Business of the House

Kirsten Oswald Excerpts
Thursday 22nd October 2015

(9 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Grayling Portrait Chris Grayling
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I can see that feelings on this issue are very strong. It is important to allow the Select Committee to do its work first, but I will take the comments of hon. Members away today and think about how best to address them. These are very serious and important matters. When we have such a clear example of questionable conduct in this House, we clearly have to learn the lessons from it.

Kirsten Oswald Portrait Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)
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The Ministry of Defence’s latest published list of military assets includes jets officially retired in 1993 and grounded helicopters and tanks retired in the mid-1990s. Clearly it would be dangerous to rely on this information, so may we have a statement or debate in Government time on the UK’s real military capability?

Lord Grayling Portrait Chris Grayling
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I suspect that it is as simple as the armed forces retaining old equipment for training purposes. That is what happens at airports for fire crews and in training in a variety of fields. The hon. Lady is perhaps seeing things that are not actually present.