Mark Francois MP: written questions 2024
113 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Thales: ContractsMinistry of DefenceTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17770More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Serious Fraud Office investigation into suspected bribery and corruption at Thales UK on defence procurement contracts with that company.
Answer: The Ministry of Defence expects all its suppliers to comply with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements. It would be inappropriate for me to comment on an ongoing investigation.
Answered 9 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordChagos Islands: MauritiusForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17769More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) the participation of Mauritius in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and (b) sections on (i) military cooperat
Answer: 53 African countries, including Mauritius, attended the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). China made a range of high-level commitments as part of the Forum's Beijing Action Plan. As with previous FOCAC commitments we will monitor their implementa...
Answered 9 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordStrategic Defence ReviewMinistry of DefenceTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16476More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the Strategic Defence Review.
Answer: As previously announced by the Secretary of State for Defence to the House of Commons, the Reviewers will make their final report to the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Defence in the Spring of 2025. The Secretary of...
Answered 4 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordChina: MauritiusForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16475More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of (a) Mauritius' participation in the Forum on China- Africa Cooperation, (b) the provisions on mi
Answer: 53 African countries, including Mauritius, attended the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). China made a range of high-level commitments as part of the Forum's Beijing Action Plan. As with previous FOCAC commitments we will monitor their implementa...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordNavy: VacanciesMinistry of DefenceTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16472More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many vacancies there are for (a) engineers, (b) submariners and (c) other critical roles in the Royal Navy.
Answer: The Royal Navy continues to fill the highest priority roles first in accordance with current and future output requirements. Where demand exceeds supply, the Royal Navy and employers actively prioritise where personnel are assigned. Due to operational sec...
Answered 4 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordVeterans: Identity CardsMinistry of DefenceTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16471More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether independent security audits will be conducted on the digital veterans ID system.
Answer: All data associated with the new virtual HM Armed Forces Veteran Card will be stored within the UK. The digitisation project is currently in the Discovery Phase. However, when it moves into development, it will operate under Government Security and Minist...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordVeterans: Identity CardsMinistry of DefenceTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16470More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what security protocols have been implemented to ensure the protection of personal data in the digital veterans ID system.
Answer: All data associated with the new virtual HM Armed Forces Veteran Card will be stored within the UK. The digitisation project is currently in the Discovery Phase. However, when it moves into development, it will operate under Government Security and Minist...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordVeterans: Identity CardsMinistry of DefenceTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16469More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the data associated with the new digital veterans ID will be stored only within the UK.
Answer: All data associated with the new virtual HM Armed Forces Veteran Card will be stored within the UK. The digitisation project is currently in the Discovery Phase. However, when it moves into development, it will operate under Government Security and Minist...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordLE TacCIS programmeMinistry of DefenceTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16468More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the status is of the Morpheus communications programme; and whether there are delays.
Answer: MORPHEUS is a project within the Land Environment Tactical Communication and Information Systems (LETacCIS) Programme and is currently delayed. Work to reset the project remains ongoing, and an Independent Project Review, led by the Cabinet Office’s Infra...
Answered 4 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordArtillery: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16467More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timeline is for the delivery of the Mobile Fires Platform; and what the potential impact is of delays to the programme on the Army’s long-range artillery capabilities.
Answer: The Mobile Fires Platform will deliver the Army's Close Support Fires capability. The project aims to achieve Minimum Deployable Capability (MDC) within this decade and will deliver the Remote-Controlled Howitzer 155mm (RCH 155) Calibre Wheeled Artillery ...
Answered 4 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordCapita: ContractsMinistry of DefenceTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16461More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of Capita’s performance on delivering defence related contacts; and what assessment he has made of the value for money of these contracts.
Answer: The performance of all the Ministry of Defence's suppliers is continually assessed on a project by project basis as part of the Department's contract management activities. As a strategic supplier to the UK Government, Capita participates in the Cabinet O...
Answered 4 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordHawk AircraftMinistry of DefenceTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16460More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of maintaining sovereign capability in the (a) production and (b) sustainment of the Hawk aircraft; and what the estimate he has made of the economi
Answer: The Hawk T1 aircraft is scheduled to remain in service until 2030 and the Hawk T2 aircraft out-of-service date is in 2040. A decision on the production, sustainment and replacement of the aircraft will not be taken until after the Strategic Defence Review...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordUK Military Flying Training SystemMinistry of DefenceTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16459More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost has been of delivering the Military Flying Training System since its inception; and whether the programme is on track to meet its operational target.
Answer: The cost of delivering the UKMFTS since its inception has been £2.2 billion, with the programme continuing to deliver trained UK military pilots to meet the requirements of the Front Line Operational Conversion Unit. Incremental growth is planned in line ...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordHMS Albion and HMS Bulwark: Repairs and MaintenanceMinistry of DefenceTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16458More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost is of refits to HMS (a) Albion and (b) Bulwark since 2010.
Answer: The total cost of refits to HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark since 2010 is £132.7 million. This excludes HMS Bulwark's 2022-2025 refit which was estimated to cost £72.1 million. As HMS Bulwark was retired before her refit was completed, the refit costs are unde...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordPuma HelicoptersMinistry of DefenceTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16457More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the early retirement of Puma Helicopters on capability gaps.
Answer: The Ministry of Defence takes a rigorous approach in assessing the risk of any capability gaps. The Department is exploring options to fulfil some short-term capability gaps in Cyprus and Brunei before the H-145 platform enters services from 2026. Defence...
Answered 4 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordReserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations ReviewMinistry of DefenceTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16456More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to conclude his Department's review into cadets and reserves; and whether he plans to publish that review.
Answer: The review of Reserves and Cadets is underway and is closely aligned with the Ministry of Defence’s wider Strategic Defence Review which will report in the first half of 2025. Once Ministers have considered the findings of the Reserves and Cadets review, ...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordNuclear-free Zones: TreatiesMinistry of DefenceTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16455More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the (a) applicability of the Treaty of Pelindaba to the Chagos Archipelago and (b) potential impact of that Treaty on the UK's Defence arrangements.
Answer: The agreement with Mauritius has been negotiated based on international law, and with regards to both parties' obligations under international law. The UK is not a Party to the Pelindaba Treaty, although it is a Party to Protocols I and II to that Treaty....
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordArmed ForcesMinistry of DefenceTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16454More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will provide a table detailing the most recent data on UK Regular Forces by (a) Service and (b) Medical Deployability Standards.
Answer: The following table provides the Medical Deployability Standards for UK Armed Forces personnel, broken down by service as of the 1 October 2024: Medically Fully Deployable (MFD)Medically Limited Deployable (MLD)Medically Not Deployable (MND)Total99,56014...
Answered 5 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces Compensation Scheme: Widowed PeopleMinistry of DefenceTabled 27 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16450More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 5.52 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, what guidance his Department issues on whether nominees of deceased Armed Forces Pension Scheme members other than spouses and civil partners wi
Answer: Inheritance Tax on pensions is subject to a technical consultation which runs between 30 October 2024 and 22 January 2025. The Ministry of Defence will follow legislation as per Government proposals.
Answered 9 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordArmyMinistry of DefenceTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12029More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the keynote recording of the Chief of the General Staff at the RUSI Land Warfare Conference 2024, published on 23 June 2024, whether his Department has taken recent steps to double the lethality
Answer: The Chief of the General Staff is working hard to fulfil the ambition outlined at the RUSI Land Warfare conference. The British Army continues to work to these goals, in tandem with the ongoing Strategic Defence Review.
Answered 5 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordBoxer Vehicles: AmmunitionMinistry of DefenceTabled 30 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11840More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the estimated minimum deployable capability date is for the Boxer (a) 120mm self-propelled mortar system and (b) 155mm self-propelled artillery system.
Answer: The Mechanised Infantry (BOXER) programme uses the terms Initial Operating Capability (IOC) and Full Operating Capability. The Armoured Mortar Vehicle is a project within this programme and therefore uses those terms. The Mobile Fires Platform project is ...
Answered 11 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordDefence Equipment: ProcurementMinistry of DefenceTabled 30 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11835More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assumed increase in the UK's defence budget his Department is using for the purposes of estimating its 10-year Equipment Plan, calculated (a) in cash terms and (b) as a percentage of gross domestic product.
Answer: On 30 October His Majesty's Treasury published the Autumn Budget which confirmed the Ministry of Defence's Departmental Expenditure Limit for financial years 2024-25 and 2025-26. The longer-term budget will be confirmed through phase two of the Spending R...
Answered 11 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: Public ExpenditureMinistry of DefenceTabled 30 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11834More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will outline the UK's defence budget for (a) this and (b) the next two financial years expressed as a (i) total cash amount and (ii) percentage of gross domestic product, excluding expenditure related to Uk
Answer: Total Defence spending, in line with NATO definitions, is expected to be £64.4 billion in 2024-25 and £67.7 billion in 2025-26. This equates to 2.29% of GDP in 2024-25 and 2.30% in 2025-26. Excluding expenditure on support to Ukraine, Defence spending in ...
Answered 13 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordBAE Systems: Barrow in FurnessMinistry of DefenceTabled 30 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11833More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the extent of the damage caused by the fire at BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness on 30 October 2024.
Answer: I refer the right hon. Member to the written statement I laid in the House on 30 October 2024, HCWS176.
Answered 11 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordWatchkeeper WK450Ministry of DefenceTabled 4 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 5892More
Question: 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.
Answer: 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.
Answered 15 Oct 2024
Original Parliament record
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