James Cartlidge MP: written questions 2024
512 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Defence Equipment: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 17024More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has instructed Defence Equipment and Support to put a hold on new procurement in this financial year.
Answer: We continue to review and spend on our priorities as part of normal financial management. Our approach applies to the whole Department and is not specific to Defence Equipment and Support.
Answered 4 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordFrigates: ExportsMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 17023More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on increasing the number of exports of the Type (a) 26 and (b) 31 frigates.
Answer: The Ministry of Defence and the Department for Business and Trade are actively supporting the promotion of the Type 26 Global Combat Ship and Type 31 Arrowhead 140 designs to other navies around the world with similar requirements.The Type 26 has been dow...
Answered 9 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordWatchkeeper WK450: ExportsMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 17022More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department will continue to provide support for export campaigns for the Watchkeeper drone.
Answer: Yes. The Government will continue to support the export of Watchkeeper-X. This will support UK industry, growth and jobs whist also strengthening strategic defence relationship with partners and allies.
Answered 9 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: SovereigntyMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 17021More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with his US counterpart on the cost of the new settlement with the Chagos Islands to the (a) UK and (b) US.
Answer: This historic agreement protects the long-term secure operation of the UK-US base on Diego Garcia, which plays such a crucial role in regional and international security. The base is a joint UK-US facility and is an essential part of the UK-US defence rel...
Answered 4 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: SovereigntyMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 17020More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list meetings between his Department and relevant US stakeholders on the Chagos Islands since 5 July 2024.
Answer: Ministry of Defence and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office personnel have been engaging with counterparts in the US Department of Defense, the State Department and National Security Council multiple times each week since 5 July 2024.
Answered 4 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMilitary Aircraft: Exhaust EmissionsMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 17019More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to assess the extent to which (a) aircrew and (b) other personnel were exposed to toxic fumes whilst operating (i) helicopters and (ii) other aircraft.
Answer: The Ministry of Defence is committed to the health and wellbeing of our people. In response to concerns, the Department has previously conducted testing of the now out of service Sea King helicopter. The Department is initiating the testing of the exhaust...
Answered 4 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: Military BasesMinistry of DefenceTabled 28 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16749More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for Defence in response to the question from the hon. Member for South Suffolk during Oral Questions to the Ministry for Defence on 18 November 20
Answer: As confirmed in my response to the hon Member's oral question to me during urgent questions on 2 December 2024, he will know as a former Defence Minister, while the Ministry of Defence routinely discloses running costs for overseas bases and training area...
Answered 4 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMilitary Aircraft: HelicoptersMinistry of DefenceTabled 28 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16735More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to increase the level of funding available for the New Medium Helicopter programme in the Strategic Defence Review.
Answer: 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 the years to come. The Reviewers will make their final report in the first half of 2025, ...
Answered 4 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordPuma HelicoptersMinistry of DefenceTabled 28 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16734More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Oral Statement of 20 November 2024, Official Report, columns 287-289, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of retiring 17 Puma helicopters on the UK's contribution to NATO’s
Answer: The retirement of 17 Puma helicopters at the end of their current lifespan will not affect the UK’s contribution to NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability Programme.
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: AccidentsMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16238More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential (a) causes and (b) consequences of the recent road traffic incident in Estonia involving British armed forces personnel.
Answer: The safety and welfare of our personnel is of the utmost importance. An Estonian investigation is underway and it would be inappropriate to comment whilst inquiries are ongoing. In addition, as with all incidents of this nature, an internal review is bein...
Answered 29 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordGlobal Combat Air ProgrammeMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16232More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 7495 on Global Combat Air Programme, whether the Strategic Defence Review will consider whether the core programme will be piloted.
Answer: The Strategic Defence Review will guide future capability development priorities, to ensure the United Kingdom is secure at home and strong abroad - now and for the years to come.The Global Combat Air Programme core aircraft is being designed to be crewed...
Answered 29 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordMilitary Aircraft: HelicoptersMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16219More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his timetable for reaching 2.5% GDP of expenditure on defence on the progress of the New Medium Helicopter programme.
Answer: There are no plans to change the extant New Medium Helicopter competition which started on 27 February 2024 with the release of the Invitation to Negotiate to Airbus Helicopters UK, Leonardo Helicopters UK and Lockheed Martin UK. The decision to retire th...
Answered 9 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMilitary Aircraft: HelicoptersMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16217More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's planned timetable is for announcing the award for the New Medium Helicopter contract.
Answer: There are no plans to change the extant New Medium Helicopter competition which started on 27 February 2024 with the release of the Invitation to Negotiate to Airbus Helicopters UK, Leonardo Helicopters UK and Lockheed Martin UK. The decision to retire th...
Answered 9 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMilitary Aircraft: HelicoptersMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16216More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his decision to retire (a) Chinook heavy transporter helicopters and (b) Puma helicopters on tender scoring for the New Medium Helicopter programme.
Answer: There are no plans to change the extant New Medium Helicopter competition which started on 27 February 2024 with the release of the Invitation to Negotiate to Airbus Helicopters UK, Leonardo Helicopters UK and Lockheed Martin UK. The decision to retire th...
Answered 9 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMilitary Aircraft: HelicoptersMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16215More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the operational lifespan of the Airbus H145 helicopter.
Answer: The Airbus Helicopters H145 is in service as a training helicopter called the Jupiter HT1. This helicopter type is contractor owned, under the rotary wing flying training contract which runs until 2033. It would be for the contractor to manage the operati...
Answered 4 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMilitary Aircraft: HelicoptersMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16214More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the operational lifespan of the Lockheed Martin UH-60 Black Hawk.
Answer: The Department has not assessed the potential merits of extending the operational lifespan of the Lockheed Martin UH-60 Black Hawk as the Department does not own any.
Answered 9 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMilitary Aircraft: HelicoptersMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16213More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Oral Statement of 20 November 2024, Official Report, columns 287-289, how many platforms his Department intends to procure through the New Medium Helicopter programme, in the context of his
Answer: There are no plans to change the extant New Medium Helicopter competition which started on 27 February 2024 with the release of the Invitation to Negotiate to Airbus Helicopters UK, Leonardo Helicopters UK and Lockheed Martin UK. The decision to retire th...
Answered 9 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMilitary Aircraft: HelicoptersMinistry of DefenceTabled 26 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16212More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to change the extant New Medium Helicopter competitive tender.
Answer: There are no plans to change the extant New Medium Helicopter competition which started on 27 February 2024 with the release of the Invitation to Negotiate to Airbus Helicopters UK, Leonardo Helicopters UK and Lockheed Martin UK. The decision to retire th...
Answered 9 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordNational GridDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 26 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16211More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the cost of building (a) the Western link and (b) all current and future stages of the Eastern Link if that route was primarily overland via pylons instead of o
Answer: Ofgem reviews proposed project costs and ensures that network companies spend efficiently. Electricity network reinforcements are only approved where they are in the interests of consumers and help reduce system costs. Ofgem identified a net lifetime bene...
Answered 29 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: Disclosure of InformationMinistry of DefenceTabled 22 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15660More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has revoked the Chief of Defence staff’s pre-release access to his Department’s Departmental resources and statistical bulletin-M.
Answer: Pre-release access for Official Statistics are restricted to eligible personnel and regularly reviewed. This is in line with our responsibility under the Pre-release Access to Official Statistics Order (2008) and the Code of Practice for Statistics. In li...
Answered 28 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: Disclosure of InformationMinistry of DefenceTabled 22 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15659More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason his Department has removed the Chief of the Defence Staff from the Department’s Finance and Economics pre-release access lists, other than the Departmental resources and Statistical Bulletin-MOD R
Answer: Pre-release access for Official Statistics are restricted to eligible personnel and regularly reviewed. This is in line with our responsibility under the Pre-release Access to Official Statistics Order (2008) and the Code of Practice for Statistics. In li...
Answered 28 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHMS Albion and HMS Bulwark: DecommissioningMinistry of DefenceTabled 21 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15459More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his decision to retire HMS Bulwark and HMS Albion on the operational capability of the Royal Marines.
Answer: The retirement of HMS Albion and Bulwark will not impact the operational programme of the Royal Marines, who continue to deploy globally. Both are currently held at lower readiness having not been to sea since 2023 and 2017 respectively. On current planni...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordMilitary Aircraft: HelicoptersMinistry of DefenceTabled 21 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15458More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of the commercial service to bridge the availability gap for rotary capability in (a) Brunei and (b) Cyprus.
Answer: The Ministry of Defence signed a £122 million contract in 2024 to purchase six H-145 aircraft. These aircraft will replace the aging Puma aircraft to fulfil key capabilities in Cyprus and Brunei. A range of options are being explored to fill the capabilit...
Answered 3 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: EngineersMinistry of DefenceTabled 21 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15457More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Oral Statement of 20 November 2024 on Defence Programmes Developments, Official Report, columns 287-289, whether he plans to extend the retention bonuses for aircraft engineers to non-aircra
Answer: The single-Services each pay targeted retention payments where they are most needed, and where they provide the most efficient use of tax-payers money. As part of the Government’s commitment to renew the nation’s contract with those who serve, eligible Tr...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: IncentivesMinistry of DefenceTabled 21 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15456More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Oral Statement of 20 November 2024 on Defence Programmes Developments, Official Report, columns 287-289, whether retention bonuses for Army personnel will be made available to the (a) Royal
Answer: The Ministry of Defence pay retention payments in a variety of ways depending on the needs of the single-Services. Retention payments for the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force are targeted where they are most needed, and where they make the most efficient us...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament record
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