Speeches by Scrogham.

“Bob, jumping back in on the decommissioning side, many boats have been waiting for decommissioning and waiting for funding on that. We have also had issues with areas to do the decommissioning or maintenance. We have a couple of graving docks. An Astute boat is sat there waiting for maintenance with no graving dock to …”

“Do you have details on which particular sectors those examples are from?”

“No, we have heard quite enough.”

“Welcome, everybody; it is nice to have you here. We have been repeatedly told “we expect the DIP” and that they are working flat out to deliver it. We were anticipating seeing it last autumn, but clearly that has been pushed down the line a bit further. We are told that defence contracts are still being signed in lieu …”

“Does anybody else want to comment on whether there is a particular sector that is affected more than others?”

“Both Bob and Steve have referred to Barrow-in-Furness, and I think few MPs in this place would understand quite as painfully as I do the impact of delays to those contracts. We mentioned thousands of jobs. It was 10,000 jobs that we lost in Barrow, and we are now paying for those skills. We talk about the cost to the s…”

“No, I will not be taking interventions. Lots of Members would like to contribute to the debate who have not had a chance to speak because the time has been taken up. The Opposition can feel free to mutter from the other side, but they should perhaps use the ears that are painted on instead of flapping the lips. I am as…”

“That covers the fragility in the supply chain extremely well.”

“We have already heard that it is with the MoD. So the Treasury has passed it to you, it is with you, and it seems that it is stuck in the system somewhere. What is causing the delay?”

““As soon as we can” does not help those businesses that are having to make tough choices right now. We have planned for future wars in 2029, 2035—whenever it is going to be—but we are now looking at having to be warfighting ready and need stockpiles of munitions. We need these decisions to be made now. If this is just …”

“On the investment plan, which is much talked about and very delayed, you talk about some of the contracts, but industry needs to know exactly where that money will be spent before they prioritise. We are already hearing from some businesses that they are shedding staff. This is a time when we need to be taking on more …”

“I have a really quick question. How quickly can you shift your policies when it comes to prioritising? We recently visited Plymouth, where we have very little space for graving docks for maintenance, yet we have a problem with the number of Astutes at sea. How quickly would you shift a decision to, say, take apart one …”

“I have one final question and I will leave it there. Would you agree that although the DIP is in the process of being delivered, and however well you want to deliver it, the delay is damaging small businesses and our supply chain?”

“You talked about the pace of change, which does not sound very fast; I do not think the MoD could be accused of moving swiftly at the moment. At NATO headquarters earlier this year, Elbridge Colby discussed that pace and told European allies that they needed to prioritise warfighting effectiveness over bureaucratic and…”

“Yes, we only have to look at the Dreadnought programme to see how that happens.”

“That was a really simple question. When are you going to produce it? And would you agree that the longer the DIP is delayed, the more expensive these programmes become?”

“With all the delays that happen within MoD, that makes procurement much more expensive. Although we are looking at the DIP and making sure that you get it right, would you agree that ultimately the longer it is delayed, the more expensive all of these programmes become?”

“We get that. What I am saying is—”

“We have heard that so many times—“flat out”. Could you tell us a time?”

“I realise that; we go back to the same answer. But what I am trying to get across—”