Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Defence Jobs

Monday 24 May 2021 · 5 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministry of Defence spent 20.3 billion with UK industry and commerce in 2019-20, supporting jobs nationwide.
  • Government aims to ensure Yorkshire companies have opportunities to join UK defence supply chains.
  • Defence Secretary committed to protecting small and medium-sized companies in the supply chain.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Paul Howell
Defence
Context

The question is prompted by the need to support defence-related employment throughout the country. The questioner is interested in how the Ministry of Defence plans to maintain and grow these positions.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to support defence jobs across the UK.

Answer from Ben Wallace (Secretary of State for Defence)

The Ministry of Defence spent £20.3 billion with UK industry and commerce in 2019-20, safeguarding and supporting jobs throughout the United Kingdom. Our defence and security industrial strategy sets out several initiatives to support a thriving UK defence sector, including implementing the social value model within defence procurement.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not specify specific steps or actions for each constituency or region; only provided general information about funding and strategic measures.

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Q2 Jason McCartney Con
Defence Economy
Context

The Boxer mechanised infantry vehicle programme is creating jobs in the Colne Valley constituency. The question arises from a desire to ensure that other companies across Yorkshire can also benefit from such programmes.

Question

Will the Secretary of State please make sure that companies across Yorkshire continue to have the opportunity to join the UK defence supply chains to help to level up regional economies?

Answer from Ben Wallace (Secretary of State for Defence)

Yes, I can tell my hon. Friend that it is incredibly important that we can do that. Boxer, for example, will play a crucial part in the Army's heavy brigade combat teams. We have been clear that we expect over 60% of the contract's value to be delivered in the UK with suppliers such as the one in my hon. Friend's constituency. As part of our defence and security industrial strategy, we will pilot a revised industrial participation policy to promote UK supply chain opportunities to companies bidding for MOD contracts.

Answered
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Q3 Paul Howell
Defence Business & Trade
Context

The question stems from a desire to ensure that smaller, innovative UK companies such as Kromek in Sedgefield are given opportunities through government procurement processes.

Question

I am particularly interested in the smaller companies getting in on the ground. In line with the Government's commitment both to levelling up and to strengthening our sovereign capabilities, will my right hon. Friend assure me that innovative UK companies such as Kromek in Sedgefield will be fully considered in the next radiation detection equipment procurement?

Answer from Ben Wallace (Secretary of State for Defence)

Yes, my hon. Friend makes an important point about small and medium-sized companies and their role in the supply chain; I see it as part of my job as Defence Secretary sometimes to protect them from the big primes and make sure that their voice is heard. As for the competition that he mentions, I obviously cannot pre-empt the results of the contract, but all bids will be properly considered. I know Kromek by reputation and congratulate my hon. Friend on being a champion of it.

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Q4 John Healey Lab Rawmarsh and Conisbrough
Defence Employment
Context

The question is prompted by a statement made by the Prime Minister in November that current four-year funding for defence would create “10,000 jobs every year”. The questioner seeks to ascertain the actual progress towards this goal.

Question

The Prime Minister said back in November that the current four-year funding for defence would create “10,000 jobs every year”. Six months on, how many new defence jobs have been created?

Answer from Ben Wallace (Secretary of State for Defence)

I went recently to Telford to launch the Challenger 3 contract, which will grow to a significant number of jobs—nearly 200 to 300 from that alone. The Boxer coming on stream, which my hon. Friend the Member for Colne Valley (Jason McCartney) mentioned, will produce up to another 400 to 600 jobs. The Type 31 contract up in Rosyth is now moving apace, with the buildings now in place and the steel-cutting due; that will also unlock, and is delivering, hundreds of new jobs. Across the board, as we have said, there will be thousands of new jobs because of the increase in funding that we have received.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide exact figures on job creation since November; only provided estimates and examples of future opportunities.

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Q5 John Healey Lab Rawmarsh and Conisbrough
Defence
Context

The question arises from concerns about ongoing delivery issues within the Ministry of Defence, including a £17 billion black hole in the budget, only three projects on time and on budget, and reductions in revenue spending.

Question

The Secretary of State will need a better answer than that, because it is down to him to deliver the Prime Minister's “10,000 jobs every year”, yet since he has been Defence Secretary, the black hole in the budget has grown to £17 billion, only three of the MOD's 30 major military projects are on time and on budget, and he has agreed to a real funding cut in revenue spending over the next four years. What is he doing to fix what has been the long-running Achilles heel of the MOD: delivery, delivery, delivery?

Answer from Ben Wallace (Secretary of State for Defence)

The £17 billion that the right hon. Member refers to is the sum that was identified by the National Audit Office before the defence settlement. So what have I done? I have got a £24 billion defence settlement over the next four years. I am sure the right hon. Member, having previously worked in the Treasury, can do the maths. He will see that that is the first thing I have done, and it is something I do not think anyone else has achieved since the cold war. It is the highest settlement since the cold war. But he is right to highlight the concerns on major projects. Major projects are always the Achilles heel for the Ministry of Defence, and it is important that we keep an eye on this in full and drive through, ensuring that we deliver efficiencies, but also ensuring that we cross every t and dot every i.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific actions or timeline for addressing the black hole and project delivery issues; only provided general statements about funding increases.

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