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Debate on Thursday, 26 March 2009, in the House of Commons, led by Bob Ainsworth. The answering member was Liam Fox.

Defence in the UK

Debate to consider the matter of defence in the UK.

Secondary information

Type
Parliamentary proceeding
Reference
490 c476-545 
Session
2008-09
Department
Ministry of Defence
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Proceeding contributions
Ann Winterton | 490 c512 (Link to this contribution) The Minister has completely ignored my request for reassurance about the choice available to command...
Ann Winterton | 490 c510-1 (Link to this contribution) It is a pleasure to speak in what has so far, quite rightly, been a wide-ranging debate. I begin by ...
Show all contributions (111)
Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom | 490 c511 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend believe that the problem that she has set out was significantly exacerbated by t...
Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom | 490 c505-8 (Link to this contribution) My right hon. and learned—and, now we discover, gallant—Friend the Member for Kensington and Chelsea...
Baroness Clark of Kilwinning | 490 c508-10 (Link to this contribution) It is a great pleasure to have the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I want particularly to ...
Ann Winterton | 490 c512 (Link to this contribution) I am very grateful to the Minister. In fact, most of my information comes from the people who have p...
Lord Beamish | 490 c512 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Lady's point was that the vehicles were being used in convoys, and that that is not the pur...
Ann Winterton | 490 c511-2 (Link to this contribution) That is the point that I was seeking to make, and my right hon. Friend has made it much more succinc...
Lord Beamish | 490 c512 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Lady misunderstands the nature of the convoys that take place in Helmand province. They go ...
Malcolm Rifkind | 490 c505 (Link to this contribution) I would certainly have tried to prevent it, but whether the Treasury would have allowed me to do so ...
Philip Dunne | 490 c504-5 (Link to this contribution) My right hon. and learned Friend is making a typically powerful speech. On the subject of recruitmen...
Malcolm Rifkind | 490 c500-4 (Link to this contribution) I hope that the Minister is enjoying his time in the Ministry of Defence. I recall vividly that when...
Richard Younger-Ross | 490 c497 (Link to this contribution) Is there not a danger that if we are still fighting the last war to happen—or the last that did not ...
Nick Harvey | 490 c497-8 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes an interesting point. I do not think it takes very much for the Russians to int...
Peter Kilfoyle | 490 c498-9 (Link to this contribution) It is not only distinguished ex-military personnel, but they have been fairly outspoken. I would far...
Nick Harvey | 490 c499 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman makes a very good point. It is right to ask questions about this issue. We believ...
Bob Russell | 490 c499 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend agree that that is a legacy of the privatisation by the previous Government of t...
Nick Harvey | 490 c500 (Link to this contribution) There is no doubt in my mind that the Annington deal was a bad deal for the taxpayer and that we hav...
Peter Kilfoyle | 490 c500 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Nick Harvey | 490 c500 (Link to this contribution) I have given way to the hon. Gentleman a couple of times, and I think that it would be better if he ...
Liam Fox | 490 c486-7 (Link to this contribution) Yes, and as I will say later, that programme is over schedule and over budget, and it comes in a per...
Nick Harvey | 490 c487 (Link to this contribution) I am listening closely to the hon. Gentleman. Do I understand the logic of his argument to be that t...
Liam Fox | 490 c485-6 (Link to this contribution) May I add my condolences and those of my colleagues to those expressed by the Minister? Our thoughts...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c486 (Link to this contribution) Surely the hon. Gentleman recognises that the biggest recent peacetime naval building programme is g...
Liam Fox | 490 c487 (Link to this contribution) If, in the improbable event that we were able to technically uninvent nuclear weapons, they did not ...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c484 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman should be patient. We are almost ready to make known our response to the review b...
Liam Fox | 490 c484 (Link to this contribution) Before the Minister moves on to his peroration, will he tell us when the Government intend to make k...
Robert Key | 490 c482 (Link to this contribution) I had better take note of that; I apologise to the House.
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c481-2 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his support for the armed forces and the encouragement that ...
John P Smith | 490 c482 (Link to this contribution) I am sure that the whole House supports the offer in the Command Paper to which the Minister referre...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c482 (Link to this contribution) I agree. It is vital that we invest in new training programmes and facilities. My hon. Friend never ...
Robert Walter | 490 c482 (Link to this contribution) There seems to be slippage on the defence training review and the move to St. Athan. When it was fir...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c482 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman must accept that the proposal has its detractors, who seek for good reason to pro...
Robert Key | 490 c482 (Link to this contribution) Has the Minister read today's National Audit Office report on the Red Dragon project, which tells us...
Julian Brazier | 490 c480 (Link to this contribution) On behalf of the whole all-party group, I should say that we are grateful for the way in which we ha...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c480 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman will find out pretty soon, when we release the reserve forces review and enable h...
James Gray | 490 c481 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful for the Minister's kind words about the people of Wootton Bassett, which is in my cons...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c480-1 (Link to this contribution) I agree. General Cottam himself was extremely grateful for the sounding board of the all-party group...
Nick Harvey | 490 c497 (Link to this contribution) That is certainly a very interesting development, as, of course, is the French decision to rejoin fu...
Nick Harvey | 490 c496-7 (Link to this contribution) I respect what the hon. Gentleman says and I understand his argument, but the point that was made at...
Peter Kilfoyle | 490 c497 (Link to this contribution) Will the hon. Gentleman also touch on the changes taking place in Europe, notably the decision by th...
Nick Harvey | 490 c495-6 (Link to this contribution) Like the Minister and the shadow Secretary of State, I start by expressing condolences in respect of...
John P Smith | 490 c494-5 (Link to this contribution) Very little. This is a £12 billion PFI project spread over 25 to 30 years, but much of the risk will...
Ann Winterton | 490 c494 (Link to this contribution) I have been listening carefully to the hon. Gentleman, and he must forgive me if I have forgotten, b...
John P Smith | 490 c493-4 (Link to this contribution) I will refer specifically to the timetable, because I think that it is critical at present. As I hav...
Robert Walter | 490 c493 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is doing a brilliant marketing job, but I am not sure that the instructors at the...
John P Smith | 490 c491-3 (Link to this contribution) I thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to speak in this afternoon's debate. I pay tribute ...
Julian Brazier | 490 c490 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes a very powerful point about this problem, which affects very damaged people, al...
Liam Fox | 490 c490 (Link to this contribution) I am extremely grateful to my hon. Friend. Indeed, our servicemen and women in the Territorial Army ...
Bernard Jenkin | 490 c490 (Link to this contribution) Is my hon. Friend aware that Combat Stress, the mental welfare charity for ex-servicemen and women, ...
Liam Fox | 490 c490-1 (Link to this contribution) Indeed it is. Mental health services are the Cinderella service in the NHS, and as a society we must...
Liam Fox | 490 c489 (Link to this contribution) The Minister says that he said that, which I accept. However, PTSD often takes a long time to manife...
Liam Fox | 490 c489 (Link to this contribution) Clearly they are separate, if related, issues, but the point about PTSD is that the number of people...
Lord Beamish | 490 c489 (Link to this contribution) I recognise the problem of PTSD, but does the hon. Gentleman not recognise that the number of people...
Liam Fox | 490 c488-9 (Link to this contribution) They are perfectly entitled to their opinion. I happen to think that it is wrong. The nature of the ...
Peter Kilfoyle | 490 c488 (Link to this contribution) In the light of what the hon. Gentleman said, what does he make in the letter of 16 January in The T...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c476 (Link to this contribution) I beg to move,"That this House has considered the matter of defence in the UK." Tragically, we begi...
Julian Lewis | 490 c477 (Link to this contribution) I am terribly disappointed. For a moment, I thought that the Minister was going to say that he had r...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c477 (Link to this contribution) I have read the hon. Gentleman's contribution to that debate but, equally, I read what others say. T...
Bernard Jenkin | 490 c477 (Link to this contribution) Would the Minister like to set out his own party's pledges for the next Parliament with regard to de...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c477 (Link to this contribution) Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will be able to enlighten me.
Lembit Opik | 490 c478 (Link to this contribution) I very much agree with the aspiration that the Minister describes for the Army and, on the whole, th...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c478 (Link to this contribution) I have written to hon. Members, making them aware of the action that we have taken to ensure that we...
Angus Robertson | 490 c477 (Link to this contribution) The Minister will be aware that the safety deadline for upgrades to the Nimrod fleet is 31 March, fi...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c477 (Link to this contribution) We do that, and we will continue to do that, and I am here in order to do that. However, I say to th...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c478 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman must believe in his conspiracy theories if that is what he wishes to do, but he k...
Lembit Opik | 490 c479 (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the Minister and I do not seek to distract him from his core narrative. I understan...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c479 (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman is free, as are others, to raise the issue with the police. It is not for us to t...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c479 (Link to this contribution) I was speaking about cadets, not training, but I suppose I had better give way to my hon. Friend.
Brian Jenkins | 490 c479 (Link to this contribution) On training, will my right hon. Friend give way?
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c479 (Link to this contribution) The Government pot is as big as it is, no matter where it comes from. The point that I was seeking t...
Brian Jenkins | 490 c479 (Link to this contribution) I am listening with interest to find out about the extra capital to fund the extra large Army. Is it...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c480 (Link to this contribution) That is a travesty of the facts, if I may say so. Yes, we are behind on our original desire in respe...
Malcolm Rifkind | 490 c479-80 (Link to this contribution) The Minister will be aware that it was originally announced that the conclusion of the current revie...
Bernard Jenkin | 490 c480 (Link to this contribution) Will the Minister confirm that the review was conducted by Major-General Cottam, who left the Army m...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c540 (Link to this contribution) All I was seeking was clarification.
Lord Beamish | 490 c542 (Link to this contribution) I will not give way; I do not have time. I think that the three hon. Gentlemen on the Conservative ...
Lord Beamish | 490 c541 (Link to this contribution) As usual, the debate has been wide ranging. The contributions were not only well informed but covere...
Julian Lewis | 490 c540-1 (Link to this contribution) I am glad the hon. Gentleman sees that. Perhaps that was why he described the intervention as "inter...
Julian Lewis | 490 c540 (Link to this contribution) Here is a litmus test for the Minister: when he sees that my hon. Friends the Members for Woodspring...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c540 (Link to this contribution) Absolutely, we certainly have it now, but it is something that the shadow Chancellor will have to be...
Lord Beamish | 490 c542 (Link to this contribution) I will not. The hon. Member for Woodspring touched on the subject of mental health, which was also ...
Lord Beamish | 490 c542-5 (Link to this contribution) I am sorry, but I will not. The hon. Member for Woodspring raised the issue of decompression. Every...
Julian Brazier | 490 c523 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend is making a powerful point. Does he agree that all those goods by definition end up i...
Julian Brazier | 490 c520-1 (Link to this contribution) Yes, my hon. Friend is absolutely right. With very little expenditure, we could do a great deal to f...
Ann Winterton | 490 c512-3 (Link to this contribution) The Minister has not been able to reassure me that commanders have a choice, because we know perfect...
David Kidney | 490 c513-4 (Link to this contribution) I apologise most sincerely for missing the first two Front-Bench speeches, but a pressing constituen...
Lord Beamish | 490 c512 (Link to this contribution) I am surprised by what the hon. Lady is saying, because I know that, like me, she is something of an...
Julian Brazier | 490 c515-20 (Link to this contribution) May I start by paying tribute to the 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, better known as t...
Richard Bacon | 490 c520 (Link to this contribution) I apologise to my hon. Friend for not being here earlier, but I saw his name on the monitor and came...
Julian Brazier | 490 c514 (Link to this contribution) I commend what the hon. Gentleman has just said, as I am sure that the whole House does. The downsid...
David Kidney | 490 c514-5 (Link to this contribution) I agree with the hon. Gentleman. It is never a good thing to put all the eggs in one basket. On Ope...
Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom | 490 c538 (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend remember that, before the 1997 general election, the Labour party pledged that w...
Julian Lewis | 490 c538-9 (Link to this contribution) I do indeed. I also remember during the cold war years—like many middle-aged men who were involved i...
Robert Key | 490 c523-4 (Link to this contribution) Yes, of course. I was extremely interested in that part of my hon. Friend's speech in which he talke...
Gerald Howarth | 490 c524 (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend referred to the eight Chinooks that are being modified in his constituency. There is ...
Robert Key | 490 c524-5 (Link to this contribution) I fear that I am not in a position to be able to answer that. If I could change places with the Mini...
Robert Walter | 490 c525-9 (Link to this contribution) Like my right hon. Friend the Member for North-East Hampshire (Mr. Arbuthnot) and others, I was a li...
Robert Key | 490 c529 (Link to this contribution) Will my hon. Friend share his perspective on the problem that Macedonia's name holds for the Greeks,...
Robert Walter | 490 c529-31 (Link to this contribution) I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention and share his frustration about the Greek veto over Mac...
James Gray | 490 c531-5 (Link to this contribution) It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for North Dorset (Mr. Walter), whose expertise ...
Julian Lewis | 490 c536-8 (Link to this contribution) One is sadly accustomed in these debates to paying tribute to service personnel who have been killed...
Robert Key | 490 c521-3 (Link to this contribution) It is a particular pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Canterbury (Mr. Brazier), not ju...
Julian Lewis | 490 c496 (Link to this contribution) I am pleased that a debate on defence in the UK can be interpreted as covering defence in the world,...
Bob Ainsworth | 490 c483-4 (Link to this contribution) I was about to acknowledge that I had not read it—I am extremely grateful for the intervention by th...
Subjects
Armed forces Defence Army Armed conflict Deployment Casualties Air force Defence equipment Finance Iraq National security Nuclear weapons Protective clothing Navy Rehabilitation Terrorism Security Afghanistan
Link
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