James Cartlidge MP: written questions 2024
512 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Watchkeeper Wk450Ministry of DefenceTabled 24 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11015More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Army’s Watchkeeper mid-life extension programme.
Answer: Work to assess the options available to the Department regarding the Watchkeeper Mid-Life Extension programme is ongoing, as such no final assessment has been made.
Answered 1 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordEstonia: Watchkeeper WK450Ministry of DefenceTabled 24 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11014More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the results of training flights using Watchkeeper WK450 tactical unmanned aerial vehicle systems in Estonia in August 202
Answer: A battery from 47th Regiment Royal Artillery successfully deployed to Estonia this August to operate the Watchkeeper system as part of Exercise ATHENA SHIELD. This was a proof-of-concept exercise to fly Watchkeeper at the latest build standard, in a strat...
Answered 1 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordJoint Expeditionary ForceMinistry of DefenceTabled 23 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10750More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to discuss participation in joint procurement initiatives with other Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) nations at the next JEF summit.
Answer: The JEF by design is a collaborative effort among 10 like-minded nations, with similar interests and priorities. There are currently no JEF-badged joint procurement initiatives, nor any immediate intention to explore this avenue of co-operation, though we...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDefence: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 23 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10749More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to (a) promote and (b) participate in multi-national procurement initiatives through NATO.
Answer: Since the UK launched the NATO Multinational Procurement Initiatives on missiles and munitions alongside a total of 14 European NATO allies, we have promoted UK-led cooperative procurement opportunities on the Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) and the A...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordUkraine: Overseas LoansTreasuryTabled 23 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10748More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Oral Statement of 22 October 2024 on Ukraine, Official Report, columns 183-4, whether she has had discussions with her Ukrainian counterpart on the proportion of the £2.26 billion loan to Ukrai
Answer: With regard to the UK’s disbursement of its £2.26bn contribution to the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration scheme, the loan agreement and full terms remain in discussion and no decision has yet been made on what Ukraine will buy using this money. The UK i...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordUncrewed Systems: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 23 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10747More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of whether there is capacity for UK drone production to increase in the near term.
Answer: Defence has conducted an in depth industry survey following the Ministry of Defence Drone industry day earlier this year. We have generated a considerable range of data on Defence and Supplier coherence, and the UK Supply Chain and Commercial Market which...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordUkraine: Overseas LoansTreasuryTabled 23 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10746More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the £2.26bn loan for Ukraine will be included in the GDP figure for defence expenditure.
Answer: The UK’s contribution to the ERA will be provided to the Government of Ukraine as a loan from the UK Government, for them to spend on military procurement. Because it is not direct UK defence spending, HMG’s assessment is the £2.26bn ERA loan will therefo...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordStrategic Defence ReviewMinistry of DefenceTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10454More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2024 to Question 9487 on Strategic Defence Review, whether submissions to the Strategic Defence Review will be first read by (a) a human being and (b) an Artificial Intelligen
Answer: The responsible use of AI is part of how Defence must work in the 21st century. We have been transparent about our ambition to exploit AI for a wide range of defence applications. Human ingenuity is at the heart of this transformative review, AI plays an ...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: PalantirMinistry of DefenceTabled 22 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10453More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what contracts his Department holds with Palantir Inc.
Answer: A search for the information has now been completed within the Ministry of Defence, and I can confirm the Department holds two open contracts with Palantir Inc. The details of one of the contracts can be found below, the second contract is withheld under ...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDefence: Space TechnologyMinistry of DefenceTabled 21 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 10108More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to prioritise the UK's capability in the space sector in the forthcoming defence industrial strategy.
Answer: The Government is committed to the development of the UK's vibrant space sector which is a vital part of the economy. The Government has previously set out its intentions for space capabilities which will continue to be developed as this work evolves and ...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordArms Trade: ExportsMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9743More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of exporting (a) sovereign defence capabilities and (b) military satellite communications.
Answer: The UK Government continually assesses the defence export market and plays an important role in supporting industry partners with the export of UK defence equipment, including satcom capabilities, across a number of global campaigns. Ministers across Gove...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordArms Trade: Trade AgreementsMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9742More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of pursuing Government to Government agreements on defence exports.
Answer: The United Kingdom’s defence industry produces world class capabilities for our Armed Forces, allies and partners. His Majesty’s Government (HMG) remains committed to supporting and enabling the UK defence industry to export, recognising the benefits such...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordJoint Requirements Oversight CommitteeMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9741More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) names and (b) roles are of each person who sits on the Joint Requirements Oversight Council; and what meetings of the council (i) have taken and (ii) are scheduled to take place in 2024.
Answer: The Joint Requirement Oversight Committee (JROC) is chaired by the Vice Chief of Defence Staff, General Dame Sharon Nesmith DCB ADC. The Committee is formed from representatives from across Defence, and the standing attendance is: Deputy Chief of the Defe...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDefence: IndustryMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9740More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to prioritise increasing UK sovereign capability across defence as part of the defence industrial strategy.
Answer: This Government recognises the vital role the defence industry plays not only in our national security but also to the prosperity and economic growth of the UK. This Government is committed to developing a UK defence industrial base that is able to better...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDefence: IndustryMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9739More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the defence industrial strategy.
Answer: The Government will issue its new Defence Industrial Strategy in 2025. With defence identified as a high-growth sector within the UK Industrial Strategy, the Defence Industrial Strategy will be developed at pace in parallel to, but independent of, the Str...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDefence: IndustryMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9738More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the scope of the defence industrial strategy will be.
Answer: This Government recognises the vital role the defence industry plays not only in our national security but also to the economic prosperity and growth of the UK. The scope of the Defence Industrial Strategy is being set to explore how to establish a better...
Answered 28 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDefence: IndustryMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9737More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to engage with industry as part of the development of the defence industrial strategy.
Answer: This Government recognises the vital role the defence industry plays not only in our national security but also to the economic prosperity and growth of the UK. Our industry partners, of all sizes, are at the heart of our One Defence approach and we recog...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordShipbuildingMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9736More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on the 30 year shipbuilding pipeline outlined in the refresh to the national shipbuilding strategy.
Answer: This Government is committed to delivering a thriving shipbuilding sector across the UK. The National Shipbuilding Office provides strategic oversight of all Government shipbuilding activity, driving forward transformative change in the sector. This inclu...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordSkynet: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9735More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what weighting will be given to sovereign capability in the procurement of the SKYNET Enduring Capability Satellite System.
Answer: The specification for the next generation of the Skynet communications Satellite obligates the bidders to meet certain requirements related to the UK technical and manufacturing content of their offered solutions. As this is a live competition it is not p...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: Satellite CommunicationsMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9734More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the strategic value of maintaining sovereign capabilities in military satellite communications.
Answer: The UK's military satellite communications programme is based on the principles of freedom of action, operational advantage and operational independence, and therefore 'sovereign control' is a core design tenet. This is regularly validated through the Dep...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordNATO: Space TechnologyMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9733More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with NATO on (a) planning and (b) collaboration in space.
Answer: We hold regular discussions with NATO on how the UK can support efforts to strengthen allied utilisation of the space domain. The UK actively participates in tabletop exercises and wargames, and actively contributes to NATO satellite communications projec...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordArmy: TrainingMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9732More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the per-person cost of training a regular army recruit undertaking phase one basic training including (a) staff, (b) accommodation and (c) logistics costs.
Answer: The average cost to train a Regular Army recruit at the Army Training Centre Pirbright is approximately £47,900. This is the estimated cost of delivering the Basic Training course, known as the Common Military Syllabus Future Soldier, which is completed b...
Answered 22 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordStrategic Defence ReviewMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9502More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions he has met with Lord Robertson of Port Ellen to discuss the Chagos Islands in the context of the Strategic Defence Review since 5 July 2024.
Answer: The Defence Secretary meets Lord Robertson of Port Ellen regularly to discuss matters relevant to, and receive updates on, the Strategic Defence Review.
Answered 25 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordShipbuilding: Job CreationMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9501More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support the creation of new jobs in the shipbuilding sector.
Answer: This Government recognises the vital role shipbuilding and its skilled workforce plays, not only in our national security but also in the economic prosperity and growth of the United Kingdom (UK).The National Shipbuilding Office provides strategic oversig...
Answered 24 Oct 2024
Original Parliament recordDefence: Job CreationMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 9500More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support the creation of new jobs in the defence sector.
Answer: This Government recognises the vital role the defence industry plays not only in our national security but also to the economic prosperity and growth of the UK. In 2022-23, Ministry of Defence (MOD) expenditure supported 239,000 jobs in UK industry and a ...
Answered 6 Nov 2024
Original Parliament record
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