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Vol. 740 Tuesday No. 53 23 October 2012 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDER OF BUSINESS Questions European Defence Agency Small and Medium-sized Enterprises NHS: Accident and Emergency Services Taxation: International Companies Trusts (Capital and Income) Bill [HL] Third Reading Bovine Tuberculosis Statement Infrastructure (Financial Assistance) Bill Second Reading and Remaining Stages Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules Motion of Regret Grand Committee Official Secrets Act 1989 (Prescription) (Amendment) Order 2012 Considered in Grand Committee Forestry Commissioners (Climate Change Functions) (Scotland) Order 2012 (Consequential Modifications) Order 2012 Considered in Grand Committee Cyprus Question for Short Debate Housing: Park Homes Question for Short Debate Written Statements Written Answers For column numbers see back page £3·50 Lords wishing to be supplied with these Daily Reports should give notice to this effect to the Printed Paper Office. 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THE INDEX to each Bound Volume of House of Commons Debates is published separately at £9·00 and can be supplied to standing order. All prices are inclusive of postage. © Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2012, this publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 131 European Defence Agency[23 OCTOBER 2012] European Defence Agency 132 indeed EU Sub-Committee C recognised, that we benefit House of Lords from the pooling and sharing within the agency and that the agency does valuable work in niche areas such Tuesday, 23 October 2012. as counter-IED, medical support, helicopters and cyber warfare? Further, if there were not a positive response, 2.30 pm there would be an almighty row with our French partners. Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of Leicester. Lord Astor of Hever: My Lords, there are no rifts and there is no hidden agenda. We said that we would European Defence Agency review our membership after two years. We will then Question provide an Explanatory Memorandum and notify both Houses in the normal way as soon as possible. I am 2.37 pm aware of the benefits that the EDA has delivered, but Asked By Lord Anderson of Swansea we need to review the full benefits and improvement goals that it has set for itself. In an age of financial To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has austerity, we must ensure that every pound of taxpayers’ been the outcome of the review of the status of money counts for defence. United Kingdom membership of the European Defence Agency announced in October 2010. Lord Jopling: My Lords, did the Minister see the recent report of the same sub-committee which the The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry noble Lord just referred to? The committee’s report of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): My Lords, first, I said that given that the EDA, am sure that the whole House will wish to join me in “is deemed to be well directed under its current management, it offering sincere condolences to the families and friends should be given the proper tools and commitment to do a proper of Lieutenant Andrew Chesterman of 3rd Battalion The job. The UK and France should take the lead”. Rifles, Lance Corporal Matthew Smith of 26 Engineer Will the Government take that opinion into account Regiment, Guardsman Jamie Shadrake of 1st Battalion in coming to a decision? Grenadier Guards, Guardsman Karl Whittle of 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, Sergeant Lee Davidson Lord Astor of Hever: My Lords, I have read the of The Light Dragoons, Lance Corporal Duane Groom report of Sub-Committee C and, as I said in my reply, of 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, Sergeant Gareth we will take this into account in the review. Thursby of 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, Private Thomas Wroe of 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Lord Liddle: My Lords, does the Minister accept Regiment, Sergeant Jonathan Kups of the Royal Electrical that, in the age of financial austerity that he referred and Mechanical Engineers, Captain James Townley of to, there is a very strong case for common defence the Corps of Royal Engineers and Captain Carl Manley procurement if it can be done economically within of the Royal Marines who died on operations in Europe, and that potentially the agency has a huge Afghanistan recently. role to play in making that work much better than it My thoughts are also with the wounded, and I pay has in the past? tribute to the courage and fortitude with which they face their rehabilitation. Once again, we are reminded Lord Astor of Hever: My Lords, I agree with that. If of the immense danger that our Armed Forces operate we can do it economically, this makes a lot of sense. in to uphold our safety and security. Their families and the whole country should rightly be proud of their heroic service and we shall always remember Lord Palmer of Childs Hill: My Lords, first I wish them. to identify these Benches with the sad condolences expressed by the Minister. Does my noble friend agree Turning to the Question, Ministers are still considering that some of the successful examples of European the case for UK membership of the European Defence Defence Agency initiatives are both the air-to-air refuelling Agency with the aim of announcing the outcome of and the helicopter training exercises which have been the review before the end of the autumn. As part of completed this week? Could he detail any other recent that review, we are looking at the activities of the achievements of the EDA? agency’s four main directorates of capability, research and technology, industry and markets and armaments to assess the benefits received by our membership, Lord Astor of Hever: My Lords, the EDA has seen including on our international relationships and what significant success in a number of capability areas; for improvements there have been in the agency since 2010. example, as my noble friend said, helicopter training which has directly increased the number of pilots available for operations in Afghanistan. By enhancing Lord Anderson of Swansea: My Lords, we all join the capabilities of smaller member states, we receive the Minister in those condolences and tributes to our an indirect benefit through better burden-sharing in brave soldiers. operations. I understand that 114 crews—that is 1,300 The two-year period of review has now passed with personnel—have been trained, of which 63 have been no outcome. Does that mean there is some rift within deployed to Afghanistan. My noble friend mentioned the coalition? Will the Government now recognise, as the air-to-air refuelling initiative. As part of pooling 133 European Defence Agency[LORDS] Small and Medium-sized Enterprises 134 [LORD ASTOR OF HEVER] Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and sharing, the EDA is taking a lead in facilitating Question European capability development in this area. This has not yet delivered results but the initiative is at an early stage. This issue was highlighted in operations 2.46 pm over Libya where the US provided the vast majority of Asked By Lord Cotter air-to-air refuelling capability. If I may, I will write to my noble friend on the other achievements—European To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action military air-worthiness, the requirements initiative, industry they are taking to address the issue of late payments and markets, and the capability development plan. to small and medium-sized enterprises. Lord Soley: Are the Government looking at sharing Lord Wallace of Saltaire: My Lords, central government with the French the facilities recently opened at RAF policy is to pay undisputed invoices within five days Waddington for the control of UAVs? and to pass 30-day payment terms down supply chains. Moreover, the Crown representative team in the Cabinet Lord Astor of Hever: My Lords, I went up to RAF Office is encouraging prime contractors to pay more Waddington a couple of weeks ago and saw for myself quickly than the 30-day commitment on a voluntary what the noble Lord has talked about. I cannot answer basis. We have tasked departments across Whitehall to from the Dispatch Box whether the French will be manage their contracts to ensure that prime contractors involved in that. As I have said previously from the pay their subcontractors within 30 days. Dispatch Box on many occasions, I welcome as much co-operation with the French as possible. We are working Lord Cotter: I thank the Minister for his Answer. with them in a lot of areas. Noble Lords may have Will he and his officials look at the important reports seen in the Daily Telegraph today the photograph of and surveys carried out by the Federation of Small our Royal Marines training off Corsica with the French Businesses and the British Chambers of Commerce marines.