Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2026 to Question 107819 on Military Intelligence, what was the (a) cost and (b) start date of the existing multi‑year contract with Google for Secret‑level cloud hosting and data services.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence awarded the £400 million Secret Community Cloud (SCC) contract to Google Cloud on 8 September 2025, and work began in early October.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the full scope of Project Upham.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Project UPHAM is the name given to pre-concept work undertaken with a view to the future procurement of digital sighting systems for small arms. Given its pre-concept status, the scope and specification of this project have not been defined.
Asked by: Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrat - Glastonbury and Somerton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned legislative timetable is for the Defence Readiness Bill.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Defence Readiness legislation is being considered to ensure the Government has the powers it needs to keep the UK safe in crisis or war, as recommended in the Strategic Defence Review. Legislation will be brought forward when Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 99038 on Armed Conflict: Civilians, to list what metrics were used during the external review to measure the effectiveness of the Ministry of Defence's approach to (a) mitigate and (b) respond to civilian harm.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
In 2025, the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Human Security Policy Unit commissioned an external, independent review of the MOD’s current civilian harm mitigation and response policy; the report also considers the impact of gender and age of civilians. The metrics used were developed in consultation with civil society organisations and included compliance with applicable domestic and international law, as well as the United States of America Department of Defense Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (2022).
Due to the classification of the content, there is no intention to publish the detailed findings and recommendations of the external review.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to Question 99038 on Armed Conflict: Civilians, if he will publish the conclusions of the external review.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
In 2025, the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Human Security Policy Unit commissioned an external, independent review of the MOD’s current civilian harm mitigation and response policy; the report also considers the impact of gender and age of civilians. The metrics used were developed in consultation with civil society organisations and included compliance with applicable domestic and international law, as well as the United States of America Department of Defense Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (2022).
Due to the classification of the content, there is no intention to publish the detailed findings and recommendations of the external review.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Ministerial colleagues and (b) external partners on the 25-year conservation plan for Akrotiri Salt Lake in the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Sovereign Base Areas Administration oversees the conservation plan for the Akrotiri Salt Lake, specifically through the ‘Akrotiri Peninsular Environmental Management Plan’. This was prepared in 2012 with the input and cooperation of local communities, non-Government organisations, and agencies of the Republic of Cyprus. Activity within this plan has been undertaken with technical and project support from cross-Government partners, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, will the RAF's Eurofighter Typhoon be upgraded with the Aerodynamic Modification Kit.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Typhoon is a world-class combat aircraft and will continue to serve as the backbone of the UK's Combat Air Force mass until at least the 2040s. To ensure it remains at the cutting edge of capability, the UK is planning significant investment in the Typhoon through-life equipment programme. Further details on future Typhoon investment will be outlined in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many MOD sites used by Cadets have been closed under the Future Defence Infrastructure Services programme.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
No Ministry of Defence (MOD) sites used by Cadets were closed under Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) programme.
FDIS is a programme within the MOD that focuses on the delivery of facilities management and infrastructure services across the Defence estate. The FDIS Accommodation Contracts came into service on 1 April 2022 and replaced the previous National Housing Prime and Regional Prime contracts.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which MOD sites are in scope to be sold under the Defence Estates Optimisation Plan.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
A list of all Ministry of Defence sites that are planned to be disposed of as part of the Defence Estate Optimisation Plan can be found on the House of Commons Defence Disposal Database.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disposal-database-house-of-commons-report
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that an expanded Armed Forces Covenant Duty will be backed by (1) measures of success, (2) methods for monitoring the impact of the Covenant Duty, and (3) regular reporting of the findings of such monitoring.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Officials are currently working on refining the Covenant Annual Report, leveraging this established mechanism to assess the impact of the Covenant and measure its success. This report is a key tool for ensuring transparency and accountability, as it is subject to parliamentary scrutiny. The Secretary of State for Defence is legally required to report annually to Parliament on progress in delivering the Covenant across the UK.
As part of this work, officials are exploring ways to improve data collection and develop more robust methods for measuring the impact and success of the Legal Duty. These efforts aim to provide a clearer understanding of how the Covenant is being delivered, ultimately driving improvements in support for the Armed Forces community. The team will continue to identify opportunities to enhance data collection processes, ensuring that the information gathered is comprehensive, accurate, and reflective of the needs of the Armed Forces community.
Additionally, the Covenant Team actively monitor trends through the Covenant website and a dedicated mailbox to identify areas of disadvantage.