Ministry of Defence

The decision not to extend the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme (CSP) was announced by the Defence Secretary in 2021.. The intent remains to withdraw Warrior from service in conjunction with entry of new capabilities and concepts. We will continue to ensure the Warrior fleet remains effective until new capabilities are introduced into service.

Defence continually manages and reviews its stocks of weapons and munitions. This analysis informs the numbers of munitions granted in kind to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. There are regular strategic supplier conversations throughout Defence and the Department is fully engaged with industry, allies and partners to ensure that all equipment and munitions granted in kind are replaced as expeditiously as possible.

The requested information is neither collected nor held by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Data relating to Social Security Benefits is collected and held by the Department for Work and Pensions, who provided the figure of 33,800. As such, the MOD is unable to provide a breakdown of another Department's data or advise if that level of detail is recorded by them.

Of the 1,050 UK Service personnel facilitating the training of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 150 are providing support for logistics and movement, medical support, processing and communications, and overall command and control. These personnel are held at readiness and may not necessarily support the training immediately or simultaneously.

The high-rise building, which has approximately 95% of external wall system containing combustible components, is Glenart Castle, Longbridge.

Glenart Castle has a current Fire Risk Assessment in place and remains legally compliant for continued occupation.

The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is being designed to replace the capabilities provided by the RAF’s Typhoon aircraft, which will leave service by 2040. This includes roles such as quick reaction alert with the ability to be fully interoperable with F-35B. It is therefore being designed to operate from airfields on the land.

The Department maintains a central record of overall Consultancy expenditure which is disclosed as part of the Annual Report and Accounts (ARAC) and for ease of reference the values reported for all Consultancy since 2016 are as follows:

FY2020-21 £109.668 million [ARAC 20/21 page 171]

FY2019-20 £98.080 million [ARAC 20/21 page 171]

FY2018-19 £116.914 million [ARAC 19/20 page 126]

FY2017-18 £49.955 million [ARAC 18/19 page 147]

FY2016-17 £60.500 million [ARAC 16/17 page 113]

The Department maintains a central record of overall Consultancy expenditure although not by the categories referenced in the right hon. Member's question. The Department discloses this expenditure as part of our Annual Report and Accounts (ARAC) and for ease of reference the values reported for all Consultancy since 2016 are as follows:

FY2020-21 £109.668 million [ARAC 20/21 page 171]

FY2019-20 £98.080 million [ARAC 20/21 page 171]

FY2018-19 £116.914 million [ARAC 19/20 page 126]

FY2017-18 £49.955 million [ARAC 18/19 page 147]

FY2016-17 £60.500 million [ARAC 16/17 page 113]

We have already secured a generous £24 billion uplift in Spending Review 20 towards delivering the outcomes of the Integrated Review, the largest sustained spending increase since the end of the Cold War. Further analysis is required before we make substantial changes to our Equipment Plan, however the Russian invasion of Ukraine has provided an additional impetus to focus on its delivery.

I refer the noble Lord to the reply I gave on 24 May 2022 to the noble Lord, the Lord Coaker, in response to Questions HL43 and HL44.

The UK is stronger with its NATO Allies and our commitment to the Alliance is unwavering. We have committed our Continuous at Sea Nuclear Deterrent (CASD) to NATO for the past 50 years and we are contributing well-supported and highly equipped conventional fighting forces across all domains.

The UK remains the highest spending European Ally, meeting the NATO Defence Investment Pledge to spend at least 2% of GDP on Defence. We secured a generous £24 billion uplift in Spending Review 20, cementing our position as the second largest spender in NATO.

The UK contributes heavily to NATO deterrence activity, leading NATO's Forward Presence battlegroup in Estonia alongside Danish and French forces. We have also provided a Reconnaissance Squadron in Poland to support the US led battlegroup and are providing support to the NATO enhanced Air Policing mission.

At the NATO Summit in June, it is expected that NATO leaders will agree the new Strategic Concept. This will reaffirm our commitment to freedom, openness and the rules-based order. It must also ensure that the Alliance is fit for future challenges, including how to modernise and adapt to emerging threats, advanced technologies and improving national resilience.

Defence Business Services is working hard to address feedback from Veterans to improve its communications around the War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Schemes. This includes the rolling out of customer journey maps that explain the end-to-end process for AFCS and WPS claims, which are readily available on gov.uk. at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/learning-from-our-experiences-together

Further supporting products are in development with the next set being a series of short, how-to videos on making a claim that will be published on YouTube.

The ongoing £40 million Transformation Programme to digitise existing paper based processes and create a single customer portal for veterans aims to introduce automation, processing improvements and significantly reduce paper holdings. The first release of the new system is expected in late 2023. This will underpin the customer portal, which is being developed concurrently. This will enable claimants to provide and retrieve information electronically and allow them to securely access details of their entitlement and payments.

Clearance times for AFCS and WPS claims have generally been falling with average clearance time for AFCS at the end of May 2022 being 86 working days against a Key Performance Indicator of 90 working days. Average Clearance times for WPS claims had been falling each month since January, but rose to 132 working days in May, breaking the KPI of 127 working days for the first time since February after a high percentage of older cases were cleared.

The data to answer the right hon. Gentleman's question needs to be collected from multiple sources. I will write to him in due course and place a copy of my response in the Library of the House.

550 Service Family Accommodation (SFA) units were made available for Afghans relocated to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) in three tranches, the details of which can be found below:

The Government is considering the recommendations of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body and will respond as soon as is practicable.

The Armed Forces' community, like everyone else, is subject to the effects of inflationary and cost of living pressures. Defence has frozen the daily food charge for our Armed Forces personnel and has capped accommodation charges at one per cent. We are also ensuring that the council tax rebate reaches those in military accommodation, and increasing the availability of free wraparound childcare at the start of the new academic year.

Support for veterans is provided by a number of Government Departments and is overseen by the Office for Veterans' Affairs within the Cabinet Office. Officials at Veterans UK will process Winter Fuel Payments for eligible veterans whose only government-paid income is from a War Disablement Pension. Through its Veterans Welfare Service, Veterans UK provides one-to-one welfare support and advice to veterans or anyone supporting a veteran, their families and dependants.

Jurisdiction for the investigation lies with the Kenyan authorities. The Royal Military Police (RMP) are proactively engaged with the Kenyan Police Service (KPS) to support and assist their investigation and, where appropriate and requested to do so, undertake investigative actions on behalf of the KPS. A number of formal and informal discussions have taken place, however, to protect the sanctity of the investigation and the interest of justice, we will not comment in detail on activity.

As at 1 April 2022, 9.0% of Regular Trade Trained Army personnel held the Paid Rank of Major or above (6,580 out of 73,310 Regular Trade Trained personnel). These numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.

These figures are for the Trade Trained Regular Army only and therefore exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, Army Reserve and all other Reserves, but includes those personnel that have transferred from Gurkha Trained Adult Male (GTAM) to UK Trained Army Personnel (UKTAP). Figures as at 1 April 2022 have been provided, in line with the most recently published Service Personnel Statistics (SPS).

Investigations continue into the effectiveness of the internal communications system. User validation trials will resume once the data has been fully reviewed and understood and the safety panel is satisfied that it is right to do so.

The UK is the Framework Nation for NATO's enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) in Estonia, currently providing a permanent Headquarters and two Battle Groups to Estonia. UK Personnel are also deployed in the US led eFP in Poland. NATO leaders have agreed to strengthen the Alliance's deterrence and defence posture, and the forthcoming NATO summit will bolster the Eastern flank and ensure every inch of allied territory is defended. Permanent personnel contributions to NATO countries will be considered by Allies as NATO's Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area (DDA) is developed, and any contributions will be aligned with SACEUR's regional plans. The UK will continue to work and exercise extensively with Eastern European Allies and partners going forward, both through NATO and the Joint Expeditionary Force.

There have been no formal piracy events (according to the definition specified in UNCLOS) reported to us since 2019 in the areas mentioned. Whilst any act of Piracy remains a concern, we continue to work with international partners to counter piracy. Events are 'defined' based solely on the information reported to us by Industry or other reporting bodies.

The Government's policy on UK involvement in the manufacture of the Fleet Solid Support ships remains unchanged.

It is an objective of the Fleet Solid Support ship competition to deliver UK social value in recognition of the opportunities for prosperity and levelling-up that the programme presents, maximising the social value contribution shipbuilding can make. This includes encouraging investment whilst balancing the need for value for money and a fully compliant solution.

The final contract for the manufacture of the fleet solid support ships will be awarded to a UK business, either solely or as part of a consortium. We have been clear that a significant proportion of the build work will be carried out in the UK.

Tail numbers for Tranche One, Tranche Two and Tranche Three aircraft in the Typhoon fleet are given in the following/attached table:

However, I am withholding details of flying hours used and remaining for individual aircraft as its disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

NATO nations maintain equipment that is compatible to enable replenishments at sea for Royal Navy warships, as well as permissions and protocols for re-supply through rotary wing aviation.

I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 May 2022 to Question 2495 to the hon. Member for South Shields (Emma Lewell-Buck).

In the first year of the current spending review period, defence inflation, which is the average change in pay and prices of goods and services that make up the defence budget, is estimated to have been 4.1% in 2020-21. The Department does not forecast future levels of defence inflation, as key factors such as pay inflation and contract inflation are subject to high levels of uncertainty.

I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 14 September 2021 to Question number 44199.

I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 14 September 2021 to Question number 44199.

I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 7 June 2021 to Question 7747.

The Ministry of Defence is progressing Challenger 3. We have no current intention of procuring Panther KF51 when it is ready for production (which is not the case at present).

For Operational Security reasons, I cannot comment on stock numbers for anti-tank Javelin missiles. However, I can assure the right hon. Member that we monitor stock availability for UK forces and take action, where required, to maintain appropriate stock levels.

Over the next four years, the Army Guarding Transition Plan (AGTP) will seek to transform Army guarding services, blending the Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS) workforce with Ministry of Defence Guard Service (MGS) personnel.

Leuchars Station will retain some armed MPGS personnel and, in accordance with Defence Security Policy, will convert certain tasks that do not require an armed guard over to unarmed MGS personnel. This blended model will not affect the security of Leuchars Station and is already an effective and common guarding model utilised successfully at other Army establishments.

The information requested can be found in the following table.

Army Regular Outflow by Financial Year 2016-17 – 2021-22

*These figures are for all personnel who have outflowed having completed Phase 1 training and include personnel outflowing from Trade Trained Strength and personnel outflowing from Phase 2 training.

Notes/caveats:

1. The figures are for Regular Army only and therefore exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, Army Reserve and all other Reserves, but includes those personnel that have transferred from GURTAM to UKTAP.
2. Figures show outflow from the Regular Army, both trained and untrained, including personnel leaving the Services, deaths and recalled reservists on release. They do not include promotion from Ranks to Officers or personnel who leave the Army to join the Royal Navy, Royal Marines or Royal Air Force.

A breakdown of Army units by corps, is provided in the attached table. The units are listed in corps order of precedence and the table includes both reserve and regular units, including training regiments.

Under Future Soldier Plans, the Army is currently reshaping its structures. This means that some details will change as Future Soldier continues to be developed and implemented.

I have discussed the replenishment of UK stockpiles following military assistance provided to Ukraine with the Prime Minister on numerous occasions. These discussions have taken place within wider meetings on the invasion of Ukraine. Since April, the Prime Minister and I have both attended three National Security Council meetings on the invasion of Ukraine.

The answer to the hon. Member's questions is based on the War Pension Mobility Supplement (WPMS) data for the calendar year 1 January to 31 December 2021.

The Median clearance time for War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement was 208 working days. Clearance times are calculated as the number of working days between the date the claim was registered and the date the claim was cleared

Of the 16 WPMS appeals cleared between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021, the average (median) clearance time was 367 working days. Clearance times are calculated as the number of working days between the date the appeal was registered and the final date that the appeal was cleared by Tribunal. Ministry of Defence have no control over the length of time it takes for a decision to be made at Tribunal as appeal tribunals are independent.

The answer to the hon. Member's questions is based on the War Pension Mobility Supplement (WPMS) data for the calendar year 1 January to 31 December 2021.

The Median clearance time for War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement was 208 working days. Clearance times are calculated as the number of working days between the date the claim was registered and the date the claim was cleared

Of the 16 WPMS appeals cleared between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021, the average (median) clearance time was 367 working days. Clearance times are calculated as the number of working days between the date the appeal was registered and the final date that the appeal was cleared by Tribunal. Ministry of Defence have no control over the length of time it takes for a decision to be made at Tribunal as appeal tribunals are independent.

The answer to the hon. Member's questions is based on the War Pension Mobility Supplement (WPMS) data for the calendar year 1 January to 31 December 2021.

The Median clearance time for War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement was 208 working days. Clearance times are calculated as the number of working days between the date the claim was registered and the date the claim was cleared

Of the 16 WPMS appeals cleared between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021, the average (median) clearance time was 367 working days. Clearance times are calculated as the number of working days between the date the appeal was registered and the final date that the appeal was cleared by Tribunal. Ministry of Defence have no control over the length of time it takes for a decision to be made at Tribunal as appeal tribunals are independent.

The answer to the hon. Member's questions is based on the War Pension Mobility Supplement (WPMS) data for the calendar year 1 January to 31 December 2021.

The Median clearance time for War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement was 208 working days. Clearance times are calculated as the number of working days between the date the claim was registered and the date the claim was cleared

Of the 16 WPMS appeals cleared between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021, the average (median) clearance time was 367 working days. Clearance times are calculated as the number of working days between the date the appeal was registered and the final date that the appeal was cleared by Tribunal. Ministry of Defence have no control over the length of time it takes for a decision to be made at Tribunal as appeal tribunals are independent.

Any veteran wishing to apply for the War Pension Mobility Supplement (WPMS) can do so via the following link available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/war-pension-scheme-mobility-supplement-wpms

The Transformation Programme to digitise existing paper-based processes and create a single customer portal for Veterans is underway. An online Armed Forces Compensation and War Pension Scheme application service has been developed and is currently being tested in a beta phase.

The circa £40 million Transformation Programme will expand the on-line claim service to other types of claims under the Compensation Schemes.

Between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2022, 30 UK Regular Armed Forces personnel were medically discharged with an ICD-10 code for HIV cited as the principal or contributory cause. Both principal and contributory causes have been included as it is possible for personnel to be medically discharged for multiple medical reasons. Of the 30 personnel, 24 were Army personnel. The number of Royal Navy and RAF personnel were fewer than five respectively.

Figures include trained and untrained UK Regular personnel; Reserve personnel are excluded. Army Regular personnel include Gurkha and the Military Provost Guard Service. Royal Navy personnel includes both Royal Navy and Royal Marines. In line with Joint Service Publication 200, figures fewer than five have been suppressed.

On 21 June 2022, the HIV positive status bar was lifted with amendments being made to the Joint Service Manual of Medical Fitness (Leaflet 6-7-7 of Joint Service Publication 950).

The original policy and its amendment were based on specialist medical opinion. This included consideration of the risk to the individual if they were denied essential medication or access to specialist medical services due to operational circumstances; the risk to everyone operating in the military exposure prone environment in the UK and overseas; and the cost-benefit of training an individual with a chronic medical condition, that would previously have attracted career restrictions in a fixed liability organisation.

The information requested is provided in the following table:

1. Figures show outflow from UK Regular Forces, both trained and untrained, including personnel leaving the Services, deaths and recalled reservists on release. They do not include promotion from Ranks to Officers or flows between Services.

The information requested is provided in the following table.