Monday Volume 596 8 June 2015 No. 12 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 8 June 2015 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2015 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 885 8 JUNE 2015 886 Michael Fallon: My hon. Friend speaks with great House of Commons experience on these matters, as a former Defence Minister. Let me be clear with the House: this is a strategic Monday 8 June 2015 defence and security review. It is not a Treasury-led review. It is a review across the whole of government to assess the threats to our country—and the future threats The House met at half-past Two o’clock to it that may emerge; the capabilities we need to address those threats; and, of course, the resources we need to finance those capabilities. PRAYERS 19. [900134] Chris Evans (Islwyn) (Lab/Co-op): The [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Secretary of State will know that the defence industry contains 300,000 jobs, 55,000 of which are reliant on exports. Will he guarantee that the impact on employment Oral Answers to Questions will be included in the SDSR? Michael Fallon: Absolutely. This five-yearly review gives us the opportunity to look again at our defence industry to see how it is competing with our major DEFENCE defence competitors and whether enough is being done to advance those exports in certain markets, and to The Secretary of State was asked— ensure that our smaller and medium-sized companies also enjoy the benefit. The defence industry is a major Strategic Defence and Security Review employer and this will be a key part of the review. Bob Stewart (Beckenham) (Con): In 2010, the SDSR 1. Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab): largely neglected the threat from Russia. That situation What the timetable is for the strategic defence and has now changed. It was also not able to address the security review. [900115] upheavals in the middle east, because they had not happened, but we now face a serious threat emanating The Secretary of State for Defence (Michael Fallon): from the middle east. Will my right hon. Friend assure I hope you will allow me, Mr Speaker, to welcome the me that those two factors will be clearly placed as new Minister for the Armed Forces and the new Minister assumptions in the next SDSR? for defence personnel and veterans, the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes North (Mark Lancaster), to their places. Michael Fallon: I can reassure my hon. Friend on that. We are building on the foundations of the 2010 Work has now begun on the 2015 strategic defence review, much of whose analysis holds good, but, as he and security review, led by the Cabinet Office, and we has told the House, it did not predict the sudden rise of expect the review to report towards the end of the year. ISIL in the middle east or the return of Russian aggression, with the attempt to change international borders by Diana Johnson: But before we had seen any timetable force in Europe. Let me assure him that both those for the SDSR, the Chancellor last week announced threats will be a key part of this review. £500 million-worth of defence cuts. Leaving aside our NATO commitments and the fundamental importance of keeping this nation safe, should we not assess our Brendan O’Hara (Argyll and Bute) (SNP): In the security needs first and then set the budget? forthcoming SDSR, what cognisance will the Secretary of State give to the fact that in last month’s general Michael Fallon: The savings announced last week election a clear majority of the Scottish electorate voted were in-year savings that do not affect the core baseline for parties that put opposition to Trident at the forefront defence budget, from which we will negotiate spending of their manifesto and that 57 of 59 Members returned for the next three years; they do not affect manpower from Scotland do not want Trident renewal to go ahead? numbers; they do not affect our commitment to increase What cognisance will he give to the fact that the Scottish the equipment programme by 1% ahead of inflation; Parliament, the Scottish Churches and the Scottish and they will have no effect on current operations. The trade unions are also opposed to Trident— strategic review on which we have now embarked will be, quite properly, aligned with the spending review, Mr Speaker: Order. We are immensely grateful to the because defence, to be deliverable, has to be affordable. hon. Gentleman. Sir Gerald Howarth (Aldershot) (Con): Surely my Michael Fallon: Successive Governments have supported right hon. Friend must accept that, as the hon. Member the renewal of our nuclear deterrent that has helped to for Kingston upon Hull North (Diana Johnson) made keep this country safe, and we are committed to replacing clear, we need to establish the security requirements—the all four Vanguard submarines with new submarines strategic prospects for the United Kingdom in a very that will serve this country until at least 2060. The dangerous world. I am extremely alarmed, as others deterrent is a major employer. Thousands of jobs are at are, at the prospect of another Treasury-driven review, stake in Faslane, in the hon. Gentleman’s own constituency, at a time when we face a much more dangerous world so I hope that he will consider the consequences of his than we did in 2010. policy on his own constituents. 887 Oral Answers8 JUNE 2015 Oral Answers 888 Brendan O’Hara: Given that there was precious little As far as the strategic review is concerned, I have set strategy involved in the 2010 SDSR and that it was in out the timetable to the House today, and the scope and fact little more than a cost-cutting exercise, will the the ambition of the review, which has already started Minister ensure that the process of renewing and purchasing and will be concluded towards the end of this year. We United Kingdom maritime patrol aircraft will be undertaken will also consult key external voices, such as academics immediately and that those aircraft will then be based and those in other areas who have something to contribute where they should be historically and logically—in Scotland? to the review. I hope that will include the hon. Gentleman. Michael Fallon: The 2010 review necessarily involved Vernon Coaker: That answer really shows just how some tough decisions because we had to balance the complacent the Government are. Just yesterday, the US budget as a result of the mess that we inherited from President spoke to the Prime Minister. The US Defence Labour. Let me assure the hon. Gentleman that we will Secretary said that our actions seemed to indicate be looking again at all these different capabilities and at disengagement. I ask the Secretary of State again: when the importance of Scotland. I hope that he noted that I will the Government set out their plans to discuss, with was able to be on the Clyde this morning cutting the Parliament and the rest of the country, the threats we first steel on our very latest warship, HMS Medway, face, our global role and the military capability we which is being built on the Clyde to defend the whole of need? For example, when will they discuss the lack of a the United Kingdom. maritime patrol aircraft and what the availability of two aircraft carriers actually means—just two examples of Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire) (Con): When the the decisions facing the country? This is the Defence SDSR finally arrives, it must incorporate three promises: Secretary’s chance to launch a wide-ranging debate the Prime Minister’s promise during the general election about the forthcoming SDSR. Will he do it? campaign that there will be no cuts whatsoever in the regular forces; the promise that the Prime Minister made shortly after the last election that there will be real Michael Fallon: Yes, of course we will engage with growth in defence spending; and the promise recently Parliament and I look forward to engaging with the reiterated by the Secretary of State about the 1% increase newly established Select Committee on Defence. However, in real terms in defence equipment spending from now the hon. Gentleman has chosen two rather odd capabilities onwards. Given those three commitments—leaving aside to put on the table. We are addressing the gap in for a moment the 2% commitment to NATO—where maritime patrol aircraft because the previous Labour will the Secretary of State find any cash at all to save if Government were supposed to deliver 23 Nimrods but, he is asked to by the comprehensive spending review? when we came into office in 2010, the programme was eight years behind schedule, £800 million over budget Michael Fallon: My hon. Friend is right that he and I and not a single Nimrod had been delivered. He then were elected on a mandate to replace the nuclear deterrent went on to mention aircraft carriers, but it is this with four new nuclear ballistic submarines; to maintain Government that are building two aircraft carriers and the current size of the regular armed forces; and to this Government that are committed to sailing them increase our spending on the equipment programme by both. inflation plus 1% each year. It is our task now in this review to ensure that those commitments are held to ISIL (Iraq) and that our armed forces have the equipment and the resources that they need.