Will the new vehicles being deployed to Afghanistan include tracked versions of the Mastiff family of vehicles to provide greater flexibility and manoeuvrability, not least because the Mastiff has saved the lives of hundreds of British service personnel?

Will the new vehicles being deployed to Afghanistan include tracked versions of the Mastiff family of vehicles to provide greater flexibility and manoeuvrability, not least because the Mastiff has saved the lives of hundreds of British service personnel?

The hon. Gentleman says ““rubbish””, but I think that the point was even admitted at the Dispatch Box in debate last week. In the meantime, there is a great hole; we have insufficient numbers of the right vehicles.

The hon. Gentleman says ““rubbish””, but I think that the point was even admitted at the Dispatch Box in debate last week. In the meantime, there is a great hole; we have insufficient numbers of the right vehicles.

I will try to rise above the rather carping nature of the debate. I hope that hon. Members will recognise that my motivation is concern for the welfare of our armed services and concern to provide them with the right equipment to do the job to which the nation has...

I will try to rise above the rather carping nature of the debate. I hope that hon. Members will recognise that my motivation is concern for the welfare of our armed services and concern to provide them with the right equipment to do the job to which the nation has...

I was saddened by what the right hon. Gentleman had to say, for the simple reason that I do not think the British public like our services being manipulated for party political reasons. Announcements were made in Iraq about which even the Secretary of State for Defence did not know,...

I was saddened by what the right hon. Gentleman had to say, for the simple reason that I do not think the British public like our services being manipulated for party political reasons. Announcements were made in Iraq about which even the Secretary of State for Defence did not know,...

Did the chief executive or the clinical director take any action by writing letters to editors of the newspapers concerned in order to refute the articles that had been printed?

Did the chief executive or the clinical director take any action by writing letters to editors of the newspapers concerned in order to refute the articles that had been printed?

My hon. Friend, who is experienced in such matters, makes a valid point, and I am sure that everyone in the House, including the Secretary of State, will take notice of it. I thank him for making that point. I accept and admit that unmanned aerial vehicles are being developed...

My hon. Friend, who is experienced in such matters, makes a valid point, and I am sure that everyone in the House, including the Secretary of State, will take notice of it. I thank him for making that point. I accept and admit that unmanned aerial vehicles are being developed...

The hon. Gentleman expresses his opinion. We will have to wait and see who is right. I hope that we are both in the House in 2012, and that we will recall this conversation on the Floor of the House. In the meantime, the real needs of the present have...

The hon. Gentleman expresses his opinion. We will have to wait and see who is right. I hope that we are both in the House in 2012, and that we will recall this conversation on the Floor of the House. In the meantime, the real needs of the present have...

The hon. Gentleman has probably misunderstood; I was not knocking the Eurofighter, but saying that it was perhaps inappropriate as a ground-attack aircraft, and that other aircraft would be better suited to that purpose. It is a question of horses for courses.

The hon. Gentleman has probably misunderstood; I was not knocking the Eurofighter, but saying that it was perhaps inappropriate as a ground-attack aircraft, and that other aircraft would be better suited to that purpose. It is a question of horses for courses.

The Secretary of State is nodding; he will remember that what happened in Dhofar province reinforces the case for slower aircraft for ground attack. I will not expand—to his relief, I am sure—on that argument in this debate, although I look forward to other opportunities to enlarge on some of...

The Secretary of State is nodding; he will remember that what happened in Dhofar province reinforces the case for slower aircraft for ground attack. I will not expand—to his relief, I am sure—on that argument in this debate, although I look forward to other opportunities to enlarge on some of...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend. My point was about the nursing situation in field hospitals. My hon. Friend may be interested to learn that I recently met a Territorial Army nurse, who told me that the standard of hygiene in field hospitals was second to none for the...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend. My point was about the nursing situation in field hospitals. My hon. Friend may be interested to learn that I recently met a Territorial Army nurse, who told me that the standard of hygiene in field hospitals was second to none for the...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

Will my hon. Friend give way?

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way again?

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way again?

The Minister will know that yesterday I welcomed the extra Mastiffs, which are extremely popular vehicles. If someone is on patrol, they would rather go out in one of those than in anything else. Now that that announcement has been made, when will the order be placed, what is the...

The Minister will know that yesterday I welcomed the extra Mastiffs, which are extremely popular vehicles. If someone is on patrol, they would rather go out in one of those than in anything else. Now that that announcement has been made, when will the order be placed, what is the...

My hon. Friend is describing the procurement of helicopters, and the implied costs involved. Is it worth considering the fact that one can often rent helicopters at a far lower price and therefore get far more of them to use in theatre? That would allow us to provide them much...

My hon. Friend is describing the procurement of helicopters, and the implied costs involved. Is it worth considering the fact that one can often rent helicopters at a far lower price and therefore get far more of them to use in theatre? That would allow us to provide them much...

Any simple housewife will tell the hon. Gentleman that the important thing is not what one spends, but how one spends it. The money wasted on the defence budget could have provided much more equipment. Questions have been raised about those matters, and I suggest that the hon. Gentleman do...

Any simple housewife will tell the hon. Gentleman that the important thing is not what one spends, but how one spends it. The money wasted on the defence budget could have provided much more equipment. Questions have been raised about those matters, and I suggest that the hon. Gentleman do...

This is not about helicopters; it is about the delivery of the Mastiff. I suspect that the US has ordered nearly 3,000 of them, yet we are going to get ours fairly quickly, as we did with the previous 100. Sometimes it is possible to reach an accommodation in order...

This is not about helicopters; it is about the delivery of the Mastiff. I suspect that the US has ordered nearly 3,000 of them, yet we are going to get ours fairly quickly, as we did with the previous 100. Sometimes it is possible to reach an accommodation in order...

Westminster Hall adjournment debate on military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and on defence procurement.

Westminster Hall adjournment debate on military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and on defence procurement.

I have been applying for this debate for several months, so it is somewhat ironic that I have secured it so soon after Thursday’s debate in the House on defence in the United Kingdom. That is, however, extremely convenient, because it enables me to enlarge on what I have said...

I have been applying for this debate for several months, so it is somewhat ironic that I have secured it so soon after Thursday’s debate in the House on defence in the United Kingdom. That is, however, extremely convenient, because it enables me to enlarge on what I have said...

I remind the Minister gently of my two specific questions, to which I would like a reply before the end of the debate. First, why did the recent announcement appear on the European Defence Agency website and not the MOD website? Secondly and more importantly, when will the order for...

I remind the Minister gently of my two specific questions, to which I would like a reply before the end of the debate. First, why did the recent announcement appear on the European Defence Agency website and not the MOD website? Secondly and more importantly, when will the order for...

It was a pleasure to be in the House this afternoon to hear the sterling contribution of my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Soames). I want to associate myself in particular with the remarks that he made at the beginning of his speech about our armed services and...

It was a pleasure to be in the House this afternoon to hear the sterling contribution of my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Soames). I want to associate myself in particular with the remarks that he made at the beginning of his speech about our armed services and...