Defence Sector Innovation 2025-11-03
2025-11-03
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
The MP is concerned about the need to develop specialist skills for young people in his constituency to become future innovators in the defence industry.
What pathways and training programmes are Ministers establishing to ensure that young people, such as those in my constituency, can develop the specialist skills they need to become defence innovators of the future? Is the Minister working with local colleges, universities, and defence industry employers to create hubs of apprenticeships and career opportunities?
As a fellow south-west MP, I know just how important it is for us to invest in defence skills in the south-west and across the United Kingdom. The defence industrial strategy includes the £182 million package that we will deliver via defence technical excellence colleges with our colleagues in the Department for Education, but we need to go further, encouraging all our defence businesses—big and small—to invest in skills so that we have the workforce of the future, able to deliver those cutting-edge technologies. I shall be happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss what more we can do in Somerset.
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Assessment & feedback
The Minister did not provide specific details on training programmes and pathways being set up by Ministers in collaboration with educational institutions and the defence industry, but acknowledged the importance of investing in skills and encouraged all businesses to invest in them.
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
The MP is concerned about the unclear responsibility lines in cyber-warfare, citing threats from Russia and the Sahel.
While I greatly welcome the focus on innovation, cyber-warfare remains one of the areas in which the lines of responsibility may at least appear to be less clear. Given the threats that are proliferating—both abroad, for instance from Russia and the Sahel, and closer to home, even in many of our own in-trays—will the Minister specify where that responsibility for cyber-warfare really lies?
Keeping our nation safe in the air, on land and at sea requires cyber and space capabilities. Defence was attacked 90,000 times in the cyber domain, which amounts to roughly 250 attacks a day. That is why we are investing not just in the National Cyber Force but in the defence cyber and electromagnetic force that we are setting up, working with our colleagues in the private sector, to enhance the ability of defence not only to repel attacks on the defence infrastructure but to harden UK resilience in the private and public sectors. There is more work between the MOD and the Cabinet Office in that regard, but we need everyone to step up to defend our country in the cyber space, and we can all do something by simply updating our operating systems, which will make everyone who does so safer and more resilient.
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Assessment & feedback
The Minister did not specify where responsibility for cyber-warfare lies but discussed ongoing efforts to enhance capabilities in this area.
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
The MP is discussing the launch of Project Fairfax in his constituency, which will establish a defence technology cluster alongside RAF Wyton.
May I first associate myself with the Secretary of State’s remarks about the attack on the train at the weekend? Last week the Ministry of Defence announced the launch of Project Fairfax, which will see a defence technology cluster established alongside RAF Wyton in my constituency. I thank the Minister for his support in bringing the project forward; it has been warmly received not only by industry but, crucially, by my constituents, who are excited about the opportunity presented by specialist defence careers and increasing regional growth that will be delivered best via option E of local government reform. What steps could he take in giving Huntingdonshire the opportunity to create a wider defence ecosystem to meet the eligibility criteria for consideration for funding from the Defence and Security Accelerator?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for the tone in which he spoke to the nation about the attack that took place in his constituency. He should feel very proud of the first responders from his area who responded to that attack. As for the opportunities that exist in his constituency, I was very pleased to meet him and my hon. Friend the Member for North West Cambridgeshire (Sam Carling) to look into how, on a cross-party basis, we can seize a real opportunity at RAF Wyton, supporting activities with local government in order to do so. The defence industrial strategy sets out the framework for delivering that opportunity through local and national Government working together with our armed forces and the private sector, as well as academia. We will continue those discussions, but the opportunity at RAF Wyton is real, and I am happy to be helping the hon. Gentleman to deliver it.
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Assessment & feedback
The Minister did not provide specific steps for creating a wider defence ecosystem in Huntingdonshire but acknowledged ongoing efforts and discussions.
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
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Context
The MP is concerned about the bureaucratic nature of the MOD's acquisitions system, which makes it difficult for small companies to engage with innovative projects.
Can the Minister describe what he is doing within his own Department so that his own officials actually reward, recognise and engage with innovation? The acquisitions system in the MOD is notoriously bureaucratic, incredibly risk-averse and makes it impossible for small companies, in particular, to engage with innovative projects in the Department. What is he doing to get a wholesale transformation of the culture within his Department? Otherwise, all this money will just be wasted.
I agree with the hon. Gentleman’s critique of the system that we inherited from the previous Government, which frankly was not good enough. We do need to see procurement contracting times reduced, which is why in the defence industrial strategy we set out our ambition to reduce six-year procurements to two years, two-year procurements to one year, and one-year procurements to six months. We are using innovative technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to help speed up that transition, and we are opening our office of small business growth at the start of next year, which will enable more SMEs to access defence contracts directly.
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Assessment & feedback
The Minister did not fully address the concerns about transforming the MOD's culture but mentioned efforts to reduce procurement times and open up opportunities for SMEs.
Response accuracy