Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Defence Jobs

Monday 18 July 2022 · 11 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 10 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister of Defence will invest 41.3 billion in new capabilities over the next decade to support UK defence jobs and manufacturing.
  • Department works closely with defence contractors like Thales to meet future requirements and encourage expansion.
  • Social value, including economic equality and opportunity, is considered in procurement processes to benefit British businesses.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Nicola Richards
Defence
Context

The MP raises concerns about steps needed to maintain defence jobs in their constituency.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to support defence jobs. The Boxer programme in Telford has a positive effect throughout the Midlands, with over 60% of its value flowing into UK supply chains. Can my right hon. Friend confirm how certain we can be of future jobs and investment from defence land equipment?

Answer from Ben Wallace

The Army will invest £41.3 billion in new capabilities over the next decade, including Boxer, Challenger 3 and two new major programmes, which will increase production and employment base, putting UK land manufacturing back at the forefront of the international defence sector.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific certainty about future jobs and investment was not confirmed

How: Talks About Investments But Does Not Give Specific Figures Or Timelines For Job Security

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Q2 Henry Smith Con
Defence
Context

The MP highlights the importance of Thales, a defence contractor located in their constituency.

Question

What is his Department doing to encourage defence contractors such as Thales to expand to meet this country's increasing defence needs?

Answer from Ben Wallace

Last week, I met the Defence Suppliers Forum, which includes Thales. We work closely together not only to indicate potential investments by defence in what we would need but also to make sure that we both meet our future requirements.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions or commitments for expansion were not provided

How: Acknowledges The Importance Of Thales Without Specific Commitment

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Q3 Jacob Young
Defence Economy
Context

The MP asks about including socioeconomic benefit in procurement rules.

Question

Does my right hon. Friend agree that procurement rules should recognise the socioeconomic benefit of investment as well as value for money? To that end, will his Department ensure that more defence contracts are given to businesses based in Britain?

Answer from Ben Wallace

The defence industrial strategy embraces the social value model from the Treasury in competitive procurement and ensures that tackling economic inequality and equal opportunity are factors taken into consideration in procurement. The Ministry of Defence always has regard for onshore sovereign capability and industrial skills.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitment to ensuring more contracts go to British businesses was not given

How: Acknowledges The Social Value Model But Does Not Commit

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Q4 David Duguid Con
Defence Scotland Business & Trade
Context

The MP questions about encouraging building of the skills needed for Scottish businesses to support defence.

Question

Scottish businesses receive more investment than average across the UK from defence procurement. How will his Department continue to encourage the building of skills that we need?

Answer from Ben Wallace

Our investment in Scotland was £1.99 billion last year, on projects such as Type 26 in Govan, Type 31 in Rosyth, airborne radars and advanced laser munitions in Edinburgh. It is incredibly important that the Scottish Government and UK Government work with further education colleges and manufacturers to invest in skills.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific initiatives or investments for skill building were not detailed

How: Gives An Overview Of Investment But No Specific Plans

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Q5 Nicola Richards
Defence
Context

The MP is concerned about future job security in the context of defence land equipment.

Question

The Boxer programme in Telford has a positive effect throughout the Midlands, with over 60% of its value flowing into UK supply chains. Can my right hon. Friend confirm how certain we can be of future jobs and investment from defence land equipment?

Answer from Ben Wallace

The Army will invest £41.3 billion in new capabilities over the next decade, including Boxer, Challenger 3 and two new major programmes, which will increase production and employment base, putting UK land manufacturing back at the forefront of the international defence sector.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific certainty about future jobs was not confirmed

How: Talks About Investment But Does Not Commit To Job Security

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Q6 John Spellar Lab
Defence Business & Trade
Context

The MP questions the Secretary of State about commitment to ordering ships to be built in UK.

Question

Defence jobs depend on orders from his Department and export validation. Will he now commit to ordering the fleet solid support ships to be built in British yards?

Answer from Ben Wallace

The fleet solid support ships will certainly be integrated in British yards, and a significant proportion will be built there. Let us have a look at what the bidders say; I have not yet seen the bids. British defence is dependent on British manufacturing.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitment to order ships was not given

How: Acknowledges Integration But No Specific Promise

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Q7 Kevan Jones Lab
Defence
Context

The MP seeks clarification on how social value is quantified when awarding defence contracts.

Question

Social value will be taken into consideration when awarding contracts. Could the Defence Secretary clarify exactly what social value means, in quantifiable terms?

Answer from Ben Wallace

In strategy documents such as the national shipbuilding strategy, we pledged a minimum 20% weighting for social value with naval ships. Social value is one of the weightings that we put on the contract. We consider inequalities or economic factors within the weighting.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Exact quantification was not provided

How: Explains Model But Does Not Quantify

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Q8 Jamie Stone Lib Dem Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
Defence Economy Scotland
Context

The MP discusses the economic benefits brought by military activity to his constituency.

Question

Does the Secretary of State accept that there are spin-off jobs that benefit from MOD expenditure the length and breadth of the UK?

Answer from Ben Wallace

Yes. Military activity in north-west Scotland brings investment, industry, economic engagement with communities, helping to sustain jobs, often in low season rather than tourist season. Britain's armed forces and British defence keep us safe across the UK.

Answered

Not addressed: null

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Q9 Rachael Maskell Labour (Co-op) York Central
Defence
Context

The Defence Secretary is cutting armed forces personnel numbers, reducing them by 40,000 since the Labour government left office and planning further reductions of 10,000. At a time of increased global instability, these cuts are criticized as undermining soft power.

Question

But the defence jobs that the Defence Secretary is cutting are those of our armed forces personnel. There are 40,000 less than when Labour left office, and right now we are cutting another 10,000 jobs. At a time when there is greater global instability, we could be utilising these vital armed forces personnel to de-escalate risk using soft power, which our armed forces are so good at. Could the Defence Secretary tell the House whether this determination is driven by him, by the former Chancellor or by the professional leadership of our armed forces?

Answer from Ben Wallace

It is currently driven by an estimation of threat. As I have said a number of times at the Dispatch Box, if the threat changes, so must we. However, what I do believe is that as the threat changes, so must we. We will continue to review that and, if the threat changes, I will be back.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific driver of job cuts not addressed; response vague on future review timeline without commitment.

How: If The Threat Changes, So Must We

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Q10 John Healey Lab Rawmarsh and Conisbrough
Ukraine Defence
Context

The government promised to create 10,000 new jobs per year in defence but has only created 800 since. This is questioned as a failure of commitment.

Question

May I congratulate the Defence Secretary and his team on ensuring that there has been continuity in defence while the rest of the Conservative Government have collapsed in chaos? Let me also say, lest this prove to be their last session of oral questions in their current jobs, that whatever our other disagreements, the Secretary of State's cross-party working on Ukraine has helped to ensure that the UK has strong, unified support for the Ukrainians. The right hon. Gentleman has been Defence Secretary since the Prime Minister, nearly two years ago, boosted defence spending and boasted that that would create 10,000 jobs every year. Only 800 new defence jobs have been created since then. Why the failure?

Answer from Ben Wallace

I should be happy for the right hon. Gentleman to show me that 800 figure, but, first and foremost, we have started to invest that £43.1 billion, or £41.3 billion, in the land scheme, a huge amount of which will be spent on Boxer and Challenger 3. That will generate an enormous number of jobs. Obviously, replenishing some of our ammunition stocks, many of which are made up and down the United Kingdom, will result in more jobs, and indeed the increased skills base for our work on the Dreadnought submarine.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific explanation given for failure to meet job creation targets; instead discusses upcoming investments without addressing past underperformance.

How: We Will Continue To Invest In The Jobs

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Q11 John Healey Lab Rawmarsh and Conisbrough
Ukraine Defence
Context

The government pledged not to cut armed services but is planning further reductions in the British Army. This decision contradicts NATO commitments.

Question

The answer is simple: direct British defence contracts first to British firms and British jobs, starting with the Navy's new support ships. The right hon. Gentleman has been Defence Secretary since the Prime Minister also pledged, at the last election: “We will not be cutting our armed services in any form.” However, he then launched plans to cut the British Army by a further 10,000 troops. He uses the words “when the threats change”. With Ukraine, the threats that we face are greater and our obligations to NATO are greater, so will he now do what Labour has been urging the Government to do for more than a year, and rethink these cuts in the strength of the British Army?

Answer from Ben Wallace

As I have also said over the year to those on the Labour Front Bench, we have already reduced the original cut by 500 so that the numbers are increased from 72,500 to 73,000. As for the changing threats, the right hon. Gentleman will be aware that the defence command paper was written and delivered before the actual Russian invasion of Ukraine. I have said continually that we will review it, and we will obviously review the threat as it changes.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No commitment to reconsider cuts; response vague on future reviews without concrete action.

How: We Will Continue To Review

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