Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the supply chain for the Boxer programme is based in the (a) UK and (b) North East.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Boxer programme is planned to deliver 60% by value of the original production contract from the UK.
The long-term support solution for the programme is still under development but will look to build on the hundreds of UK jobs that have already been protected during the manufacture of the platform. It is not yet known what proportion of that supply chain will be based in the UK and North East.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the Ajax programme supply chain is based in the North East.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
4% of the Ajax programme’s key suppliers are based in the North and North East of England.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the supply chain for the Challenger 3 programme is based in the (a) UK and (b) North East.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Approximately 60% of the Challenger 3 supply chain will be provided by UK suppliers. North East suppliers represent a significant contribution to this figure.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timetable is for developing the deep precision strike capability with Germany.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
UK and Germany are considering several concepts and technologies to address emerging threats and have defined a joint range requirement of over 2,000km. Specific characteristics, in-service dates and launch platforms are to be confirmed.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the policy paper entitled Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) 2024: joint statement, published on 17 December 2024, what progress he has made on exploring enhanced collaboration on Land Mobility Platforms.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As outlined in our December 2024 AUKMIN Joint Statement, the UK and Australia agreed to explore enhanced collaboration on Land Mobility Platforms. We are doing just this with our Land Mobility Programme which includes a recognition of Australian land mobility capabilities and how cooperation could mutually benefit our defence industries. This programme is currently underway and is informing investment considerations and decisions, subject to cross-Government approval.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Ministers next plan to meet their Australian counterparts.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Given the strength, breadth and depth of the bilateral defence relationship, The Defence Secretary and Defence Ministers regularly engage with Australian counterparts. Australia will hold federal elections no later than 17 May so I hope the hon. Member will understand, as is normal in any election period, all engagements are under review until Australia has held its election.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of direct action taken by Palestine Action on the (a) defence sector and (b) adequacy of the supply of assets to the Armed Forces.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence regularly monitors risks and issues facing the defence sector as part of our supply chain resilience work.
A number of UK Defence companies have reported that they have incurred costs through installing additional security measures in responding to the threat of actions from groups such as Palestine Action. It is also recognised that there are a small number of defence companies, and associated supporting businesses, who have been targeted by Palestine Action with criminal damage and intimidation of their staff. At an individual level these businesses have incurred costs and disruption through the damage caused and we are working with the Police to deal with such offences and mitigate potential future such action.
However, the overall impact to Defence has been limited and there have been no significant reported impacts to the Defence supply chain.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on procuring UK-made vehicles for his Department’s White Fleet.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Department does not have a mechanism in the current lease vehicle procurement contract (Phoenix II) which would allow us to specify the country of manufacturer of our vehicles.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Type 83 destroyer programme on (a) sovereign capabilities, (b) supply chain involvement and (c) social value.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This Government is committed to delivering a thriving shipbuilding sector across the UK, supporting the whole supply chain, from design to repair, systems and integration. The Type 83 Destroyer is one element of the Future Air Dominance System (FADS) programme, which has commenced its concept phase. FADS will replace the UK’s present Maritime Air Defence Capability vested in the Type 45 Destroyer Programme.
It is not yet possible to confirm where these ships will be built as it is subject to due commercial process, but the build of the Type 83 will secure work until at least the mid-2040s, depending on the number of platforms built. Analysis of supply chain involvement and social value will be conducted during this phase. Social value and sovereign considerations will inform any subsequent investment.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the (a) design, (b) manufacture and (c) support for Type 83 destroyers will be carried out by UK companies.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This Government is committed to delivering a thriving shipbuilding sector across the UK, supporting the whole supply chain, from design to repair, systems and integration. The Type 83 Destroyer is one element of the Future Air Dominance System (FADS) programme, which has commenced its concept phase. FADS will replace the UK’s present Maritime Air Defence Capability vested in the Type 45 Destroyer Programme.
It is not yet possible to confirm where these ships will be built as it is subject to due commercial process, but the build of the Type 83 will secure work until at least the mid-2040s, depending on the number of platforms built. Analysis of supply chain involvement and social value will be conducted during this phase. Social value and sovereign considerations will inform any subsequent investment.