes a Consular Operations Centre in Rio de Janeiro on the day preceding, the day of and the day following all England games, a dedicated consular telephone number (which has been advertised on our travel advice and in the Football Supporters Federation's tournament and match day programmes), a team of consular officers at every England game and consular officers from around the region and Portugal on standby to assist the Brazil network with any consular surges. We will also have a rapid deployment team from the Americas region on standby should they be required.
In the build up to the World Cup we have run a comprehensive travel advice campaign called ‘Be on the Ball' that has featured Twitter Q&A sessions, attendance at fans forums in London, media interviews in printed and video forms. We have also run a number of exercises across the Brazil network so that consular officials are prepared should we need to assist British nationals in the case of major incidents.
I visited Sao Paulo on 4 June to view preparations which the Foreign & Commonwealth Office is making to give consular assistance during the World Cup. I also met the Deputy Mayor of Sao Paulo to discuss the local preparations for the tournament.
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office has also been working with the Football Association, UK Football Policing Unit, Brazilian local authorities and other stakeholders on contingency and crisis planning.
Following a statement by the Foreign Secretary on 22 May, I made a statement on 25 May expressing my strong concerns about the situation in Thailand and calling for a clear timetable for elections and the restoration of democracy.
Our Ambassador to Thailand has communicated through senior Thai civilian officials our serious concerns about the military takeover. Through them, he has urged the Thai military authorities to provide a clear and detailed timetable for the restoration of civilian government. Most recently he met with the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 3 June. The Head of ASEAN Department in London met the Thai Charge d'affaires, also on 3 June to deliver the same message. Our Defence Attaché in Bangkok meets members of the Thai military on a daily basis and repeats these points each time.
We have made it clear to the Thai authorities that we will not continue to have normal bilateral relations until an elected government is in place. We are currently reviewing the scope of our cooperation with Thailand.
We are consulting with EU members, the US, Australia and other allies, to ensure that the international community speaks with one voice on this.
Since 2011, the Government has cut fuel duty by 1 penny per litre and frozen it until the end of the parliament, resulting in the longest duty freeze in over 20 years.
The Government supports the uptake of greener road fuels and technologies through a number of taxes, including zero rates of vehicle excise duty, preferential rates of company car tax and enhanced capital allowances for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs), and reduced rates of fuel duty for road fuel gases. In addition to this, the Government is providing £900 million to position the UK at the global forefront of ULEV development, manufacture and use.
The actions this Government has taken on tax, spending and welfare reform have reduced the deficit, protected the economy, and restored stability. Any further tax changes would need to be considered in the context of the wider public finances.
Since 2011, the Government has cut fuel duty by 1 penny per litre and frozen it until the end of the parliament, resulting in the longest duty freeze in over 20 years.
The Government supports the uptake of greener road fuels and technologies through a number of taxes, including zero rates of vehicle excise duty, preferential rates of company car tax and enhanced capital allowances for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs), and reduced rates of fuel duty for road fuel gases. In addition to this, the Government is providing £900 million to position the UK at the global forefront of ULEV development, manufacture and use.
The actions this Government has taken on tax, spending and welfare reform have reduced the deficit, protected the economy, and restored stability. Any further tax changes would need to be considered in the context of the wider public finances.
The government is committed to making the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business and has introduced a number of fiscal measures since 2010 to encourage small and medium sized businesses.
The government has doubled the Small Business Rate Relief for every year of this Parliament saving businesses occupying small premises over £1.5 billion to date. The government announced additional business rate measures at Autumn Statement 2013, capping business rates increases at 2 per cent in 2014-15, and introducing a special discount of £1,000 for retail premises with rateable values below £50,000 in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
From April 2014 the £2,000 Employment Allowance is supporting small businesses aspiring to hire their first employee or expand their workforce. The government has also increased the payable Research and Development tax credit for loss-making small and medium sized businesses from 11 per cent to 14.5 per cent from April 2014, providing particular support for early-stage companies and start-ups.
Fuel costs are significant for many small businesses so the government has implemented the longest duty freeze for over 20 years. In total, by 2015-16 a small business with a van will have saved £1,300 and a haulier £21,000.
With its long-term economic plan, this Government is committed to strong and sustainable growth that is balanced across the economy. Manufacturing is a vital part of this, and the Government has put in place a wide range of measures to improve the wider business environment and support this sector, including both tax reforms and direct support.
This Government has reduced the main rate of corporation tax to improve the business environment and attract investment: it is currently 21%, down from 28% in 2010, and will fall further to 20% in April 2015. Beyond this, support to manufacturing includes the Government committing £3.2bn to the Regional Growth Fund, over £1.5bn of support to specific sectors through theIndustrial Strategy, £345m to the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative, and over £200m to a Catapult centre on High Value Manufacturing. In the recent Budget the Government announced a package of measures to reduce energy bills for manufacturers and improve their competitiveness.
There is more to do, but the latest GDP figures and May's manufacturing PMI are encouraging.
With millions of people in need in Syria and the region, the Government believes that humanitarian aid and actively seeking to end the conflict are the most effective ways for the UK to help the largest number of displaced people, rather than resettlement. We have now pledged £800 million in response to the crisis, and UK funding is helping hundreds of thousands of people across the region. However, we recognise that there are some very vulnerable displaced Syrians who cannot be supported effectively in the region. We therefore launched the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme to complement our aid by providing protection in the UK to some of those at greatest risk. Groups of Syrians are arriving in the UK on a regular basis under the scheme, including people in severe need of medical care, survivors of torture and violence and women and children at risk.
We have made our position on Syrian resettlement clear in relevant discussions with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The Minister for Immigration and Security and the recently-appointed UNHCR Representative to the UK met on 21 January to discuss Syria and other issues. We have also explained our approach to resettlement in relevant international discussions, including the UNHCR Global Resettlement Pledging Conference in Geneva on 9 December 2014. The Government regularly liaises with the UNHCR regarding the operation of the VPR scheme. We continue to work closely with the UNHCR to identify some of the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict and bring them to the UK.
There are no plans to reimburse customers who choose to use the four hour
premium service.
On 12 June, the Home Secretary announced in the House of Commons that where
people have an urgent need to travel, and their application has been with Her
Majesty's Passport Office for longer than the standard processing time of three weeks
through no fault of their own, they will be able to upgrade their application
without charge. After their application has been through the proper checks, the
processing, printing and delivery of the new passport will be fast-tracked for
free. To qualify, customers must be booked to travel within the next 7 days.
Customers will be asked to provide details – such as flight numbers and the
name of the travel company – to confirm their travel plans.
This policy came into effect immediately after being announced and will be
available until further notice. This policy will not be applied
retrospectively.
Border Force planning for the Commonwealth Games has been underway since
December 2012. Border Force is currently working with Glasgow Airport to
refurbish the arrivals control, providing an increased number of arrivals desks
and utilising the latest technology in the form of electronic passport gates.
This will enhance the arrivals experience at Glasgow and the increased capacity
will ensure that passengers pass through the arrivals area as quickly as
possible while, at the same time, maintaining border security.
The current Airwave Solutions Ltd contracts were let under a 20 year Private Finance Initiative arrangement, with a series of 15 year contracts, which expire over the period from September 2016 to December 2020.
The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme aims to introduce a replacement for Airwave, as current contracts expire from September 2016. The requirements have been developed in partnership with the emergency services and we are running an open and fair competition in accordance with government guidelines.
The aim is to provide a replacement solution which is at least equivalent to the existing service, but not necessarily delivered in the same way.
The Maritime Support Delivery Framework (MSDF) Contract includes support provided by Babcock Marine to the management of Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde over the next five and a half years.
The recruitment of apprentices is a matter for Babcock Marine. However, the company has given the Ministry of Defence the understanding that the increased certainty from the MSDF contract will allow them to continue the recruitment of apprentices to meet the business needs of the Naval Base. This includes plans to recruit 10 over the next 12 months.