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To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) procurement and (b) life-cycle costs are for a Royal Navy Astute Class submarine.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) procurement and (b) life-cycle costs are for a Royal Navy Astute Class submarine.
It is not possible to identify a single unit cost for an Astute Class submarine as Boats one to three (Astute, Ambush, and Artful) were contracted as a batch, with the rest of the class subject to separate contractual arrangements. However, as an example of the main costs involved, the whole-boat contract for Agincourt, the seventh and last boat in the class, announced in May 2018, was £1.5 billion. This covers the totality of work involved in the boat build, including test and commissioning. The procurement costs include initial support provisioning, however, in-service support costs of a submarine will vary with the individual platform material state. These costs form part of wider submarine maintenance contracts and are not easily identifiable separately and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned in-service date is for the cortisone IT programme for the Defence Medical Services; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the funding for that programme.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned in-service date is for the cortisone IT programme for the Defence Medical Services; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the funding for that programme.
The Cortisone Programme is scheduled to achieve Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in July 2022 with the roll-out of new Primary Medical Care IT services to fixed medical treatment facilities, in the UK and overseas. IOC will be deemed achieved when 80% of the MTFs are successfully operating the new services. Some user benefits from the Programme are expected earlier, from January 2021, when the medical information services interface between the Ministry of Defence and the National Health Service is improved.
Cortisone capability will be brought into service through Agile delivery methodologies. The Cortisone business case, approved in 2018, contained a model of the anticipated cost of delivery, rather than a firm cost provided by a preferred bidder. The model has been demonstrated to be robust, and we are confident that the capability expressed in the business case can be delivered with the funds approved.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether restrictions have been imposed on the type of stores that are carried by the A400M as a result of vibration problems with that aircraft.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether restrictions have been imposed on the type of stores that are carried by the A400M as a result of vibration problems with that aircraft.
A400M routinely carries ordnance, munitions and explosives in support of the UK's Defence commitments including in the broader Middle East. The type of stores that can be carried have been cleared through a qualification process in line with operational priorities, and there are no restrictions specific to A400M due to vibration.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse is of the programme of work being undertaken by Airbus to increase the (a) serviceability and (b) reliability of the RAF's A400m aircraft fleet.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse is of the programme of work being undertaken by Airbus to increase the (a) serviceability and (b) reliability of the RAF's A400m aircraft fleet.
There is no single activity or programme to address aircraft serviceability. All aircraft are operated and maintained in accordance with the Air System Document Set, which includes the Operator's Maintenance Plan. This defines the servicing schedules and their periodicity based primarily on usage. With regard to reliability, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 1 July 2019 to Question 269009.
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Anne-Marie Trevelyan) on securing this debate and introducing it with such brio. I am delighted to see how many colleagues are present to debate these important matters.
On the defence budget, I was reassured to hear from the Chair of the Defence...
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Anne-Marie Trevelyan) on securing this debate and introducing it with such brio. I am delighted to see how many colleagues are present to debate these important matters.
On the defence budget, I was reassured to hear from the Chair of the Defence...
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many bonuses have been paid by the Army/Capita to recruits who agree to enlist earlier than originally intended; what the average size is of those bonus payments; what the total sum spent is on those bonuses as of 2 July 2019;...
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many bonuses have been paid by the Army/Capita to recruits who agree to enlist earlier than originally intended; what the average size is of those bonus payments; what the total sum spent is on those bonuses as of 2 July 2019;...
The Recruiting Partnering Project (RPP) has been resourced to prioritise recruiting using a range of tools, including financial incentives. Historically, these have incentivised candidates to join specific trades or to start training quickly.
The RPP has set aside some £885,000 to date, to incentivise candidates, who are able to do so, to start training quickly where there are anticipated spaces on training intakes. These bonuses were comprised of single payments of £2,500 to 354 candidates, split over two separate incentive periods.
Qualifying criteria require the candidate to commence the relevant training (e.g. Infantry at Infantry Training Centre Catterick) in target months, be over 18 years of age and to have passed their Discharge as of Right period.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if she will publish the seven Astute class submarines by (a) name, (b) actual or estimated in-service date and (c) estimated out-of-service date.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if she will publish the seven Astute class submarines by (a) name, (b) actual or estimated in-service date and (c) estimated out-of-service date.
HMS ASTUTE, HMS AMBUSH, and HMS ARTFUL have entered service with the Royal Navy. AUDACIOUS, ANSON, AGAMEMNON and AGINCOURT are in various stages of build.
The planned in-service and out-of-service dates for Royal Navy submarines are withheld as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if she will publish the (a) problems with the (i) engines and (ii) gearbox of the A400M aircraft and (b) extent of the work required to address those problems.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if she will publish the (a) problems with the (i) engines and (ii) gearbox of the A400M aircraft and (b) extent of the work required to address those problems.
The A400M's engine, the TP-400, is provided by EuroProp International, a subcontractor to Airbus. Problems have been seen on combustion chambers on early versions of the TP-400 degrading at a faster rate than expected; these are currently being replaced with an improved design. The engine's propeller gearbox has also experienced some issues due to faulty components; these are being replaced with new and redesigned parts. This work will be undertaken during periods of planned maintenance to avoid further impacting availability and is expected to be completed by mid-2020. There is no cost to the Ministry of Defence as it is covered by contractual warranties.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what decisions were taken at the recent NATO Ministerial meeting on the Airbus A400m aircraft.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what decisions were taken at the recent NATO Ministerial meeting on the Airbus A400m aircraft.
At the A400M Ministerial meeting on 28 June 2019, a decision was made to progress negotiations with the engine manufacturer on the future support solution for the TP-400 engine, with a view to significantly reducing support costs. Ministers directed that Airbus Defence and Space, as the prime contractor, should participate in those negotiations.
Agreement was also reached to sign a six-nation aircraft support contract to provide common support services and spares to supplement national arrangements and a decision was taken that the A400M Programme Division of OCCAR would relocate from its current base in Toulouse to Madrid in 2022 to enable closer working between the sponsor, prime contractor and subcontractor.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the circumstances were of any crashes involving A400M aircraft.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the circumstances were of any crashes involving A400M aircraft.
There has been one crash of an industry-operated A400M, on 9 May 2015. The aircraft was on a test flight, having just completed production in Seville. The crash was investigated by the Spanish Air Accident Investigation Authority, who attributed the cause of the accident to how the engine software had been loaded. A fleetwide software change has since been implemented to prevent the possibility of a reoccurrence.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. The A400M is an emerging procurement disaster. We have paid £2.6 billion for an aircraft with appalling reliability, bad engines, a virtually broken gearbox, problem propellers, massive vibration problems and an inability to deliver paratroops. There was recently a NATO ministerial meeting of the partner nations to decide what to do about the disaster. What was the outcome of that meeting?
Thank you, Mr Speaker. The A400M is an emerging procurement disaster. We have paid £2.6 billion for an aircraft with appalling reliability, bad engines, a virtually broken gearbox, problem propellers, massive vibration problems and an inability to deliver paratroops. There was recently a NATO ministerial meeting of the partner nations to decide what to do about the disaster. What was the outcome of that meeting?
My right hon. Friend is right to highlight the issues with the A400M. I can assure him that I attended that ministerial meeting: it was an extremely robust meeting with industry. The performance has been totally unacceptable. We are now expecting EuroProp International, the engine manufacturer, to be more empowered to negotiate the support solutions that we need. Airbus Defence and Space has also been held to account, but, following the problems with the engines and gear boxes, those parts will be replaced on each of the aircraft by the middle of next year.
One group of veterans who undoubtedly deserve our respect are the veterans of Northern Ireland who served for years on Operation Banner to uphold the rule of law against the IRA, yet some of them now face subsequent investigation—even up to 50 years on, even including Chelsea Pensioners—while those in the IRA are off
scot-free with letters of comfort from Tony Blair. Does the Secretary of State agree with me that, as some have recently suggested, to
“treat both sides the same”
is not only patently ludicrous, but a deep insult to all those veterans without whose courage there would never have been a Good Friday agreement in the first place?
One group of veterans who undoubtedly deserve our respect are the veterans of Northern Ireland who served for years on Operation Banner to uphold the rule of law against the IRA, yet some of them now face subsequent investigation—even up to 50 years on, even including Chelsea Pensioners—while those in the IRA are off
scot-free with letters of comfort from Tony Blair. Does the Secretary of State agree with me that, as some have recently suggested, to
“treat both sides the same”
is not only patently ludicrous, but a deep insult to all those veterans without whose courage there would never have been a Good Friday agreement in the first place?
My right hon. Friend will know my views on this matter. Although we have obligations under the Stormont House agreement and have to approach these things in different ways, our obligations to our veterans—whether they have served in an operation on UK soil or overseas—are the same.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Typhoon aircraft have been delivered to the RAF; and how many Typhoon aircraft on order are (a) Tranche 1, (b) Tranche 2 and (c) Tranche 3 aircraft.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Typhoon aircraft have been delivered to the RAF; and how many Typhoon aircraft on order are (a) Tranche 1, (b) Tranche 2 and (c) Tranche 3 aircraft.
To date, the Royal Air Force has taken delivery of 156 Typhoon aircraft. There are four remaining aircraft on order, all of which are Tranche 3.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what requirements for troops to parachute from the A400M were included in the original specification for that aircraft; whether the A400M has been cleared to deliver that capability; on how many occasions the A400M has delivered that capability; and what assessment she...
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what requirements for troops to parachute from the A400M were included in the original specification for that aircraft; whether the A400M has been cleared to deliver that capability; on how many occasions the A400M has delivered that capability; and what assessment she...
The original A400M specification included the requirements to dispatch troops via static line at low and high altitude and freefall from high altitude from both the rear parachute side doors and cargo ramp. Trials have demonstrated that A400M can safely dispatch parachutists via the cargo ramp and using a single side door. At this time that capability has not been used by the UK. Airbus have demonstrated a technical solution to the well-publicised technical challenges of dispatching parachutists simultaneously from both side doors, which is under-going evaluation through the ongoing contracted Airbus development programme.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether she has plans to cancel the Warrior Capability Upgrade Programme; and if she will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether she has plans to cancel the Warrior Capability Upgrade Programme; and if she will make a statement.
The capability the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme will deliver constitutes a crucial part of the Army's planned modernised Armoured Infantry Brigade. There are no plans to cancel it.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many A400M aircraft have been (a) ordered by and (b) delivered to (i) the RAF, (ii) the Luftwaffe, (iii) the Spanish Air Force, (d) the Italian Air Force and (e) other nations air forces.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many A400M aircraft have been (a) ordered by and (b) delivered to (i) the RAF, (ii) the Luftwaffe, (iii) the Spanish Air Force, (d) the Italian Air Force and (e) other nations air forces.
A total of 174 A400M aircraft have been ordered to date, the breakdown of aircraft ordered and delivered is as follows:
Aircraft | Ordered | Delivered (as of June 2019) |
RAF1 | 22 | 20 |
German Luftwaffe1 | 53 | 30 |
Spanish Air force1 | 27 | 4 |
Italian Air Force | 0 | 0 |
French Air Force1 | 50 | 15 |
Turkish Air Force1 | 10 | 8 |
Belgian Air Component1 | 8 | 0 |
Malaysian Air Force2 | 4 | 4 |
Italy is not a participant in the A400M Programme.
Notes:
1 - A400M Partner Nation
2 - Export Customer
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June to Question 266855 on Future Large Aircraft, what the cost to the public purse is of the anticipated work programme to improve the reliability of the A400M; what the planned length of time is for...
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June to Question 266855 on Future Large Aircraft, what the cost to the public purse is of the anticipated work programme to improve the reliability of the A400M; what the planned length of time is for...
There is no additional cost to the public purse of the work programme to improve the reliability of the A400M, which is funded by industry. This is planned to conclude by the third quarter of 2020 and will comprise work to upgrade the engines, gearboxes and the Bleed Air Leak Detection System. A separate package of work will provide an avionics update. The work is being undertaken both at RAF Brize Norton and Airbus facilities in Spain (Seville and Getafe).
I am grateful to my fellow Defence Committee member for giving way. On behalf of the whole House, I wish the hon. Lady a happy 29th birthday, seasonally adjusted. I absolutely commend the initiative that she mentioned.
I want to mention another D-day veteran—Reginald Francois, my father—and I am immensely...
I am grateful to my fellow Defence Committee member for giving way. On behalf of the whole House, I wish the hon. Lady a happy 29th birthday, seasonally adjusted. I absolutely commend the initiative that she mentioned.
I want to mention another D-day veteran—Reginald Francois, my father—and I am immensely...
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of the programme to improve the airworthiness of the RAF's A400M fleet; and whether any of that cost is being being borne by (a) the RAF, (b) Airbus and (c) a combination of the...
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of the programme to improve the airworthiness of the RAF's A400M fleet; and whether any of that cost is being being borne by (a) the RAF, (b) Airbus and (c) a combination of the...
The A400M aircraft is fully compliant with all UK safety and airworthiness standards. A modification programme is under way to improve the reliability of aircraft systems to increase availability. This programme of work is fully funded by Airbus and their subcontractors under the terms of the contract.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recruits were enlisted into the regular army in financial year 2018-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recruits were enlisted into the regular army in financial year 2018-19.
The total number of personnel enlisted and commissioned, in the case of Officers, into the regular Army in 2018-19 was 6,985. Of this 6,315 were soldiers and 640 officers. In addition, a further 400 Gurkhas were enlisted into the Brigade of Gurkhas.