Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the criteria used by the Atomic Weapons Establishment to decide which documents are published from the Merlin database has changed.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The criteria to enable release of records held in the Merlin database has not changed. It remains this Government’s intention to release the records with the Atomic Weapons Establishment reviewing them in line with national security obligations, and the 2018 General Data Protection Regulations.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40748 on Armed Forces: Protective Clothing, how many of the (a) Surefire EP4, (b) ComTac XP/XPI and (c) Invisio S10/X5 have been issued to armed forces personnel under the Tactical Hearing Protection System programme.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when does the Tactical Hearing Protection System programme contract expire for (a) basic users and (b) specialist users.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Tactical Hearing Protection System Basic User and Specialist User equipment sets were purchased via the NATO Support and Procurement Agency. The current Basic User contract option expires in November 2026. The Specialist User 3M ComTac XPI is no longer manufactured.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 38649 on Unmanned Air Systems: Procurement, if he will provide a date.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I have nothing to add to the answer given on 24 March to Question 38649 on Unmanned Air Systems Procurement.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of replacing Capita with a tri-service agency on the armed forces recruitment process.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

On 6 February 2025 AFRP announced the award of the contract to Serco, for the new tri-service Armed Forces Recruiting Service (AFRS). It will provide a streamlined, single-entry point for prospective recruits, with the aim of recruiting from the broadest spectrum of society to attract the best talent into the Armed Forces. The service will launch in 2027, replacing the individual schemes run by the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timetable is for the creation of a third frontline F-35 squadron.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 20 March 2025 to Question 37763.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason Royal Marines within the Littoral Response Group will be equipped with the Sig Sauer MCX rather than the L403A1-AIW.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The L143A2 (Sig Sauer MCX) is a flexible capability that is far more specialised and can be tailored to fit niche and mission specific roles required by the UK Commando Force (UKCF). It is therefore better suited to the specialist maritime roles of the Littoral Response Group (LRG).

The L403A1 is the new general purpose firearm of the UKCF, and is therefore less suited to some of the specialist roles that the LRG fulfils.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of US tariffs on (a) current, (b) pending and (c) future contracts held by his Department.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Officials remain engaged with our suppliers to continually monitor the situation. This Government will continue to hold discussions with the US administration on a wider economic deal that strengthens our existing fair and balanced trading relationship.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2025 to Question 36262 on Ministry of Defence: Israel, what the purpose of the meeting was; and who the senior British official was who attended.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Israeli Air Force delegation, led by their Head of Personnel Division, visited Ministry of Defence Main Building to meet and receive a briefing from the Defence Human Resources Transformation Team, as part of their visit to the UK focussing on HR and People issues.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Written Ministerial Statement of 1 April 2025 on Defence Reform, HCWS 573, whether the Military Strategic Headquarters will have its own secretariat.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The detailed requirement for the Military Strategic Headquarters organisational structure is in development and will include a secretariat function. This will be drawn from existing resource within the Department.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of divestment in the UK defence industry as a consequence of (a) the Paris Climate Agreement and (b) UK Climate Transition Benchmarks.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

We have not carried out an assessment into the impacts of divestment in the UK’s Defence Industry due to (a) the Paris Climate Agreement and (b) UK Climate Transition Benchmarks. This is because we see no conflict between investment in Defence and sustainable investment. The Defence Industrial Strategy - Statement of Intent, published in December 2024, identified the mobilisation of additional private sector investment as essential to the Government’s agenda to strengthen our nation’s defences and grow our economy.

Reducing the carbon footprint of Defence is not differentiated from this investment. Accelerating the development and adoption of dual use energy and circular economy technologies can deliver operational advantage and resilience while reducing emissions. For example, trials integrating alternative fuel sources and renewable energy technology can further unlock an ability to operate for longer periods without resupply and at greater reach across a dispersed battlefield.

Our ambition is for a better, more integrated, more innovative and more resilient defence industry and we will be publishing a Defence Industrial Strategy aligned to this ambition.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Written Ministerial Statement of 1 April 2025 on Defence Reform, HCWS 573, whether he plans to publish the Defence Industrial Strategy before the post of National Armaments Director has been filled.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The National Armaments Director Group, set up on 1 April 2025, will fix the broken procurement system within the Ministry of Defence and make defence an engine for economic growth in every corner of the UK. It will bring together teams delivering the national 'arsenal', the Government's Defence Industrial Strategy and end to end acquisition under one leader, the National Armaments Director.

Recruitment for a permanent National Armaments Director is ongoing. They will take up the role after appointment once the appropriate notice period from any previous employment has been served.

On current plans, the Defence Industrial Strategy will be published in late-Spring 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Written Ministerial Statement of 1 April 2025 on Defence Reform, whether he plans to publish the Defence Industrial Strategy (a) before or (b) after the creation of the National Armaments Director Group.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The National Armaments Director Group, set up on 1 April 2025, will fix the broken procurement system within the Ministry of Defence and make defence an engine for economic growth in every corner of the UK. It will bring together teams delivering the national 'arsenal', the Government's Defence Industrial Strategy and end to end acquisition under one leader, the National Armaments Director.

Recruitment for a permanent National Armaments Director is ongoing. They will take up the role after appointment once the appropriate notice period from any previous employment has been served.

On current plans, the Defence Industrial Strategy will be published in late-Spring 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the Defence budget is spent on Government Major Projects Portfolio programmes.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Information on the costs of the Department's Defence Major Programmes for financial year 2024-25 is still being collated.

I will write to the hon. Member once this is complete.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 37603 on Ammunition: Lost Property and Theft, if he will list incidents recorded on the Defence Incident Management Database since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Since 5 July 2024 to 31 March 2025 11,763 security incidents have been raised and recorded in the Defence Incident Management Database. When any type of security incident is raised, it is reviewed by security personnel and subjected to an initial security risk assessment, with further action taken on a proportionate basis. As has been the policy for successive Governments, for security reasons we would not publish details of suspected or reported security incidents.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to develop reduced threat level hard body armour plates.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence will deliver a Personal Hard Armour Framework (PHA-F). This framework will enable the inclusion of emerging technologies and future requirements. Reduced threat level hard body armour plates could therefore be considered in the future under PHA-F.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to respond to Question 36052 on Strategic Defence Review: Contracts, tabled on 6 March 2025 by the Rt hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

I responded to the right hon. Member on 3 April 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to Question 35453 on USA: Ammunition when he will provide an answer.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I responded to the hon. Member on 4 April 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the (a) average, (b) maximum individual and (c) total cost of claims paid out for hearing loss, broken down by (i) army, (ii) air force, (iii) navy excluding Royal Marines and (iv) Royal Marines since the implementation of the Tactical Hearing Protection System in 2015.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The implementation of the Tactical Hearing Protection System programme took place between April 2015 and September 2016. Since 1 October 2016, the cost of common law claims for noise-induced hearing loss claims was £250 million. This includes damages and claimant legal costs for claims from both Service and Civilian personnel. Further breakdown including by Service is not readily available. Most claims take a long time to settle and payments occur over a number of years. Calculation of an average payout over this period would incur disproportionate cost.

This does not include claims made via the Armed Forces Compensation and War Pension schemes as providing breakdowns would require information from three different data systems to be combined and individual files to be manually reviewed which would incur disproportionate cost.

The majority of hearing loss claims are historic, and allegations cover all noise exposures, from a variety of sources, over a long period of time, both in combat and training. Claimants will have used more than one type of hearing protection. It is not possible to identify if claims relate to the Tactical Hearing Protection System.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many claims for hearing loss have there been in the (a) British Army and Army Reserve, (b) Royal Air Force and Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, (c) Royal Navy and Royal Navy Reserve, excluding the Royal Marines and (d) Royal Marines and Royal Marine Reserve for injuries sustained since the implementation of the Tactical Hearing Protection System programme.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The implementation of the Tactical Hearing Protection System programme took place between April 2015 and September 2016.

The number of Noise-induced hearing loss claims brought by current and former Service personnel is reported in the Ministry of Defence common law compensation claim statistics.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mod-compensation-claims-statistics

The breakdown of Service is not readily available. This does not include claims made via the Armed Forces Compensation and War pension schemes as providing breakdowns would require information from three different data systems to be combined and individual files to be manually reviewed which would incur disproportionate cost.

It is not possible to identify if claims relate to the Tactical Hearing Protection System.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many claims for hearing loss have there been in the (a) British Army and Army Reserve, (b) Royal Air Force and Air Force Volunteer Reserve (c) Royal Navy and Royal Navy Reserve, excluding the Royal Marines and (d) Royal Marines and Royal Marine Reserve for injuries sustained between March 2003 and the implementation of the Tactical Hearing Protection System program.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The implementation of the Tactical Hearing Protection System programme took place between April 2015 and Sep 2016.

Between 1 April 2003 and 31 March 2015 there were approximately 16,000 common law compensation claims for Noise-induced hearing loss from Defence personnel.

As this is based on historic data on legacy systems it is not possible to be more specific or break down the figure between Service and Civilian personnel. This does not include claims made via the Armed Forces Compensation and War Pension schemes as providing breakdowns would require information from three different data systems to be combined and individual files to be manually reviewed which would incur disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase recruitment and retention within the Royal Navy Reserves.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

Our Reserve Forces help the UK Armed Forces meet the threats we face at home and overseas, with the scale, skills, agility and connection to society that we need, in a cost-effective way.

We are actively recruiting for the Royal Navy Reserve through our engaging social media campaign. Key themes for recruitment and retention include growth on the Maritime Reserves along with meaningful, diverse, and rewarding employment, reviewing and evolving administrative models for Part Time Volunteer Reserves to make sure they are fit for purpose, optimising selection processes for specialisations, credible career development pathways, and the modernising and flexibility of training pipelines.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which sites will be included in the refurbishment of military housing.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

We are unable to give details of our future plans for specific sites at this time.

The Defence Housing Strategy Review to determine how the Department will utilise its properties reacquired from Annington following the completion of the deal in January 2025 is now underway.

The Military Housing Strategy planned for publication in Summer 2025 will set out a roadmap to deliver a generational renewal of military accommodation.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.7 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, whether any of the funding for military housing will go towards finalising the Annington transaction.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 31 March 2025 to Question 41492.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) average, (b) maximum and (c) total cost of claims was for hearing loss in the (i) Army, (ii) Royal Navy, (iii) Royal Marines and (iv) Royal Air Force between March 2003 and the implementation of the Tactical Hearing Protection System in 2015.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

Between March 2003 and 1 April 2015 which was the start of the implementation of the Tactical Hearing Protection System programme the total cost of common law claims for noise-induced hearing loss claims was £110 million. This includes damages and claimant legal costs for claims from both Service and Civilian personnel. Further breakdown including by Service is not readily available. Most claims take a long time to settle and payments occur over a number of years. Calculation of an average payout over this period would incur disproportionate cost.

This does not include claims made via the Armed Forces Compensation and War Pension schemes as providing breakdowns would require information from three different data systems to be combined and individual files to be manually reviewed which would incur disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he last met with the lead members of the Strategic Defence Review team.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Reviewers are reporting regularly on progress to the Defence Secretary, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Review will be published in the Spring. As the Prime Minister reported in his Statement on Defence and Security in the House of Commons, the Strategic Defence Review is advanced, and he will lay it in Parliament as soon as he can. It will help set the path for Britain's defence for the next decade.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2025 to Question 40755, for what reason the Total Compensation Payable under the AFCS increased.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The total expenditure under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) increased in 2023-24 due to the number of Guaranteed Income Payments (GIP) in payment increasing year on year and an increase in the number of awarded initial injury/illness claims in that financial year.

In 2023-24, the number of GIPs in payment increased by 10%.

In 2023-24, 4,075 initial injury/illness claims were awarded which was an increase of 34% when compared to the previous year. This increase was due to an increase in the number of injury/illness claims registered (9,545 in 2023-24 compared to 7,793 in 2022-23) and an increase in the percentage of initial injury/illness cleared claims awarded (57% compared to 50% the previous year).

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that veterans who participated in lawful military operations during the Northern Ireland Troubles are treated fairly in relation to investigations or judicial proceedings; and if he will increase (a) legal protections and (b) welfare support for those veterans.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Government recognises the important service of Armed Forces personnel and the sacrifices they made to keep us all safe in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. We are exploring measures to ensure that the legacy of the past is addressed sensitively, efficiently, and lawfully, including with veterans’ groups. When a veteran faces judicial proceedings in relation to their duties, we offer, at public expense, legal support and representation as appropriate. Veterans are also offered welfare support tailored to their individual needs and circumstances.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to use the increase in defence spending to boost British supply chains; and what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure strategic alignment and capitalise on economies of scale in key sectors.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The additional investment in defence announced by the Prime Minister on 25 February 2025 and by the Chancellor in the 2025 Spring Statement will both protect UK citizens from threats and create a secure and stable environment in which businesses can thrive, supporting the Government’s number one mission to deliver economic growth. This includes maximising jobs, growth, skills and innovation in the UK.

This Government is bringing forward a Defence Industrial Strategy that will ensure a strong Defence sector and resilient supply chains across the whole of the UK. The Statement of Intent for the Defence Industrial Strategy, published in December 2024, set out a commitment to prioritising UK businesses for investment and boosting sovereign capacity.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is working closely with other Government Departments to align strategic objectives in key sectors, for example through the wider cross-Government Industrial Strategy. The Strategic Defence Review will also determine the roles and capabilities required by UK Defence to meet the challenges and threats of the twenty-first century.

The MOD is already actively improving the capabilities of the UK’s Defence sector and supply chains through initiatives such as the Defence Supplier Capability Development Programme and the new support hub for small and medium enterprises that the Prime Minister announced on 3 March 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) type 23 Duke Class, (b) type 31 Inspiration Class and (c) type 26 City Class frigates the UK navy has; how many of each of those types are currently not fit for purpose; and for each frigate currently not fit for purpose, how many days each ship has been out of service.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Royal Navy operates eight Type 23 Frigates, and as of 2 April 2025, six Type 23 frigates are at readiness and available for operations. Each ship follows a normal operating cycle, going through different readiness levels based on their schedules and maintenance.

In addition to the eight operational Type 23 frigates, the Royal Navy has three that are in the process of being decommissioned. It has been 321 days since the decision to retire HMS Westminster and HMS Argyll, and 133 days for HMS Northumberland.

The retirement announcements are part of the UK’s plan to modernise its surface fleet. The Royal Navy will replace the Type 23 Frigates with new Type 26 and Type 31 Frigates. All eight world-class Type 26 ships are scheduled to enter service commencing from 2029, with all five Type 31 ships expected to be operational by the early 2030s.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential role of the cyber security industry in Cheltenham in growing the UK defence industry.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

This Government is committed to bringing forward a Defence Industrial Strategy which ensures the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy are aligned.

Defence is not just a cornerstone of national security, it’s also a powerful engine to drive economic growth - this Government’s number one mission.

The new Defence Industrial Strategy will unlock the potential of every region and nation across the UK. We are working collaboratively with colleagues across Government to maximise the linkages between the Ministry of Defence and other Departments.

We will set out our plans for strengthening the UK defence sector in the Defence Industrial Strategy later this year.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that cyber tech businesses in Cheltenham are able to access funding through new defence innovation organisation.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) will equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster. It will support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK – including in Cheltenham, capitalising on new ideas, supporting them rapidly through development and exploitation.

To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget of £400 million this year. The Spring Statement also confirmed that the Ministry of Defence will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. This will benefit the UKs cyber tech industry.

UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in rapid procurement activities and currently give businesses across the UK access to funding.

UKDI will be operational by July 2025 and work is ongoing to confirm the detailed design of the organisation.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with European allies on developing joint weapon production initiatives.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Secretary of State for Defence continues to discuss defence capability matters, including on joint production, procurement and future development, with a range of our European Allies on a regular basis, both bilaterally and through multilateral fora. For example, the Secretary of State recently discussed our capability cooperation with France in Paris on 11 March, before discussing wider European industrial collaboration at the E5 defence ministers meeting on 12 March. I also have regular conversations with my counterparts. We continue to promote and encourage European Allies to co-design, co-develop and co-produce through a number of initiatives, including through UK-led Multinational Procurement Initiatives and DIAMOND.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing levels of defence spending on (a) employment and (b) investment in Bolton.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

We are ensuring UK defence is on the cutting-edge of technology and innovation, with Defence spending meeting our military needs, supporting 434,000 jobs across the breadth of the UK and increasing the productive capacity of the UK economy to drive sustainable, long-term growth.

The increase in defence spending will fund critical investments in areas like autonomous systems, AI, cyber, rebuilding stockpiles and munition reserves, and therefore will support the security and resilience of the whole of the UK, including Bolton. The full details will be set out in the Strategic Defence Review.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 18 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, how the funding for the regeneration of His Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth will be allocated.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The funding for the regeneration of His Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth will be allocated towards three main areas: refurbishment and upgrade of accommodation, jetty upgrade programme, and wider estate development.

This allocation aims to provide good quality, safe accommodation, ensure the jetties can better meet the demand of the surface fleet, and create a resilient, efficient, and sustainable Naval Base. This funding does not cover the totality of the regeneration needs, and future requirements will be determined following the Strategic Defence Review.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned phase out date is of the SA80A3 for the Royal Marines.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Royal Marines currently operate the KS-1 / L143A2 and SA80 in a variety of roles. There is no current defined timeline to move Royal Marines entirely away from the SA80 until the current Out of Service Date of 2030.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether houses built on land surrounding military bases will be owned by the Ministry of Defence, and whether those houses will be used as service accommodation.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

If land surrounding military bases is owned by the Department, and if a requirement for Service Family Accommodation (SFA) exists in that area, then properties built by the Ministry of Defence on that land would be utilised as SFA. However, if the land surrounding the military base is privately owned, then the use of any houses built on that site would be a matter for the developer.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the production delays to the F-35 caused by software instability relating to Lockheed Martin’s Block 4 upgrade.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

We do not routinely comment on detailed delivery schedules however, it is not anticipated that the Block 4 delays will impact the declaration of Lightning Full Operating Capability, scheduled for no later than the end of 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.7 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, how many Royal Navy ships will operate a Directed Energy Weapon by 2027.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As announced in the Spring Statement, part of the additional funding for Defence will be invested in advanced technology, including putting the DragonFire Laser Directed Energy Weapons on four Royal Navy ships, starting from 2027. This is not the totality of the Ministry of Defence (MOD)'s investment in DEW, and we will wait for the outcomes of the Strategic Defence Review and Spending Review before making further announcements on plans for DEW capability. Defence remains committed to bringing novel capabilities to our Armed Forces faster than before, and our Defence Reform efforts will help to set MOD up to deliver this.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the outcomes of his meeting with the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on 12 February 2025.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

At the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) co-chaired by the Defence Secretary, the UK is taking a leading role in ensuring coordination and coherence of international support to Ukraine. We saw almost 50 nations and partners standing together to support Ukraine in February 2025.

The UK Ministry of Defence published the official press release on the February UDCG on gov.uk website, which saw the UK announce a £150 million military support package to Ukraine.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which class of Royal Navy ships will operate a directed energy weapon.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Our DragonFire Laser Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) will be fitted to four Royal Navy ships starting from 2027. Type 45 destroyers are being explored as the most suitable platform. The Ministry of Defence is maturing plans for future DEW capabilities alongside DragonFire delivery and in conjunction with the Royal Navy will ensure that the most suitable Royal Navy ships are selected.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.7 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, how the investment in Directed Energy Weapons will be spent.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The additional funding announced in the Spring Statement is contributing to advanced technology within Defence, including securing the in service date for the DragonFire Laser Directed Energy Weapons (DEW). This investment will continue development of software and overall lethality, integration of the system, and will support the UK industrial base and specialist skills. DragonFire is an example of our commitment to developing UK sovereign capability, and is not the totality of MOD’s investment in DEW. We will wait for the outcomes of the Strategic Defence Review and Spending Review before making further announcements on plans for DEW capability.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to protect British supply chains from Russian interference and sabotage.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

We closely monitor the impact of global conflicts including the extent of Russian content in our critical programmes and the supply chains that support them, with the aim of identifying and managing emergent issues.

The Department is actively engaged in a range of activity to de-risk critical defence supply chain vulnerabilities to enable us to make informed decisions around if and how to intervene. We work collaboratively with industry to mitigate risks via initiatives such as the recent joint Ministry of Defence (MOD)-industry wargaming event. The MOD also continues to work alongside the National Protective Security Authority and with allies to ensure our industry colleagues are aware of the threats posed by Russia, and the National Security and Investment Act 2021 is used to address national security risks posed by malign Russian ownership where appropriate.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to help ensure that proposed increases in defence spending create economic growth in all regions.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

In the recent announcements of an extra £5 billion for defence next year and setting a pathway to spend 2.5% of GDP by 2027, this Government recognised that Defence and national security are foundational for economic growth across the UK. We are determined to go further and use Defence procurement and investment to actively generate wealth, boost export potential and create high quality jobs across all the nations and regions of our country.

This Government is hard-wiring growth considerations into Defence processes. The new Defence Growth Board, which will be co-chaired by the Chancellor and Secretary of State for Defence, will ensure growth considerations are central to our decision-making.

The Defence Industrial Strategy Statement of Intent, published in December 2024, identified spreading prosperity as one of six key priorities. The new UK Defence Innovation organisation and the associated commitment to spend 10% of the Ministry of Defence’s budget on novel technologies, together with fundamental reforms to defence procurement and a new small and medium sized enterprises hub will benefit industry across the UK.

The Ministry of Defence continues to engage with industry, devolved Governments and local authorities to better understand the regional opportunities and barriers for growth in the defence sector. We are working with partners across Government to determine how these can best be addressed.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's recruitment targets for the armed forces are for 2025-26.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

As the hon. Gentleman will know, the current Government inherited a crisis in recruitment and retention from the last administration. We have made a series of announcements to improve recruitment since July 2024.

The 2025-26 Single Service recruitment targets are detailed below:

Royal Navy – 3,890

Army – 10,200

Royal Air Force – 3,230

These figures are the totals for Regular Service personnel only and are rounded to the nearest 10.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 01 April 2025 to Question 41483 on Defence: Procurement, what the (a) eight business cases waiting for approval with His Majesty's Treasury and (b) seven cases waiting for approval with the Cabinet Office are.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The eight cases with HM Treasury are as follows:

1) Sheffield Forgemaster Recapitalisation

2) Future Maritime Support Programme

3) Project BRAMLEY (ICT infrastructure)

4) Defence Marine Services – Next Generation

5) Astute

6) Dreadnought Support

7) Future Combat Air System/Global Combat Air Programme

8) Submarine Disposal Capability (NB - this case was approved by HM Treasury on 1 Apr 25).

The seven cases with Cabinet Office are as follows:

1) Defence Marine Services Next Generation

2) AWE Client Partnership Framework

3) Future Maritime Support Programme

4) Land Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) Mounted SHORAD

5) HESTIA (Facilities Management) - All regional contracts - UK MOD Estate: South West; South; South East; East; North; Wales & W Midlands; Scotland and North Ireland

6) Project “Appivate” - RAF Digital Technology Contract

7) Defence Digital ICT manage services project.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of invoices from UK suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt between September 2024 and February 2025.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Between September 2024 and February 2025, a total of 619,531 invoices were received, of which, 97.28 per cent (602,704) were paid within ten working days of receipt.

Details of the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) supplier invoicing and payment information, including supplier payment performance, invoice processing and MOD contract payments, are published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministry-of-defence-supplier-invoicing-and-payment-information

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.7 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, how the UK’s programme of joint exercises with NATO allies will be enhanced.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The UK will participate in exercises with NATO Allies to build and enhance interoperability in multi-domain operations, key to NATO’s operational effectiveness. This will be demonstrated through participation in Exercises Hedgehog and Steadfast Deterrence in May of this year, which aim to strengthen NATO’s defence and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic area.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which recommendations of the Etherton Report have yet to be implemented; and what his planned timeline is for the implementation of those outstanding recommendations.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

As of 1 April 2025, 42 of the 49 recommendations have been implemented, with work to implement the outstanding seven recommendations underway, demonstrating our commitment to supporting the LGBT veteran community.

Of the seven remaining recommendations, two are for Defence and five are for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). Defence officials are also supporting DHSC colleagues with progressing their five remaining recommendations (recommendations 31, 35, 36, 38 and 42).

The two for Defence include recommendation 44 focusing on female veterans affected by the ban; this will be implemented as part of the new inclusive veterans’ strategy. Recommendation 17 to implement a dedicated memorial to LGBT personnel at the National Memorial Arboretum is expected to be unveiled before the end of 2025.

Defence encourages those affected to apply for non-financial restorative measures and the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme by completing the application forms available at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/lgbt-veterans-support-and-next-steps.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average number of months are between a service person enlisting and leaving the (a) Navy, (b) RAF and (c) Army; what the 2015 average number of months was between a service person enlisting and leaving the (a) Navy, (b) RAF and (c) Army; and what the 2020 average number of months was between a service person enlisting and leaving the (a) Navy, (b) RAF and (c) Army.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the hon. Member's Question. I will write to her when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.9 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, whether the Defence Reform Model will include a target for spending on UK Defence SMEs.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Defence have announced that, along with other Government Departments, the Ministry of Defence will publish a target for direct spend with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by June 2025.

This forms part of broader Defence Reform and complements the commitments within the Spring Statement regarding ringfenced funding for innovation. The Department is committed to a stretching but achievable target to meet this requirement.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 3.29 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, whether he plans to set a formal target for end to end procurement time for pace-setting modular upgrades.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence is reforming its acquisition system to deliver defence capabilities at greater pace, secure the best possible value for money and support growth, under the leadership of a new National Armaments Director.

These reforms will enable the end-to-end procurement approach to be tailored according to the nature of each programme, delivering capability into the hands of the war fighter more quickly to maintain operational advantage.

As set out in the Spring Statement, the department will set targets for time to contract as part of its new segmented approach to procurement. While larger, complex platforms, such as those in the Government Major Projects Portfolio, will often take longer to deliver, we will look for opportunities to drive pace at every stage of the acquisition process.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, 26 March 2025, whether he plans to set a formal target for end to end procurement time for rapid commercial exploitation.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence is reforming its acquisition system to deliver defence capabilities at greater pace, secure the best possible value for money and support growth, under the leadership of a new National Armaments Director.

These reforms will enable the end-to-end procurement approach to be tailored according to the nature of each programme, delivering capability into the hands of the war fighter more quickly to maintain operational advantage.

As set out in the Spring Statement, the department will set targets for time to contract as part of its new segmented approach to procurement. While larger, complex platforms, such as those in the Government Major Projects Portfolio, will often take longer to deliver, we will look for opportunities to drive pace at every stage of the acquisition process.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, 26 March 2025, whether he plans to set a formal target for end to end procurement time for major platforms.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence is reforming its acquisition system to deliver defence capabilities at greater pace, secure the best possible value for money and support growth, under the leadership of a new National Armaments Director.

These reforms will enable the end-to-end procurement approach to be tailored according to the nature of each programme, delivering capability into the hands of the war fighter more quickly to maintain operational advantage.

As set out in the Spring Statement, the department will set targets for time to contract as part of its new segmented approach to procurement. While larger, complex platforms, such as those in the Government Major Projects Portfolio, will often take longer to deliver, we will look for opportunities to drive pace at every stage of the acquisition process.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department will take to assess the job performance of the National Armaments Director.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The parameters and performance targets for the National Armaments Director will be agreed in line with the salary approval from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury as part of the recruitment process.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, whether the £400m ringfenced budget for UK Defence Innovation will be ringfenced for UK Defence SMEs.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As set out in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence will establish UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will consolidate, cohere and simplify the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) structures for innovation. As well as capitalise on lessons from Ukraine. It supports the Government’s wider agenda for greater departmental agility, driven by advances in technology and increased productivity. UKDI will be granted greater freedoms to exploit and capitalise on new ideas, equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster, support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK and demonstrate the UK’s ability to respond at pace to external threats.

UKDI will report under the new National Armaments Director (NAD) and sit within the Ministry of Defence as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform. Its output will be fully accountable to Ministers and Parliament. UKDI will be part of cross Government growth boards. UKDI is not a new Arm's Length Body, nor will it pull in any existing Arm’s Length Bodies. UKDI is a key part of the biggest overhaul of Defence for over 50 years and will be an essential part of reforming defence acquisition.

UKDI will reach initial operating capability in July 2025, that output will provide more detail on the admin and running costs of UKDI, the detailed design and interactions with MSHQ, other Government departments and industry. This work will look at the size and shape of the workforce needed to deliver the ambition. UKDI will be given the appropriate delegation, resources and authority to achieve its goals.

To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget to give confidence to industry in the acquisition programme and to be able to move from concept to delivery at pace. Investment cases will prioritise UK SMEs. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in recent rapid procurement activities where appropriate.

The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, whether his Department has been set a target by which to increase Defence exports.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK Government continually assesses the defence export market and plays an important role in supporting industry partners with the export of UK defence equipment. Alongside other measures announced in the Spring Statement, defence exports will play a key role in supporting the Government’s Growth agenda. Improving export performance will be a key role for the National Armaments Director.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, how UK Defence Innovation will engage with his Department.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As set out in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence will establish UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will consolidate, cohere and simplify the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) structures for innovation. As well as capitalise on lessons from Ukraine. It supports the Government’s wider agenda for greater departmental agility, driven by advances in technology and increased productivity. UKDI will be granted greater freedoms to exploit and capitalise on new ideas, equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster, support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK and demonstrate the UK’s ability to respond at pace to external threats.

UKDI will report under the new National Armaments Director (NAD) and sit within the Ministry of Defence as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform. Its output will be fully accountable to Ministers and Parliament. UKDI will be part of cross Government growth boards. UKDI is not a new Arm's Length Body, nor will it pull in any existing Arm’s Length Bodies. UKDI is a key part of the biggest overhaul of Defence for over 50 years and will be an essential part of reforming defence acquisition.

UKDI will reach initial operating capability in July 2025, that output will provide more detail on the admin and running costs of UKDI, the detailed design and interactions with MSHQ, other Government departments and industry. This work will look at the size and shape of the workforce needed to deliver the ambition. UKDI will be given the appropriate delegation, resources and authority to achieve its goals.

To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget to give confidence to industry in the acquisition programme and to be able to move from concept to delivery at pace. Investment cases will prioritise UK SMEs. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in recent rapid procurement activities where appropriate.

The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, whether a board will be created for UK Defence Innovation.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As set out in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence will establish UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will consolidate, cohere and simplify the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) structures for innovation. As well as capitalise on lessons from Ukraine. It supports the Government’s wider agenda for greater departmental agility, driven by advances in technology and increased productivity. UKDI will be granted greater freedoms to exploit and capitalise on new ideas, equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster, support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK and demonstrate the UK’s ability to respond at pace to external threats.

UKDI will report under the new National Armaments Director (NAD) and sit within the Ministry of Defence as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform. Its output will be fully accountable to Ministers and Parliament. UKDI will be part of cross Government growth boards. UKDI is not a new Arm's Length Body, nor will it pull in any existing Arm’s Length Bodies. UKDI is a key part of the biggest overhaul of Defence for over 50 years and will be an essential part of reforming defence acquisition.

UKDI will reach initial operating capability in July 2025, that output will provide more detail on the admin and running costs of UKDI, the detailed design and interactions with MSHQ, other Government departments and industry. This work will look at the size and shape of the workforce needed to deliver the ambition. UKDI will be given the appropriate delegation, resources and authority to achieve its goals.

To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget to give confidence to industry in the acquisition programme and to be able to move from concept to delivery at pace. Investment cases will prioritise UK SMEs. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in recent rapid procurement activities where appropriate.

The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, what the annual budget for UK Defence Innovation will be.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As set out in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence will establish UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will consolidate, cohere and simplify the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) structures for innovation. As well as capitalise on lessons from Ukraine. It supports the Government’s wider agenda for greater departmental agility, driven by advances in technology and increased productivity. UKDI will be granted greater freedoms to exploit and capitalise on new ideas, equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster, support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK and demonstrate the UK’s ability to respond at pace to external threats.

UKDI will report under the new National Armaments Director (NAD) and sit within the Ministry of Defence as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform. Its output will be fully accountable to Ministers and Parliament. UKDI will be part of cross Government growth boards. UKDI is not a new Arm's Length Body, nor will it pull in any existing Arm’s Length Bodies. UKDI is a key part of the biggest overhaul of Defence for over 50 years and will be an essential part of reforming defence acquisition.

UKDI will reach initial operating capability in July 2025, that output will provide more detail on the admin and running costs of UKDI, the detailed design and interactions with MSHQ, other Government departments and industry. This work will look at the size and shape of the workforce needed to deliver the ambition. UKDI will be given the appropriate delegation, resources and authority to achieve its goals.

To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget to give confidence to industry in the acquisition programme and to be able to move from concept to delivery at pace. Investment cases will prioritise UK SMEs. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in recent rapid procurement activities where appropriate.

The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, what will be the governance of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI).

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As set out in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence will establish UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will consolidate, cohere and simplify the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) structures for innovation. As well as capitalise on lessons from Ukraine. It supports the Government’s wider agenda for greater departmental agility, driven by advances in technology and increased productivity. UKDI will be granted greater freedoms to exploit and capitalise on new ideas, equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster, support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK and demonstrate the UK’s ability to respond at pace to external threats.

UKDI will report under the new National Armaments Director (NAD) and sit within the Ministry of Defence as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform. Its output will be fully accountable to Ministers and Parliament. UKDI will be part of cross Government growth boards. UKDI is not a new Arm's Length Body, nor will it pull in any existing Arm’s Length Bodies. UKDI is a key part of the biggest overhaul of Defence for over 50 years and will be an essential part of reforming defence acquisition.

UKDI will reach initial operating capability in July 2025, that output will provide more detail on the admin and running costs of UKDI, the detailed design and interactions with MSHQ, other Government departments and industry. This work will look at the size and shape of the workforce needed to deliver the ambition. UKDI will be given the appropriate delegation, resources and authority to achieve its goals.

To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget to give confidence to industry in the acquisition programme and to be able to move from concept to delivery at pace. Investment cases will prioritise UK SMEs. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in recent rapid procurement activities where appropriate.

The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's timetable is for the publication of the Defence Industrial Strategy.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

This Government is committed to bringing forward a Defence Industrial Strategy which ensures the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy are aligned, to maximise the impact of our defence spending uplift with British based firms.

The Statement of Intent outlined that the Defence Industrial Strategy will be published in late-Spring 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Prime Minister last met with the lead members of the Strategic Defence Review team.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

As the Prime Minister reported in his Statement on Defence and Security in the House of Commons, the Strategic Defence Review is being finalised. The Reviewers are reporting regularly on progress to the Prime Minister, the Defence Secretary, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Review will be published in the Spring. It will help set the path for Britain's defence for the next decade.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, if he will fully define each of the areas of investment to be covered by the 10% of his Department’s equipment procurement that will be spent on novel technologies.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As set out in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence will establish UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will consolidate, cohere and simplify the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) structures for innovation. As well as capitalise on lessons from Ukraine. It supports the Government’s wider agenda for greater departmental agility, driven by advances in technology and increased productivity. UKDI will be granted greater freedoms to exploit and capitalise on new ideas, equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster, support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK and demonstrate the UK’s ability to respond at pace to external threats.

UKDI will report under the new National Armaments Director (NAD) and sit within the Ministry of Defence as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform. Its output will be fully accountable to Ministers and Parliament. UKDI will be part of cross Government growth boards. UKDI is not a new Arm's Length Body, nor will it pull in any existing Arm’s Length Bodies. UKDI is a key part of the biggest overhaul of Defence for over 50 years and will be an essential part of reforming defence acquisition.

UKDI will reach initial operating capability in July 2025, that output will provide more detail on the admin and running costs of UKDI, the detailed design and interactions with MSHQ, other Government departments and industry. This work will look at the size and shape of the workforce needed to deliver the ambition. UKDI will be given the appropriate delegation, resources and authority to achieve its goals.

To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget to give confidence to industry in the acquisition programme and to be able to move from concept to delivery at pace. Investment cases will prioritise UK SMEs. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in recent rapid procurement activities where appropriate.

The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, what the cash terms figure is for the 10% of his Department’s equipment procurement that will be spent on novel technologies.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As set out in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence will establish UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will consolidate, cohere and simplify the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) structures for innovation. As well as capitalise on lessons from Ukraine. It supports the Government’s wider agenda for greater departmental agility, driven by advances in technology and increased productivity. UKDI will be granted greater freedoms to exploit and capitalise on new ideas, equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster, support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK and demonstrate the UK’s ability to respond at pace to external threats.

UKDI will report under the new National Armaments Director (NAD) and sit within the Ministry of Defence as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform. Its output will be fully accountable to Ministers and Parliament. UKDI will be part of cross Government growth boards. UKDI is not a new Arm's Length Body, nor will it pull in any existing Arm’s Length Bodies. UKDI is a key part of the biggest overhaul of Defence for over 50 years and will be an essential part of reforming defence acquisition.

UKDI will reach initial operating capability in July 2025, that output will provide more detail on the admin and running costs of UKDI, the detailed design and interactions with MSHQ, other Government departments and industry. This work will look at the size and shape of the workforce needed to deliver the ambition. UKDI will be given the appropriate delegation, resources and authority to achieve its goals.

To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget to give confidence to industry in the acquisition programme and to be able to move from concept to delivery at pace. Investment cases will prioritise UK SMEs. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in recent rapid procurement activities where appropriate.

The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, if he will list all the arms-length bodies which will be rolled in to UK Defence Innovation.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As set out in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence will establish UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will consolidate, cohere and simplify the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) structures for innovation. As well as capitalise on lessons from Ukraine. It supports the Government’s wider agenda for greater departmental agility, driven by advances in technology and increased productivity. UKDI will be granted greater freedoms to exploit and capitalise on new ideas, equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster, support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK and demonstrate the UK’s ability to respond at pace to external threats.

UKDI will report under the new National Armaments Director (NAD) and sit within the Ministry of Defence as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform. Its output will be fully accountable to Ministers and Parliament. UKDI will be part of cross Government growth boards. UKDI is not a new Arm's Length Body, nor will it pull in any existing Arm’s Length Bodies. UKDI is a key part of the biggest overhaul of Defence for over 50 years and will be an essential part of reforming defence acquisition.

UKDI will reach initial operating capability in July 2025, that output will provide more detail on the admin and running costs of UKDI, the detailed design and interactions with MSHQ, other Government departments and industry. This work will look at the size and shape of the workforce needed to deliver the ambition. UKDI will be given the appropriate delegation, resources and authority to achieve its goals.

To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget to give confidence to industry in the acquisition programme and to be able to move from concept to delivery at pace. Investment cases will prioritise UK SMEs. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in recent rapid procurement activities where appropriate.

The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, what will be the construct of UK Defence Innovation.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As set out in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence will establish UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will consolidate, cohere and simplify the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) structures for innovation. As well as capitalise on lessons from Ukraine. It supports the Government’s wider agenda for greater departmental agility, driven by advances in technology and increased productivity. UKDI will be granted greater freedoms to exploit and capitalise on new ideas, equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster, support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK and demonstrate the UK’s ability to respond at pace to external threats.

UKDI will report under the new National Armaments Director (NAD) and sit within the Ministry of Defence as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform. Its output will be fully accountable to Ministers and Parliament. UKDI will be part of cross Government growth boards. UKDI is not a new Arm's Length Body, nor will it pull in any existing Arm’s Length Bodies. UKDI is a key part of the biggest overhaul of Defence for over 50 years and will be an essential part of reforming defence acquisition.

UKDI will reach initial operating capability in July 2025, that output will provide more detail on the admin and running costs of UKDI, the detailed design and interactions with MSHQ, other Government departments and industry. This work will look at the size and shape of the workforce needed to deliver the ambition. UKDI will be given the appropriate delegation, resources and authority to achieve its goals.

To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget to give confidence to industry in the acquisition programme and to be able to move from concept to delivery at pace. Investment cases will prioritise UK SMEs. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in recent rapid procurement activities where appropriate.

The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) civil servants, (b) service personnel, (c) contractors and (d) others who will be employed by UK Defence Innovation.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As set out in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence will establish UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will consolidate, cohere and simplify the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) structures for innovation. As well as capitalise on lessons from Ukraine. It supports the Government’s wider agenda for greater departmental agility, driven by advances in technology and increased productivity. UKDI will be granted greater freedoms to exploit and capitalise on new ideas, equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster, support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK and demonstrate the UK’s ability to respond at pace to external threats.

UKDI will report under the new National Armaments Director (NAD) and sit within the Ministry of Defence as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform. Its output will be fully accountable to Ministers and Parliament. UKDI will be part of cross Government growth boards. UKDI is not a new Arm's Length Body, nor will it pull in any existing Arm’s Length Bodies. UKDI is a key part of the biggest overhaul of Defence for over 50 years and will be an essential part of reforming defence acquisition.

UKDI will reach initial operating capability in July 2025, that output will provide more detail on the admin and running costs of UKDI, the detailed design and interactions with MSHQ, other Government departments and industry. This work will look at the size and shape of the workforce needed to deliver the ambition. UKDI will be given the appropriate delegation, resources and authority to achieve its goals.

To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget to give confidence to industry in the acquisition programme and to be able to move from concept to delivery at pace. Investment cases will prioritise UK SMEs. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in recent rapid procurement activities where appropriate.

The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Spring Statement, published on 26 March 2025, what the forecasted annual administration cost of UK Defence Innovation is.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As set out in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence will establish UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will consolidate, cohere and simplify the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) structures for innovation. As well as capitalise on lessons from Ukraine. It supports the Government’s wider agenda for greater departmental agility, driven by advances in technology and increased productivity. UKDI will be granted greater freedoms to exploit and capitalise on new ideas, equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster, support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK and demonstrate the UK’s ability to respond at pace to external threats.

UKDI will report under the new National Armaments Director (NAD) and sit within the Ministry of Defence as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform. Its output will be fully accountable to Ministers and Parliament. UKDI will be part of cross Government growth boards. UKDI is not a new Arm's Length Body, nor will it pull in any existing Arm’s Length Bodies. UKDI is a key part of the biggest overhaul of Defence for over 50 years and will be an essential part of reforming defence acquisition.

UKDI will reach initial operating capability in July 2025, that output will provide more detail on the admin and running costs of UKDI, the detailed design and interactions with MSHQ, other Government departments and industry. This work will look at the size and shape of the workforce needed to deliver the ambition. UKDI will be given the appropriate delegation, resources and authority to achieve its goals.

To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget to give confidence to industry in the acquisition programme and to be able to move from concept to delivery at pace. Investment cases will prioritise UK SMEs. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in recent rapid procurement activities where appropriate.

The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the National Armaments Director will interact with UK Defence Innovation.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As set out in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence will establish UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will consolidate, cohere and simplify the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) structures for innovation. As well as capitalise on lessons from Ukraine. It supports the Government’s wider agenda for greater departmental agility, driven by advances in technology and increased productivity. UKDI will be granted greater freedoms to exploit and capitalise on new ideas, equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster, support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK and demonstrate the UK’s ability to respond at pace to external threats.

UKDI will report under the new National Armaments Director (NAD) and sit within the Ministry of Defence as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform. Its output will be fully accountable to Ministers and Parliament. UKDI will be part of cross Government growth boards. UKDI is not a new Arm's Length Body, nor will it pull in any existing Arm’s Length Bodies. UKDI is a key part of the biggest overhaul of Defence for over 50 years and will be an essential part of reforming defence acquisition.

UKDI will reach initial operating capability in July 2025, that output will provide more detail on the admin and running costs of UKDI, the detailed design and interactions with MSHQ, other Government departments and industry. This work will look at the size and shape of the workforce needed to deliver the ambition. UKDI will be given the appropriate delegation, resources and authority to achieve its goals.

To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget to give confidence to industry in the acquisition programme and to be able to move from concept to delivery at pace. Investment cases will prioritise UK SMEs. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in recent rapid procurement activities where appropriate.

The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how Defence Equipment and Support will interact with UK Defence Innovation.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As set out in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement the Ministry of Defence will establish UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). This new body will consolidate, cohere and simplify the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) structures for innovation. As well as capitalise on lessons from Ukraine. It supports the Government’s wider agenda for greater departmental agility, driven by advances in technology and increased productivity. UKDI will be granted greater freedoms to exploit and capitalise on new ideas, equip Britain’s Armed Forces with cutting-edge tech faster, support the growth of high-tech businesses across the UK and demonstrate the UK’s ability to respond at pace to external threats.

UKDI will report under the new National Armaments Director (NAD) and sit within the Ministry of Defence as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform. Its output will be fully accountable to Ministers and Parliament. UKDI will be part of cross Government growth boards. UKDI is not a new Arm's Length Body, nor will it pull in any existing Arm’s Length Bodies. UKDI is a key part of the biggest overhaul of Defence for over 50 years and will be an essential part of reforming defence acquisition.

UKDI will reach initial operating capability in July 2025, that output will provide more detail on the admin and running costs of UKDI, the detailed design and interactions with MSHQ, other Government departments and industry. This work will look at the size and shape of the workforce needed to deliver the ambition. UKDI will be given the appropriate delegation, resources and authority to achieve its goals.

To achieve these aims UKDI will be given a ringfenced budget to give confidence to industry in the acquisition programme and to be able to move from concept to delivery at pace. Investment cases will prioritise UK SMEs. The Spring Statement also confirmed that from next year the MOD will spend at least 10% of its equipment procurement budget on novel tech including dual-use technologies such as uncrewed and autonomous systems and AI-enabled capabilities. UKDI will be closely linked to the DE&S and DASA teams which have recently been involved in recent rapid procurement activities where appropriate.

The creation of UKDI underlines this Government's commitment to exploiting new ideas and technologies to equip our Armed Forces with cutting edge tech and grow high tech businesses across the UK.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Written Ministerial Statement of 1 April 2025 on Defence Reform, HCWS 573, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the creation of the National Armaments Director Group on the number of senior civil servants in other organisations within his Department.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Under Defence Reform, Civil Servants and Service personnel in organisations across the Ministry of Defence are re-aligning under four Areas – Department of State, Military Strategic Headquarters, National Armaments Director Group, and Defence Nuclear Enterprise.

In the first phase of implementation, teams are mostly moving as complete units. As new ways of working bed in, and in response to operational and policy needs, the Department will continue to assign roles in the most effective and efficient way.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Written Ministerial Statement of 1 April 2025 on Defence Reform, HCWS 573, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the creation of the National Armaments Director Group on the number of military posts in other organisations within his Department.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Under Defence Reform, Civil Servants and Service personnel in organisations across the Ministry of Defence are re-aligning under four Areas – Department of State, Military Strategic Headquarters, National Armaments Director Group, and Defence Nuclear Enterprise.

In the first phase of implementation, teams are mostly moving as complete units. As new ways of working bed in, and in response to operational and policy needs, the Department will continue to assign roles in the most effective and efficient way.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Written Ministerial Statement of 1 April 2025 on Defence Reform, HCWS 573, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his proposed Departmental reforms on the number of civil servants employed by his Department.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

We are undertaking the biggest UK defence reforms for more than 50 years, including building an Armed Forces and Defence Civil Service workforce which will be more skilled, agile and which better exploits technology.

This means tackling bureaucracy and streamlining processes to increase productivity.

This Government inherited a crisis in Armed Forces recruitment and retention and Ministers are determined to stop the long term decline in troop numbers.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Written Ministerial Statement of 1 April 2025 on Defence Reform, HCWS 573, whether he plans to make any service personnel redundant as part of his reforms.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

We are undertaking the biggest UK defence reforms for more than 50 years, including building an Armed Forces and Defence Civil Service workforce which will be more skilled, agile and which better exploits technology.

This means tackling bureaucracy and streamlining processes to increase productivity.

This Government inherited a crisis in Armed Forces recruitment and retention and Ministers are determined to stop the long term decline in troop numbers.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the new support hub for SMEs will be operational.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 March 2025 to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (James Cartlidge) to Question 34903.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on issuing payments under the LGBT Veterans Financial Recognition Scheme.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme launched on 13 December 2024. As of 31 March 2025, 917 applications had been received. Fighting With Pride, the Royal British Legion and Veterans UK are providing ongoing support to veterans with their applications.

The process of gathering evidence and records for the creation of casefiles is underway for these applications. This is the largest part of the process as this requires the collation of information from a variety of sources, including historical records.

Terminally ill veterans are being prioritised and we expect payments to begin for these veterans by the end of April 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) of his Department's civilian personnel, (b) Armed Forces personnel and (c) external private contractors work on recruitment for the (i) Royal Navy, (ii) British Army, (iii) Royal Air Force and (iv) Royal Marines.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The requested information is presented in the table below. A separate return for the Royal Marines is not available as Royal Navy and Royal Marines recruiting are combined under the Royal Navy Recruit and Attract organisation.

*Note: contractors provide a range of outsourced Services, some held jointly. For the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force we hold no details on the numbers of individuals who work for the provider on each contract.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) full time and (b) reservist armed forces personnel were working on recruitment for the (i) British Army, (ii) Royal Navy, (iii) RAF and (iv) Royal Marines as of 01 April 2025.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The requested information is presented in the table below. A separate return for the Royal Marines is not available as Royal Navy and Royal Marines recruiting are combined under the Royal Navy Recruit and Attract organisation.

*Note: contractors provide a range of outsourced Services, some held jointly. For the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force we hold no details on the numbers of individuals who work for the provider on each contract.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the findings of the internal review of records relating to nuclear test veterans; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Government is deeply grateful to all those who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme. We recognise their Service and the huge contribution they have made to the UK’s security.

I am fully committed to meeting Nuclear Test Veterans, organisations that represent them, and Parliamentarians to discuss the important issue of records. I held a meeting with a Nuclear Test Veteran organisation most recently on 31 March 2025, and I look forward to further engagement, including with Members of Parliament.

We understand the range of concerns from members of the Nuclear Test Veteran community and their families. The records exercise is a priority. While there is no ringfenced budget associated with this exercise, I have directed teams across the Ministry of Defence and Atomic Weapons Establishment to deliver the records exercise in a meaningful way so that I can then update Nuclear Test Veterans and this House about what information the Department holds in relation to the medical testing of Service personnel who took part in the UK nuclear weapons tests. Many officials from across the Department are involved in roles ranging from supporting the recall of files from various archives, to analysing the files. Collating information on the number of officials involved would be time consuming and detract from those officials delivering the records exercise itself.

At this stage, we cannot confirm when the records exercise will be complete. We are not currently certain how many files need to be reviewed, and the content of those files varies significantly over time and between the Services, which were under separate Ministries during the period of the nuclear tests.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timetable is for updating Parliament on plans to mediate a solution with nuclear test veterans on their missing medical records.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Government is deeply grateful to all those who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme. We recognise their Service and the huge contribution they have made to the UK’s security.

I am fully committed to meeting Nuclear Test Veterans, organisations that represent them, and Parliamentarians to discuss the important issue of records. I held a meeting with a Nuclear Test Veteran organisation most recently on 31 March 2025, and I look forward to further engagement, including with Members of Parliament.

We understand the range of concerns from members of the Nuclear Test Veteran community and their families. The records exercise is a priority. While there is no ringfenced budget associated with this exercise, I have directed teams across the Ministry of Defence and Atomic Weapons Establishment to deliver the records exercise in a meaningful way so that I can then update Nuclear Test Veterans and this House about what information the Department holds in relation to the medical testing of Service personnel who took part in the UK nuclear weapons tests. Many officials from across the Department are involved in roles ranging from supporting the recall of files from various archives, to analysing the files. Collating information on the number of officials involved would be time consuming and detract from those officials delivering the records exercise itself.

At this stage, we cannot confirm when the records exercise will be complete. We are not currently certain how many files need to be reviewed, and the content of those files varies significantly over time and between the Services, which were under separate Ministries during the period of the nuclear tests.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on allegations of medical monitoring of nuclear test veterans since 2022.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Government is deeply grateful to all those who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme. We recognise their Service and the huge contribution they have made to the UK’s security.

I am fully committed to meeting Nuclear Test Veterans, organisations that represent them, and Parliamentarians to discuss the important issue of records. I held a meeting with a Nuclear Test Veteran organisation most recently on 31 March 2025, and I look forward to further engagement, including with Members of Parliament.

We understand the range of concerns from members of the Nuclear Test Veteran community and their families. The records exercise is a priority. While there is no ringfenced budget associated with this exercise, I have directed teams across the Ministry of Defence and Atomic Weapons Establishment to deliver the records exercise in a meaningful way so that I can then update Nuclear Test Veterans and this House about what information the Department holds in relation to the medical testing of Service personnel who took part in the UK nuclear weapons tests. Many officials from across the Department are involved in roles ranging from supporting the recall of files from various archives, to analysing the files. Collating information on the number of officials involved would be time consuming and detract from those officials delivering the records exercise itself.

At this stage, we cannot confirm when the records exercise will be complete. We are not currently certain how many files need to be reviewed, and the content of those files varies significantly over time and between the Services, which were under separate Ministries during the period of the nuclear tests.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department are working (a) full time and (b) part time on the internal review of records relating to nuclear test veterans.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Government is deeply grateful to all those who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme. We recognise their Service and the huge contribution they have made to the UK’s security.

I am fully committed to meeting Nuclear Test Veterans, organisations that represent them, and Parliamentarians to discuss the important issue of records. I held a meeting with a Nuclear Test Veteran organisation most recently on 31 March 2025, and I look forward to further engagement, including with Members of Parliament.

We understand the range of concerns from members of the Nuclear Test Veteran community and their families. The records exercise is a priority. While there is no ringfenced budget associated with this exercise, I have directed teams across the Ministry of Defence and Atomic Weapons Establishment to deliver the records exercise in a meaningful way so that I can then update Nuclear Test Veterans and this House about what information the Department holds in relation to the medical testing of Service personnel who took part in the UK nuclear weapons tests. Many officials from across the Department are involved in roles ranging from supporting the recall of files from various archives, to analysing the files. Collating information on the number of officials involved would be time consuming and detract from those officials delivering the records exercise itself.

At this stage, we cannot confirm when the records exercise will be complete. We are not currently certain how many files need to be reviewed, and the content of those files varies significantly over time and between the Services, which were under separate Ministries during the period of the nuclear tests.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has (a) budgeted for and (b) spent to date on the internal review of records relating to nuclear test veterans.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Government is deeply grateful to all those who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme. We recognise their Service and the huge contribution they have made to the UK’s security.

I am fully committed to meeting Nuclear Test Veterans, organisations that represent them, and Parliamentarians to discuss the important issue of records. I held a meeting with a Nuclear Test Veteran organisation most recently on 31 March 2025, and I look forward to further engagement, including with Members of Parliament.

We understand the range of concerns from members of the Nuclear Test Veteran community and their families. The records exercise is a priority. While there is no ringfenced budget associated with this exercise, I have directed teams across the Ministry of Defence and Atomic Weapons Establishment to deliver the records exercise in a meaningful way so that I can then update Nuclear Test Veterans and this House about what information the Department holds in relation to the medical testing of Service personnel who took part in the UK nuclear weapons tests. Many officials from across the Department are involved in roles ranging from supporting the recall of files from various archives, to analysing the files. Collating information on the number of officials involved would be time consuming and detract from those officials delivering the records exercise itself.

At this stage, we cannot confirm when the records exercise will be complete. We are not currently certain how many files need to be reviewed, and the content of those files varies significantly over time and between the Services, which were under separate Ministries during the period of the nuclear tests.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the merits of the former Secretary of State's plans to purchase more Airbus A400M aircraft.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

All capability requirements, including those for tactical airlift, are being considered as part of the Strategic Defence Review process.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March to Question 39042 on Helicopters: Finance, if he will outline the prioritisation decisions made by the multiple front line commands to lay out an estimated budget for (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Prioritisation decisions made by front line commands regarding spending on rotary wing will take account of capability requirements, as well as the Accounting Officer principles set out in Managing Public Money.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Spring Statement published on 26 March 2025, where the 37,000 new military homes will be located.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Ministry of Defence is currently undertaking an extensive review of its Service Family Accommodation portfolio. To ensure a strategic and structured approach is taken, all options will be assessed during the review. The Defence Housing Strategy will be published Summer 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 38652 on Multi-role Support Ships: Procurement, whether external consultants were involved in the renaming process.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The name change from Multi-role Support Ship to Multi-role Strike Ship (MRSS) took effect on 25 February 2025. No external consultants were involved.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 38652 on Multi-role Support Ships: Procurement, on what date it was renamed.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The name change from Multi-role Support Ship to Multi-role Strike Ship (MRSS) took effect on 25 February 2025. No external consultants were involved.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK Defence Innovation will be an arm’s length body.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

No. UK Defence Innovation will report to the National Armaments Director in the Ministry of Defence, as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of (a) Challenger 2, (b) Warrior, (c) Boxer and (d) protected patrol vehicles were (i) fit for service and (ii) not fit for service in each year since 2015.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

We do not routinely disclose a breakdown of total capability fleets in the interests of security and operational effectiveness.

However, the total fleet figures of Challenger 2, Warrior and Protected Mobility Vehicles since 2016 can be found in the annual UK Armed Forces Equipment and Formations statistics. This is accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-armed-forces-equipment-and-formations.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reported comments by President Macron on 27 March 2025.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

France is one of the UK's most important European partners. The UK continues to work closely with France to lead Europe's efforts on Ukraine's long term defence. UK and French led planning is ongoing and discussions continue around military planning of air, sea and land forces that would be required to support a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the potential economic impact on Bedfordshire of increased defence spending.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

We are ensuring UK defence is on the cutting-edge of technology and innovation, with Defence spending meeting our military needs, supporting 434,000 jobs across the breadth of the UK and increasing the productive capacity of the UK economy to drive sustainable, long-term growth. The Ministry of Defence’s allocation of the 2.5% uplift will be agreed as part of the Spending Review.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government under what circumstances they would reconsider the decision not to award a clasp to the General Service Medal for service in BRIXMIS.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As the noble Lord was advised in 2023, cases regarding historic medallic recognition are a matter for the independent Advisory Military Sub-Committee (AMSC) to consider, rather than the Ministry of Defence. In 2020, the AMSC considered the issue of awarding a clasp to the General Service Medal for service on BRIXMIS, and the recommendation of the Sub-Committee was that BRIXMIS did not meet the criteria for medallic recognition. This recommendation was accepted by the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (HD Committee).

Any further review of this issue would be for the AMSC to consider, should additional evidence be submitted, which fulfils at least one of the following criteria: significant new evidence has become available that had not been considered previously; facts relied upon during the original decision-making process are shown to be unsound; the original decision appears to be manifestly inconsistent with those for other similar campaigns; or the decision appears to have been taken for reasons which have nothing to do with risk and rigour.

Should the AMSC agree that any such new evidence was sufficient to alter their original decision, they would make a recommendation to the HD Committee for further consideration and, if agreed, submission to His Majesty The King for His Majesty’s final approval.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they define the difference between the right to defend and an offensive action by a state.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As recognised in Article 51 of the UN Charter, States have the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence against armed attack. Self-defence permits States to use necessary and proportionate force to repel such armed attacks. States’ uses of force outside of self-defence or absent some other legal basis such as a Chapter 7 UN Security Council Resolution, consent or humanitarian intervention would be unlawful as a matter of international law.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the announced increase in defence spending, what steps they are taking to research artificial intelligence technologies and encourage their implementation in defence programmes.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

AI (and the autonomy it enables) has potential to transform every aspect of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Armed Forces. Rapid and scaled adoption of these technologies is a key Defence priority and significant work is underway across the Department, including over 400 AI-related projects and programmes.

MOD’s efforts to harness AI are cohered through the Defence AI Centre - a partnership between Defence Digital, Defence Equipment and Support and Dstl. Dstl’s Science and Technology research capabilities therefore underpin our approach to AI, helping to ensure that the MOD understand key technological developments while also developing the standards, tooling and Test and Evaluation capabilities to adopt and use AI-enabled systems safely and responsibly.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the advertisement of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation Head of People Development and Culture, what is the business justification for the salary, and how recruitment into that job role will benefit the Ministry of Defence.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The salary for the role of Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) Head of People Development and Culture is determined by the established banding within Defence. The grade is defined by the responsibilities of the position and level of experience needed to successfully deliver in role.

This role is aligned with Defence Reform initiatives, particularly in transforming culture across the organisation, with DIO playing a key role. Attracting the right leaders into the right positions is essential for building capability within Defence. In doing so, we foster the right culture and behaviours ensuring we develop a workforce equipped with the professional expertise needed for the future.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the rules of engagement are for the armed forces under Operation CABRIT.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

I hope that the hon. Gentleman will understand that for operational security reasons I cannot comment on the specific rules of engagement for the Armed Forces under Operation CABRIT.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of service life on non-UK nationality families of serving personnel.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

This Government recognises and values the vital support which all Service families provide to our Armed Forces, which enables them to serve our country both in the UK and overseas in order to maintain national security.

We are therefore committed through the Armed Forces Covenant to continuously work to improve the lives of the Armed Forces community in conjunction with other Government Departments, and work is currently underway to fully extend the legal duty further.

For our non-UK families, much of that work focusses on their UK immigration status, and the Ministry of Defence works very closely with the Home Office to ensure that those who serve or have served in the Regular Armed Forces and their families are not disadvantaged by Service life. This includes special Immigration Rules Appendix HM Armed Forces which offer a number of advantages for families such as being exempt from paying the Immigration Health Surcharge to access NHS services; being granted visas for entry to the UK valid for up to 60 months compared to 30 months on other family routes; being able to count time outside the UK on accompanied overseas assignments towards future Settlement or naturalisation applications; and children born in the UK or qualifying territories to Serving personnel are British by birth.

Support and information is also available to families on a range of issues including relocation, accommodation, education and NHS facilities through the Single Services, the HIVE Information Centres, the new Families Hub and the Families Federations.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many incidents of Russian military activity in (a) the North Sea, (b) the English Channel, (c) the Irish Sea and (d) the North Atlantic his Department has recorded per month for the last 24 months.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Royal Navy continuously monitors UK waters and stands ready to respond to the presence of Russian vessels. For reasons of national security, we cannot disclose the specific number of incidents of Russian military activity recorded during any given period.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when an Israeli Air Force aircraft last landed at an RAF station in the UK; and what its purpose was.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

For operational security reasons and as a matter of policy, the Ministry of Defence will neither confirm, deny, nor comment on any foreign nations’ military aircraft movement or operations within UK airspace or UK overseas bases, whether they may or may not have happened.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on the (a) upkeep and (b) maintenance of HMS Victorious since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The volume of detailed information requested is such that it will take time to consider in full. Consequently, I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Found: be better promoted is if there was a government backed campaign like the ‘More than meets the eye’ MOD

Found: potential to be upskilled to work on new products (e.g. automotive, oil and gas, manufacturing). 38) MoD

Found: The Ministry of Defence has invested in new forging presses at Forgemasters, but if the work goes to

Found: creative industry sector; DEFRA’s environmental regulation touches on pretty much all sectors; and the MOD

Found: protected areas only to find in 10 years’ time that is where we want to put a wind turbine or that the MOD

Found: protected areas only to find in 10 years’ time that is where we want to put a wind turbine or that the MOD

Found: The UK MoD also routinely uses commercial satellite imagery, and again this is in the public domain

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether fiscal rules or defence priorities determined that more than 90 per cent of the expenditure transferred to defence from overseas development assistance is allocated to capital expenditure; and how this allocation correlates to the 35 per cent of defence expenditure currently allocated to capital spending.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Chancellor’s Spring Statement document, published on 26 March, set out the Resource DEL and Capital DEL uplifts to defence spending over the scorecard period.

A greater proportion of the uplift will be Capital DEL funding. This reflects the needs of defence, and will enable the accelerated adoption of cutting-edge capabilities, and rebuild stockpiles, munitions, and other essentials depleted after a period focussed on international terrorism and global crises. This Capital DEL focus also supports the Chancellor’s mission to boost growth, enabling greater spending on novel and innovative technologies.

The allocation of this uplift and the MOD budget will be confirmed as part of the Spending Review 2025, which will conclude on 11 June 2025.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the funds transferred from overseas development assistance expenditure to defence may be used by the armed forces on revenue expenditure rather than capital expenditure, in (1) real terms, and (2) as a percentage; and whether this was discussed with Service Chiefs in advance.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Prime Minister announced on 25 February 2025 that NATO qualifying defence spending would increase to 2.5% GDP in 2027-28. This would be fully funded by a reduction in ODA spending from 0.5% to 0.3% GNI.

The Spring Statement document, published on 26 March, set out the Resource DEL and Capital DEL uplifts to defence spending over the scorecard period.

The proportion of this uplift that will be allocated to the MOD budget is to be determined as part of the Spending Review 2025, which will conclude on 11 June 2025.

The Defence Secretary will continue to work with the Service Chiefs in the usual way.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of the additional defence expenditure she announced at the Spring Statement falls under capital departmental expenditure limits; what proportion falls under resource departmental expenditure limits; and for what reason these allocations were arrived at.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The Chancellor’s Spring Statement document, published on 26 March, set out the Resource DEL and Capital DEL uplifts to defence spending over the scorecard period.

A greater proportion of the uplift will be Capital DEL funding. This reflects the needs of defence, and will enable the accelerated the adoption of cutting-edge capabilities, and rebuild stockpiles, munitions, and other essentials depleted after a period focussed on international terrorism and global crises. This Capital DEL focus also supports the Chancellor’s mission to boost growth, enabling greater spending on novel and innovative technologies.

The allocation of this uplift and the MOD budget will be confirmed as part of the Spending Review 2025, which will conclude on 11 June 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason the National Procurement Policy Statement exempts the Ministry of Defence defence and security contracts from the priority on delivering social value.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Defence and security contracts under the previous procurement regime were exempt from social value requirements under Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 06/20. This meant contracts let by Central Government Departments, their Executive Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies in scope of the Public Contracts Regulations (2015) only, excluding those covered by the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 (DSPCR).

From 24 February 2025, Procurement Policy Note 002: Taking account of social value in the award of contracts which sets out how to take account of social value in the award of central government contracts, will not be mandated for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in relation to defence and security contracts as defined by section 7 of the Procurement Act 2023 and exempt procurements.

However, MOD delivery teams will have the flexibility to include Social Value criteria in defence and security or exempt contracts if relevant to the subject matter of the contract, proportionate, fair and non-discriminatory. This will be considered by individual MOD Delivery Teams on a case-by-case basis. All other MOD contracts that are in scope of the Procurement Act 2023 and not classified as a defence and security contract will be required to comply with the National procurement Policy Statement and PPN 002.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2025 to Question 40570 on Ministers: Aviation and to the Answer of 14 March 2025 to Question 36276 on Military Aircraft: Helicopters, which (a) Ministers and (b) Departments are eligible to procure official helicopter travel under the provisions of the Central Cabinet Office Corporate Travel Agency Contract other than the Ministry of Defence.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Central Cabinet Office Corporate Travel Agency Contract contains provisions for the booking of aviation assets for any government department or minister, in accordance with the Ministerial Code. This contract has not been utilised for helicopter travel by this government.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what changes he plans to make to rules governing SME procurement in public contracts, in the context of the Spring Statement 2025.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

This Government is taking major steps to give SMEs greater access to public contracts - including the publication of the National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) which sets out a mission-led procurement regime focused on driving economic growth that supports Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSEs), giving them greater opportunities to win public contracts by instructing contracting authorities to maximise their spend with these organisations. To support implementation of the NPPS in central government, we have announced new rules requiring all government departments and their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies to set three-year targets for direct spend with SMEs from 1 April 2025, and from 1 April 2026 for VCSEs, and publish progress annually.

We will be consulting on more reforms including a requirement for large contracting authorities to publish their three-year targets for small business and social enterprise spend and report on this annually - as well as the exclusion of suppliers from contracts worth more than £5million if they don’t complete prompt payments of invoices.

In the Spring Statement, the Chancellor also announced measures to reform our procurement system to give small businesses across the UK better access to Ministry of Defence contracts.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the findings of the Clonoe Inquest.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Following careful consideration, on 22 March 2025 the Ministry of Defence wrote to the Coroner to outline its intention to apply for a judicial review. In the Government’s view, the findings of the Coroner do not properly reflect the context of the incident, nor the challenging circumstances in which members of the armed forces served in Northern Ireland. The MoD has also confirmed that it is funding the veterans in question to seek a judicial review and it is continuing to provide them with welfare support.

As I explained in the debate on this issue in the House on 2 April 2025, the almost universally opposed Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 Act has been found by the domestic courts to be unlawful in a number of respects. I am consulting widely, including with veterans, and plan to bring forward replacement legislation which is fair, balanced, proportionate and compatible with our international and domestic human rights obligations.

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