Every parliamentary written question tabled by Mark Francois this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 561–580 of 603 · this parliament
What steps whether he has made an assessment of the potential (a) legal and (b) financial implications for his Department of the Serious Fraud Office investigation into suspected bribery and corruption at Thales
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.
Whether Thales products used by his Department are directly implicated in the Serious Fraud Office investigation into suspected bribery and corruption at that company.
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.
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.
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.
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
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...
Whether he plans to publish a Command Paper on implementation of the Strategic Defence Review.
The Strategic Defence Review will report in the first half of 2025. The Department is preparing for its implementation.
What performance reviews have been conducted on Capita’s role in the recruitment of military personnel in the last five years.
The Army reviews Capita’s performance through multiple routine ‘holding-to-account’ forums and reports, as set out in the Recruitment Partnering Programme contract. This includes monthly measurement against key performance indicators. Additional performan...
What assessment he has made of the role Capita's (a) systems and (b) processes played in the security failings that allowed Daniel Khalife to escape; and whether he plans to review Capita's contract with his Depa
Security measures in relation to the prison estate are a matter for the Ministry of Justice. The Secretary of State commissioned performance reviews of Capita which were completed March and September 2024.
When he plans to publish the Strategic Defence Review.
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...
How many vacancies there are for (a) engineers, (b) submariners and (c) other critical roles in the Royal Navy.
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...
What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the early retirement of Puma Helicopters on capability gaps.
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...
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.
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...
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.
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 ...
What the status is of the Morpheus communications programme; and whether there are delays.
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...
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.
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....
When he plans to conclude his Department's review into cadets and reserves; and whether he plans to publish that review.
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, ...
Whether the data associated with the new digital veterans ID will be stored only within the UK.
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...
What security protocols have been implemented to ensure the protection of personal data in the digital veterans ID system.
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...
Whether independent security audits will be conducted on the digital veterans ID system.
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...
If his Department will provide a table detailing the most recent data on UK Regular Forces by (a) Service and (b) Medical Deployability Standards.
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...
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
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...