Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Defence

Oral Answers to Questions

Suella Braverman Excerpts
Monday 23rd October 2017

(7 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton Portrait Mark Lancaster
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We continue to work hard to ensure we have new recruits coming. As I say, the news this year is positive: we have over 8,000 recruits, which is up 20% on last year.

Suella Braverman Portrait Suella Fernandes (Fareham) (Con)
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7. What recent progress has been made on bringing HMS Queen Elizabeth into service.

Harriett Baldwin Portrait The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Harriett Baldwin)
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HMS Queen Elizabeth sailed from Rosyth in June to commence her sea trials. She made her first entry into Portsmouth in August for a scheduled engineering period. Her second set of sea trials should begin this week, weather permitting. She remains on track to be accepted into the Royal Navy this year.

Suella Braverman Portrait Suella Fernandes
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Will my hon. Friend confirm that, as well as projecting global Britain’s power for the next 50 years, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales will provide long-term skilled job opportunities and training for people in Portsmouth and its neighbouring constituencies such as mine?

Harriett Baldwin Portrait Harriett Baldwin
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My hon. Friend is absolutely right to point out that this is not only about the 10,000 people who have worked on getting the ship to the point where she is now, but about long-term sustainment over the next 50 years. May I take this opportunity, Mr Speaker, to put on record my appreciation to the Fareham company Boskalis Westminster Ltd, which did a lot of the dredging of Portsmouth harbour?