Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support UK capability through defence contracts for the (a) development, (b) manufacture and (c) maintenance of critical defence (i) equipment and (ii) systems.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review sets the course for making defence a driver of growth, creating jobs, and renewing the nation’s contract across the UK in line with the Government’s growth mission.
The UK’s manufacturing industry is vital to both national security and economic growth. The new Defence Industrial Strategy will support UK businesses and contracts, strengthening domestic supply chains and ensuring critical defence equipment and systems are maintained within the advanced manufacturing sector.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times (a) he, (b) his Ministers and (c) his Department's officials have met with representatives of Domo Tactical Comms in Hamble Valley constituency.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Domo Tactical Communications (DTC) are an important partner for the UK Commando Force (UKCF). Ministry of Defence officials engage with DTC regularly, including personnel representing the Royal Navy (RN) and British Army. The RN have already procured a number of High Frequency radios from DTC to be integrated into the UKCF Strike Network.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it is his Department's policy to procure new defence stocks from UK companies.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The additional investment in defence announced by the Prime Minister on 25 February 2025 and by the Chancellor in the 2025 Spring Statement will both protect UK citizens from threats and create a secure and stable environment in which businesses can thrive, supporting the Government’s number one mission to deliver economic growth. This includes maximising jobs, growth, skills and innovation in the UK.
This Government is bringing forward a Defence Industrial Strategy to strengthen the UK's Defence sector and supply chains. This strategy will support UK businesses where there is a clear security or economic advantage, while maintaining the benefits of competitive markets.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which (a) UK and (b) non-UK companies have been awarded contracts for drones; and what the value is of each contract.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
In total since January 2024, The Department can identify 48 ‘drone’ related contracts valuing £3.6 billion that have been active within the Ministry of Defence.
Nine of these are marked as having a primary supplier address outside the UK.
24 of these contracts were competitively tendered, 23 were single source tenders and one unknown.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which contracts for drones have been awarded by (a) competitive tender and (b) single source.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
In total since January 2024, The Department can identify 48 ‘drone’ related contracts valuing £3.6 billion that have been active within the Ministry of Defence.
Nine of these are marked as having a primary supplier address outside the UK.
24 of these contracts were competitively tendered, 23 were single source tenders and one unknown.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2025 to Question 17 on European security, what recent discussions he has had with drone component suppliers to ensure that the UK military is up to date when it comes to drone technology and capability.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Defence routinely engages with drone component suppliers to iterate and spiral develop capability in close cooperation with allies.
One of the key mechanisms to ensure that Defence is up to date with the latest developments in drone technology and associated tactics is through our support to Ukraine, where drone capabilities are developed and exploited in cooperation with drone component suppliers. As outlined in the Strategic Defence Review, Defence will continue to invest in drone technology to advance our capabilities in tandem with UK industry.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the final report by the US National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence on National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of China’s policy to pursue a global collection mechanism for Chinese government genetic databases.
Answered by James Heappey
The UK is committed to promoting the ethical development and deployment of AI and other new technologies, in the UK and overseas, and we closely monitor related threats. The Ministry of Defence is supporting the National Science and Technology Council to develop our strategic understanding of the opportunities, threats and implications posed by new and emerging technologies. This includes close working with allies, partners, academia and civil society. We will shortly publish the first Defence AI Strategy setting out our approach to exploiting these critical technologies, as well as our intent to influence and shape global AI developments to promote security, stability, and democratic values.