Live Defence Questions House of Commons

THE SPEAKER: Order, order. Questions to the Secretary of State for

Defence. Mr John Nicholson. Question number one, Mr Speaker, Sir.

I had an introductory call with Jim mat it is last Monday, we discussed

the joint leadership in NATO, including modernising the alliance

and encouraging all members to meet the 2% spending commitment. On

Friday President Trump confirmed he's 100% committed to NATO. We also

plan to work together to accelerate the defeat of Daesh in Iraq and

Syria and I look forward to meeting Secretary Mattis at the meeting in a

fortnight. The new American President supports

the torture of prisoners of war. We do not, nor does the new Secretary

of State. So can I ask that the Secretary of State here doesn't

reiterate the Government's position but instead tells us why he thinks

that a proponent of torture is an appropriate recipient of state

visit? I think my right honourable friend, the Prime Minister, made the

Government's position absolutely clear. We do not condone the use of

torture in operations, nor does the new American Secretary of Defence,

Jim Mattis and, as I understand it, the President of the United States

has made it clear that he will be guided by those in his Cabinet who,

on this issue, are taking a different view.

Sir Gerald Howarth. In his discussions, did my right honourable

friend mention Chancellor Merkel's call for the remaining EU 27 to

engage in closer military cooperation? And would he agree with

me that such cooperation, if it were to be within the confines of the EU

alone would be extremely dangerous and damaging to NATO and that that

cooperation from European countries should be in the context of NATO and

not the EU? Yes, I agree with my right honourable friend and at the

Warsaw summit in July last year, all members of NATO agreed that we'd

improve the collaboration between NATO and the European Union,

particularly in areas like hybrid warfare and strategic communications

and EU ministers have subsequently resisted the call for unnecessary

duplication with what NATO is already doing.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. When countries in this world announce

xenophobic and destabling policies does the honourable member think the

right thing to do is asneeze We make -- is appease. If the

honourable lady is referring to the United States, as the United States'

deepest and long-standing allie, of course we make our views known to

the United States and our Prime Minister was the first foreign

leader to meet the new President on Friday. We'll continue to offer the

United States our candid advice. Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister's

securing the Prime Minister's 100% support for NATO and also General

Mattis's support is encouraging. Would my right honourable friend not

agree with me that some of the less than helpful remarks the Prime

Minister may have made about NATO is a useful wake-up call to NATO. We

need to modernise some aspects of the administration and say to the

NATO partners, they have to step up to the mark and pay their 2% like we

do? Exactly. The new President's called for members of NATO to fulfil

the commitments that we agreed and we and the United States agreed back

in the Wales summit in 2014 and a number of other NATO members still

have a long way to go to meet the 2% target. We also agree with the new

President that we need to continue to modernise NATO to make it

effective as a response and as a deterrent. -Breakfast Thank you, Mr

Speaker. What is the Defence Secretary's attitude to the prospect

of the US conducting joint operations with Russia in Syria, as

the President's floated? Well, the United States and Russia

already have an understanding on operations in Syria that they'll

deconflict their air operations and our own aircraft where they are in

similar areas are covered by that understanding. We have seen that at

the present time, no plans from the American Government inside the

coalition to cooperate more fully with Russia.

Mr Speaker, given the covenant for the Baltic states now is extended to

Romania, given Russia's direct threat to that country, what

reassurance can the Secretary of Defence give to the Baltic states

who're nervous at the moment about an assertive Russia.

We agreed at Warsaw to deploy troops to all three of the Baltic states

and Britain will be leading the contribution to the American

battalion deployed in Poland in order to deter Russia from any kind

of further aggression towards those countries.

This weekend, Mr Speaker, we have been shocked and appalled by the US

President's decision to impose a blanket travel ban on citizens from

seven Muslim majority nations. To do this on Friday, Holocaust Memorial

Day only adds to the horror and outrage that we feel. Has the

Secretary of State made clear to his US counterpart that there is no

place for such measures in the fight against terrorism, and that such

actions only inflame tensions and risk losing valuable allies, such as

Iraq, who're with us in the fight against Daesh?

I think the honourable lady and indeed the House may have the

opportunity to discuss this matter a little later on when a statement is

made for form Ali about inGration policy -- formally. Let me be very

clear. We look forward to working with the new United States

administration on the battle against Daesh. -- about immigration. Many

have been embarrass and ashamed by our Prime Minister who, for all her

rhetoric on Britain leading the world, decided to hold Trump's hand

instead of holding him to account. Her belated and limp reply of, we do

not agree, was pathetic, especially compared with Chancellor Merkel who

spelt out that, even the necessary determined fight against terrorism

does not justify placing people of a certain origin or belief under

general suspicion. Can the Secretary of State assure the House that if

President Trump issues defence related executive orders which

infringe international law or an affront to humanity, that the UK

Government's response will be prompt, robust and unequivocal?

My right honourable friend, the Prime Minister, conducted a very

prompt and successful visit to the United States and was able to secure

100% commitment to the NATO alliance from the new President and to work

with him on a number of the issues that we are dealing with jointly,

including the coalition against Daesh.

The Government and the Royal Navy provide support through a grant and

aid payment to the sea cadets paid to the marine society through a

memorandum of understanding which sets out further support with regard

to the provision of personnel accommodation and training.

I thank the Minister for His response. Ied that pleasure of

meeting the Padstow sea cadets and their children and they do fantastic

work there -- and their chairmen. Transport costs and tuition fees are

costs. It's currently ?10 million. The MOU between the Royal Navy and

the MSCC which is currently under review will continue to ensure there

is support for the sea cadets and I'm more than happen Foy make sure

issues will continue. Female sea cadets make up just a

third of all cadets, what steps is the Secretary of State taking to

encourage more females to join? Well, it must be said actually that

the female representation in sea cadets is higher than it is in the

Armed Forces. This is a matter that the Government takes very seriously

and we have set several targets to ensure that our Armed Forces are

viewed as being open to both men and women and will continue to be

pursued to be the case over years. Can't get more further from the sea

than Kettering, they're an example that other sea cadet organisations

should follow. Would my right honourable friend agree with me that

the sea cadets army squadrons and air cadets provide youngsters with

some of the best examples that they could follow in life? I think Milton

Keynes may be further from the sea than Kettering and we also have a

thriving sea cadet unit. I'm a great fan of the cadets, I started my

military life in the air cadets some 32 years ago. It's something that I

valued enormously and that's why I like to think that I'm one of the

greatest champion force s for the cadet forces.

I should like to answer this question. NATO agreed that security

depends both on how much we spend and how we spend it, all 28 allies

committed to meeting the defence investment pledge, the United

Kingdom already meets NATO's spending targets and will continue

to do so for the rest of this decade. I regularly encourage all

allies to similarly meet this commitment.

It's right NATO members all meet the 2% spending commitment which we make

sacrifices here in order to meet. In my right honourable friend's

discussions on spending and NATO deployments, has he met anyone who

believes deploying troops to a NATO allie is escalatory? They are combat

ready forces deployed but they're defensive in nature and a

proportionate response to deter Russian aggression in the region.

The only people who believe this deployment to be escalatory are

President Putin and the lead over the Labour Party. It's extraordinary

that the official leader of the opposition is not prepared to back

the deployment of British troops in Europe but now favours some kind of

demilitarised zone. With discussions in the EU over an

EU defence system, what steps is my honourable friend taking to ensure

that commitment to this new EU army don't contradict spending on defence

for our allies? There is no agreement on the proposal for any EU

army and we make clear that nothing should undermine NATO, which remains

the corner stone of European defence and we continue to press for closer

co-operation between the EU and NATO. It is a fact over that 18 of

the 22 EU members of NATO do not spend 2% and have much more to do to

enable NATO to face the threats it does. The Prime Minister played a

blinder last week with the president of the United States in stiffening

his sinews with regards to NATO. But President Trump's vacillation on

NATO exposes a weakness of NATO with regards to the countries that do not

pay that 2%. Can I urge my honourable friend to make every

effort to make sure the countries who are not paying that 2%

understand we can't always rely upon the United States. There we agree

with President Trump. Since making the defence investment pledge the

majority of allies have increased their spending, but it is still too

low. 19 of the NATO 28 spend less than 1.5% and five members of NATO

by no means the poorest, don't even spend 1%. We will continue with the

United States to encourage all allies to meet those spending

commitments. Will my honourable friend as well as encouraging our

NATO allies to maintain the 2% on spend they don't include items like

pension and administration costs, rather front line capability. Well,

the expenditure that is classified by NATO as meeting or not meeting

the 2% is something for NATO to judge against its own guidelines and

I notice our own Defence Select Committee commended the government's

commitment to defence and found our accounting criteria do fall within

exist bg NATO guidelines. But this is a matter for NATO to judge. Since

the world's summit, 22 NATO countries have increased in real

terms their defence spending, the 20 of them as a percentage of GDP. The

number of allies with spending on equipment and modernisation has

risen from eight to ten. Is the real risk not spending, but a move from

Trans-Atlantic solidarity, which the present president is at risk of

moving forward. Of course we welcome the increases that have taken place

in defence spending. The Baton is moving the right way, but some

countries including quite wealthy countries are still a long way off

meeting the 2% target and in some cases the 20% car get. -- target.

This is a North Atlantic alliance and it is important to continue to

assure the United States that this alliance is as much of the interests

of United States as it of us here in Europe. We should hear from a

Lancashire knight. Thank you. Now that the United States of America

has become a less stable and reliable NATO partner, how pragmatic

is the 2% spending target? And what consideration has the Secretary of

State given to allocating more time for European defence or is European

defence simply not fashionable any more? So far as our partnership with

the United States, it is the broadest, deepest and most advanced

defence partnership in the world and my aim is to continues to strengthen

wit the new administration, particularly in the shared

programmes on the joint strike fighter aircraft and the

reinstatement of our maritime pa Trolle aircraft. -- patrol aircraft.

The president's remarks are I believe a wake up call to all of us

in Europe to make sure that when we make these commitments that we

honour them. I am sure the Secretary of State meant to congratulate wait

the honourable gentleman on his knighthood. But as he didn't I will

do so on hi behalf. The National Audit Office reports that the budget

will reach its peak in 2023 when massive and vital projects such as

F55 will reach their peak. Our NATO partners have a much more thorough

over site of procurement projects, something that can only be taken

here by the defence committee, what plans does he have to increase

oversight of these projects to meet the 2% target and that our

capability is delivered on time, on budget... I think he got the general

drift. We are obliged. The honourable gentleman knows that we

are increasing the equipment budget with a programme of ?180 billion of

spending over the next ten years and we have taken a number of steps to

improve the delivery of that programme to ensure that these

projects are delivered on time and to budget and we have of course

established the single source regulation office. Despite the

Government's huffing and puffing, it is clear that the government's

commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defence is more apparent than real.

The Government is only able to say it is a chooefing the 2% goal

because it is includingsuch areas as retired MoD civilian personnel

pensions and will the Secretary of State instead commit to using the

same method of calculation as Labour did in 2010? I have already told the

House that the return that we filed to NATO is for NATO to decide

whether that expenditure is properly allocated and the allocations that

we have made have been endorsed be aselect committee. Our expenditure

is 35 billion this year and next year it will be 36 and the following

37 and in the last year of is in Parliament 38 billion it goes up

every year. The Government has certainly not breaken any NATO rules

in calculating the 2%, but may I remind ministers and members that 2%

is a minimum, it is not a target and we used to spend more than 2% in the

Cold War years as recently as the 80s. Does he agree that even if all

our NATO, European allies were to meet the 2% pledge, as a minimum, we

still would be unable to deter an aggressive Russia without the

involvement of United States, which is why the Prime Minister's visit to

President Trump was so important. Well I have been hoping over the

last few days to find something on which my honourable friend and I can

agree. We have now done. So because I endorse both legs of his

proposition, the 2% is a minimum, we comfortably exceed it at the moment.

But it's important that other countries meet it. It is important

that the alliance continues to improve its investment. On Friday

the National Audit Office put a question mark against the

Government's commitment to 2% and their report said that to fulfil the

defence equipment plan following the collapse of Brexit, of the pound

after Brexit, the moved will have MoD will have to all use the

contingency fund and make further savings. The Trident ring fence,

will it be the hard-pressed personnel and our conventional

capabilities that will bear the brunt of these cuts? No, we have

been able to maintain conventional and nuclear forces. The honourable

gentleman is right that the scale and the success of our equipment

programme does of course defend on us releasing the efficiencies to

which we committed at the time of the review and that work is now in

hand. The National Audit Office report casts doubt on the type 26

programme and said changes ill with unclear. Will an ageing fleet in

need of renewal, and with budgetary crisis looming and the uncertainty

caused by Brexit and the cuts, how does he intend to make good on the

promise made to maintain 19 destroyes and frigates. And how can

it respond to global threats with the fleet it has. We set out our

commitment in the review and I'm surprised the honourable gentleman

is so concerned about the budget for the type 26 frigate which is

designed to pretext the deterrent he didn't want to keep! It seems an odd

project to be worried about. But the terms of that contract have yet to

be finalised, but I can assure the honourable gentleman the expansion

of navy is fully funded. I should like to answer questions five and 14

together. With a rising defence budget and equipment plan worth ?178

billion over ten years, there are great opportunities to encourage

innovation. We are spending up to 20% of our science and technology

budget on research and launching a defence and security accelerator to

fund innovative ideas. My constituency is a centre of

excellence in underwater systems and sonar and this relies on the

retention of hi-tech skills, what steps are her department taking to

ensure we have the right environment for big and smaller firms by

investing in training and development to support innovation?

Can I draw my honourable friend's attention to the recently launched

skills strategy that is called securing defence skills for the

future. We are already in the MoD and the armed forces the biggest

provider of apprenticeships in the UK and Tallis run apprenticeship and

graduate programmes and they're increasing women with these skills.

How can small firms with a great idea bring it to the MoD without

getting caught up in a bureaucratic procurement process? I'm sure he

noticed I launched the enduring challenge run by the defence and

security accelerator, to be a front door to enter into defence, for

anyone who has a great idea that can benefit the UK defence. The funding

will be available throughout the year. On the other side of that door

are helpful partners who will guide small firms through the procurement

process and I would encourage firms to visit the web-site to see how

they can develop the next world-beating idea. In order to

innovate, companies have to have markets. Given the President Trump

has proclaimed he intends to buy America, are we talking about

hi-tech equipment or cars that her department will start to buy

British? Of course, we are the biggest customer of the industry as

he well knows. He also will know that there are great examples of

international collaboration and where we are purchasing 138 planes

from the three thousand in the F35 programme, 15% of each of those

3,000 planes are being built in the north west of England and we have

been selected as the global hub for repair and maintenance of those

planes. In what way is the UK Government helping defence suppliers

to innovate and secure part of 1.4 billion that is spent on repairing

nuclear weapons and does the minister agree it would help them if

there was transparency and accountability in the way that these

weapons do not work effectively? That is another example of how

closely we work with them. Right across the whole of the defence

industrial base, we do put a premium onnen no-one vagus and he draws

attention to an area where human innovation's been outstanding.

Nature indeed, Mr Speaker. The UK has a leading role in NATO. We are

providing a framework of 800 personnel in Estonia. They are

equipped with warrior Armoured fighter vehicles. The group will

also have challenger two tanks for the European's Royals and also

equipped with tactical and manned aerial vehicles. I thank the

Minister for The answer. Our Polish partners and allies will obviously

appreciate the rotational deployments. But he will know that

they are very keen to have a permanent NATO base east of Walsall.

Can he envisage that happening during the course of this

Parliament? Mr Speaker, I had the pleasure of meeting my counterpart

from Poland the other week. We discussed not tonne deployment of

150 personnel into Poland from the Light Dragoons. I congratulated them

on the fact they do spend 2% of GDP. At the same time, I heard what they

said about NATO, but that is a matter for our NATO colleagues.

Mr Speaker, I learnt a great deal about NATO on my first visit to the

United States when I actually became a green card holder in the United

States, so I feel particularly worried about what's happening in

the United States with immigration at the moment. The fact was that, in

the 1960s, NATO was the bedrock of our defence in Europe, it still is

today. We need a stronger NATO but we need to convert President Trump

to be a great supporter and a positive supporter of the defence of

Europe. Vrnlingts Mr Speaker, I learnt an

awful lot about NATO in the '70s and '80s and our American allies were

with us then and they are with us today. Really and truly we need to

make sure that America's 100% behind NATO which has been committed to and

so should the Labour Party leadership.

Mr Speaker, thank you. In relation to both these deployments, I welcome

the whole hearted support by President Trump for NATO and also

the transfer of command of the NATO response land corps and the Task

Force to the allied rapid reaction corps in Gloucester. Does my right

honourable friend agree that this is high testment to the UK's role in

NATO and will he send our the wishes to them? I couldn't agree more with

my colleague, he's absolutely right. There's one thing I know as a former

servicemen myself, you need to know the country is behind you. I would

hope all of this House would support the troops as they are deployed to

Eastern Europe. The Prime Minister's set out our

commitment to continue to work closely with European allies and

partners on shared defence and priority securities. We are making a

significant contribution already to a wide range of European security

challenges and this year we'll deploy troops to Estonia and Poland

and fighter jets to Romania in addition to our normal exercises.

I'm grateful to the Secretary of State. The UK's long played a

leading role in EU missions operation Sofia in the med train ya,

operation Atlanta off the Horn of Africa. Given the fresh commitment

the Prime Minister's expressed which the Secretary of State has drawn

attention to, does he intend that we'll continue to participate in EU

missions after we leave the EU? These are missions in which we

participate not simply because they're European but they're also in

our own national interest curbing piracy off the Horn of Africa,

bringing bass to the -- peace to the Balkans and helping stop the flow of

migrants across the Mediterranean. The honourable gentleman is right,

swreel the opportunity if we wish to do so to cooperate with our green

partners on future missions where it is in our national interests to do

so. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Would my

right honourable friend agree that the answer to earlier questions

illustrates that we punch above our weight compared to many European

partners, both in terms of spending and in terms of deployments to

protect the eastern flank of Europe. Would he further agree that this is

something which our European neighbours will do very well to keep

in mind as we negotiate a new relationship with them. Let me

congratulation my right honourable friend on his Knighthood, as I

should have earlier congratulated our colleague across the floor. My

right honourable friend is absolutely right. We do need to

continue to improve the effectiveness of our work within the

European Union and within NATO. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The pressures

of allies can considered under the institutions as a possible risk.

With the UK leaving the European Union, what assurances can the

Secretary of State take to mitigate the economic risk, especially given

the foreign currency fluctuations, something that had been pointed out

as posing a significant risk to the national equipment plan in the

future? Secretary of State? I'm not going to comment and you wouldn't

expect me to, suffice it to say that the ministry, like any other large

organisations, does take precautions against fluctuations in these

currency rates and I think it's far too early to say or indeed wrong to

speculate as to where those rates will eventually settle down.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The Ministry of Defence's Permanent Secretary has

said that the European Union is operationally irrelevant to defence,

but does my right honourable friend agree with me that there are many

areas where there is room for continued collaboration, in

particular on a project by project basis through the European defence

agency? Well, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry agrees

with me on these matters. Of course, after we leave the European Union,

we will still have the largest defence budget in Europe, the

largest navy in Europe and some of the major capabilities that our

other partners will not have, and we'll continue to collaborate with

our partners, including key allies like France and Germany but also

northern European allies on these different programmes and our leaving

Europe does not mean that we won't continue to seek the efficiencies

that come from future collaboration. Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Defence

has said quite correctly that cooperation of European partners can

be both cost effective and it can achieve the results. I welcome the

Secretary of State's comments this afternoon. But can the Defence

Secretary specifically tell us if he's had discussions with the Brexit

secretary about future European cooperation when we've left the

European Union? Yes, I have. The new United States Defence

Secretary, James Mattis and I have already discussed a range of NATO

issues. I welcome his public support for the alliance. The Prime Minister

and President Trump has positive discussions about NATO last Friday

also. The United Kingdom and the United States will be leading

forward battalions this year in Estonia and Poland and I'll be

working with secretary Mattis on ways to improve NATO's

effectiveness. Thank you, Mr Speaker. President

Trump said he supports NATO 12010% but the American administration's

also said they would like to see changes in NATO to bring it into the

21st century. -- 100%. What discussions has the Secretary of

State had with his opposite number about that and if he hasn't, why

doesn't he start? Well, I have had those discussions

and look forward to further discusses when NATO Ke fence

ministers meet -- Defence Ministers meet.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The United States remains 100% committed to

NATO, the bedrock of its mutual defence pact. Would he agree that

the best indication of the role of the US in NATO is the cooperation we

are seeing around bringing our carrier strike force capability

back, rather than some of the commentary we are hearing in the

media? I was pleased to conclude an agreement with the United States

government before Christmas on the use of the US Marine Corpses of the

carrier to land their aircraft on. There are many more opportunities on

that programme and on the development of maritime patrol

aircraft where we are both using the same type of aircraft, many more

opportunities for deeper collaboration as there are in the

research and innovation areas that my right honourable friend is

leading on. The Navy is growing for the first

time in a generation with new aircraft carriers, subs, frigates on

their way. This is a new era of maritime power delivering security

at home. Are you all right? Do you want me to

do it? Sorry, it's my back, Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: The gentleman can ask his question from that sedentary

position. Sorry, Mr Speaker. The Defence Select Committee said that

the Royal Navy fleet of destroyers is below the critical mass required.

Does the minister agree with the former sea Lords who gave evidence

to the committee that the number of vessels isn't sufficient give than

there are island nations to protect our interests on the high seas?

THE SPEAKER: Thank you. Minister? I would like to emphasise that the

SDSR in 2015 did announce that we'll maintain our fleet of 19 fig grates

and destroyers and committed to the combat ships, three new solid

support ships and two new off shore pas haveles, in addition to the two

that are on their way. THE SPEAKER: We all wish the

honourable gentleman well. Perhaps I can say, no injury will dare to get

him down for long! THE SPEAKER: The honourable lady

should come in on this question to which her own question is similar.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. There's a thought for Monday afternoon. Could

the minister share with the House what percentage of the Royal Navy is

now female, how that compares with other NATO countries and what the

MoD is doing to ensure that women joining up can have a long,

fulfilling career in our world class Royal Navy alongside their family

responsibilities? Thank you, Mr Speaker. I can confirm that, as of

the 1st October 2016, some 9% of the naval service strength were female.

The departmental recruitment target is for 15% by 2020. The Royal Navy

has a number of initiatives to encourage recruitment and address

retention of female officers, including more focussed career

management and increased access to flexible ways of working. In the

2015 SDSR and again in December of last year in the first annual report

of the SDSR, the Government made it clear that the trials for Hth HMS

Queen Elizabeth would begin in spring of this year. In response to

the question last year, she informed me that they would no longer take

place but would take place in summer this year. What are the reasons and

who will be the operational service date for Queen Elizabeth?

I would like to confirm to the honourable gentleman that she will

commence her sea trials this summer and she will enter into the same

programme so that she can sail into Portsmouth later this year.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Will the minister join me in wishing God

speed to HMS Diamond leaving shortly from Portsmouth to lead the NATO

Task Force in the Black Sea? I would join in wishing God speed,

indeed to all of our destroyers which are in a range of different

tasks across the globe at this moment. Thank you. No 12. With

permission I would like to answer questions 12 and 16 together. The

security situation in Yemen has been concerning since 2014 when Huthy

forces took over the capital and forced out the legitimate

government. As the suffering in Yemen unfolds, near hi 2.2 million

people are internally displaced with evidence from amnesty showing

partially exploded British bombs are lying unexploded. Despite the

foreign minister denying their existence, we know such bombs have

been deployed, when will this heartless Tory Government wake up,

take on Saudi Arabia and stop the sale of these bombs s? I think she

must have missed the statement that the Secretary of State gave on this

in December. But I can confirm that the humanitarian situation is

extremely serious and as a result the UK is the forth largest donor to

Yemen. Thank you the single biggist contributor to humanitarian

disasters in Yemen is the Saudi Arabian air force, who have left 7

million people in danger of starvation. How much worse does the

crisis have to get before the UK stops selling weapons to a

Government accused of war crimes in Yemen? Well, the UK position is of

course that political solution is the best way forward to bring

long-term stability to Yemen and to end the conflict. But he will be

aware the coalition in the Yemen is supported by a united nation

resolution and there are regular incursions into Saudi territory and

he would recognise the legitimate self-defence of the Saudi-led

coalition under the UN nations decision. The UK-made cluster bombs

have been used and the Saudi Government have said they will not

continue this. But can the Secretary of State whether he has urged the

Saudi Government to sign the cluster ban. Yes, I can confirm that the

Government regularly urges the Saudi Arabia to sign the cluster munition

convention and I can confirm that in his statement in December, that he

welcomed the announcement that these UK munitions would no longer be

used. We know that the UK sold 500 LBL75 cluster munitions and the

Government gives the impression only one has been dropped in Yemen. Can

have a full inventory of the munitions, including serial numbers

and records for those no longer in their possession. Can I draw the

honourable lady's attention to my previous answer about how we welcome

the commitment, but we do not routinely hold records of other

nations of UK-manufactured equipment. Particularly supplies

that were made decades ago. As the minister knows, there are serious

allegations that war both sides in the conflict have broken

international humanitarian law. These claims are particularly

worrying to us here, because we now know that UK supplied cluster

munitions have been used in Yemen. What action is the Government taking

for pushing for a full investigation into the alleged violations of

international law in Yemen? Well, we are not opposing calls for an

international independent investigation into these incidents,

but we want to see the coalition investigate the allegations of

breaches of international law, which are attributed to them and for the

investigations to be thorough and conclusive. Finally Sir David Amis.

Question No 15. Mr Speaker, this Government is committed to

increasing our maritime power to project our interest and promote our

prosperity. We will spend ?63 billion on new ships and submarines

with do new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers and tankerses.

Would my honourable friend I degree it would be testimony to the British

workers and our navy and show Britain as a global force and will

they give ate wonderful welcome. I think it will be a moment of

enormous national pride when she sails into Portsmouth harbour and

I'm sure my honourable friend will join with many on the peer at

Southend, hoping for a glimpse and waving as she sails past! Topical

questions. No 1. My priorities remain our operations against Daesh

d strengthening day NATO and the Queen will unveil the new

Iraq/Afghanistan memorial with a service in London on 9th March as a

reminder of the contribution that our armed forces, our aid workers

and civilians have made to the security of the United Kingdom and

to help build a more stable future for the peoples of Iraq and

Afghanistan. So far 6,000 from my constituency have signed a petition

to cancel Trump's visit and the figure is going up. Will the

minister publicly condemn the entry ban that Donald Trump has imposed on

seven majority countries? I think the Government's position on this

has been made very clear. We do not agree with the way the ban is being

applied to British citizens and the honourable lady may have an

opportunity later this afternoon to pursue this directly with my

colleague the Foreign Secretary. What assessment has my honourable

friend made of Trident renewal on associated supply chain jobs in the

United Kingdom? I can confirm the programme is a major national

programme that will sustain thousands of jobs, the benefit will

extend beyond the major companies leading the programme. Army

recruitment levels are worryingly know, due in part to the

Government's failure to manage the contract with capita, allowing this

company to sponge off the public purse and bringing in over 6,000 out

of a target of 9,000 army recruits, will the Secretary of State review

capita's contract and improve its department's monitoring to stop

leech-like companies siphoning off taxpayers' money. We need to be

careful, because comments like that undermine the morale of our armed

forces. Let's have some facts. On 1st December 2016 our force were

143,000 and 29,000 were navy and 33,000, we are more work to do in

retention and recruitment, but those comments are not helpful to our

armed forces. Last week we debated prisons and the difficulty in

challenging a and recruiting prison officer, can I ask the MoD to use

its good offices when personnel leave that they are pointed in the

direction of Prison Service, there seems to be a good relationship

between the two with their skills and expertise much valued by the

Prison Service? Our service leavers have many transferable skills and we

are working to encourage them to join the Prison Service as part of

Government's recruitment of 2,500 new prison officers. Helen Hayes.

The report on UK military operations in Syria and Iraq recommended that

the Government provide the necessary detail on what is being targeted in

those countries. And put this information as far as possible into

the public domain. Is the Secretary of State prepared to make that

commitment today? We already publish a huge amount of information about

the number of strikes the Royal Air Force have carried out that.

Information was updated today and gave details of operations last week

around Mosul and a strike to the west of Raqqa, that information is

already made public. But I will of course look again and see whether we

can improve on it. Can I welcome my right honourable friend's visit to

Yeovil and the investment in Crow's Nest fleet protection for Merlin

helicopter, what is she doing to make sure that Boeing works on the

Apache helicopters and to build in the cluster we have in Yeovil. I was

impressed when I visited my honourable friend's constituency

this month. And of course Leonardo helicopters will support the Apache

mark 1s until they're retired from service and last week Boeing

announced it will make the UK its European base for training,

maintenance and repair across the defence platforms and they will want

to discuss I am sure this with Leonardo, which is well placed to

secure work on the next generation Apaches. When will the Secretary of

State have an inquiry into the botched Trident test to inform the

House what went wrong and will he tell the house what plans he has

made to sure the House can be confident the proceed dure for

providing information is reliable? I have no plans to commission the type

of inquiry the the honourable lady is proposing, because we do not on

the floor of the House comment on the details of nuclear submarine

operations or the details of operations, except to conclude that

HMS Vengeance completed that operation. With Iraqi security

forces lib rating Mosul, can he confirm what tour brave British

forces are doing to rid Iraq of Daesh. As Iraqi forces become

increasingly capable, we now need to deliver our training more flexibly.

In addition to training at different air bases, I have authorised UK

personnel to deliver training at other secured and protected

locations in Iraq. This aligns with our approach in the Kurdish region

and ensures we continue to deliver to deliver the skills and bridge

training the Iraqi forces require. Ministers are aware and no doubt

concerned that RAF servicemen Corry McKeig has been missing and we have

been kept informed of work being done to find him. Could I ask the

minister to place on the record their concern about the whereabouts

of Corrie and give assurance that work is being done to bring him

home? This is an ongoing police inquiry, but the whole House would

register their thoughts with his family and loved ones and his

service men who I have made. I have on a daily basis made sure that

every available military kit, personnel and surveillance equipment

is available should the police have requested it which they have on

several occasions and thank you for paying tribute to my PPS who has

made sure the local community know what is is going on. We all want him

to come home and the MoD will do all we can. After the revelation of the

failure of the Trine test, will the Secretary of State confirm our

nuclear deterrence is still able to deliver lethal projectiles with

total accuracy over a very long period of years like Roger Federer.

It is a very high bar to do that. I confirm the safety and effectiveness

of our nuclear deterrent. Has the Secretary of State has an

opportunity to speak to his American counter part, many of us would hope

he would have pointed out to the Americans that Trump's ban is

potential lay massive recruiting sergeant for terrorism and will not

protect anyone. The honourable lady will have more

opportunity later this afternoon to ask more detailed questions on that.

Would my right honourable friend agree with me that we would need to

spend increasing study, increase the study, of what is happening in the

south China sea, the strategic threats are changing there. Yes, we

are concerned at what the rising tension in the south China sea looks

like and we continue to encourage all parties that may be contesting

the sovereignty of particular islands or other areas to take those

disputes through the international forum established for that purpose

and deescalate the situation as far as they can.

The whole country will welcome the memorial to our 625 brave soldiers

who perished in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also they'll welcome

the admission by the Prime Minister that we'll never engage in wars of

that kind in future, wouldn't it be appropriate now to investigate why

we went into help manned in the belief that not a shot would be

fired but that resulted in 425 deaths of our soldiers. Shouldn't we

investigate that to make sure we don't repeat it? Well, the

honourable gentleman's long held the views and taken time to read the

Prime Minister's speech in full in Philadelphia last Thursday where she

spoke of the importance of the standing by the Farage ill

democracies in both Iraq and Afghanistan where we have increased

our troop presence and where we will stay until the job is done --

fragile. Thank you, Mr Speaker, I'm sure the whole House would have

heard with some joy that the procurement process by the MoD is to

be simplified and diversified to help us judge a success of this

could the minister say how many people currently work in procurement

at the MoD and whether that number will go up or down between the end

of the Parliament? I can provide in writing the number of people that

work there. I can commit that, as a bespoke trading entity, the

aspiration is that we don't manage the head count but manage down the

cost of it. -- the cost of procurement. How

relaxed is the Secretary of State about Trump having his finger on the

nuclear button? The United States has always been a good partner to

this country and has played a leading role in NATO. It's a key

part of the nuclear alliance that we and the United States share

together. It's worth remembering that NATO is a nuclear alliance and

I look forward to working with the new administration on precisely

that. Mr Speaker, will the Secretary of

State join with me in welcoming the heads of Government agreement signed

at the weekend between the UK and Turkey, securing over 400 jobs in

Lancashire. Does that not send out a signal that Britain post Brexit is

open for business? It does, and I too am delighted that the agreement

has now been signed in principle on the programme which will combine

Turkish and British technology and brainpower into the development of a

new fighter aircraft and I hop that will lead to many more jobs being

created, both here and in Turkey. If the US President follows through

with his intention to reinstate torture, NATO allies will be legally

obliged not to work with them. Will the Government ensure the use of

torture is ruled out in all effects. For NATO effectiveness? I understand

the point the honourable gentleman is making, we do not condone the use

of torture and there are obviously implications that flow from that.

Will the minister take action to ensure that more of the new light

tanks we are making are made in Britain?

I'm not sure if he's referring to a specific programme but I can confirm

we have taken extensive steps to ensure that a significant portion of

the manufacture process of the Ajax vehicles are made in South Wales and

we'll continue to work with suppliers to ensure we get

significant UK content in all our procurement. Can I ask the reasons

for the delay in the Queen Elizabeth sea trials and what the in-service

date of HMS Queen Elizabeth will be? As has always been our intention,

Queen Elizabeth should be accepted into the Royal Navy before the end

of this year. We are not giving specific dates as to when the sea

trials are likely to commence. The Queen Elizabeth will set out on the

sea trials when she's ready to do so.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. In 2020, Plymouth will be commemorating the

Mayflower leaving in order to go and find the American colonies. Would my

right honourable friend be willing to meet with me to discuss how we

could put together a review of the NATO fleet with obviously HMS The

Queen and also potentially the President of America?

I'm very happy to consider. It's the first suggestion I've heard as to

how that particular anniversary may be commemorated but it's certainly

worth looking into. THE SPEAKER: Urgent question. Ronnie

Cowan. I asked the Minister for Work and pensions to make a statement

under proposed closure of our Jobcentre Plus offices throughout

the United Kingdom. Thank you, Mr Speaker. On Thursday

26th January, the DWP published proposals for the future of its

estate including Jobcentres and back office sites. This Government is

committed to helping people who can work, get back into work. Since 2010

we have seen the claimant count drop from almost 1.5 million to around

800,000 and we have seen employment rise by 2.7 million to near record

levels. Old office contracts that are held by Jobcentres and benefits

centres are coming up for renewal and in the 20 years since the

contracts