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Written Question
Weeton Barracks
Wednesday 24th November 2021

Asked by: Mark Menzies (Conservative - Fylde)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Army's headquarters in the North West at Weeton Barracks will be (a) completed and (b) operational.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave him on 14 October 2020, to Questions 100945, 100946 and 100947 where I said that, on current plans, HQ North West is scheduled to be re-located from Fulwood Barracks, Preston to Weeton Barracks in the summer of 2025.

However, my hon. Friend will be aware that the Army is working to implement the outcomes of the Integrated Review, including designing a force that is fit to face future threats. The Secretary of State for Defence will be making an announcement in due course which will provide more detail, including how any changes required as part of this transformation may affect current planned relocations.


Written Question
Weeton Barracks
Wednesday 24th November 2021

Asked by: Mark Menzies (Conservative - Fylde)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on the establishment of the Army's headquarters in the North West at Weeton Barracks.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave him on 14 October 2020, to Questions 100945, 100946 and 100947 where I said that, on current plans, HQ North West is scheduled to be re-located from Fulwood Barracks, Preston to Weeton Barracks in the summer of 2025.

However, my hon. Friend will be aware that the Army is working to implement the outcomes of the Integrated Review, including designing a force that is fit to face future threats. The Secretary of State for Defence will be making an announcement in due course which will provide more detail, including how any changes required as part of this transformation may affect current planned relocations.


Written Question
Defence: Industry
Monday 5th July 2021

Asked by: Mark Menzies (Conservative - Fylde)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the UK defence sector's contribution to the Government's objective to transition to net zero.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

The Ministry of Defence published its Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach, on 30 March.

The Strategic Approach sets out the ambition, the principles and initial action plan to ensure that Defence has adapted to operate in a climate changed world and will make a strong contribution to reducing its net carbon emissions.

One of the key principles is the need to work collaboratively across the Defence sector with other Departments, industry, academia and our allies and partners to ensure that Defence reduces its emissions and, as a Department, contributes to the UK reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.


Written Question
Integrated Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy Review: Lancashire
Monday 14th June 2021

Asked by: Mark Menzies (Conservative - Fylde)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the impact of the Integrated Review on employment in Lancashire.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

Our spending review settlement will increase our defence budget by over £24 billion over the next four years. This investment will modernise our Armed Forces and support jobs across the UK.

In North West England, the Ministry of Defence spent over £ 2.2 billion with industry and commerce in 2019-20. This includes in our truly world-leading combat air sector, which employs thousands of workers across the UK, including in Lancashire.

Lancashire has long been a key part of our defence industrial footprint, particularly for Combat Air. BAE Systems has a large presence in the area, as well as MBDA through their premises in Lostock, Bolton.

The Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper announced that the UK will invest more than £2 billion into the Future Combat Air System programme over the next four years. This major investment will take us a step closer to realising the benefits of Tempest to our nation's security and prosperity.


Written Question
Military Aircraft: Aerospace Industry
Friday 16th October 2020

Asked by: Mark Menzies (Conservative - Fylde)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the UK's continued sovereign ability to manufacture complete military jets.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

The Ministry of Defence conducts periodic reviews of the industrial capability necessary to preserve operational advantage and freedom of action. It was those reviews that informed the Combat Air Strategy published in 2018.

Further to this, in March 2020 I launched the Defence Security and Industrial Strategy (DSIS). Through this ongoing cross-Government review into the UK's defence and security industrial sectors, we will identify how we can enhance our strategic approach to ensure we have competitive, innovative and world-class defence and security industries that underpin our national security and drive investment and prosperity across the Union now and in the future.


Written Question
Warships: Shipbuilding
Friday 16th October 2020

Asked by: Mark Menzies (Conservative - Fylde)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the UK's continued sovereign ability to manufacture complete naval vessels.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

The 2017 National Shipbuilding Strategy sets out the Ministry of Defence's commitment to supporting the UK shipbuilding industry and protecting our assured capability to design, build, repair and integrate naval ships. The Type 26 Anti-Submarine Warfare frigate programme on the Clyde and the Type 31 general purpose frigate programme at Rosyth are a manifest example of our determination to maintain the UK’s ability to deliver warships.

Further to this, through the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy review we will identify how we can enhance our strategic approach to ensure we have competitive, innovative and world-class defence and security industries that drive investment and prosperity across the Union.


Written Question
Defence Equipment: Manufacturing Industries
Friday 16th October 2020

Asked by: Mark Menzies (Conservative - Fylde)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to retain the skills held by the UK workforce in manufacturing military equipment.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

The UK defence sector supports many thousands of highly-skilled roles across the UK and many of our leading defence suppliers have programmes in place to ensure they have the right skills to deliver defence programmes. Through the Defence Suppliers' Forum, we maintain a close dialogue with industry to understand their approach to the skills the defence sector requires and as part of the Enterprise Approach we are working with industry on how best to maintain skills in the sector. In addition, the Defence Growth Partnership, a joint Government-industry initiative, considers skills in areas which enable exports and competitiveness and has developed a Systems Engineering Masters Apprenticeship, an export career pathway and a digital skills framework.

In March 2020, I launched a cross-Government review into the UK’s defence and security industrial sectors. These sectors are at the forefront of technology, creating new ways to defend against threats, and ensuring that we have the right mix of skills in the industrial base is a key part of that. Through this review we will ensure that the UK continues to have competitive, innovative and world-class defence and security industries that drive investment and prosperity across the Union, to underpin our national security now and in the future.


Written Question
Weeton Barracks
Wednesday 14th October 2020

Asked by: Mark Menzies (Conservative - Fylde)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress is being made on plans to redevelop Weeton Barracks into HQ North West by 2022 as part of the 2016 Strategic Defence Estate Review; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

The move of HQ North West from Fulwood Barracks to Weeton Barracks forms part of the Defence Estate Optimisation Portfolio which will result in the disposal of Fulwood Barracks in 2027 - a delay in disposal which was announced in February 2019 in the House.

As part of Departmental assessment to enable this move, a capacity study and technical surveys have now been completed at Weeton Barracks to determine the development requirements and, subject to all required permissions, construction work is due to commence September 2023 to December 2024, assuming successful awarding of the contract.

On current plans therefore, HQ North West is scheduled to be re-located from Fulwood Barracks, Preston to Weeton in the summer of 2025.


Written Question
Weeton Barracks
Wednesday 14th October 2020

Asked by: Mark Menzies (Conservative - Fylde)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timetable is for works to commence at Weeton Barracks as part of its transformation into HQ North West.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

The move of HQ North West from Fulwood Barracks to Weeton Barracks forms part of the Defence Estate Optimisation Portfolio which will result in the disposal of Fulwood Barracks in 2027 - a delay in disposal which was announced in February 2019 in the House.

As part of Departmental assessment to enable this move, a capacity study and technical surveys have now been completed at Weeton Barracks to determine the development requirements and, subject to all required permissions, construction work is due to commence September 2023 to December 2024, assuming successful awarding of the contract.

On current plans therefore, HQ North West is scheduled to be re-located from Fulwood Barracks, Preston to Weeton in the summer of 2025.


Written Question
Weeton Barracks
Wednesday 14th October 2020

Asked by: Mark Menzies (Conservative - Fylde)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the date on which military personnel will move in to Weeton Barracks as part of HQ North West.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

The move of HQ North West from Fulwood Barracks to Weeton Barracks forms part of the Defence Estate Optimisation Portfolio which will result in the disposal of Fulwood Barracks in 2027 - a delay in disposal which was announced in February 2019 in the House.

As part of Departmental assessment to enable this move, a capacity study and technical surveys have now been completed at Weeton Barracks to determine the development requirements and, subject to all required permissions, construction work is due to commence September 2023 to December 2024, assuming successful awarding of the contract.

On current plans therefore, HQ North West is scheduled to be re-located from Fulwood Barracks, Preston to Weeton in the summer of 2025.