Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications to join the full time (a) British Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force were received in financial year 2023-24.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
The number of applications to the UK Armed Forces by Service for Financial Year 2023-24 is due to be published as part of the Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics (SPS) publication; the provisional release date is August 2024. The latest SPS was published 1 January 2024 and can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2024.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 16 May 2023 to Question 184569 on Ministry of Defence: Data Protection, how many personal data breaches among suppliers contracted by his Department were reported to his Department in each year since 2010.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 May 2023 to Question 184569. As an update to this information I can confirm that 12 incidents were reported to the Defence Industry Warning Advisory and Reporting Point in 2023. The data provided only includes security incidents that have been closed and are not under investigation. So far in 2024 there are no incidents that have been reported, investigated and closed.
Information on incidents between 2010 and 2020 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total contract value is for the New Medium Helicopter programme.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The New Medium Helicopter Contract Notice published in May 2022 stated a contract value range between £900 million to £1.2 billion.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when will (a) HMS Albion and (b) HMS Bulwark return to active service.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 April 2024 to Question 21289 to the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Mr Luke Pollard). https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-04-12/21289
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department has (a) allocated to and (b) spent on the DragonFire programme.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The DragonFire Laser Directed Energy Weapons accelerated programme, announced in April 2024 by the Secretary of State for Defence, will see £350 million in government investment by April 2027 to deliver minimum deployable capability. The accelerated programme is based on the DragonFire technology demonstrator which has seen £100 million of joint investment from MOD and UK industry since 2017. With £50 million funded by MOD and an additional £50 million funded by industry partners. The MOD is committed to the continued investment in UK Sovereign DEW technology, to provide cutting edge capability to the Armed Forces at pace.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to take (a) HMS Albion and b) HMS Bulwark out of extended readiness.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 April 2024 to Question 21289 to the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Mr Luke Pollard). https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-04-12/21289
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his expected timetable is to retire HMS Westminster.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
HMS Westminster will be placed up for disposal, following the development of an associated timetable of works. It is not possible at this stage to confirm how long the disposal process itself will take.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many DragonFire systems are planned to enter service in the Royal Navy in (a) 2027, (b) 2028, (c) 2029 and (d) 2030.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The MOD has committed to accelerating DragonFire Laser Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) into operational capability by equipping multiple Royal Navy vessels with DragonFire systems from 2027 and all systems planned to be operational by 2030. DragonFire systems will be installed on Navy platforms around five years faster than previously planned service dates and will establish Laser DEW capability across multiple vessels.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it has been agreed how much BAE Systems will pay to purchase HMS Argyll.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The timetable and sale price of HMS Argyll are subject to negotiation with BAE systems.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his expected timetable is to sell HMS Argyll to BAE Systems.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The timetable and sale price of HMS Argyll are subject to negotiation with BAE systems.