Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what he expects the Initial Operating Capability date for the new SSNR class of attack submarines in Royal Navy service to be.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy’s submersible ship nuclear AUKUS submarines will be operational from the late 2030s, replacing the current Astute Class.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on the development of (a) undersea and (b) counter-hypersonic capabilities as part of AUKUS Pillar 2.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
With our AUKUS partners we are undertaking a range of work developing undersea capabilities, including the ability to launch and recover uncrewed underwater systems from current classes of British and American submarines and integrating this capability to the SSN-AUKUS design; exploring opportunities to collaborate on undersea warfare sensors and payloads, including integrating the Sting Ray torpedo into UK and US maritime patrol aircraft; and deploying common advanced artificial algorithms to process data from each nation’s sonobuoys. We are also undertaking a series of integrated trilateral experiments and exercises with Australia and the United States to enhance capability, improve interoperability, and increase the sophistication and scale of autonomous uncrewed systems in the maritime and other domains.
The AUKUS partners are increasing our collective ability to develop and deliver hypersonic and counter-hypersonic technologies through a series of trilateral tests and experiments that will accelerate the development of hypersonic concepts and critical enabling technologies.
Asked by: Robin Swann (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2024 to Question 4577 on Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner: Resignations, what recent steps the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust has taken to support veterans in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Since 2021 the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust has provided £2.9 million funding for projects supporting veterans specifically in Northern Ireland (NI). In addition, £9.4 million has been provided for UK-wide projects, most of which have also benefitted veterans in NI. Together, this funding has supported 48 projects in NI and a further 68 UK-wide.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Watchkeeper Remotely Piloted Vehicles have been lost during (a) trials and (b) initial service with (i) DE&S and (ii) the Army.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Army have lost three Watchkeeper Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) during trials, and five Watchkeeper UAS in service. DE&S do not operate Watchkeeper UAS.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of allocating funding to RAF (a) Molesworth and (b) Alconbury.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Allocation of funding for United States Visiting Forces Estate in the United Kingdom is the responsibility of the United States Government.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the repair to the submarine lift at HMNB Clyde is due for completion; and what the estimated cost was of that repair.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The shiplift at HMNB Clyde is undergoing scheduled routine maintenance and upgrade work.
Costs for key assets in the naval base are included in the routine maintenance contract with Babcock. It would not be appropriate to provide detailed availability of critical infrastructure assets due to operational sensitivities.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the number of homes on the defence estate that could be brought back into use in the next 12 months.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
During financial year 2024-25 the Ministry of Defence (MOD) plans to refurbish circa 200 long-term empty Service Family Accommodation properties, to bring them back into use for Service families. Data for the number of houses that could be bought back into use in financial year 2025-26 is not held as financial budgets have not yet been agreed.
The programme of extensive refurbishments to long-term empty houses was launched in September 2023 and has allowed the MOD to significantly increase the number of high-quality homes available to Service families.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the (a) future of the Harland and Wolf shipyard in Belfast and (b) contract for three Fleet Solid Support Ships.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Ministry of Defence Ministers and officials have regular meetings with counterparts in other Government Departments, including with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on a range of matters, including the future of Harland & Wolff's shipyards.
The successful delivery of the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ship programme remains a priority. There is extensive engagement with Navantia UK as the Prime Contractor to understand what steps the company is taking to ensure delivery of the FSS contract and management of its supply chain.
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 estimated lifetime cost of the Watchkeeper Remotely Piloted Vehicle; and when that vehicle will achieve Full Operational Capability.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The through life costs of the Watchkeeper Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) until the end of the current in-service contract will be £1.548 billion. The Watchkeeper UAS reached Full Operational Capability in 2018.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of procuring a turreted cannon for the Mechanised Infantry Vehicle, Boxer.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review will guide future capability development priorities to ensure the United Kingdom is both secure at home and strong abroad now and for years to come. As the review is still ongoing, the implications for capability programmes, including BOXER, will not be fully known until it has concluded in the first half of 2025.
However, I can confirm that the Army has conducted operational analysis, lethality and survivability studies, which includes analysing potential turreted options. The Army will continually review the capabilities, priorities and affordability choices that will be provided by BOXER and other platforms to ensure that its Armoured Fighting Vehicle fleet best meets Defence and NATO’s needs.