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Written Question
Warrior Vehicles
Friday 21st July 2023

Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme since the start of that programme.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The total cost to the Ministry of Defence of the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme was £473.5 million.


Written Question
Skynet: Procurement
Friday 21st July 2023

Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the planned initial operating capability date for the next generation of Skynet communications satellites.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The contracted date for initial operating capability of SKYNET 6A is January 2026, which is defined as having seven of the ultra-high frequency channels available for operational use by Ministry of Defence and allied personnel.

Competitions to procure subsequent geostationary satellites are underway, with the most likely initial operating capability dates being 2028 for the first satellite, 2030 for the second, 2032 for the third and 2036 for the fourth.


Written Question
LE TacCIS Programme
Friday 21st July 2023

Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the latest estimated initial operating capability date is for the Morpheus next-generation tactical communications system.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The original Initial Operating Capability (IOC) date was 2025; a revised IOC is yet to be defined pending ongoing contractual discussions with General Dynamics Mission Systems (UK).


Written Question
Type 23 Frigates: Decommissioning
Thursday 20th July 2023

Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans for the last Type 23 frigate to leave operational service.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

On current plans, the last Type 23 frigate will transition out of service in 2035. The Royal Navy continuously reviews its requirements to ensure all operational requirements continue to be met, both now and in the future.


Written Question
Submarines: Repairs and Maintenance
Thursday 20th July 2023

Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the anticipated cost of repairing the submarine lift at Faslane Naval Base.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I am unable to confirm the status of the shiplift at His Majesty's Naval Base Clyde as to do so could, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability and effectiveness of our Armed Forces.


Written Question
Type 23 Frigates
Thursday 20th July 2023

Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list each refit of the Type 23 frigate class over the last ten years by (a) name of ship, (b) contractor carrying out the refit, (c) estimated time to complete the retrofit and (d) actual time to complete the retrofit.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The requested information is provided in the table below.

Details of the planned duration of each refit period before work commenced could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. The data required would have to be collated from a number of sources, some of which are no longer readily accessible. In addition, some of the data required remains commercially sensitive.

It should be noted that the duration of any refit period is highly dependent on multiple factors including the planned scope of the work, shaped by the age and operating profile of the vessel; the extent of emergent work, which cannot be forecast before the refit commences; and by external factors such as Covid shutdowns.

Ship

Contractor

Start

End

Duration (Months)

HMS PORTLAND

Babcock

Nov-11

May-13

19

HMS IRON DUKE

BAE Systems

Feb-12

Nov-13

22

HMS SOMERSET

Babcock

Apr-12

Mar-13

12

HMS SUTHERLAND

Babcock

Oct-13

Jun-15

21

HMS ST ALBANS

BAE Systems

Apr-13

Aug-14

17

HMS WESTMINSTER

BAE Systems

Oct-14

Mar-17

30

HMS MONMOUTH

Babcock

Jan-14

Sep-15

21

HMS MONTROSE

Babcock

Mar-14

Jul-15

17

HMS ARGYLL

Babcock

May-15

Apr-17

24

HMS NORTHUMBERLAND

Babcock

May-16

Apr-18

23

HMS KENT

Babcock

Oct-16

Oct-18

25

HMS LANCASTER

Babcock

May-17

May-20

36

HMS RICHMOND

Babcock

Sep-17

Mar-20

30

HMS SOMERSET

Babcock

Oct-18

May-22

43

HMS PORTLAND

Babcock

Apr-18

May-21

37

HMS IRON DUKE

Babcock

May-19

Jun-23

49


Written Question
LE TacCIS Programme: Expenditure
Thursday 20th July 2023

Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been spent on the Morpheus next-generation tactical communications system as of 14 July 2023.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As of 14 July 2023, the total expenditure for the LETacCIS programme is c£1.7 billion, of which Project MORPHEUS represents c£690 million.


Written Question
LE TacCIS Programme: Expenditure
Thursday 20th July 2023

Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what has been the cost to the public purse of the LE TacCIS programme as of 14 June 2023.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As of 14 July 2023, the total expenditure for the LETacCIS programme is c£1.7 billion, of which Project MORPHEUS represents c£690 million.


Written Question
Warrior Vehicles
Thursday 20th July 2023

Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the out of service date is for the warrior armoured fighting vehicle.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the previous Minister for Defence Procurement (Alex Chalk) on 17 January 2023 to Question 120882 to the right hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Kevan Jones).


Written Question
Warrior Vehicles
Thursday 20th July 2023

Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many warrior armoured fighting vehicles were in service on 14 July 2023, broken down by variant.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

708 Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicles are in service with the British Army. This number reflects a reduction in platforms from the number quoted in the last annual published statistics following the disposal of 13 platforms which were beyond economical repair.

For reasons of security, we do not break this number down any further.