James Cartlidge, the Minister for Defence Procurement, addressed concerns raised by Dave Doogan, MP for Angus, about the continuity and competence of his position in the House of Commons.
This comes amidst heightened scrutiny as Cartlidge is the fourth person to take on the role in less than a year.
Doogan challenged Cartlidge, asking for reassurance about his competence and his understanding of the most pressing defence procurement issues. In response, Cartlidge highlighted the continuation of work from his predecessors and addressed the issue of replenishment, a significant challenge currently facing his office.
Cartlidge recounted his recent visit to British troops training Ukrainian forces. Emphasising the importance of the mission, he said, “we are training 15,000 personnel to go back out to Ukraine and defend their homeland; every time they go we are giving them high-quality kit.”
He went on to praise the procurement speed and the gifting of supplies that have allowed Ukraine to sustain its defence efforts.
However, Doogan brought up a distinct concern about the support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the defence sector. He questioned why the Ministry of Defence (MOD) – a £50 billion-resourced organisation – cited a lack of resources as the reason for not attending a public sector meet-the-buyer event in Edinburgh, Scotland.
In response, Cartlidge reassured Doogan that the issue was not indifference towards Scotland. He pledged to look into the matter, while also citing that the proportion of MOD expenditure with SMEs has increased from 19.3% in 2018-19 to 23% in 2021.
The 4th person in less than a year! What happened to the other 3? I really hope that These politicians are just there to fill a role and that the real work is done by people that know what they are doing and have been in the sector for a while.
Just because someone is a politician doesn’t make them capable of running large departments.
These days politicos get appointed based on their loyalty to the leader or because they have extreme right-wing views. They dont need to have any military experience, SoS Defence Ben Wallace is the first in a long time to have been in the British Army.
Army yes, Mordaunt before him is navy.
Regrettably the PM sees MinDP as a minor job for an unknown junior minister. Regrettably too is that the incumbent is rarely experienced at defence or procurement matters. Min DP can have a massive influence on the resourcing, policy/procedures and programme scrutiny at DE&S – and things often don’t go well. Politicos have reduced the headcount of the predecessor organisations (DPA, DLO) and of the current DE&S massively. DE&S has reduced from 29,000 posts to 11,500 in recent years. Many vital posts were lost – DGDQA has been cut so drastically that it is rare for there to be staff… Read more »
One went with Boris. One went with Liz. One was promoted following Raab’s heave ho. Then there was four. I didn’t like Quin. Shelbrook wasn’t in post long enough to judge. Chalk could have been promising. Cartlidge worked as PPS under both Wallace and Sunak, so he’s not entirely an unknown to those he’s working under. He was a junior minister for less than a year, so not hugely experienced. Whether as a Minister of State he has the strength to impose his will and the wisdom to know how to do so has yet to be seen. To be… Read more »
‘[Cartlidge] pledged to look into the matter, while also citing that the proportion of MOD expenditure with SMEs has increased from 19.3% in 2018-19 to 23% in 2021.‘
Given that Small and Medium Enterprises are the backbone of our economy and frequently centres of innovation and adaptable to demand, these are not more than sluggish figures. Not excepting industrial and national security, that is a figure that needs driving up.
Make Defence UK have been pushing for more engagement with SME by the MOD for the last couple of years
So someone from Defence didn’t turn up for a meet the buyer event in Scotland. Scotland does not control its defence that’s a UK Govt responsibility so why would they attend a Scottish Assembly centric event?
UK Defence contracts are open to all home nation SME’s
And here was me thinking an SME was a Subject Matter Expert…
Bob on 👍
if it is the event on today, they do list the MOD on event guide