Speeches by Carns.

“Luke, that is exactly the case. It is utterly ridiculous in this day and age, given how drones have developed, that we can have drones flying over the most sensitive sites and we are able to do nothing outside of the police powers. Clause 4 will broaden those powers to ensure that defence, police and personnel can use …”

“I used to be the chief of staff of the carrier strike force. Within that, I was responsible for the validation of our mine countermeasures unit, which sits in Bahrain. They have an uncrewed mine-hunting capability that has been tested and trialled for several years now. It is capable, and we are looking into it for var…”

“Those are two separate issues. My enthusiasm for uncrewed systems is matched by my boss as well. We have £4 billion in the SDR moving towards uncrewed systems, the uncrewed centre of excellence and a targeting web that is critical in the management of the data that the drones will collect, along with the required AI ma…”

“I am always pushing on drones, whether that is getting drones into the military or defending against what is becoming a ubiquitous capability. We have had significant incidents across Defence of drones in and around the defence estate. These measures put in place the correct protections to allow defence personnel and d…”

“Family accommodation was the focus of this strategy. Single living accommodation will be done after that. The reality is that for the last 14 years we have categorically under-invested in defence housing. We have left our families in a state of disarray, and our estate is dilapidated because of a lack of consistent fun…”

“I apologise for disappointing you.”

“Can I guarantee to you when the DIP will be published? No.”

“The DIP will be published in due course.”

“Nothing in the DIP process is preventing us from getting on with the job. We are making improvements for service families now and preparing for the launch of the Defence Housing Service. The DIP will be published in due course.”

“The reality is that, when we look across the estate, a huge amount of it is the wrong shape and size, and in the wrong place, for our current armed forces. In some cases, for more than 10 years now, we have been struggling to provide the right type of housing for our armed forces—just for the current commitment, not an…”

“I will lead and then hand over to David. We have done a lot of work on this. I know this has been on the books and off the books for a long time.”

“He knows a lot about leadership and major project development. You will know that team leadership is about surrounding yourself with the very best people.”

“If I can defend the National Armaments Director, I think he is doing an excellent job. He is a professional from industry who understands the scale of project management required to deliver major projects, whether they be across armaments or through to major infrastructure. I think he is doing a fantastic job, and doma…”

“The reason I said “in conjunction with the DIO” is because the DIO will own the broader estate. Some of those houses sit inside the broader estate, and therefore making sure that the DIO is aware of the reporting system that is coming up and through will be critical to ensuring that interdependencies are understood.”

“It will not work under the DIO. David, correct me if I am wrong.”

“It will report in conjunction with the DIO.”

“There are naturally a variety of things that we have done outside of the Bill and outside legislative requirements, such as the consumer charter, which ensures that each housing association has an officer that they can go to. It sets standards for move-in, it allows people more freedom on how they can decorate their ho…”

“We should absolutely get that; it will be really interesting to see. I would also be interested, but I think that includes asbestos and a complete rebuild in the centre. We will get back to you with the details, and then we can scrutinise it.”

“That is a prime example of how not to manage a huge estate. We are the third biggest owner of property in the UK. When I came into the seat, I asked for a breakdown of costs from some of the contractors for veterans and people in single living housing, because I have had experience in the past of electric showers costi…”

“The £9 billion has been ringfenced; it has absolutely been secured for defence housing. Nothing in the DIP process will stop us getting on with the job of making these improvements and getting the job done. We have made that commitment to not just the armed forces community but the nation. We have said it in the House,…”