Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government by what date they estimate the army will have "increased lethality ten-fold", as called for in the Strategic Defence Review.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given by the Minister for the Armed forces to Question 79389 on 17 October 2025 in the House of Commons, which remains extant in that the Army will deliver a tenfold increase in lethality by 2035.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the army's ability to carry out large-scale land exercises.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Army is confident in its ability to deliver large-scale land exercises and remains committed to the continuous improvement and development of its capabilities.
The scale and complexity of training exercises are being increased, including a transition from single battlegroup exercises to brigade level events. These exercises incorporate both live and virtual elements, ensuring integrated training that enhances operational readiness.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) availability, and (2) fighting capability, of the army's armoured vehicles.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Army continually assesses capabilities to ensure we can meet NATO and wider operational requirements. The Army's capability and modernisation are driven by the Strategic Defence Review's direction to move to warfighting readiness, developing an Army that is more lethal, agile, and a globally engaged integrated force. This includes the aim to deliver a modernised, lethal division by 2030, capable of operating in complex environments.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what visits have been made by Royal Navy vessels (1) to ports in Tunisia, and (2) through Tunisian waters, since 2020.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Royal Navy surface vessels have visited Tunisian ports and waters on four occasions since 2020. The visits took place in September and October 2020, April 2021 and November 2022.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of future use for the disused military barracks and drill hall at 76D Rochester Row, London SW1.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Rochester Row was identified for disposal under plans to achieve a more efficient, modern and capability focussed Defence estate. Army Reserve Estate Optimisation are engaging with the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association (RFCA) to discuss the future plans for the site.
Where sites are disposed of on the Volunteer Estate, receipts are reinvested to enable betterment at other Reserve locations across the country, supporting Homeland Resilience, National Defence and Mobilisation.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many warships are available to the Royal Navy, and how many officers of the rank of rear admiral and above.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
As at 16 February 2024, the Royal Navy has 29 warships of which there are 20 available. The warship numbers included are: Offshore Patrol Vessels, Frigates, Destroyers, Aircraft Carriers and Landing Platform (Docks).
There are currently 14 officers of the rank of Rear Admiral and above serving in Navy Command. There are an additional 27 serving across the MOD, as well as other Government Departments and NATO, at the time of the most recently published figures (October 2023). The figures for the number of officers at the rank of Rear Admiral and above are taken from the Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics available at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2023
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the purpose of HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which that purpose has been achieved.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The purpose of HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales is to provide the UK a Carrier Strike Group (CSG) capability. A CSG is a secure, versatile, agile and survivable, well-found sovereign operating base that exerts global influence through power projection, which, enabled by sea control and with minimal risk, delivers strike warfare against targets ashore.
The UK CSG has made steady progress towards becoming a fully operational force, with Initial Operating Capability (IOC) of Carrier Strike (CS) declared in 2021, and the milestones for Full Operating Capability (FOC) are being reviewed. With the IOC CS declaration, CS deployments continue to take place annually with preparations for an FOC scale deployment.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government on how many occasions in the past year Royal Naval and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels have visited Tunisian (1) ports, and (2) territorial waters.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
No Royal Navy or Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels have visited Tunisian ports or territorial waters during the past year.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the non-nuclear ammunition available to UK armed forces.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Defence continually manages and analyses its stocks of non-nuclear ammunition through the Key Munitions Planning process, whilst also reviewing industrial capacity and supply chains, both domestically and internationally. The Department remains fully engaged with industry, allies and partners to ensure that equipment and munitions levels remain under continual review and are subject to adjustment in support of evolving Defence requirements.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government when, during the past 10 years, Royal Navy vessels have visited Tunisian waters and ports.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Royal Navy Surface vessels have visited Tunisian waters and ports eight times since 2012. May 2014, December 2017, August 2018; October 2018; September 2020, October 2020 April 2021 and November 2022.