Tabled by Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon To ask Her Majesty’s
Government what plans they have to sustain the United Kingdom’s
standalone capacity to design and manufacture helicopters as part
of their modernising defence programme. Baroness Bakewell of
Hardington Mandeville (LD) My...Request free trial
Tabled by
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To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to
sustain the United Kingdom’s standalone capacity to
design and manufacture helicopters as part of their
modernising defence programme.
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My Lords, on behalf of my noble friend ,
I beg leave to ask the Question standing in his name on
the Order Paper.
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My Lords, we continue to assess the military
effectiveness of rotary unmanned aerial systems and carry
out ongoing capability studies that will help inform our
future manned and unmanned equipment choices.
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I thank the Minister for his response, but the
Government’s failure to provide a clear strategy for the
preservation of our onshore sovereign capability to
design and manufacture helicopters is now endangering
investment, jobs and prosperity, both in the south-west
and nationally. Is the Minister aware that, if this is
not remedied either in the modernising defence paper this
summer or in the Budget, long-term real damage will be
done to the crucial national defence and aerospace
capability, as well as to local jobs in the Yeovil area
and to the UK economy?
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The noble Baroness raises some very important points and
I understand the emphasis that she attaches to this
aspect of UK industry. Our approach to rotary capability
will be considered as part of the modernising defence
programme, as she mentioned. It is worth remembering that
we already have a long-term close relationship with
Leonardo helicopters, which represents the design and
manufacturing capability in the south-west, through our
strategic partnership arrangement—a 10-year arrangement
from 2016. That arrangement is unique and it enables us
to maintain a continuing dialogue with the company to
ensure that we are speaking the same language on
capabilities, needs and requirements.
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My Lords, another NATO summit is imminent. This brings to
mind the frustrations of 15 years of shortfalls in NATO’s
helicopter capability, which was much-needed in
Afghanistan. Despite the fact that most of our European
allies had helicopters available—at one stage I counted
over 1,000—we could not get 17 into Afghanistan. Our
stand-alone capability reminds me of the relevance of
this Question. We have an opportunity with the MDP for
the noble Earl and the MoD to sit down with Leonardo,
Boeing, Airbus and other providers of our helicopter
capability. Will the noble Earl refresh his memory of the
2005 defence industrial strategy, which is still the last
strategy any UK Government have had and is still
relevant? He may want to look at page 90 in particular.
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My Lords, I shall do exactly that. I am grateful to the
noble Lord for his suggestion. We are on track to share
headline conclusions from the modernising defence
programme by the NATO summit in July. At that stage we
expect to describe what the changed strategic context
means for defence policy and planning, including the area
in which the noble Lord is interested; how our overall
approach needs to evolve, as surely it must; and how we
intend to pursue improved capability in the new domains
of warfare.
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My Lords, does the noble Earl not agree that, given both
the size of our defence budget and the multiple
challenges of affordability it faces, the idea that we
can for all time sustain a whole range of sovereign
defence capability is simply untenable?
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My Lords, I do not think that this Government or any
preceding recent Government have pretended that we can
maintain sovereign capability in every area of our
defence requirements. We certainly consider maintaining
sovereign capability where that is in the national
interest but, in general, competition ensures best value
for money, best capability and innovation.
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My Lords, following up on my noble friend’s Question, I
am sure the Minister will agree that this is not only a
question for the south-west but also affects the position
of Airbus, which, after all, provides at the moment
one-third of all UK defence helicopters. Bearing in mind
the likely pressures on Airbus to shift production to
France or Germany if Brexit happens, what steps are the
Government taking to ensure that Airbus’s helicopter
capability remains in the UK?
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The noble Lord is right: Airbus provides the majority of
police and emergency services helicopters and has the
largest share of the UK’s civil and military market. Its
main base is in Oxford, where it modifies and customises
helicopters, although the design and manufacture is
completed in France, as the noble Lord is aware. We are
in regular contact and have regular discussions with the
company. The aerospace growth partnership, in particular,
enables the industry and Government to engage on a formal
basis to tackle the barriers and unlock market
opportunities across these sectors of the economy.
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I know it is not my noble friend’s responsibility but
does he have any idea when the Metropolitan Police will
start using unmanned aircraft for surveillance over
London rather than flying helicopters, which is the most
expensive form of aviation?
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My Lords, I am afraid I shall have to write to my noble
friend on that issue as it is not in my brief.
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My Lords, in researching this Question I discovered the
defence industrial policy December 2017, which I believe
is the latest statement of the Government’s intentions. I
word-searched it for the word “helicopter”, which
appeared under two pretty pictures and nowhere in the
main text. Are we really going to get by the middle of
July in the modernising defence programme a definitive
answer to the original question?
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I might suggest that the noble Lord should turn his
attention to the Government’s industrial strategy White
Paper as well. We are very alive to the issue he raised
concerning helicopters. We are committed to keeping the
UK as a leading aerospace nation. The industrial strategy
White Paper identifies a range of cross-government
measures to boost productivity, employment, innovation
and skills. Indeed, my honourable friend has recently completed
a review of prosperity arising from our defence
industries which will help to inform our future thinking
in this area.
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