Every parliamentary written question tabled by James Cartlidge this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 2,181–2,200 of 3,162 · this parliament
How much his Department has spent on the (a) upkeep and (b) maintenance of HMS Forth since 5 July 2024.
The volume of detailed information requested is such that it will take time to consider in full. Consequently, I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
How much his Department has spent on the (a) upkeep and (b) maintenance of HMS Cutlass since 5 July 2024.
The volume of detailed information requested is such that it will take time to consider in full. Consequently, I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
How much his Department has spent on the (a) upkeep and (b) maintenance of HMS Medway since 5 July 2024.
The volume of detailed information requested is such that it will take time to consider in full. Consequently, I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
How much his Department has spent on the (a) upkeep and (b) maintenance of HMS Trent since 5 July 2024.
The volume of detailed information requested is such that it will take time to consider in full. Consequently, I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
How much his Department has spent on the (a) upkeep and (b) maintenance of HMS Tamar since 5 July 2024.
The volume of detailed information requested is such that it will take time to consider in full. Consequently, I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Whether the National Armaments Director will sit on the defence growth board.
The membership of the Defence Growth Board consists of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. They will be supported by Departmental officials, including the National Armaments Director and MOD Permanent Secretary. Meetings of the Defence Growth Board will be scheduled as required.
Whether the Permanent Secretary will sit on the defence growth board.
The membership of the Defence Growth Board consists of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. They will be supported by Departmental officials, including the National Armaments Director and MOD Permanent Secretary. Meetings of the Defence Growth Board will be scheduled as required.
Whether the Chief of the Defence Staff will sit on the defence growth board.
The membership of the Defence Growth Board consists of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. They will be supported by Departmental officials, including the National Armaments Director and MOD Permanent Secretary. Meetings of the Defence Growth Board will be scheduled as required.
Whether the Second Permanent Secretary will sit on the defence growth board.
The membership of the Defence Growth Board consists of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. They will be supported by Departmental officials, including the National Armaments Director and MOD Permanent Secretary. Meetings of the Defence Growth Board will be scheduled as required.
How regularly the defence growth board will meet.
The membership of the Defence Growth Board consists of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. They will be supported by Departmental officials, including the National Armaments Director and MOD Permanent Secretary. Meetings of the Defence Growth Board will be scheduled as required.
Whether the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff will sit on the defence growth board.
The membership of the Defence Growth Board consists of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. They will be supported by Departmental officials, including the National Armaments Director and MOD Permanent Secretary. Meetings of the Defence Growth Board will be scheduled as required.
Which class of Royal Navy ships will operate a directed energy weapon.
Our DragonFire Laser Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) will be fitted to four Royal Navy ships starting from 2027. Type 45 destroyers are being explored as the most suitable platform. The Ministry of Defence is maturing plans for future DEW capabilities alongside DragonFire delivery and in conjunction with the Royal Navy will ensure that the most suitable Royal Navy ships are selected.
With reference to paragraph 2.7 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, whether any of the funding for military housing will go towards finalising the Annington transaction.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 31 March 2025 to Question 41492.
With reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, whether the £400m ringfenced budget for UK Defence Innovation will be ringfenced for UK Defence SMEs.
As set out in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence will establish UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will consolidate, cohere and simplify the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) structures for innovation. As well as capitalise on lessons from Ukraine. It supports the Government’s wider agenda for greater departmental agility, driven by advances in technology and increased productivity. UKDI will be granted greater freedoms to exploit and capitalise on new ideas, equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster, support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK and demonstrate the UK’s ability to respond at pace to external threats. UKDI will report under the new National Armaments Director (NAD) and sit within the Ministry of Defence as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform. Its output will be fully accountable to Ministers and Parliament. UKDI will be part of cross Government growth boards. UKDI is not a new Arm's Length Body, nor will it pull in any existing Arm’s Length Bodies. UKDI is a key part of the biggest overhaul of Defence for over 50 years and will be an essential part of reforming defence acquisition. UKDI will reach initial operating capability in July 2025, that output will provide more detail on the admin and running costs of UKDI, the detailed design and interactions with MSHQ, other Government departments and industry. This work will look at the size and shape of the workforce needed to deliver the ambition. UKDI will be given the appropriate delegation, resources and authority to achieve its goals. To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget to give confidence to industry in the acquisition programme and to be able to move from concept to delivery at pace. Investment cases will prioritise UK SMEs. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in recent rapid procurement activities where appropriate. The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.
With reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, how UK Defence Innovation will engage with his Department.
As set out in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence will establish UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will consolidate, cohere and simplify the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) structures for innovation. As well as capitalise on lessons from Ukraine. It supports the Government’s wider agenda for greater departmental agility, driven by advances in technology and increased productivity. UKDI will be granted greater freedoms to exploit and capitalise on new ideas, equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster, support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK and demonstrate the UK’s ability to respond at pace to external threats. UKDI will report under the new National Armaments Director (NAD) and sit within the Ministry of Defence as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform. Its output will be fully accountable to Ministers and Parliament. UKDI will be part of cross Government growth boards. UKDI is not a new Arm's Length Body, nor will it pull in any existing Arm’s Length Bodies. UKDI is a key part of the biggest overhaul of Defence for over 50 years and will be an essential part of reforming defence acquisition. UKDI will reach initial operating capability in July 2025, that output will provide more detail on the admin and running costs of UKDI, the detailed design and interactions with MSHQ, other Government departments and industry. This work will look at the size and shape of the workforce needed to deliver the ambition. UKDI will be given the appropriate delegation, resources and authority to achieve its goals. To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget to give confidence to industry in the acquisition programme and to be able to move from concept to delivery at pace. Investment cases will prioritise UK SMEs. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in recent rapid procurement activities where appropriate. The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.
With reference to paragraph 2.7 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, how many Royal Navy ships will operate a Directed Energy Weapon by 2027.
As announced in the Spring Statement, part of the additional funding for Defence will be invested in advanced technology, including putting the DragonFire Laser Directed Energy Weapons on four Royal Navy ships, starting from 2027. This is not the totality of the Ministry of Defence (MOD)'s investment in DEW, and we will wait for the outcomes of the Strategic Defence Review and Spending Review before making further announcements on plans for DEW capability. Defence remains committed to bringing novel capabilities to our Armed Forces faster than before, and our Defence Reform efforts will help to set MOD up to deliver this.
With reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, what the annual budget for UK Defence Innovation will be.
As set out in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence will establish UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will consolidate, cohere and simplify the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) structures for innovation. As well as capitalise on lessons from Ukraine. It supports the Government’s wider agenda for greater departmental agility, driven by advances in technology and increased productivity. UKDI will be granted greater freedoms to exploit and capitalise on new ideas, equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster, support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK and demonstrate the UK’s ability to respond at pace to external threats. UKDI will report under the new National Armaments Director (NAD) and sit within the Ministry of Defence as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform. Its output will be fully accountable to Ministers and Parliament. UKDI will be part of cross Government growth boards. UKDI is not a new Arm's Length Body, nor will it pull in any existing Arm’s Length Bodies. UKDI is a key part of the biggest overhaul of Defence for over 50 years and will be an essential part of reforming defence acquisition. UKDI will reach initial operating capability in July 2025, that output will provide more detail on the admin and running costs of UKDI, the detailed design and interactions with MSHQ, other Government departments and industry. This work will look at the size and shape of the workforce needed to deliver the ambition. UKDI will be given the appropriate delegation, resources and authority to achieve its goals. To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget to give confidence to industry in the acquisition programme and to be able to move from concept to delivery at pace. Investment cases will prioritise UK SMEs. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in recent rapid procurement activities where appropriate. The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.
With reference to the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, whether his Department has been set a target by which to increase Defence exports.
The UK Government continually assesses the defence export market and plays an important role in supporting industry partners with the export of UK defence equipment. Alongside other measures announced in the Spring Statement, defence exports will play a key role in supporting the Government’s Growth agenda. Improving export performance will be a key role for the National Armaments Director.
With reference to paragraph 3.29 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, whether he plans to set a formal target for end to end procurement time for pace-setting modular upgrades.
The Ministry of Defence is reforming its acquisition system to deliver defence capabilities at greater pace, secure the best possible value for money and support growth, under the leadership of a new National Armaments Director. These reforms will enable the end-to-end procurement approach to be tailored according to the nature of each programme, delivering capability into the hands of the war fighter more quickly to maintain operational advantage. As set out in the Spring Statement, the department will set targets for time to contract as part of its new segmented approach to procurement. While larger, complex platforms, such as those in the Government Major Projects Portfolio, will often take longer to deliver, we will look for opportunities to drive pace at every stage of the acquisition process.
What estimate he has made of the number of (a) civil servants, (b) service personnel, (c) contractors and (d) others who will be employed by UK Defence Innovation.
As set out in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence will establish UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will consolidate, cohere and simplify the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) structures for innovation. As well as capitalise on lessons from Ukraine. It supports the Government’s wider agenda for greater departmental agility, driven by advances in technology and increased productivity. UKDI will be granted greater freedoms to exploit and capitalise on new ideas, equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster, support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK and demonstrate the UK’s ability to respond at pace to external threats. UKDI will report under the new National Armaments Director (NAD) and sit within the Ministry of Defence as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform. Its output will be fully accountable to Ministers and Parliament. UKDI will be part of cross Government growth boards. UKDI is not a new Arm's Length Body, nor will it pull in any existing Arm’s Length Bodies. UKDI is a key part of the biggest overhaul of Defence for over 50 years and will be an essential part of reforming defence acquisition. UKDI will reach initial operating capability in July 2025, that output will provide more detail on the admin and running costs of UKDI, the detailed design and interactions with MSHQ, other Government departments and industry. This work will look at the size and shape of the workforce needed to deliver the ambition. UKDI will be given the appropriate delegation, resources and authority to achieve its goals. To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget to give confidence to industry in the acquisition programme and to be able to move from concept to delivery at pace. Investment cases will prioritise UK SMEs. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in recent rapid procurement activities where appropriate. The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.