Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between James Heappey and Greg Smith

Monday 25th March 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Minister for Armed Forces (James Heappey)]

We do not comment on operational matters of that sort.

[Greg Smith (Buckingham) (Con)]

T4. Qatar hosts Hamas’s most senior leaders in Doha, and should have been applying far more pressure on the terror group to release the Israeli hostages and to surrender. Does my right hon. Friend agree that Qatar’s malign activities bolster our adversaries and therefore weaken our own defence?

[James Heappey]

I am not entirely sure that I do agree. I will leave the Foreign Office to talk about the diplomatic angles that it is pursuing, but in my experience, Qatar has been an incredibly helpful partner across a whole load of things over the past few years. We enjoy the opportunity to strengthen that partnership, both through the sale of UK-built defence capabilities and through increasingly operating together in areas of mutual concern. It is a relationship on which the UK can build further, and has great potential.

Ukraine

Debate between James Heappey and Greg Smith

Tuesday 28th November 2023 Commons Chamber

[James Heappey]

I make those representations now.

[Greg Smith (Buckingham) (Con)]

I welcome the continued work that my right hon. Friend and the whole Government do to support our friends in Ukraine.

May I return to the question of grain exports? Just a couple of days ago at a food security summit, President Zelensky was clear that he believes air defences are the missing link to secure those exports. Does my right hon. Friend share that assessment? If he does, how can we help make those air defences a reality?

[James Heappey]

Air defences have been an important part of the Ukrainian response to Russia’s belligerence from the very beginning. Air defences are necessary to protect critical national infrastructure, the Ukrainian frontline and ports and other key economic infrastructure, as well as the sea lanes through which ships travel. The reality is that we are doing our best to source as much air defence globally as we can, and we will continue to do so.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between James Heappey and Greg Smith

Monday 30th January 2023 Commons Chamber

[James Heappey]

The presence of Wagner on the frontline in the Donbas is clearly a reflection of just how bad things have got for Putin and the Russian armed forces—so bad that a mercenary group that recruits from prisons is required. As for the substantive part of the hon. Gentleman’s question, it sounds like that might be a question for my Treasury colleagues; I will make sure that they write to him with an answer.

[Greg Smith (Buckingham) (Con)]

12. What steps his Department is taking to develop innovative defence technology.