Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to provide funding for Sea Viper’s enhancement.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The enhancement of Sea Viper is named Sea Viper Evolution, which includes upgrades to the Type 45 Destroyer's Multi-Function Radar, Combat Management System (CMS), Weapon Command and Control (C2), and the Aster 30 missile. The first stage, called Capability 1, is in Demonstration and Manufacture Phase as of March 2023. The next stage, called Capability 2, is in Assessment Phase as of June 2023, completing in 2025.
Departmental spending plans will be set out in the usual way.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people are employed by DSTL’s Air Systems programme.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Dstl delivers science and technology for its customers in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and across Government, working with industry, academia and Government to ensure the UK has the right capabilities for defence and security. An overview of Dstl’s Science and Technology (S&T) Programmes can be found on its website, highlighting the wide range of expertise within the organisation. This breadth of knowledge allows expertise to be diverted, as required, to support dedicated programme technical teams to deliver its S&T Programmes.
Information relating to Dstl’s workforce is routinely published in its Annual Report and Accounts. Detailed staffing data in respect of the AI programme cannot be provided in the interests of National Security.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people are employed by DSTL’s AI programme.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Dstl delivers science and technology for its customers in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and across Government, working with industry, academia and Government to ensure the UK has the right capabilities for defence and security. An overview of Dstl’s Science and Technology (S&T) Programmes can be found on its website, highlighting the wide range of expertise within the organisation. This breadth of knowledge allows expertise to be diverted, as required, to support dedicated programme technical teams to deliver its S&T Programmes.
Information relating to Dstl’s workforce is routinely published in its Annual Report and Accounts. Detailed staffing data in respect of the AI programme cannot be provided in the interests of National Security.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which (a) agencies and (b) departments are authorised to manage defence research and development projects.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Defence invests in research and development (R&D) from across the Defence enterprise. Defence’s core R&D budgets are held in Head Office. The rest of Defence’s R&D investment comes mainly from the Capability Portfolios of each Top Level Budget and is delivered through Defence Equipment and Support, Defence Digital, the Atomic Weapons Establishment and the Submarine Delivery Agency, as well as the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and the Defence and Security Accelerator.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of how many UK-based supply chain jobs are supported by DSTL’s AI programme.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Dstl does not have a mechanism to record the number of jobs supported (either exclusively or in part) by its suppliers or through the lower tiers of the supply chain.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress the Royal Air Force has made on the ECRS Mk2 E-Scan radar procurement.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2 programme has achieved several positive milestones in the past four months, notably passing the production radar system Critical Design Review (CDR) in June 2024 and the completion of prototype ground testing on a Typhoon trials aircraft in July 2024. Teams across the Ministry of Defence and industry are working to meet the major milestone of a first flight of ECRS Mk2 over the coming weeks.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the percentage increase for Single Living Accommodation charges was for grades (a) 1, (b) 2, (c) 3 and (d) 4 in each year since 2010.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The requested information is provided in the following table:
| Percentage Increase (Single Living Accommodation) | |||
Year | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4 |
2010 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0 |
2011 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0 |
2012 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0 |
2013 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 0 |
2014 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0 |
2015 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0 |
2016 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0 |
2017 | 1 | 0.67 | 0.33 | 0 |
2018 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0 |
2019 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0 |
2020 | 0.8 | 0.53 | 0.27 | 0 |
2021 | 1.7 | 1.13 | 0.57 | 0 |
2022 | 1% cap and tiered/graduated uplift to these charges with smallest increase applied to lowest standard | |||
2023 | 4.5 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 |
2024 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
Note: all percentage increases were recommended by the independent Armed Forces Pay Review Body. The latest (2024) recommendation was accepted by the previous administration.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much spending on the (a) Future Combat Air System and (b) Global Combat Air Programme he plans to defer from the current financial year.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK expects to invest over £1.3 billion in the Future Combat Air System/Global Combat Air Programme and the associated Team Tempest R&D programme, in the current financial year.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department expects to spend on the (a) Future Combat Air System and (b) Global Combat Air Programme in the current financial year.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK expects to invest over £1.3 billion in the Future Combat Air System/Global Combat Air Programme and the associated Team Tempest R&D programme, in the current financial year.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the non-commercially sensitive details of his Department’s Portfolio Management Agreement with MBDA.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Non-commercially sensitive details of the Ministry of Defence’s Portfolio Management Agreement with MBDA have been announced. There are no plans to publish further details.