§ 15. Mr. David Crausby (Bolton, North-East)What assessment he has made of the impact of operations in Iraq on the requirement for future equipment. [135558]
§ The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram)The Ministry of Defence is currently engaged in a comprehensive exercise to capture and analyse lessons from the operations in Iraq. That will include a full assessment of our equipment and any lessons that can be extracted for our future programmes. Some early indicators were identified in our "First Reflections" report, published in July, and I expect a final report on that process to be published by the end of this year.
§ Mr. CrausbyI thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. Given that British forces used a full spectrum of war-fighting equipment in Iraq from SA80 rifles to Challenger 2 tanks, will he ensure that the lessons learned report examines the relationship between different types of equipment and forces? In particular, will he assure the House that, as we invest more time and money in network-enabled capability, lessons will be learned to ensure that our existing excellent equipment remains fully integrated into the network?
§ Mr. IngramThose are two interesting questions. I can give my hon. Friend the first assurance that he seeks on the lessons learned about the balance of forces, because Operation Telic showed the importance of ensuring that we have the right capabilities in strength and depth that enable us to work alongside our allies—the United States, those in Europe, or whoever we may find ourselves working alongside. So, yes, those lessons will be learned.
On investing extra money, as we move forward into the future, it is important that any investment that we make ensures that existing capable equipment can be connected to future platforms and that there is overall interoperability between platforms; otherwise, there would be weaknesses in the delivery systems. We are seeking to achieve that objective, and all investment strategies will be driven towards it.
§ Angus Robertson (Moray)Does the Minister agree that the military's ability to act and deliver in Iraq would have been severely impaired if the defence fire service had been privatised and been unable or unwilling to deliver under fire? Why has an announcement of the defence fire service privatisation been put back, and when will it take place?
§ Mr. IngramI shall ponder the question again: where would an independent Scotland have been in relation to any conflict and what role would it have played in seeking to secure stability and world peace?
§ Angus RobertsonNow answer the question.
§ Mr. IngramThe hon. Gentleman asks a question about the defence fire service. An examination is currently taking place and a level playing field is in place. The public sector comparator is already showing its worth in all this, and we work closely with the trade unions as we make comparisons with the maturing bids from the consortiums that have expressed interest in a private finance initiative or public-private partnership solution. I do not have a firm date at this stage, but I assure the hon. Gentleman that delays have occurred because we are seeking to ensure best value for money for the defence budget, and I would have hoped that he agreed with that.