argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
George Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative, Centre-right): May I welcome my right hon. Friend to his place? I have sat in this place for 25 years—as you know only too well, Mr Speaker—and, sadly, I know that every Government bring forward another statement about modernising the armed forces, but invariably end up spending less money on the armed forces, while leaving them under the same pressures May I urge my right hon. Friend, in the conduct of his office, to please learn from previous mistakes? For example, when we went into the Bosnia area we had a "just-in-time" equipment policy based on supermarkets. That was very modern, but it ended up with tanks up on the side of the road with no equipment because we could not get it to them "just in time". War is an expensive and wasteful business. Will he please ensure that we do not repeat the nonsense of people saying, "You can modernise," when actually they mean, "You cut"?
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): History teaches us many lessons, and we will try to learn as many of them as possible. My right hon. Friend has a lot of personal experience of the armed forces, and I welcome his contribution and thoughts on the review. We want the best armed forces possible. This is not an operation to take money off the armed forces; it is about ensuring that we get the armed forces and the support that we need, and recognising that they do the most amazing job for our country. That is what we hope to achieve as part of this review.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman seems to think that the British public are really interested in the tabling of statements. I think they are interested in the fact that the Government are acting to ensure that our armed forces have the resources and everything they need. The review does not aim to be fiscally neutral—that is why we brought it out of the national security and capability review, which is a separate review mechanism. Sir Mark is doing an amazing job on the NSCR, which he outlined would be fiscally neutral, and this review has led on from that. I would be more than happy to meet the hon. Gentleman to discuss his wider issues and concerns about the north Atlantic.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Michael Fallon (Conservative, Centre-right): Is my right hon. Friend aware that he will have the support of the whole House if he manages to secure additional funding for the pressures this year and next, and then puts the defence budget on a more sustainable footing that allows our armed forces to tackle the increased threats that they face, without demoralising rumours of "deep cuts"? The words used here are interesting and important, but what really matters in the end is money—more money.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for all that he has done for our armed forces. Without his work and campaigning, we would not today have a rising budget, with £4 billion of extra resources committed to our armed forces by the Government. I will take on board his comments. His article in The Daily Telegraph today sets absolutely the right tone and approach for how to take things forward. I hope I have the opportunity to sit down with him to discuss how we get the balance right and ensure that we achieve everything that he has set out and built on for our armed forces over the past four years. We must look at getting additional resources for our armed forces so that they have the capability to protect and truly defend Britain’s global interests, both near and far.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): I apologise if the right hon. Gentleman did not hear me. There is not the constraint of the programme being fiscally neutral; we are looking at what we can do and how we can deliver it to the best of our ability. I am very grateful to both the Chancellor and the Prime Minister for all they have done to work towards the position where we can put forward this programme and have the opportunity to look at the needs of our defence industry and establishment.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Keith Robert Simpson (Conservative, Centre-right): I have every sympathy with the Secretary of State: over the last two days when this was going to be announced, it was the old Army motto "knickers on, knickers off", which many of us are familiar with. A number of colleagues, including my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), have pointed to the crucial matter of money. Twenty years ago, the Labour Government carried out an enormous strategic defence review, which on the whole was well received, but it was never funded. Has the Secretary of State any confidence at all that his recommendations will actually be funded by the Treasury?
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): Yes; I very much hope that the recommendations of the programme will be listened to closely by the Prime Minister and the Chancellor. Its whole aim is to give the armed forces the opportunity clearly to set out our case for the resources that we need going forward.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): There has been an awful lot of speculation over the past few months and virtually all of it has been proved to be completely untrue. I will continue to keep the House updated on progress, as I promised to in my statement. I will do everything I can to make sure that the armed forces, as well as the House, are listened to as we develop the programme going forward.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Andrew William Murrison (Conservative, Centre-right): There is real logic in separating out the security and defence reviews that the Secretary of State has referred to, but going forward, things such as cyber, intel, asymmetric warfare and drones will touch on both security and defence. How will he distinguish Sir Mark Sedwill’s review from the one that he has announced and will lead?
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): We will be continuously working very closely with Sir Mark—given that a great deal of work has already been done on the NSCR, it would be crazy for us not to do that. What the review identified was that more work needed to be done on the Ministry of Defence budget. If the exercise were fiscally neutral, it would not have been possible to deliver in such a way. We will be working closely with the Cabinet Office to ensure that everything that we have done sits within the priorities of the National Security Council. As for cyber-attack, the Ministry of Defence itself leads on aspects of that. All the work across all those realms is done in conjunction with all the parts of our national security infrastructure—GCHQ, MI5 and MI6. It is essential that that continues going forward.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): We have made a commitment in relation to the size of our armed forces. I think there is a strong argument that we need forces with not just the very best equipment but mass, if we are to be able to deploy.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Robert Alexander Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): On Monday, General Sir Nick Carter, the Chief of the General Staff, stated that the Russians could go to war far more quickly than we had previously thought. Will my right hon. Friend allow consideration, and some support, to leaving, say, a brigade in Germany, so that we would be closer to where the battles may well be?
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): It is too early in the process for me to be able to comment on that, but I will look into the issue and come back to the hon. Gentleman. Obviously, the whole point of the programme is to look at things afresh. However, we have commented fairly regularly on the increasing threat that we face in the north Atlantic, which has been raised by Members. We must ensure that we have submarines that are able to operate in and defend the north Atlantic.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Bernard Christison Jenkin (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for delivering good news to the House, and congratulate him on leveraging the somewhat unexpected and sudden nature of his appointment to the advantage of Her Majesty’s armed forces and the Ministry of Defence. Leveraging control over the defence review back to the Department for the first time since 2010 represents a return of sanity, because the current defence review is proving undeliverable, which shows what happens if policy is divorced from the Department that has to deliver it.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes an important point about this programme being led by the Ministry of Defence. Our armed forces should be leading the programme, because they have the greatest understanding of what is needed, and what support they will require to be most effective going forward.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): My predecessor made it clear that we would invest in Type 26 and Type 31 frigates to ensure that that protective screen would surround those magnificent aircraft carriers, of which everyone in the United Kingdom is so proud.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): One of the key elements of this programme is looking at how we can use defence to increase the prosperity of the nation. We talk about global Britain and about international diplomacy, and our armed forces are virtually always the best diplomats, because when others see British forces—whether the British Army, the Royal Air Force or the Royal Navy—they perceive them as a real symbol of Britain’s reach and what we can achieve in the world, and we will certainly be looking far beyond Suez.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): The NSCR will be looking at producing a document explaining how it sees the changed threats and how we should respond to them, and that will be in the public domain. We need to have a more active debate—we all encourage that—because the threats we are facing are developing very quickly. Just five years ago, Russia was not seen as a real threat to our national security. We have to start talking about it. If we do not talk about it, people do not understand those threats. I will certainly be encouraging that debate going forward.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): Just before Christmas, I had the opportunity to visit our troops stationed in Poland. We are not currently looking at increasing the number of troops in Poland, but we are always talking very closely with our NATO partners; they are on a six-month rotation, which seems to suit matters currently, but we will keep that under review.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): We are one of the most active nations in making sure we bring peace right across the globe. We have a great history and we should take great pride in everything we have achieved in the past, and I have no doubt we will achieve in the future. But we have to understand that people who are threatening Britain do not respect weakness; if we were to disarm, or get rid of our nuclear deterrent, or diminish or get rid of our conventional forces, that would make them no less likely to attack us. We have to have an effective deterrent, and that is not just a nuclear deterrent; it is a conventional deterrent as well.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Alan Mak (Conservative, Centre-right): Innovative defence technology firms, particularly in the small and medium-sized enterprises sector, can play an important role in making sure our armed forces have access to the best possible equipment. As my right hon. Friend’s review proceeds, will he ensure that SMEs’ role in procurement is seriously considered?
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend has done a lot of work on the fourth industrial revolution, and we must ask how we can harness those new technologies to give our military the constant advantage going forward. The battlefield is changing incredibly rapidly, and if we can work with SMEs, we need to do more of that because some of the greatest and most innovative ideas come from those businesses. I appreciated the time my hon. Friend took to speak with me about some of the work being done in his constituency of Havant and look forward to working with him further to make some of those ideas a reality.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): We have outlined in the programme the fact that we need to do this quickly. We are conscious of the concerns that many people in the armed forces have expressed, which is why we are committed to ensuring that we report back before the summer recess.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Pauline Elizabeth Latham (Conservative, Centre-right): The Secretary of State might not realise that, although Derby is as far from the sea as anyone can get, we have a very strong relationship with the submariner associations. The submariners are our unsung heroes: they are under the sea for months at a time. Will he ensure that they form an essential part of this review and that they are looked after? And do not forget that our submarines are powered by Rolls-Royce engines from Derby.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): And very fine engines they are! We have had a continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent for almost 50 years. The work of our submariner force inevitably goes unnoticed—that is the aim—but what they do to protect our country is truly magnificent. Without their commitment and dedication, the country would be a lot less safe.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): I dearly miss my former honourable counterpart and the work that we did together as Chief Whips. The continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent is a vital part of our defence and we should never see it in isolation. People often talk about it without recognising that it is part of the whole spectrum of deterrence, involving the infantry, Royal Navy frigates and destroyers, Royal Air Force helicopters and fast jets and the British Army itself. The continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent is an integral part of all that, and if we got rid of it, we would make Britain less safe. We have to have it. I would have thought that the hon. Gentleman welcomed it, because it brings an awful lot of wealth, prosperity and jobs to Scotland. On this side of the House, we are very proud of that.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Rebecca Faye Clark (Pow) (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement. Does he agree that it is vital to have the flexibility to support our allies when required? I particularly want to highlight the flexibility of the Royal Marines—40 Commando is based in my constituency—not just to provide security but to help the community, for example, in times of floods and hurricanes.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): I note my hon. Friend’s comments about the flexibility of the Royal Marines. She is right, but this applies not only to the Royal Marines but to the Parachute Regiment and to every part of the British Army, the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. We saw how they stepped up at a moment’s notice in the Caribbean to deliver relief to tens of thousands of people, and we see them stepping up to the plate every year when tragedy hits different parts of the United Kingdom. We are very proud of that, and it is an essential part of what they do and will continue to do.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): I put a great deal of importance on it. I want us, wherever we can, to purchase products that are manufactured here in Britain. We also have to look at manufacturing products that we can sell not just to the Ministry of Defence but right across the globe. The larger the product portfolio that we can sell to the Gulf, Europe and the United States, the better it will be for British industry.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): Absolutely. This is where we have the opportunity to embrace new technology to make our armed forces more effective in what they do. If we stand still, our enemies will overtake us. In this country, we have some of the most innovative companies, some of which have never before sold to defence, and we have to make use of that innovation.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): I will always meet them. Jobs in Lancashire are close to my heart, and I was very proud to sign a deal with the Qataris for the largest Typhoon order in more than a decade. We need to be doing more of that. How can we sell more Typhoons, more Hawks and more equipment around the globe? I look forward to working with Members on both sides of the House to make sure that the British defence industry continues to thrive and prosper.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): I do not want to prejudge the programme just yet, but we need to give people the real confidence and belief that the armed forces are treasured and valued by everyone in this country. We need people to realise that if they join the Army, the Navy or the Air Force, they will have not just a great career but the best possible career that anyone could ever have. I hope that the programme will give them the confidence that a career in our armed forces is the best career that they can pursue.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): We owe a great debt to Northern Ireland. It contributes 7% of our armed forces—a percentage that is far greater than its population as a proportion of the UK’s—in the Regular Army and the reserves. I will have Northern Ireland at the forefront of my mind. I am not sure whether the Democratic Unionist party is suggesting that a third aircraft carrier should be built at Harland and Wolff. It is absolutely vital that we work together to make sure that a part of the United Kingdom that has continuously played such an important role in our national defence carries on doing so.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): The National Security Adviser is leading on much of this, and I do not want to pinch other aspects of the national security capability review. I would struggle to get away with outlining some of the things that we want to do without breaching national security. I hope that my hon. Friend will forgive me for evading his question.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): We are looking at that option. We have seen an upturn in the number of people applying to join the British Army—up 15% this year—but we are happy to look at all ideas to make sure the right number of people are applying to join our armed services, so that they can operate effectively.
Modernising Defence Programme — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Andrew Campbell Bowie (Conservative, Centre-right): I wish you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and the Secretary of State a very happy Burns day. Tomorrow evening, I will be addressing a Burns supper in the wardroom of HMS Nelson. When I stand up, will I be able to confirm that the review will remain in the sole command of the Secretary of State and that, in conducting it, he and his staff will be fully aware of the critical importance of our senior service’s capabilities, especially its amphibious capabilities, about which there has been some concern of late?
Points of Order — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Julian Murray Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. First, may I say what a delight it is to see you back in the Chair? Have either you or Mr Speaker been given notice by the Chancellor of the Exchequer that, in view of the important call by the former Secretary of State for Defence that we spend 2.5% of GDP on defence, he will be coming to the Chamber to announce an increase in the defence budget, so that the present Secretary of State can put it to good use?
Points of Order — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Julian Murray Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): Further to that point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I am sorry to come back again, but I happen to know that there was a strong wish on the part of the Secretary of State for Defence and his team to make the statement yesterday. The only reason it was not made was so as not to cut into Opposition day time. I do think that should be borne in mind.
Proscription of Hezbollah — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Nicholas Edward Coleridge Boles (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend is making a persuasive speech. Does he agree that it would be as absurd to suggest that one could distinguish between the British Government and the British armed forces, and that somehow one could declare the British armed forces to be an enemy without declaring the British Government to be one? The armed forces of Hezbollah are under the control and direction of the political arm of Hezbollah, and therefore they must be treated as one.
Proscription of Hezbollah — House of Commons, 2018-01-25
Topic: Defense
Robert Alexander Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): Please do not think that I support Hezbollah. All I say is that there might be some reason that we cannot know about—that even I, who have been in military intelligence, cannot know about—for not banning the political wing of Hezbollah in this country. It might be something very important, and it might be that the decision has been made to protect us from a much more difficult situation. I do not know.