Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to maintain combat aircraft manufacturing and assembly capacity in the UK.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Industrial Strategy recognises combat air as a priority national security sub-sector, requiring a degree of autonomy in the UK. The Defence Industrial Strategy underlines this government's commitment to maintaining sovereign capabilities across the Defence enterprise. The United Kingdom already has a world-class combat air production and manufacturing ecosystem, supported through large-scale international partnerships as well as targeted domestic investment.
Steps taken to maintain this capacity include the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), supporting export campaigns of Typhoon aircraft, upgrading our own combat aircraft, and continuing our investment in the global F-35 programme.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the security risk and the impact on the resilience of the defence industry of the construction of vessels in China or Vietnam for the Defence Maritime Next Generation Service program.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The construction locations of vessels being procured as part of the Defence Marine Services Next Generation In-Port Services contract do not present a risk to the security of the United Kingdom. Future maintenance of the vessels will take place in the UK.
The Government is stepping up its support for sovereign shipbuilding capabilities. The Procurement Act 2023 provides greater scope to strengthen supply chain visibility and drive social value. All options in and around this legislation are being explored to support the UK shipbuilding industry. In addition, the forthcoming Shipbuilding and Maritime Technology Action Plan will describe the new approach to oversight of ship and boatbuilding programmes across the strategic breadth of Government procurement.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government where the RCH 155 artillery platform will be manufactured.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Early Capability Demonstrator platforms of the RCH155, two for Germany and one for the UK, will be built in Germany for joint testing.
The project remains in its assessment phase and a production contract has not yet been placed.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they had with the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions about the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Marine Services Next Generation (DMS-NG) programme did not seek tenders directly for the Vessel Replacement Programme (VRP), as the endorsed procurement strategy was to include this as part of the broader In-Port Services contract. Tenderers for the main contract were expected to select their own supply chain to deliver the VRP and Serco made the decision to sub-contract to Damen Shipyards Group.
While there was no policy requirement to engage for this procurement, and there are no records of discussions with the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions specifically on the DMS-NG contracts, the Department remains committed to open dialogue with stakeholders and to supporting UK shipbuilding through the National Shipbuilding Strategy and associated initiatives. The Ministry of Defence now engages regularly with industry bodies and trade unions in accordance with the 2025 Defence publication “The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy”.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government which British shipyards were invited to tender for vessels under the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts, and which submitted a bid.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Marine Services Next Generation (DMS-NG) programme did not seek tenders directly for the Vessel Replacement Programme (VRP), as the endorsed procurement strategy was to include this as part of the broader In-Port Services contract. Tenderers for the main contract were expected to select their own supply chain to deliver the VRP and Serco made the decision to sub-contract to Damen Shipyards Group.
While there was no policy requirement to engage for this procurement, and there are no records of discussions with the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions specifically on the DMS-NG contracts, the Department remains committed to open dialogue with stakeholders and to supporting UK shipbuilding through the National Shipbuilding Strategy and associated initiatives. The Ministry of Defence now engages regularly with industry bodies and trade unions in accordance with the 2025 Defence publication “The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy”.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the invitation to tender for vessels for the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts included any requirement for the employment of trainees or apprentices.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Each of the four Defence Marine Services - Next Generation (DMS-NG) contracts includes Social Value requirements, which are based on the most appropriate outcomes and themes as set out in the Social Value Model. The DMS-NG invitations to tender included education and training, requiring tenderers to support educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications. They did not prescribe or constrain how the tenderers should meet the requirements and did not specify requirements for trainees and apprentices separately in relation to the Vessel Replacement Programme (which is to be delivered as part of the In-Port Marine Services Contract).
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there are any social value requirements in the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts with Serco.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Each of the four Defence Marine Services - Next Generation (DMS-NG) contracts includes Social Value requirements, which are based on the most appropriate outcomes and themes as set out in the Social Value Model. The DMS-NG invitations to tender included education and training, requiring tenderers to support educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications. They did not prescribe or constrain how the tenderers should meet the requirements and did not specify requirements for trainees and apprentices separately in relation to the Vessel Replacement Programme (which is to be delivered as part of the In-Port Marine Services Contract).
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the value of the supply chain of the contract for the vessels being constructed for the Defence Marine Services Next Generation Contracts.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Vessel Replacement Programme within the Defence Marine Services Next Generation In-Port Services contract represents approximately £200 million, 22% of the total In-Port Services contract value. Serco, as the prime contractor, is responsible for managing its supply chain and made the decision to sub-contract to Damen Shipyards Group. The Ministry of Defence monitors prime contractor reporting to ensure compliance with contractual obligations and value-for-money principles.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to announce the appointment of the National Armaments Director, and when they expect the director to take up the role.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
An announcement on the appointment of the National Armaments Director will be made in due course once the necessary recruitment processes and relevant approvals have been finalised.
The successful candidate will take up the role after the appropriate notice period from their previous employer has been served.
Asked by: Lord Spellar (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what evaluation they have made of the ongoing utility of the Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention following recent developments in Eastern and Northern Europe.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (also known as the Ottawa Convention) continues to play an important role in protecting civilians from harm caused by anti-personnel landmines. As a State Party to the Ottawa Convention, the UK’s commitment to it remains unwavering. We continue to encourage countries to join the Ottawa Convention, subscribe to its provisions; and discourage States from using anti-personnel landmines.
His Majesty's Government has noted that Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have stated their intention to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty. The UK acknowledges and shares concerns about the security environment in the region as a result of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. We also acknowledge that it is the sovereign right of those countries to make this decision. The UK will work to mitigate impacts on vital arms control and disarmament norms, while continuing to engage bilaterally on the actions States plan to take.