Monday Volume 688 1 February 2021 No. 169 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 1 February 2021 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2021 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 663 1 FEBRUARY 2021 664 across the country, so will the Secretary of State update House of Commons this House as to how his Department aims to ensure that the British taxpayer is not left paying huge rents on Monday 1 February 2021 a great number of empty properties, as has already happened, when these sites are closed? How many of these defence estate sites will be affected by the Crichel The House met at half-past Two o’clock Down rule? PRAYERS Mr Wallace: The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. The defence estate optimisation programme was [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] and is planned to unlock £1.4 billion, to be reinvested Virtual participation in proceedings commenced (Orders, in an overall plan of a £5.1 billion investment in the 4 June and 30 December 2020). defence estate across the board, helping soldiers, sailors and air force personnel with better quality accommodation [NB: [V] denotes a Member participating virtually.] and a better training estate. He is right to point out the challenges relating to historical problems with both private finance initiatives and the Annington home deal Oral Answers to Questions at the end of 1997. Some of the PFI schemes introduced under his Government lay a heavy burden on the defence budget. We are both examining and negotiating on a DEFENCE number of those areas to try to reduce the overall burden on the taxpayer. The Secretary of State was asked— Military Training: Overseas Armed Forces Defence Estate John Nicolson (Ochil and South Perthshire) (SNP): Kevin Hollinrake (Thirsk and Malton) (Con): What Which overseas armed forces have received military steps his Department is taking to make the most effective training in the UK since 1 January 2020. [911595] use of the defence estate. [911594] The Minister for the Armed Forces (James Heappey): The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ben Wallace): In this period, about 2,000 personnel, from more than I would like to take the opportunity, on behalf of 100 countries, have received some form of defence everyone in Defence, to send Captain Sir Tom Moore training in the United Kingdom. our best wishes for his recovery from covid. He continues to be an inspiration to us all, embodying the “Trust, John Nicolson [V]: The Biden Administration have Courage, Team Spirit” motto of the Army Foundation halted the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia, with many College in Harrogate, for which he is the honorary Democrats citing the killing of civilians, including children, colonel. From the newest recruit upwards, we all wish by Saudi forces in Yemen. A freedom of information him a very speedy recovery. request by The Guardian revealed that the Government We are taking several steps to ensure that we are provided training on UK soil for Saudi military. Will using the estate in a most effective way. They include the Minister ensure that the Government expose the updating our infrastructure strategy plans; implementing widely documented crimes committed by Saudi personnel an asset management system across the estate; and with US counterparts as they undertake this review? increasing investment in the estate to implement the Will he take a leaf out of the American book and defence estate optimisation portfolio, reducing our footprint reassess whether we should be enabling the Saudi regime, and modernising our infrastructure. given the awful crimes it has committed? Kevin Hollinrake: My constituents are very proud of James Heappey: The hon. Gentleman will know from the role RAF Linton-on-Ouse has had in the defence of the many parliamentary questions that have been asked our realm, all the way from the second world war to the on this that much of the information relating to licensing current day—or near to it. Will my right hon. Friend is subject to ongoing legal proceedings, but our defence update the House on any other potential purposeful relationship with Saudi Arabia on training includes military uses he has for the base? courses, advice and guidance. This supports the efforts of Saudi Arabia to protect national and regional security, Mr Wallace: At the urging of my hon. Friend—the as well as its military’s compliance with international RAF have been in the process of drawing the base humanitarian law. The UK is not a member of the down, as he said—we did look at exploring other military Saudi-led coalition and we played no role in setting uses for that base, but at the moment no long-term Saudi-led coalition policy. military requirement has been identified. Defence is, I am afraid, therefore completing the final assessment, Covid-19: Regional Support with disposal details to be announced in due course. Claire Coutinho (East Surrey) (Con): What regional Mr Khalid Mahmood (Birmingham, Perry Barr) (Lab) support his Department has provided in tackling the [V]: May I join the Secretary of State in sending our best covid-19 outbreak. [911596] wishes to Sir Tom for a speedy recovery? It is a well-known fact that in the 21st century we need to modernise our Dehenna Davison (Bishop Auckland) (Con): What defence estates to compete, given changing world needs. regional support his Department has provided in tackling The Government have announced the closure of 90 sites the covid-19 outbreak. [911612] 665 Oral Answers 1 FEBRUARY 2021 Oral Answers 666 Jonathan Gullis (Stoke-on-Trent North) (Con): What to understand what it is that the military could do and regional support his Department has provided in tackling in helping us in the MOD to get ahead of that demand the covid-19 outbreak. [911616] so that we can get troops lined up. It is clear that, whatever the lessons learnt about the covid response The Minister for the Armed Forces (James Heappey): more generally, one of the biggest lessons for the Ministry As part of the national covid-19 response, Defence has of Defence is that those relationships at local level are been active in all regions of the UK, providing support of huge importance and I hope that we can institutionalise in a variety of ways, including through the distribution them as we go forward. of personal protective equipment and diagnostic equipment; the planning, construction and staffing of Nightingale Stewart Malcolm McDonald (Glasgow South) (SNP) hospitals; conducting school and community testing; [V]: May I also put on record my best wishes, and those and providing military support to NHS trusts and support of my party, to Captain Sir Tom Moore and wish him a to the vaccine programme. As of 27 January, there are speedy recovery? approximately 14,500 personnel committed or at readiness, I have mentioned before that we are extremely grateful and service personnel are deployed in every region of for the effort of the armed forces in Scotland, but I must the UK. mention the effort that they are making in my constituency Claire Coutinho [V]: In the south-east, we are lucky to at the Castlemilk vaccine centre. It is so good that it have more than 300 defence personnel working in a even managed to bring the Prime Minister out of Downing mixture of medical and non-medical roles in our NHS. Street to my constituency—against all advice, but there On Friday, I heard directly from my local trust about we go. What plans does the Minister have to recognise how important that has been as a boost to our NHS the extraordinary effort and the extraordinary work of workforce. Does my hon. Friend agree that we should those in the armed forces working on the pandemic extend our deepest gratitude to the hard-working men alongside such brilliant NHS staff up and down the and women who have been working on the frontline of country? this pandemic? James Heappey: I am not sure whether I agree that James Heappey: I certainly do. I am delighted that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom visiting the defence personnel have been of such use to the local United Kingdom armed forces hard at work in all parts authorities in the south-east. Personnel from all three of the United Kingdom is in any way an inappropriate services are employed in a range of roles to support activity for him to undertake. The great thing about our frontline NHS services, both providing direct clinical nation’s armed forces is that they get on with the job at care and undertaking support roles to free up NHS hand and do not seek any recognition at the time. This staff. I know from everything that I have heard from is their priority; it is our priority. Of course, we have an nursing directors and clinicians across the country that eye on how we might recognise their contribution when their contribution has been of enormous benefit and we all this is done. are very grateful to them all. Stewart Malcolm McDonald: I can tell the Minister Dehenna Davison [V]: Having volunteered at a new that my inbox tells a rather different story. What they local vaccine centre in Bishop Auckland, I have seen the want is to be paid properly, to have decent working looks of joy and relief on people’s faces. I was pleased conditions and employment conditions, and their families to hear that the Ministry of Defence is standing up to be supported better.