Mark Francois MP: written questions 2024
113 published records · newest first.
Written questions
VeteransMinistry of DefenceTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21273More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 16769 on Veterans, whether his Department is taking steps to gather the data required to estimate the number of veterans who are (a) eligible for Pension Cred
Answer: The Ministry of Defence is already working across Government to improve data collection on veterans. At this time, we do not have data to enable us to make an estimate on the number of veterans who are eligible for pension credit and have an income of les...
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordVeteransMinistry of DefenceTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21272More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 16769 on Veterans, if he will review his Department's data collection processes to enable it to make an estimate of the number of veterans who are (a) eligibl
Answer: The Ministry of Defence is already working across Government to improve data collection on veterans. At this time, we do not have data to enable us to make an estimate on the number of veterans who are eligible for pension credit and have an income of les...
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFleet Solid Support Ships: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21271More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any part of the final assembly of the Fleet Solid Support ships is planned to take place in Spain under the revised Harland and Wolff contract.
Answer: The Government has worked closely with Navantia UK (Prime Contractor) on the future of the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) programme and agreed with them the minimum changes to the contract necessary - on commercial terms - to ensure its continued delivery. Thi...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: SovereigntyForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21270More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the content is of his response of 16 December 2024 to the Mauritian counterproposals to the UK/Mauritius draft agreement.
Answer: In a joint statement on 20 December, both the UK and Mauritius committed to finalising an agreement on the exercise of sovereignty over BIOT/Chagos as quickly as possible. It would not be appropriate to give a running commentary of ongoing engagement with...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFleet Solid Support Ships: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21269More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total figure is for the changes to the value of the contract with Harland and Wolff for the Fleet Solid Support ships.
Answer: The Government has worked closely with Navantia UK (Prime Contractor) on the future of the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) programme and agreed with them the minimum changes to the contract necessary - on commercial terms - to ensure its continued delivery. Thi...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFleet Solid Support Ships: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21268More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the in-service date for the fleet solid support ships has been impacted by the changes to the Harland and Wolff contract.
Answer: The Government has worked closely with Navantia UK (Prime Contractor) on the future of the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) programme and agreed with them the minimum changes to the contract necessary - on commercial terms - to ensure its continued delivery. Thi...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordDefence: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21267More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to implement a NATO test for major defence projects procurement.
Answer: We conducted a NATO test in the first 100 days of this Government.As part of that work we are implementing a NATO test for major procurement decisions by mandating that NATO should be considered in all Ministry of Defence investment business cases. This i...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordDiego GarciaCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20932More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister has had discussions with Philippe Sands KC on Diego Garcia since 4 July 2024.
Answer: Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on gov.uk as part of the government’s transparency agenda.
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordIndia: MauritiusForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 18 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20931More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Indian government on (a) British Sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, (b) the operation of Indian base
Answer: The Foreign Secretary last spoke to Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar on 25 November 2024 about a range of issues, including BIOT. UK officials also regularly engage with the Indian government about the agreement. Our primary goal in negotiation...
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: HousingMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20578More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Government buys back 36,347 military homes to improve housing for forces families and save taxpayers billions, published on 17 December 2024, what his pla
Answer: It is too early to provide a timetable for the construction and refurbishment of Service Family Accommodation (SFA). The recent announcement comes as the Government kickstarts work on a new military housing strategy, to be published this year. Key princip...
Answered 6 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAnnington HomesMinistry of DefenceTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20577More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which departmental budgets will provide the funds to complete the purchase of the Annington estate; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that spending on other defence priorities.
Answer: Funding for the deal is being provided by His Majesty’s Treasury, not the Ministry of Defence budget. As the purchase has no impact on other Defence priorities, no financial assessment has been made.
Answered 6 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: CapitaMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20156More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2024 to Question 17774 on Ministry of Defence: Capita, whether his Department plans to conduct performance reviews of Capita’s contract in 2025.
Answer: The Army continues to monitor Capita’s performance through the various contract management measures as set out in the Recruitment Partnering Programme contract.
Answered 30 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: CapitaMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20155More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2024 to Question 17774 on Ministry of Defence: Capita, whether the performance reviews of Capita in (a) March and (b) September 2024 made recommendations.
Answer: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 17 December 2024, to Questions 19639, 19640, 19641, 19642 and 19643.
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: CapitaMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20154More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2024 to Question 17774 on Ministry of Defence: Capita, whether (a) penalties under and (b) adjustments to Capita's contract have been applied as a result of the (i) March and
Answer: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 17 December 2024, to Questions 19639, 19640, 19641, 19642 and 19643.
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: RecruitmentMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20153More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to complete the evaluation phase of the Armed Forces Recruitment Partnership; and whether he plans to publish the findings.
Answer: Due diligence reviews have been conducted to determine the winning bidder of the Armed Forces Recruiting Programme (AFRP) contract. With the contract’s approval process ongoing, it would not be appropriate to publish the outcome of the evaluation. Indepen...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: RecruitmentMinistry of DefenceTabled 16 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20152More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his timeline is for full implementation of the Armed Forces Recruitment Partnership across the Armed Forces; and what the key milestones are.
Answer: Due diligence reviews have been conducted to determine the winning bidder of the Armed Forces Recruiting Programme (AFRP) contract. With the contract’s approval process ongoing, it would not be appropriate to publish the outcome of the evaluation. Indepen...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordDefence: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19648More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what measures are in place to mitigate cost overruns in projects managed under the Integrated Procurement Model.
Answer: Good progress has been made on design and implementation of the key features of a reformed model, which are part of the wider defence reforms announced by the Defence Secretary in October. To set programmes up for success from the outset, the Department i...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordDefence: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19647More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the Integrated Procurement Model ensures equitable access for small and medium-sized enterprises in the defence supply chain.
Answer: Good progress has been made on design and implementation of the key features of a reformed model, which are part of the wider defence reforms announced by the Defence Secretary in October. The Ministry of Defence has a long-standing commitment to improve ...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordDefence: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19646More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Integrated Procurement Model improves the delivery timelines of major defence projects.
Answer: Good progress has been made on design and implementation of the key features of a reformed model, which are part of the wider defence reforms announced by the Defence Secretary in October. We will improve delivery timelines for our major programmes throug...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordDefence: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19645More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Integrated Procurement Model in improving value for money for defence acquisitions.
Answer: Good progress has been made on design and implementation of the key features of a reformed model, which form part of the wider defence reforms announced by the Defence Secretary in October. We will take a more joined up, One Defence approach to our requir...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordDefence: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19644More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Integrated Procurement Model will be fully introduced across all defence procurement processes.
Answer: Good progress has been made on design and implementation of the key features of a reformed model, which are part of the wider defence reforms announced by the Defence Secretary in October. Implementation will continue into 2025.Through these changes we wi...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: RecruitmentMinistry of DefenceTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19643More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2024 to Question 17776 on Armed Forces: Recruitment, what financial penalties have been applied to Capita under the Recruitment Partnering Programme contract for failure to m
Answer: The new Government inherited a crisis in retention and recruitment. We have made it a priority to address this with a series of work streams designed to increase recruitment and renew the contract between the nation and those who serve to improve retentio...
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: RecruitmentMinistry of DefenceTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19642More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2024 to Question 17776 on Armed Forces: Recruitment, whether Capita met its key performance indicators in each of the last five years under the Recruitment Partnering Program
Answer: The new Government inherited a crisis in retention and recruitment. We have made it a priority to address this with a series of work streams designed to increase recruitment and renew the contract between the nation and those who serve to improve retentio...
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: RecruitmentMinistry of DefenceTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19641More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2024 to Question 17776 on Armed Forces: Recruitment, if his Department will publish the monthly measurements against key performance indicators for Capita’s performance in mi
Answer: The new Government inherited a crisis in retention and recruitment. We have made it a priority to address this with a series of work streams designed to increase recruitment and renew the contract between the nation and those who serve to improve retentio...
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: RecruitmentMinistry of DefenceTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19640More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what specific actions were taken following the performance audit reviews of Capita’s role in military recruitment in (a) May and June 2021 and (b) July and August 2023.
Answer: The new Government inherited a crisis in retention and recruitment. We have made it a priority to address this with a series of work streams designed to increase recruitment and renew the contract between the nation and those who serve to improve retentio...
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament record
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