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 his speech at the First Sea Lord’s Sea Power conference on 14 May 2024, how much funding his Department has allocated for the construction of six new multi-role support ships.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Funding for the concept phase of Multi Role Support Ship (MRSS) has been approved by HM Treasury. I can confirm that the platform will be procured through the new Integrated Procurement Model (IPM), which I recently announced. As such, the next step in the programme will be for me to receive and review the Independent Advice Note (IAN) on MRSS which will inform the concept and design phases of the programme. As I said in my Oral Statement of 28th February, announcing the IPM, the aim of this note is “to provide a credible second opinion for Ministers to weigh alongside the military’s proposed requirement” (Hansard ref).
The IAN will provide advice on key policy choices, to ensure we set the programme up for success from the off. In particular, this is to core policy issues are transparently considered at the earliest stage, and then locked down as far as possible, so that the remaining procurement stages can proceed at pace, and in a context of underlying policy certainty. Policy areas to be informed by the IAN will include:
Advice would draw on expertise from across the Defence Enterprise, including, but not restricted to: DSTL; DE&S; DSE/DBT.
The total programme budget will be allocated on completion of the concept phase. It is too early in that process to have committed expenditure or actual spend.
MRSS will enter service in the early 2030s, providing highly flexible warships, able to deploy on a wider variety of operations. They will be lean-crewed, with the precise crew requirement being confirmed during the concept phase.
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 his Department's press release entitled New Golden Age of shipbuilding as new UK-built warships boost Navy building programme to up to 28 ships and submarines, published on 14 May 2024, whether the new Multi-Role Support Ships will be procured via the integrated procurement model.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Funding for the concept phase of Multi Role Support Ship (MRSS) has been approved by HM Treasury. I can confirm that the platform will be procured through the new Integrated Procurement Model (IPM), which I recently announced. As such, the next step in the programme will be for me to receive and review the Independent Advice Note (IAN) on MRSS which will inform the concept and design phases of the programme. As I said in my Oral Statement of 28th February, announcing the IPM, the aim of this note is “to provide a credible second opinion for Ministers to weigh alongside the military’s proposed requirement” (Hansard ref).
The IAN will provide advice on key policy choices, to ensure we set the programme up for success from the off. In particular, this is to core policy issues are transparently considered at the earliest stage, and then locked down as far as possible, so that the remaining procurement stages can proceed at pace, and in a context of underlying policy certainty. Policy areas to be informed by the IAN will include:
Advice would draw on expertise from across the Defence Enterprise, including, but not restricted to: DSTL; DE&S; DSE/DBT.
The total programme budget will be allocated on completion of the concept phase. It is too early in that process to have committed expenditure or actual spend.
MRSS will enter service in the early 2030s, providing highly flexible warships, able to deploy on a wider variety of operations. They will be lean-crewed, with the precise crew requirement being confirmed during the concept phase.
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 his Department's press release entitled New Golden Age of shipbuilding as new UK-built warships boost Navy building programme to up to 28 ships and submarines, published on 14 May 2024, what the expected in-service date will be for the first Multi-Role Support Ship.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Funding for the concept phase of Multi Role Support Ship (MRSS) has been approved by HM Treasury. I can confirm that the platform will be procured through the new Integrated Procurement Model (IPM), which I recently announced. As such, the next step in the programme will be for me to receive and review the Independent Advice Note (IAN) on MRSS which will inform the concept and design phases of the programme. As I said in my Oral Statement of 28th February, announcing the IPM, the aim of this note is “to provide a credible second opinion for Ministers to weigh alongside the military’s proposed requirement” (Hansard ref).
The IAN will provide advice on key policy choices, to ensure we set the programme up for success from the off. In particular, this is to core policy issues are transparently considered at the earliest stage, and then locked down as far as possible, so that the remaining procurement stages can proceed at pace, and in a context of underlying policy certainty. Policy areas to be informed by the IAN will include:
Advice would draw on expertise from across the Defence Enterprise, including, but not restricted to: DSTL; DE&S; DSE/DBT.
The total programme budget will be allocated on completion of the concept phase. It is too early in that process to have committed expenditure or actual spend.
MRSS will enter service in the early 2030s, providing highly flexible warships, able to deploy on a wider variety of operations. They will be lean-crewed, with the precise crew requirement being confirmed during the concept phase.
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 his Department's press release entitled New Golden Age of shipbuilding as new UK-built warships boost Navy building programme to up to 28 ships and submarines, published on 14 May 2024, what his planned timetable is to launch the competition for the first Multi Role Support Ship.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Funding for the concept phase of Multi Role Support Ship (MRSS) has been approved by HM Treasury. I can confirm that the platform will be procured through the new Integrated Procurement Model (IPM), which I recently announced. As such, the next step in the programme will be for me to receive and review the Independent Advice Note (IAN) on MRSS which will inform the concept and design phases of the programme. As I said in my Oral Statement of 28th February, announcing the IPM, the aim of this note is “to provide a credible second opinion for Ministers to weigh alongside the military’s proposed requirement” (Hansard ref).
The IAN will provide advice on key policy choices, to ensure we set the programme up for success from the off. In particular, this is to core policy issues are transparently considered at the earliest stage, and then locked down as far as possible, so that the remaining procurement stages can proceed at pace, and in a context of underlying policy certainty. Policy areas to be informed by the IAN will include:
Advice would draw on expertise from across the Defence Enterprise, including, but not restricted to: DSTL; DE&S; DSE/DBT.
The total programme budget will be allocated on completion of the concept phase. It is too early in that process to have committed expenditure or actual spend.
MRSS will enter service in the early 2030s, providing highly flexible warships, able to deploy on a wider variety of operations. They will be lean-crewed, with the precise crew requirement being confirmed during the concept phase.
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 his Department's press release entitled New Golden Age of shipbuilding as new UK-built warships boost Navy building programme to up to 28 ships and submarines, published on 14 May 2024, for how many of the new multi-role support ships has funding been allocated by his Department.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Funding for the concept phase of Multi Role Support Ship (MRSS) has been approved by HM Treasury. I can confirm that the platform will be procured through the new Integrated Procurement Model (IPM), which I recently announced. As such, the next step in the programme will be for me to receive and review the Independent Advice Note (IAN) on MRSS which will inform the concept and design phases of the programme. As I said in my Oral Statement of 28th February, announcing the IPM, the aim of this note is “to provide a credible second opinion for Ministers to weigh alongside the military’s proposed requirement” (Hansard ref).
The IAN will provide advice on key policy choices, to ensure we set the programme up for success from the off. In particular, this is to core policy issues are transparently considered at the earliest stage, and then locked down as far as possible, so that the remaining procurement stages can proceed at pace, and in a context of underlying policy certainty. Policy areas to be informed by the IAN will include:
Advice would draw on expertise from across the Defence Enterprise, including, but not restricted to: DSTL; DE&S; DSE/DBT.
The total programme budget will be allocated on completion of the concept phase. It is too early in that process to have committed expenditure or actual spend.
MRSS will enter service in the early 2030s, providing highly flexible warships, able to deploy on a wider variety of operations. They will be lean-crewed, with the precise crew requirement being confirmed during the concept phase.
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 his speech at the First Sea Lord’s Sea Power conference on 14 May 2024, what the planned in-service date is for the multi-role support ships.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Funding for the concept phase of Multi Role Support Ship (MRSS) has been approved by HM Treasury. I can confirm that the platform will be procured through the new Integrated Procurement Model (IPM), which I recently announced. As such, the next step in the programme will be for me to receive and review the Independent Advice Note (IAN) on MRSS which will inform the concept and design phases of the programme. As I said in my Oral Statement of 28th February, announcing the IPM, the aim of this note is “to provide a credible second opinion for Ministers to weigh alongside the military’s proposed requirement” (Hansard ref).
The IAN will provide advice on key policy choices, to ensure we set the programme up for success from the off. In particular, this is to core policy issues are transparently considered at the earliest stage, and then locked down as far as possible, so that the remaining procurement stages can proceed at pace, and in a context of underlying policy certainty. Policy areas to be informed by the IAN will include:
Advice would draw on expertise from across the Defence Enterprise, including, but not restricted to: DSTL; DE&S; DSE/DBT.
The total programme budget will be allocated on completion of the concept phase. It is too early in that process to have committed expenditure or actual spend.
MRSS will enter service in the early 2030s, providing highly flexible warships, able to deploy on a wider variety of operations. They will be lean-crewed, with the precise crew requirement being confirmed during the concept phase.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the new Multi-Role Support Ships will be operated by the (a) Royal Navy and (b) Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Funding for the concept phase of Multi Role Support Ship (MRSS) has been approved by HM Treasury. I can confirm that the platform will be procured through the new Integrated Procurement Model (IPM), which I recently announced. As such, the next step in the programme will be for me to receive and review the Independent Advice Note (IAN) on MRSS which will inform the concept and design phases of the programme. As I said in my Oral Statement of 28th February, announcing the IPM, the aim of this note is “to provide a credible second opinion for Ministers to weigh alongside the military’s proposed requirement” (Hansard ref).
The IAN will provide advice on key policy choices, to ensure we set the programme up for success from the off. In particular, this is to core policy issues are transparently considered at the earliest stage, and then locked down as far as possible, so that the remaining procurement stages can proceed at pace, and in a context of underlying policy certainty. Policy areas to be informed by the IAN will include:
Advice would draw on expertise from across the Defence Enterprise, including, but not restricted to: DSTL; DE&S; DSE/DBT.
The total programme budget will be allocated on completion of the concept phase. It is too early in that process to have committed expenditure or actual spend.
MRSS will enter service in the early 2030s, providing highly flexible warships, able to deploy on a wider variety of operations. They will be lean-crewed, with the precise crew requirement being confirmed during the concept phase.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of Ukrainian military personnel have been trained via Operation INTERFLEX.
Answered by Leo Docherty
Under Operation INTERFLEX, the UK along with support from its allies has trained over 40,000 Ukrainian recruits to date. This is part of the broader training programme administered by the Ukrainian Government.
Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when HMS Bulwark will next deploy.
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 Pollard).
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 his Department's press release entitled New Golden Age of shipbuilding as new UK-built warships boost Navy building programme to up to 28 ships and submarines, published on 14 May 2024, where the new Multi-Role Support Ships will be built.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
As announced by the Secretary of State, it is intended that the Multi Role Support Ships will be built in the UK.