Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Defence Technology

Monday 30 January 2023 · 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 4 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Ministry of Defence collaborates with British industry and academia to develop innovative defence technologies.
  • The MOD aims to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises have improved access to the defence supply chain, with a target of 25% of procurement spend going directly to SMEs.
  • The Ministry of Defence has established a team of experts to overhaul and modernise the delivery of defence catering to ensure good-quality meals for service personnel.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Stephen Metcalfe Con
Defence
Context

The MP inquires about the development of innovative technologies within the Ministry of Defence.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to develop innovative defence technology?

Answer from Alex Chalk

The Ministry of Defence works closely with British industry and academia, including small and medium-sized enterprises, to identify and invest in innovative technologies that address our most pressing capability challenges. We are already testing and deploying these technologies.

Answered
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Q2 Greg Smith Con Mid Buckinghamshire
Defence Business & Trade
Context

The MP highlights the role of smaller enterprises like Flare Bright and others at Westcott Venture Park, questioning if these small innovative companies are valued equally by the MOD.

Question

Will my hon. and learned Friend assure me that when it comes to the development of new defence innovations, such smaller, dynamic enterprises are as valued to his Department as the more traditional big beasts?

Answer from Alex Chalk

My hon. Friend is absolutely right: a lot of innovation does indeed come from agile SMEs, which is why the MOD's SME action plan is firmly aimed at improving access for SMEs to work right through the defence supply chain. The MOD has a target that 25% of its procurement spend will go directly and indirectly to SMEs—up from around 16% in 2016. We are on the right path but there is further to go.

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Q3 Gareth Davies Con Grantham and Bourne
Defence
Context

The MP discusses the quality of food for service personnel as part of their overall wellbeing.

Question

Does my hon. and learned Friend agree that we must also prioritise the wellbeing of our personnel? One way to do that is to ensure that the quality of their food matches the calibre of their kit.

Answer from Alex Chalk

My hon. Friend is of course absolutely right. Ensuring that our service personnel receive good-quality meals is a vital contribution to defence capability, which is why the Ministry of Defence has established a team of subject-matter experts to overhaul and modernise the delivery of defence catering using the findings of the “Delivering Defence Dining Quality” review and the ongoing Army Eats trials to inform change to the total food offer. The trials began in 2020 and the results are expected imminently.

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Q4 Stephen Metcalfe Con
Defence
Context

The MP asks about international partnerships and the areas of collaboration.

Question

Will my hon. and learned Friend confirm that our new partnership with Japan and Italy will involve collaborating in areas such as weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles, and not just on fighter jets?

Answer from Alex Chalk

The ambition of this truly international programme is principally to deliver a cutting-edge fighter aircraft, providing a credible deterrent to future threats. This is a system of systems, and it may include uncrewed aircraft, new sensors, weapons, advanced data systems and secure networks. Those wider capabilities may be developed together with our wider partners or with our existing partners in that endeavour.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific areas such as weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles were not confirmed

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Q5 Margaret Ferrier SNP
Defence Science & Technology
Context

The MP inquires about the impact on the RAF's technological capabilities following a recent MoU with Imperial College London.

Question

How do Ministers expect that will impact on the RAF's technological capabilities, particularly around digital and artificial intelligence?

Answer from Alex Chalk

Digital and artificial intelligence are central to RAF capability. Significant investment has taken place in Lincolnshire to ensure that when those aircraft take to the skies, they have the weapons systems but also the battlefield management plans that they require to ensure that they can take the fight to the enemy.

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