:00:00. > :00:13.THE SPEAKER: Order, order. Questions to the Secretary of State for
:00:14. > :00:18.Defence. Mr John Nicholson. Question number one, Mr Speaker, Sir.
:00:19. > :00:22.I had an introductory call with Jim mat it is last Monday, we discussed
:00:23. > :00:27.the joint leadership in NATO, including modernising the alliance
:00:28. > :00:30.and encouraging all members to meet the 2% spending commitment. On
:00:31. > :00:36.Friday President Trump confirmed he's 100% committed to NATO. We also
:00:37. > :00:43.plan to work together to accelerate the defeat of Daesh in Iraq and
:00:44. > :00:46.Syria and I look forward to meeting Secretary Mattis at the meeting in a
:00:47. > :00:50.fortnight. The new American President supports
:00:51. > :00:56.the torture of prisoners of war. We do not, nor does the new Secretary
:00:57. > :00:59.of State. So can I ask that the Secretary of State here doesn't
:01:00. > :01:04.reiterate the Government's position but instead tells us why he thinks
:01:05. > :01:09.that a proponent of torture is an appropriate recipient of state
:01:10. > :01:11.visit? I think my right honourable friend, the Prime Minister, made the
:01:12. > :01:18.Government's position absolutely clear. We do not condone the use of
:01:19. > :01:23.torture in operations, nor does the new American Secretary of Defence,
:01:24. > :01:27.Jim Mattis and, as I understand it, the President of the United States
:01:28. > :01:30.has made it clear that he will be guided by those in his Cabinet who,
:01:31. > :01:37.on this issue, are taking a different view.
:01:38. > :01:42.Sir Gerald Howarth. In his discussions, did my right honourable
:01:43. > :01:46.friend mention Chancellor Merkel's call for the remaining EU 27 to
:01:47. > :01:50.engage in closer military cooperation? And would he agree with
:01:51. > :01:54.me that such cooperation, if it were to be within the confines of the EU
:01:55. > :01:57.alone would be extremely dangerous and damaging to NATO and that that
:01:58. > :02:03.cooperation from European countries should be in the context of NATO and
:02:04. > :02:09.not the EU? Yes, I agree with my right honourable friend and at the
:02:10. > :02:13.Warsaw summit in July last year, all members of NATO agreed that we'd
:02:14. > :02:19.improve the collaboration between NATO and the European Union,
:02:20. > :02:23.particularly in areas like hybrid warfare and strategic communications
:02:24. > :02:26.and EU ministers have subsequently resisted the call for unnecessary
:02:27. > :02:30.duplication with what NATO is already doing.
:02:31. > :02:36.Thank you, Mr Speaker. When countries in this world announce
:02:37. > :02:41.xenophobic and destabling policies does the honourable member think the
:02:42. > :02:45.right thing to do is asneeze We make -- is appease. If the
:02:46. > :02:50.honourable lady is referring to the United States, as the United States'
:02:51. > :02:54.deepest and long-standing allie, of course we make our views known to
:02:55. > :02:57.the United States and our Prime Minister was the first foreign
:02:58. > :03:02.leader to meet the new President on Friday. We'll continue to offer the
:03:03. > :03:07.United States our candid advice. Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister's
:03:08. > :03:11.securing the Prime Minister's 100% support for NATO and also General
:03:12. > :03:15.Mattis's support is encouraging. Would my right honourable friend not
:03:16. > :03:19.agree with me that some of the less than helpful remarks the Prime
:03:20. > :03:23.Minister may have made about NATO is a useful wake-up call to NATO. We
:03:24. > :03:26.need to modernise some aspects of the administration and say to the
:03:27. > :03:32.NATO partners, they have to step up to the mark and pay their 2% like we
:03:33. > :03:39.do? Exactly. The new President's called for members of NATO to fulfil
:03:40. > :03:43.the commitments that we agreed and we and the United States agreed back
:03:44. > :03:48.in the Wales summit in 2014 and a number of other NATO members still
:03:49. > :03:53.have a long way to go to meet the 2% target. We also agree with the new
:03:54. > :03:57.President that we need to continue to modernise NATO to make it
:03:58. > :04:01.effective as a response and as a deterrent. -Breakfast Thank you, Mr
:04:02. > :04:06.Speaker. What is the Defence Secretary's attitude to the prospect
:04:07. > :04:11.of the US conducting joint operations with Russia in Syria, as
:04:12. > :04:15.the President's floated? Well, the United States and Russia
:04:16. > :04:19.already have an understanding on operations in Syria that they'll
:04:20. > :04:24.deconflict their air operations and our own aircraft where they are in
:04:25. > :04:31.similar areas are covered by that understanding. We have seen that at
:04:32. > :04:34.the present time, no plans from the American Government inside the
:04:35. > :04:39.coalition to cooperate more fully with Russia.
:04:40. > :04:44.Mr Speaker, given the covenant for the Baltic states now is extended to
:04:45. > :04:49.Romania, given Russia's direct threat to that country, what
:04:50. > :04:54.reassurance can the Secretary of Defence give to the Baltic states
:04:55. > :05:00.who're nervous at the moment about an assertive Russia.
:05:01. > :05:12.We agreed at Warsaw to deploy troops to all three of the Baltic states
:05:13. > :05:15.and Britain will be leading the contribution to the American
:05:16. > :05:20.battalion deployed in Poland in order to deter Russia from any kind
:05:21. > :05:25.of further aggression towards those countries.
:05:26. > :05:31.This weekend, Mr Speaker, we have been shocked and appalled by the US
:05:32. > :05:37.President's decision to impose a blanket travel ban on citizens from
:05:38. > :05:40.seven Muslim majority nations. To do this on Friday, Holocaust Memorial
:05:41. > :05:44.Day only adds to the horror and outrage that we feel. Has the
:05:45. > :05:48.Secretary of State made clear to his US counterpart that there is no
:05:49. > :05:53.place for such measures in the fight against terrorism, and that such
:05:54. > :05:57.actions only inflame tensions and risk losing valuable allies, such as
:05:58. > :06:00.Iraq, who're with us in the fight against Daesh?
:06:01. > :06:04.I think the honourable lady and indeed the House may have the
:06:05. > :06:11.opportunity to discuss this matter a little later on when a statement is
:06:12. > :06:14.made for form Ali about inGration policy -- formally. Let me be very
:06:15. > :06:20.clear. We look forward to working with the new United States
:06:21. > :06:31.administration on the battle against Daesh. -- about immigration. Many
:06:32. > :06:36.have been embarrass and ashamed by our Prime Minister who, for all her
:06:37. > :06:43.rhetoric on Britain leading the world, decided to hold Trump's hand
:06:44. > :06:48.instead of holding him to account. Her belated and limp reply of, we do
:06:49. > :06:55.not agree, was pathetic, especially compared with Chancellor Merkel who
:06:56. > :07:01.spelt out that, even the necessary determined fight against terrorism
:07:02. > :07:04.does not justify placing people of a certain origin or belief under
:07:05. > :07:10.general suspicion. Can the Secretary of State assure the House that if
:07:11. > :07:14.President Trump issues defence related executive orders which
:07:15. > :07:19.infringe international law or an affront to humanity, that the UK
:07:20. > :07:24.Government's response will be prompt, robust and unequivocal?
:07:25. > :07:29.My right honourable friend, the Prime Minister, conducted a very
:07:30. > :07:36.prompt and successful visit to the United States and was able to secure
:07:37. > :07:40.100% commitment to the NATO alliance from the new President and to work
:07:41. > :07:43.with him on a number of the issues that we are dealing with jointly,
:07:44. > :07:55.including the coalition against Daesh.
:07:56. > :08:00.The Government and the Royal Navy provide support through a grant and
:08:01. > :08:03.aid payment to the sea cadets paid to the marine society through a
:08:04. > :08:06.memorandum of understanding which sets out further support with regard
:08:07. > :08:11.to the provision of personnel accommodation and training.
:08:12. > :08:16.I thank the Minister for His response. Ied that pleasure of
:08:17. > :08:24.meeting the Padstow sea cadets and their children and they do fantastic
:08:25. > :08:38.work there -- and their chairmen. Transport costs and tuition fees are
:08:39. > :08:43.costs. It's currently ?10 million. The MOU between the Royal Navy and
:08:44. > :08:47.the MSCC which is currently under review will continue to ensure there
:08:48. > :08:53.is support for the sea cadets and I'm more than happen Foy make sure
:08:54. > :08:57.issues will continue. Female sea cadets make up just a
:08:58. > :09:02.third of all cadets, what steps is the Secretary of State taking to
:09:03. > :09:07.encourage more females to join? Well, it must be said actually that
:09:08. > :09:11.the female representation in sea cadets is higher than it is in the
:09:12. > :09:15.Armed Forces. This is a matter that the Government takes very seriously
:09:16. > :09:19.and we have set several targets to ensure that our Armed Forces are
:09:20. > :09:25.viewed as being open to both men and women and will continue to be
:09:26. > :09:32.pursued to be the case over years. Can't get more further from the sea
:09:33. > :09:34.than Kettering, they're an example that other sea cadet organisations
:09:35. > :09:39.should follow. Would my right honourable friend agree with me that
:09:40. > :09:43.the sea cadets army squadrons and air cadets provide youngsters with
:09:44. > :09:47.some of the best examples that they could follow in life? I think Milton
:09:48. > :09:52.Keynes may be further from the sea than Kettering and we also have a
:09:53. > :09:57.thriving sea cadet unit. I'm a great fan of the cadets, I started my
:09:58. > :10:01.military life in the air cadets some 32 years ago. It's something that I
:10:02. > :10:10.valued enormously and that's why I like to think that I'm one of the
:10:11. > :10:17.greatest champion force s for the cadet forces.
:10:18. > :10:21.I should like to answer this question. NATO agreed that security
:10:22. > :10:27.depends both on how much we spend and how we spend it, all 28 allies
:10:28. > :10:30.committed to meeting the defence investment pledge, the United
:10:31. > :10:34.Kingdom already meets NATO's spending targets and will continue
:10:35. > :10:38.to do so for the rest of this decade. I regularly encourage all
:10:39. > :10:44.allies to similarly meet this commitment.
:10:45. > :10:48.It's right NATO members all meet the 2% spending commitment which we make
:10:49. > :10:51.sacrifices here in order to meet. In my right honourable friend's
:10:52. > :10:59.discussions on spending and NATO deployments, has he met anyone who
:11:00. > :11:06.believes deploying troops to a NATO allie is escalatory? They are combat
:11:07. > :11:10.ready forces deployed but they're defensive in nature and a
:11:11. > :11:14.proportionate response to deter Russian aggression in the region.
:11:15. > :11:17.The only people who believe this deployment to be escalatory are
:11:18. > :11:21.President Putin and the lead over the Labour Party. It's extraordinary
:11:22. > :11:25.that the official leader of the opposition is not prepared to back
:11:26. > :11:29.the deployment of British troops in Europe but now favours some kind of
:11:30. > :11:37.demilitarised zone. With discussions in the EU over an
:11:38. > :11:46.EU defence system, what steps is my honourable friend taking to ensure
:11:47. > :11:50.that commitment to this new EU army don't contradict spending on defence
:11:51. > :11:55.for our allies? There is no agreement on the proposal for any EU
:11:56. > :12:00.army and we make clear that nothing should undermine NATO, which remains
:12:01. > :12:04.the corner stone of European defence and we continue to press for closer
:12:05. > :12:14.co-operation between the EU and NATO. It is a fact over that 18 of
:12:15. > :12:20.the 22 EU members of NATO do not spend 2% and have much more to do to
:12:21. > :12:25.enable NATO to face the threats it does. The Prime Minister played a
:12:26. > :12:35.blinder last week with the president of the United States in stiffening
:12:36. > :12:39.his sinews with regards to NATO. But President Trump's vacillation on
:12:40. > :12:44.NATO exposes a weakness of NATO with regards to the countries that do not
:12:45. > :12:48.pay that 2%. Can I urge my honourable friend to make every
:12:49. > :12:53.effort to make sure the countries who are not paying that 2%
:12:54. > :13:01.understand we can't always rely upon the United States. There we agree
:13:02. > :13:04.with President Trump. Since making the defence investment pledge the
:13:05. > :13:12.majority of allies have increased their spending, but it is still too
:13:13. > :13:17.low. 19 of the NATO 28 spend less than 1.5% and five members of NATO
:13:18. > :13:22.by no means the poorest, don't even spend 1%. We will continue with the
:13:23. > :13:27.United States to encourage all allies to meet those spending
:13:28. > :13:36.commitments. Will my honourable friend as well as encouraging our
:13:37. > :13:43.NATO allies to maintain the 2% on spend they don't include items like
:13:44. > :13:51.pension and administration costs, rather front line capability. Well,
:13:52. > :13:57.the expenditure that is classified by NATO as meeting or not meeting
:13:58. > :14:04.the 2% is something for NATO to judge against its own guidelines and
:14:05. > :14:10.I notice our own Defence Select Committee commended the government's
:14:11. > :14:15.commitment to defence and found our accounting criteria do fall within
:14:16. > :14:23.exist bg NATO guidelines. But this is a matter for NATO to judge. Since
:14:24. > :14:28.the world's summit, 22 NATO countries have increased in real
:14:29. > :14:37.terms their defence spending, the 20 of them as a percentage of GDP. The
:14:38. > :14:43.number of allies with spending on equipment and modernisation has
:14:44. > :14:49.risen from eight to ten. Is the real risk not spending, but a move from
:14:50. > :14:53.Trans-Atlantic solidarity, which the present president is at risk of
:14:54. > :15:01.moving forward. Of course we welcome the increases that have taken place
:15:02. > :15:06.in defence spending. The Baton is moving the right way, but some
:15:07. > :15:12.countries including quite wealthy countries are still a long way off
:15:13. > :15:18.meeting the 2% target and in some cases the 20% car get. -- target.
:15:19. > :15:24.This is a North Atlantic alliance and it is important to continue to
:15:25. > :15:30.assure the United States that this alliance is as much of the interests
:15:31. > :15:38.of United States as it of us here in Europe. We should hear from a
:15:39. > :15:45.Lancashire knight. Thank you. Now that the United States of America
:15:46. > :15:50.has become a less stable and reliable NATO partner, how pragmatic
:15:51. > :15:58.is the 2% spending target? And what consideration has the Secretary of
:15:59. > :16:02.State given to allocating more time for European defence or is European
:16:03. > :16:10.defence simply not fashionable any more? So far as our partnership with
:16:11. > :16:13.the United States, it is the broadest, deepest and most advanced
:16:14. > :16:17.defence partnership in the world and my aim is to continues to strengthen
:16:18. > :16:22.wit the new administration, particularly in the shared
:16:23. > :16:28.programmes on the joint strike fighter aircraft and the
:16:29. > :16:34.reinstatement of our maritime pa Trolle aircraft. -- patrol aircraft.
:16:35. > :16:39.The president's remarks are I believe a wake up call to all of us
:16:40. > :16:46.in Europe to make sure that when we make these commitments that we
:16:47. > :16:49.honour them. I am sure the Secretary of State meant to congratulate wait
:16:50. > :16:55.the honourable gentleman on his knighthood. But as he didn't I will
:16:56. > :17:03.do so on hi behalf. The National Audit Office reports that the budget
:17:04. > :17:11.will reach its peak in 2023 when massive and vital projects such as
:17:12. > :17:16.F55 will reach their peak. Our NATO partners have a much more thorough
:17:17. > :17:21.over site of procurement projects, something that can only be taken
:17:22. > :17:28.here by the defence committee, what plans does he have to increase
:17:29. > :17:32.oversight of these projects to meet the 2% target and that our
:17:33. > :17:38.capability is delivered on time, on budget... I think he got the general
:17:39. > :17:42.drift. We are obliged. The honourable gentleman knows that we
:17:43. > :17:47.are increasing the equipment budget with a programme of ?180 billion of
:17:48. > :17:53.spending over the next ten years and we have taken a number of steps to
:17:54. > :17:57.improve the delivery of that programme to ensure that these
:17:58. > :18:05.projects are delivered on time and to budget and we have of course
:18:06. > :18:12.established the single source regulation office. Despite the
:18:13. > :18:18.Government's huffing and puffing, it is clear that the government's
:18:19. > :18:22.commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defence is more apparent than real.
:18:23. > :18:31.The Government is only able to say it is a chooefing the 2% goal
:18:32. > :18:36.because it is includingsuch areas as retired MoD civilian personnel
:18:37. > :18:42.pensions and will the Secretary of State instead commit to using the
:18:43. > :18:50.same method of calculation as Labour did in 2010? I have already told the
:18:51. > :18:56.House that the return that we filed to NATO is for NATO to decide
:18:57. > :19:03.whether that expenditure is properly allocated and the allocations that
:19:04. > :19:08.we have made have been endorsed be aselect committee. Our expenditure
:19:09. > :19:14.is 35 billion this year and next year it will be 36 and the following
:19:15. > :19:20.37 and in the last year of is in Parliament 38 billion it goes up
:19:21. > :19:26.every year. The Government has certainly not breaken any NATO rules
:19:27. > :19:32.in calculating the 2%, but may I remind ministers and members that 2%
:19:33. > :19:38.is a minimum, it is not a target and we used to spend more than 2% in the
:19:39. > :19:45.Cold War years as recently as the 80s. Does he agree that even if all
:19:46. > :19:52.our NATO, European allies were to meet the 2% pledge, as a minimum, we
:19:53. > :19:57.still would be unable to deter an aggressive Russia without the
:19:58. > :20:03.involvement of United States, which is why the Prime Minister's visit to
:20:04. > :20:07.President Trump was so important. Well I have been hoping over the
:20:08. > :20:15.last few days to find something on which my honourable friend and I can
:20:16. > :20:23.agree. We have now done. So because I endorse both legs of his
:20:24. > :20:26.proposition, the 2% is a minimum, we comfortably exceed it at the moment.
:20:27. > :20:31.But it's important that other countries meet it. It is important
:20:32. > :20:38.that the alliance continues to improve its investment. On Friday
:20:39. > :20:42.the National Audit Office put a question mark against the
:20:43. > :20:47.Government's commitment to 2% and their report said that to fulfil the
:20:48. > :20:54.defence equipment plan following the collapse of Brexit, of the pound
:20:55. > :21:01.after Brexit, the moved will have MoD will have to all use the
:21:02. > :21:10.contingency fund and make further savings. The Trident ring fence,
:21:11. > :21:13.will it be the hard-pressed personnel and our conventional
:21:14. > :21:19.capabilities that will bear the brunt of these cuts? No, we have
:21:20. > :21:22.been able to maintain conventional and nuclear forces. The honourable
:21:23. > :21:29.gentleman is right that the scale and the success of our equipment
:21:30. > :21:33.programme does of course defend on us releasing the efficiencies to
:21:34. > :21:42.which we committed at the time of the review and that work is now in
:21:43. > :21:50.hand. The National Audit Office report casts doubt on the type 26
:21:51. > :21:56.programme and said changes ill with unclear. Will an ageing fleet in
:21:57. > :22:00.need of renewal, and with budgetary crisis looming and the uncertainty
:22:01. > :22:12.caused by Brexit and the cuts, how does he intend to make good on the
:22:13. > :22:17.promise made to maintain 19 destroyes and frigates. And how can
:22:18. > :22:23.it respond to global threats with the fleet it has. We set out our
:22:24. > :22:28.commitment in the review and I'm surprised the honourable gentleman
:22:29. > :22:32.is so concerned about the budget for the type 26 frigate which is
:22:33. > :22:41.designed to pretext the deterrent he didn't want to keep! It seems an odd
:22:42. > :22:49.project to be worried about. But the terms of that contract have yet to
:22:50. > :22:56.be finalised, but I can assure the honourable gentleman the expansion
:22:57. > :23:02.of navy is fully funded. I should like to answer questions five and 14
:23:03. > :23:07.together. With a rising defence budget and equipment plan worth ?178
:23:08. > :23:10.billion over ten years, there are great opportunities to encourage
:23:11. > :23:20.innovation. We are spending up to 20% of our science and technology
:23:21. > :23:29.budget on research and launching a defence and security accelerator to
:23:30. > :23:35.fund innovative ideas. My constituency is a centre of
:23:36. > :23:41.excellence in underwater systems and sonar and this relies on the
:23:42. > :23:46.retention of hi-tech skills, what steps are her department taking to
:23:47. > :23:52.ensure we have the right environment for big and smaller firms by
:23:53. > :23:57.investing in training and development to support innovation?
:23:58. > :24:01.Can I draw my honourable friend's attention to the recently launched
:24:02. > :24:06.skills strategy that is called securing defence skills for the
:24:07. > :24:13.future. We are already in the MoD and the armed forces the biggest
:24:14. > :24:21.provider of apprenticeships in the UK and Tallis run apprenticeship and
:24:22. > :24:26.graduate programmes and they're increasing women with these skills.
:24:27. > :24:32.How can small firms with a great idea bring it to the MoD without
:24:33. > :24:39.getting caught up in a bureaucratic procurement process? I'm sure he
:24:40. > :24:45.noticed I launched the enduring challenge run by the defence and
:24:46. > :24:50.security accelerator, to be a front door to enter into defence, for
:24:51. > :24:53.anyone who has a great idea that can benefit the UK defence. The funding
:24:54. > :24:59.will be available throughout the year. On the other side of that door
:25:00. > :25:05.are helpful partners who will guide small firms through the procurement
:25:06. > :25:10.process and I would encourage firms to visit the web-site to see how
:25:11. > :25:17.they can develop the next world-beating idea. In order to
:25:18. > :25:25.innovate, companies have to have markets. Given the President Trump
:25:26. > :25:29.has proclaimed he intends to buy America, are we talking about
:25:30. > :25:37.hi-tech equipment or cars that her department will start to buy
:25:38. > :25:41.British? Of course, we are the biggest customer of the industry as
:25:42. > :25:47.he well knows. He also will know that there are great examples of
:25:48. > :25:53.international collaboration and where we are purchasing 138 planes
:25:54. > :25:59.from the three thousand in the F35 programme, 15% of each of those
:26:00. > :26:04.3,000 planes are being built in the north west of England and we have
:26:05. > :26:09.been selected as the global hub for repair and maintenance of those
:26:10. > :26:14.planes. In what way is the UK Government helping defence suppliers
:26:15. > :26:18.to innovate and secure part of 1.4 billion that is spent on repairing
:26:19. > :26:23.nuclear weapons and does the minister agree it would help them if
:26:24. > :26:25.there was transparency and accountability in the way that these
:26:26. > :26:41.weapons do not work effectively? That is another example of how
:26:42. > :26:47.closely we work with them. Right across the whole of the defence
:26:48. > :26:52.industrial base, we do put a premium onnen no-one vagus and he draws
:26:53. > :27:03.attention to an area where human innovation's been outstanding.
:27:04. > :27:11.Nature indeed, Mr Speaker. The UK has a leading role in NATO. We are
:27:12. > :27:15.providing a framework of 800 personnel in Estonia. They are
:27:16. > :27:20.equipped with warrior Armoured fighter vehicles. The group will
:27:21. > :27:26.also have challenger two tanks for the European's Royals and also
:27:27. > :27:30.equipped with tactical and manned aerial vehicles. I thank the
:27:31. > :27:33.Minister for The answer. Our Polish partners and allies will obviously
:27:34. > :27:38.appreciate the rotational deployments. But he will know that
:27:39. > :27:44.they are very keen to have a permanent NATO base east of Walsall.
:27:45. > :27:47.Can he envisage that happening during the course of this
:27:48. > :27:51.Parliament? Mr Speaker, I had the pleasure of meeting my counterpart
:27:52. > :27:57.from Poland the other week. We discussed not tonne deployment of
:27:58. > :28:02.150 personnel into Poland from the Light Dragoons. I congratulated them
:28:03. > :28:07.on the fact they do spend 2% of GDP. At the same time, I heard what they
:28:08. > :28:13.said about NATO, but that is a matter for our NATO colleagues.
:28:14. > :28:18.Mr Speaker, I learnt a great deal about NATO on my first visit to the
:28:19. > :28:22.United States when I actually became a green card holder in the United
:28:23. > :28:25.States, so I feel particularly worried about what's happening in
:28:26. > :28:31.the United States with immigration at the moment. The fact was that, in
:28:32. > :28:36.the 1960s, NATO was the bedrock of our defence in Europe, it still is
:28:37. > :28:40.today. We need a stronger NATO but we need to convert President Trump
:28:41. > :28:43.to be a great supporter and a positive supporter of the defence of
:28:44. > :28:50.Europe. Vrnlingts Mr Speaker, I learnt an
:28:51. > :28:53.awful lot about NATO in the '70s and '80s and our American allies were
:28:54. > :28:59.with us then and they are with us today. Really and truly we need to
:29:00. > :29:02.make sure that America's 100% behind NATO which has been committed to and
:29:03. > :29:05.so should the Labour Party leadership.
:29:06. > :29:09.Mr Speaker, thank you. In relation to both these deployments, I welcome
:29:10. > :29:14.the whole hearted support by President Trump for NATO and also
:29:15. > :29:20.the transfer of command of the NATO response land corps and the Task
:29:21. > :29:24.Force to the allied rapid reaction corps in Gloucester. Does my right
:29:25. > :29:31.honourable friend agree that this is high testment to the UK's role in
:29:32. > :29:36.NATO and will he send our the wishes to them? I couldn't agree more with
:29:37. > :29:40.my colleague, he's absolutely right. There's one thing I know as a former
:29:41. > :29:44.servicemen myself, you need to know the country is behind you. I would
:29:45. > :29:50.hope all of this House would support the troops as they are deployed to
:29:51. > :29:55.Eastern Europe. The Prime Minister's set out our
:29:56. > :29:58.commitment to continue to work closely with European allies and
:29:59. > :30:02.partners on shared defence and priority securities. We are making a
:30:03. > :30:05.significant contribution already to a wide range of European security
:30:06. > :30:10.challenges and this year we'll deploy troops to Estonia and Poland
:30:11. > :30:12.and fighter jets to Romania in addition to our normal exercises.
:30:13. > :30:18.I'm grateful to the Secretary of State. The UK's long played a
:30:19. > :30:22.leading role in EU missions operation Sofia in the med train ya,
:30:23. > :30:26.operation Atlanta off the Horn of Africa. Given the fresh commitment
:30:27. > :30:30.the Prime Minister's expressed which the Secretary of State has drawn
:30:31. > :30:37.attention to, does he intend that we'll continue to participate in EU
:30:38. > :30:42.missions after we leave the EU? These are missions in which we
:30:43. > :30:48.participate not simply because they're European but they're also in
:30:49. > :30:52.our own national interest curbing piracy off the Horn of Africa,
:30:53. > :30:57.bringing bass to the -- peace to the Balkans and helping stop the flow of
:30:58. > :31:02.migrants across the Mediterranean. The honourable gentleman is right,
:31:03. > :31:06.swreel the opportunity if we wish to do so to cooperate with our green
:31:07. > :31:08.partners on future missions where it is in our national interests to do
:31:09. > :31:12.so. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Would my
:31:13. > :31:16.right honourable friend agree that the answer to earlier questions
:31:17. > :31:20.illustrates that we punch above our weight compared to many European
:31:21. > :31:26.partners, both in terms of spending and in terms of deployments to
:31:27. > :31:29.protect the eastern flank of Europe. Would he further agree that this is
:31:30. > :31:37.something which our European neighbours will do very well to keep
:31:38. > :31:41.in mind as we negotiate a new relationship with them. Let me
:31:42. > :31:46.congratulation my right honourable friend on his Knighthood, as I
:31:47. > :31:51.should have earlier congratulated our colleague across the floor. My
:31:52. > :31:56.right honourable friend is absolutely right. We do need to
:31:57. > :32:03.continue to improve the effectiveness of our work within the
:32:04. > :32:13.European Union and within NATO. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The pressures
:32:14. > :32:16.of allies can considered under the institutions as a possible risk.
:32:17. > :32:21.With the UK leaving the European Union, what assurances can the
:32:22. > :32:26.Secretary of State take to mitigate the economic risk, especially given
:32:27. > :32:30.the foreign currency fluctuations, something that had been pointed out
:32:31. > :32:36.as posing a significant risk to the national equipment plan in the
:32:37. > :32:43.future? Secretary of State? I'm not going to comment and you wouldn't
:32:44. > :32:49.expect me to, suffice it to say that the ministry, like any other large
:32:50. > :32:53.organisations, does take precautions against fluctuations in these
:32:54. > :33:00.currency rates and I think it's far too early to say or indeed wrong to
:33:01. > :33:07.speculate as to where those rates will eventually settle down.
:33:08. > :33:11.Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Ministry of Defence's Permanent Secretary has
:33:12. > :33:14.said that the European Union is operationally irrelevant to defence,
:33:15. > :33:20.but does my right honourable friend agree with me that there are many
:33:21. > :33:23.areas where there is room for continued collaboration, in
:33:24. > :33:29.particular on a project by project basis through the European defence
:33:30. > :33:34.agency? Well, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry agrees
:33:35. > :33:39.with me on these matters. Of course, after we leave the European Union,
:33:40. > :33:44.we will still have the largest defence budget in Europe, the
:33:45. > :33:49.largest navy in Europe and some of the major capabilities that our
:33:50. > :33:54.other partners will not have, and we'll continue to collaborate with
:33:55. > :34:00.our partners, including key allies like France and Germany but also
:34:01. > :34:03.northern European allies on these different programmes and our leaving
:34:04. > :34:09.Europe does not mean that we won't continue to seek the efficiencies
:34:10. > :34:15.that come from future collaboration. Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Defence
:34:16. > :34:19.has said quite correctly that cooperation of European partners can
:34:20. > :34:22.be both cost effective and it can achieve the results. I welcome the
:34:23. > :34:27.Secretary of State's comments this afternoon. But can the Defence
:34:28. > :34:32.Secretary specifically tell us if he's had discussions with the Brexit
:34:33. > :34:33.secretary about future European cooperation when we've left the
:34:34. > :34:50.European Union? Yes, I have. The new United States Defence
:34:51. > :34:54.Secretary, James Mattis and I have already discussed a range of NATO
:34:55. > :34:59.issues. I welcome his public support for the alliance. The Prime Minister
:35:00. > :35:02.and President Trump has positive discussions about NATO last Friday
:35:03. > :35:05.also. The United Kingdom and the United States will be leading
:35:06. > :35:11.forward battalions this year in Estonia and Poland and I'll be
:35:12. > :35:14.working with secretary Mattis on ways to improve NATO's
:35:15. > :35:20.effectiveness. Thank you, Mr Speaker. President
:35:21. > :35:23.Trump said he supports NATO 12010% but the American administration's
:35:24. > :35:28.also said they would like to see changes in NATO to bring it into the
:35:29. > :35:31.21st century. -- 100%. What discussions has the Secretary of
:35:32. > :35:37.State had with his opposite number about that and if he hasn't, why
:35:38. > :35:41.doesn't he start? Well, I have had those discussions
:35:42. > :35:50.and look forward to further discusses when NATO Ke fence
:35:51. > :36:07.ministers meet -- Defence Ministers meet.
:36:08. > :36:17.Thank you, Mr Speaker. The United States remains 100% committed to
:36:18. > :36:20.NATO, the bedrock of its mutual defence pact. Would he agree that
:36:21. > :36:26.the best indication of the role of the US in NATO is the cooperation we
:36:27. > :36:29.are seeing around bringing our carrier strike force capability
:36:30. > :36:34.back, rather than some of the commentary we are hearing in the
:36:35. > :36:39.media? I was pleased to conclude an agreement with the United States
:36:40. > :36:43.government before Christmas on the use of the US Marine Corpses of the
:36:44. > :36:47.carrier to land their aircraft on. There are many more opportunities on
:36:48. > :36:50.that programme and on the development of maritime patrol
:36:51. > :36:54.aircraft where we are both using the same type of aircraft, many more
:36:55. > :36:59.opportunities for deeper collaboration as there are in the
:37:00. > :37:08.research and innovation areas that my right honourable friend is
:37:09. > :37:14.leading on. The Navy is growing for the first
:37:15. > :37:20.time in a generation with new aircraft carriers, subs, frigates on
:37:21. > :37:21.their way. This is a new era of maritime power delivering security
:37:22. > :37:36.at home. Are you all right? Do you want me to
:37:37. > :37:46.do it? Sorry, it's my back, Mr Speaker.
:37:47. > :37:51.THE SPEAKER: The gentleman can ask his question from that sedentary
:37:52. > :37:56.position. Sorry, Mr Speaker. The Defence Select Committee said that
:37:57. > :38:00.the Royal Navy fleet of destroyers is below the critical mass required.
:38:01. > :38:05.Does the minister agree with the former sea Lords who gave evidence
:38:06. > :38:07.to the committee that the number of vessels isn't sufficient give than
:38:08. > :38:15.there are island nations to protect our interests on the high seas?
:38:16. > :38:20.THE SPEAKER: Thank you. Minister? I would like to emphasise that the
:38:21. > :38:27.SDSR in 2015 did announce that we'll maintain our fleet of 19 fig grates
:38:28. > :38:35.and destroyers and committed to the combat ships, three new solid
:38:36. > :38:37.support ships and two new off shore pas haveles, in addition to the two
:38:38. > :38:42.that are on their way. THE SPEAKER: We all wish the
:38:43. > :38:50.honourable gentleman well. Perhaps I can say, no injury will dare to get
:38:51. > :38:55.him down for long! THE SPEAKER: The honourable lady
:38:56. > :39:00.should come in on this question to which her own question is similar.
:39:01. > :39:04.Thank you, Mr Speaker. There's a thought for Monday afternoon. Could
:39:05. > :39:08.the minister share with the House what percentage of the Royal Navy is
:39:09. > :39:12.now female, how that compares with other NATO countries and what the
:39:13. > :39:16.MoD is doing to ensure that women joining up can have a long,
:39:17. > :39:20.fulfilling career in our world class Royal Navy alongside their family
:39:21. > :39:26.responsibilities? Thank you, Mr Speaker. I can confirm that, as of
:39:27. > :39:30.the 1st October 2016, some 9% of the naval service strength were female.
:39:31. > :39:36.The departmental recruitment target is for 15% by 2020. The Royal Navy
:39:37. > :39:40.has a number of initiatives to encourage recruitment and address
:39:41. > :39:44.retention of female officers, including more focussed career
:39:45. > :39:50.management and increased access to flexible ways of working. In the
:39:51. > :39:56.2015 SDSR and again in December of last year in the first annual report
:39:57. > :40:01.of the SDSR, the Government made it clear that the trials for Hth HMS
:40:02. > :40:04.Queen Elizabeth would begin in spring of this year. In response to
:40:05. > :40:09.the question last year, she informed me that they would no longer take
:40:10. > :40:13.place but would take place in summer this year. What are the reasons and
:40:14. > :40:20.who will be the operational service date for Queen Elizabeth?
:40:21. > :40:24.I would like to confirm to the honourable gentleman that she will
:40:25. > :40:29.commence her sea trials this summer and she will enter into the same
:40:30. > :40:33.programme so that she can sail into Portsmouth later this year.
:40:34. > :40:38.Thank you, Mr Speaker. Will the minister join me in wishing God
:40:39. > :40:40.speed to HMS Diamond leaving shortly from Portsmouth to lead the NATO
:40:41. > :40:49.Task Force in the Black Sea? I would join in wishing God speed,
:40:50. > :40:55.indeed to all of our destroyers which are in a range of different
:40:56. > :41:10.tasks across the globe at this moment. Thank you. No 12. With
:41:11. > :41:17.permission I would like to answer questions 12 and 16 together. The
:41:18. > :41:25.security situation in Yemen has been concerning since 2014 when Huthy
:41:26. > :41:30.forces took over the capital and forced out the legitimate
:41:31. > :41:37.government. As the suffering in Yemen unfolds, near hi 2.2 million
:41:38. > :41:43.people are internally displaced with evidence from amnesty showing
:41:44. > :41:52.partially exploded British bombs are lying unexploded. Despite the
:41:53. > :41:57.foreign minister denying their existence, we know such bombs have
:41:58. > :42:03.been deployed, when will this heartless Tory Government wake up,
:42:04. > :42:09.take on Saudi Arabia and stop the sale of these bombs s? I think she
:42:10. > :42:16.must have missed the statement that the Secretary of State gave on this
:42:17. > :42:21.in December. But I can confirm that the humanitarian situation is
:42:22. > :42:31.extremely serious and as a result the UK is the forth largest donor to
:42:32. > :42:35.Yemen. Thank you the single biggist contributor to humanitarian
:42:36. > :42:40.disasters in Yemen is the Saudi Arabian air force, who have left 7
:42:41. > :42:49.million people in danger of starvation. How much worse does the
:42:50. > :42:53.crisis have to get before the UK stops selling weapons to a
:42:54. > :42:57.Government accused of war crimes in Yemen? Well, the UK position is of
:42:58. > :43:03.course that political solution is the best way forward to bring
:43:04. > :43:13.long-term stability to Yemen and to end the conflict. But he will be
:43:14. > :43:19.aware the coalition in the Yemen is supported by a united nation
:43:20. > :43:26.resolution and there are regular incursions into Saudi territory and
:43:27. > :43:33.he would recognise the legitimate self-defence of the Saudi-led
:43:34. > :43:40.coalition under the UN nations decision. The UK-made cluster bombs
:43:41. > :43:44.have been used and the Saudi Government have said they will not
:43:45. > :43:52.continue this. But can the Secretary of State whether he has urged the
:43:53. > :44:00.Saudi Government to sign the cluster ban. Yes, I can confirm that the
:44:01. > :44:08.Government regularly urges the Saudi Arabia to sign the cluster munition
:44:09. > :44:15.convention and I can confirm that in his statement in December, that he
:44:16. > :44:28.welcomed the announcement that these UK munitions would no longer be
:44:29. > :44:31.used. We know that the UK sold 500 LBL75 cluster munitions and the
:44:32. > :44:40.Government gives the impression only one has been dropped in Yemen. Can
:44:41. > :44:43.have a full inventory of the munitions, including serial numbers
:44:44. > :44:47.and records for those no longer in their possession. Can I draw the
:44:48. > :44:54.honourable lady's attention to my previous answer about how we welcome
:44:55. > :44:59.the commitment, but we do not routinely hold records of other
:45:00. > :45:05.nations of UK-manufactured equipment. Particularly supplies
:45:06. > :45:11.that were made decades ago. As the minister knows, there are serious
:45:12. > :45:14.allegations that war both sides in the conflict have broken
:45:15. > :45:20.international humanitarian law. These claims are particularly
:45:21. > :45:26.worrying to us here, because we now know that UK supplied cluster
:45:27. > :45:31.munitions have been used in Yemen. What action is the Government taking
:45:32. > :45:38.for pushing for a full investigation into the alleged violations of
:45:39. > :45:44.international law in Yemen? Well, we are not opposing calls for an
:45:45. > :45:47.international independent investigation into these incidents,
:45:48. > :45:50.but we want to see the coalition investigate the allegations of
:45:51. > :45:56.breaches of international law, which are attributed to them and for the
:45:57. > :46:06.investigations to be thorough and conclusive. Finally Sir David Amis.
:46:07. > :46:11.Question No 15. Mr Speaker, this Government is committed to
:46:12. > :46:17.increasing our maritime power to project our interest and promote our
:46:18. > :46:28.prosperity. We will spend ?63 billion on new ships and submarines
:46:29. > :46:36.with do new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers and tankerses.
:46:37. > :46:41.Would my honourable friend I degree it would be testimony to the British
:46:42. > :46:47.workers and our navy and show Britain as a global force and will
:46:48. > :46:56.they give ate wonderful welcome. I think it will be a moment of
:46:57. > :47:01.enormous national pride when she sails into Portsmouth harbour and
:47:02. > :47:06.I'm sure my honourable friend will join with many on the peer at
:47:07. > :47:16.Southend, hoping for a glimpse and waving as she sails past! Topical
:47:17. > :47:25.questions. No 1. My priorities remain our operations against Daesh
:47:26. > :47:31.d strengthening day NATO and the Queen will unveil the new
:47:32. > :47:37.Iraq/Afghanistan memorial with a service in London on 9th March as a
:47:38. > :47:40.reminder of the contribution that our armed forces, our aid workers
:47:41. > :47:45.and civilians have made to the security of the United Kingdom and
:47:46. > :47:54.to help build a more stable future for the peoples of Iraq and
:47:55. > :47:58.Afghanistan. So far 6,000 from my constituency have signed a petition
:47:59. > :48:03.to cancel Trump's visit and the figure is going up. Will the
:48:04. > :48:15.minister publicly condemn the entry ban that Donald Trump has imposed on
:48:16. > :48:21.seven majority countries? I think the Government's position on this
:48:22. > :48:25.has been made very clear. We do not agree with the way the ban is being
:48:26. > :48:29.applied to British citizens and the honourable lady may have an
:48:30. > :48:35.opportunity later this afternoon to pursue this directly with my
:48:36. > :48:40.colleague the Foreign Secretary. What assessment has my honourable
:48:41. > :48:49.friend made of Trident renewal on associated supply chain jobs in the
:48:50. > :48:53.United Kingdom? I can confirm the programme is a major national
:48:54. > :48:58.programme that will sustain thousands of jobs, the benefit will
:48:59. > :49:08.extend beyond the major companies leading the programme. Army
:49:09. > :49:14.recruitment levels are worryingly know, due in part to the
:49:15. > :49:18.Government's failure to manage the contract with capita, allowing this
:49:19. > :49:25.company to sponge off the public purse and bringing in over 6,000 out
:49:26. > :49:31.of a target of 9,000 army recruits, will the Secretary of State review
:49:32. > :49:37.capita's contract and improve its department's monitoring to stop
:49:38. > :49:42.leech-like companies siphoning off taxpayers' money. We need to be
:49:43. > :49:51.careful, because comments like that undermine the morale of our armed
:49:52. > :50:04.forces. Let's have some facts. On 1st December 2016 our force were
:50:05. > :50:09.143,000 and 29,000 were navy and 33,000, we are more work to do in
:50:10. > :50:15.retention and recruitment, but those comments are not helpful to our
:50:16. > :50:19.armed forces. Last week we debated prisons and the difficulty in
:50:20. > :50:25.challenging a and recruiting prison officer, can I ask the MoD to use
:50:26. > :50:29.its good offices when personnel leave that they are pointed in the
:50:30. > :50:33.direction of Prison Service, there seems to be a good relationship
:50:34. > :50:44.between the two with their skills and expertise much valued by the
:50:45. > :50:47.Prison Service? Our service leavers have many transferable skills and we
:50:48. > :50:52.are working to encourage them to join the Prison Service as part of
:50:53. > :51:02.Government's recruitment of 2,500 new prison officers. Helen Hayes.
:51:03. > :51:06.The report on UK military operations in Syria and Iraq recommended that
:51:07. > :51:10.the Government provide the necessary detail on what is being targeted in
:51:11. > :51:15.those countries. And put this information as far as possible into
:51:16. > :51:21.the public domain. Is the Secretary of State prepared to make that
:51:22. > :51:26.commitment today? We already publish a huge amount of information about
:51:27. > :51:31.the number of strikes the Royal Air Force have carried out that.
:51:32. > :51:37.Information was updated today and gave details of operations last week
:51:38. > :51:40.around Mosul and a strike to the west of Raqqa, that information is
:51:41. > :51:47.already made public. But I will of course look again and see whether we
:51:48. > :51:53.can improve on it. Can I welcome my right honourable friend's visit to
:51:54. > :51:59.Yeovil and the investment in Crow's Nest fleet protection for Merlin
:52:00. > :52:07.helicopter, what is she doing to make sure that Boeing works on the
:52:08. > :52:13.Apache helicopters and to build in the cluster we have in Yeovil. I was
:52:14. > :52:18.impressed when I visited my honourable friend's constituency
:52:19. > :52:23.this month. And of course Leonardo helicopters will support the Apache
:52:24. > :52:27.mark 1s until they're retired from service and last week Boeing
:52:28. > :52:32.announced it will make the UK its European base for training,
:52:33. > :52:36.maintenance and repair across the defence platforms and they will want
:52:37. > :52:41.to discuss I am sure this with Leonardo, which is well placed to
:52:42. > :52:51.secure work on the next generation Apaches. When will the Secretary of
:52:52. > :52:54.State have an inquiry into the botched Trident test to inform the
:52:55. > :52:58.House what went wrong and will he tell the house what plans he has
:52:59. > :53:07.made to sure the House can be confident the proceed dure for
:53:08. > :53:12.providing information is reliable? I have no plans to commission the type
:53:13. > :53:17.of inquiry the the honourable lady is proposing, because we do not on
:53:18. > :53:24.the floor of the House comment on the details of nuclear submarine
:53:25. > :53:36.operations or the details of operations, except to conclude that
:53:37. > :53:44.HMS Vengeance completed that operation. With Iraqi security
:53:45. > :53:47.forces lib rating Mosul, can he confirm what tour brave British
:53:48. > :53:56.forces are doing to rid Iraq of Daesh. As Iraqi forces become
:53:57. > :54:02.increasingly capable, we now need to deliver our training more flexibly.
:54:03. > :54:08.In addition to training at different air bases, I have authorised UK
:54:09. > :54:13.personnel to deliver training at other secured and protected
:54:14. > :54:20.locations in Iraq. This aligns with our approach in the Kurdish region
:54:21. > :54:26.and ensures we continue to deliver to deliver the skills and bridge
:54:27. > :54:36.training the Iraqi forces require. Ministers are aware and no doubt
:54:37. > :54:41.concerned that RAF servicemen Corry McKeig has been missing and we have
:54:42. > :54:46.been kept informed of work being done to find him. Could I ask the
:54:47. > :54:53.minister to place on the record their concern about the whereabouts
:54:54. > :55:01.of Corrie and give assurance that work is being done to bring him
:55:02. > :55:07.home? This is an ongoing police inquiry, but the whole House would
:55:08. > :55:13.register their thoughts with his family and loved ones and his
:55:14. > :55:20.service men who I have made. I have on a daily basis made sure that
:55:21. > :55:23.every available military kit, personnel and surveillance equipment
:55:24. > :55:28.is available should the police have requested it which they have on
:55:29. > :55:33.several occasions and thank you for paying tribute to my PPS who has
:55:34. > :55:38.made sure the local community know what is is going on. We all want him
:55:39. > :55:45.to come home and the MoD will do all we can. After the revelation of the
:55:46. > :55:57.failure of the Trine test, will the Secretary of State confirm our
:55:58. > :56:02.nuclear deterrence is still able to deliver lethal projectiles with
:56:03. > :56:13.total accuracy over a very long period of years like Roger Federer.
:56:14. > :56:20.It is a very high bar to do that. I confirm the safety and effectiveness
:56:21. > :56:23.of our nuclear deterrent. Has the Secretary of State has an
:56:24. > :56:27.opportunity to speak to his American counter part, many of us would hope
:56:28. > :56:35.he would have pointed out to the Americans that Trump's ban is
:56:36. > :56:36.potential lay massive recruiting sergeant for terrorism and will not
:56:37. > :56:53.protect anyone. The honourable lady will have more
:56:54. > :56:56.opportunity later this afternoon to ask more detailed questions on that.
:56:57. > :57:01.Would my right honourable friend agree with me that we would need to
:57:02. > :57:06.spend increasing study, increase the study, of what is happening in the
:57:07. > :57:13.south China sea, the strategic threats are changing there. Yes, we
:57:14. > :57:18.are concerned at what the rising tension in the south China sea looks
:57:19. > :57:24.like and we continue to encourage all parties that may be contesting
:57:25. > :57:32.the sovereignty of particular islands or other areas to take those
:57:33. > :57:36.disputes through the international forum established for that purpose
:57:37. > :57:41.and deescalate the situation as far as they can.
:57:42. > :57:46.The whole country will welcome the memorial to our 625 brave soldiers
:57:47. > :57:52.who perished in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also they'll welcome
:57:53. > :57:56.the admission by the Prime Minister that we'll never engage in wars of
:57:57. > :58:00.that kind in future, wouldn't it be appropriate now to investigate why
:58:01. > :58:05.we went into help manned in the belief that not a shot would be
:58:06. > :58:09.fired but that resulted in 425 deaths of our soldiers. Shouldn't we
:58:10. > :58:17.investigate that to make sure we don't repeat it? Well, the
:58:18. > :58:22.honourable gentleman's long held the views and taken time to read the
:58:23. > :58:25.Prime Minister's speech in full in Philadelphia last Thursday where she
:58:26. > :58:30.spoke of the importance of the standing by the Farage ill
:58:31. > :58:34.democracies in both Iraq and Afghanistan where we have increased
:58:35. > :58:43.our troop presence and where we will stay until the job is done --
:58:44. > :58:47.fragile. Thank you, Mr Speaker, I'm sure the whole House would have
:58:48. > :58:51.heard with some joy that the procurement process by the MoD is to
:58:52. > :58:55.be simplified and diversified to help us judge a success of this
:58:56. > :58:58.could the minister say how many people currently work in procurement
:58:59. > :59:09.at the MoD and whether that number will go up or down between the end
:59:10. > :59:14.of the Parliament? I can provide in writing the number of people that
:59:15. > :59:17.work there. I can commit that, as a bespoke trading entity, the
:59:18. > :59:23.aspiration is that we don't manage the head count but manage down the
:59:24. > :59:27.cost of it. -- the cost of procurement. How
:59:28. > :59:31.relaxed is the Secretary of State about Trump having his finger on the
:59:32. > :59:37.nuclear button? The United States has always been a good partner to
:59:38. > :59:45.this country and has played a leading role in NATO. It's a key
:59:46. > :59:50.part of the nuclear alliance that we and the United States share
:59:51. > :59:55.together. It's worth remembering that NATO is a nuclear alliance and
:59:56. > :59:57.I look forward to working with the new administration on precisely
:59:58. > :00:01.that. Mr Speaker, will the Secretary of
:00:02. > :00:04.State join with me in welcoming the heads of Government agreement signed
:00:05. > :00:09.at the weekend between the UK and Turkey, securing over 400 jobs in
:00:10. > :00:14.Lancashire. Does that not send out a signal that Britain post Brexit is
:00:15. > :00:20.open for business? It does, and I too am delighted that the agreement
:00:21. > :00:25.has now been signed in principle on the programme which will combine
:00:26. > :00:29.Turkish and British technology and brainpower into the development of a
:00:30. > :00:43.new fighter aircraft and I hop that will lead to many more jobs being
:00:44. > :00:48.created, both here and in Turkey. If the US President follows through
:00:49. > :00:53.with his intention to reinstate torture, NATO allies will be legally
:00:54. > :00:59.obliged not to work with them. Will the Government ensure the use of
:01:00. > :01:03.torture is ruled out in all effects. For NATO effectiveness? I understand
:01:04. > :01:06.the point the honourable gentleman is making, we do not condone the use
:01:07. > :01:12.of torture and there are obviously implications that flow from that.
:01:13. > :01:19.Will the minister take action to ensure that more of the new light
:01:20. > :01:25.tanks we are making are made in Britain?
:01:26. > :01:29.I'm not sure if he's referring to a specific programme but I can confirm
:01:30. > :01:34.we have taken extensive steps to ensure that a significant portion of
:01:35. > :01:37.the manufacture process of the Ajax vehicles are made in South Wales and
:01:38. > :01:41.we'll continue to work with suppliers to ensure we get
:01:42. > :01:45.significant UK content in all our procurement. Can I ask the reasons
:01:46. > :01:54.for the delay in the Queen Elizabeth sea trials and what the in-service
:01:55. > :01:58.date of HMS Queen Elizabeth will be? As has always been our intention,
:01:59. > :02:02.Queen Elizabeth should be accepted into the Royal Navy before the end
:02:03. > :02:08.of this year. We are not giving specific dates as to when the sea
:02:09. > :02:11.trials are likely to commence. The Queen Elizabeth will set out on the
:02:12. > :02:18.sea trials when she's ready to do so.
:02:19. > :02:22.Thank you, Mr Speaker. In 2020, Plymouth will be commemorating the
:02:23. > :02:27.Mayflower leaving in order to go and find the American colonies. Would my
:02:28. > :02:31.right honourable friend be willing to meet with me to discuss how we
:02:32. > :02:34.could put together a review of the NATO fleet with obviously HMS The
:02:35. > :02:43.Queen and also potentially the President of America?
:02:44. > :02:47.I'm very happy to consider. It's the first suggestion I've heard as to
:02:48. > :02:50.how that particular anniversary may be commemorated but it's certainly
:02:51. > :02:56.worth looking into. THE SPEAKER: Urgent question. Ronnie
:02:57. > :03:00.Cowan. I asked the Minister for Work and pensions to make a statement
:03:01. > :03:05.under proposed closure of our Jobcentre Plus offices throughout
:03:06. > :03:09.the United Kingdom. Thank you, Mr Speaker. On Thursday
:03:10. > :03:13.26th January, the DWP published proposals for the future of its
:03:14. > :03:17.estate including Jobcentres and back office sites. This Government is
:03:18. > :03:22.committed to helping people who can work, get back into work. Since 2010
:03:23. > :03:27.we have seen the claimant count drop from almost 1.5 million to around
:03:28. > :03:31.800,000 and we have seen employment rise by 2.7 million to near record
:03:32. > :03:35.levels. Old office contracts that are held by Jobcentres and benefits
:03:36. > :03:37.centres are coming up for renewal and in the 20 years since the
:03:38. > :03:38.contracts