Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what defence expenditure is planned in (1) 2026–27, (2) 2027–28, and (3) 2028–30; and whether those figures take account of (1) the updated National Risk Register 2025, and (2) the danger of Russian aggression in the airspace or waters of the North Atlantic.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Following the Spending Review, the Government has set a clear path for defence spending to reach 2.6% of GDP from 2027. The exact figures were set out in the published Spending Review on 11 June 2025.
This takes account of the capabilities and reforms that the Strategic Defence Review has identified are needed to meet the challenges and threats, including countering Russian aggression, new nuclear risks, and daily cyber-attacks at home.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Russian drones have been identified as being within 50 miles of the UK coast in each quarter of the past year.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy continuously monitors UK waters and stands ready to respond to the presence of Russian drones. For reasons of national security, we cannot disclose the specific number of incidents of Russian military activity recorded during any given period.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many incidents there have been of drone sightings in the vicinity of high security military establishments in the UK this year; and what steps they have taken to identify and capture those drones.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Since 1 January 2025 there have been a total of 187 drone sightings in the vicinity of military establishments in the UK. We will not comment on the sensitivity of establishments or our specific security arrangements in relation to identifying and capturing drones, however we can assure you that we take the safety and security of our personnel, assets and operations extremely seriously. We maintain multi-layered security measures, including counter-drone capabilities which can identify and facilitate the capture of drones.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK armed services personnel are currently stationed on a temporary or permanent basis in (1) Latvia, (2) Estonia and (3) Lithuania.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK’s presence in the Baltics, primarily through the Forward Land Forces (FLF) in Estonia, comprise of around 1,000 Service personnel at any one time.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the anticipated increase in defence procurement expenditure placed with businesses operating in (1) Wales, (2) Scotland, and (3) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Industrial Strategy set out how defence will work with the Devolved Governments to launch Growth Deals in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The level of investment in defence procurement in individual regions will be set out in the Defence Investment Plan, which will be published in the autumn.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received concerning the making of military awards for bravery for those involved in the activities of Unit 731 in Southeast Asia during the Second World War.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Unit 731 was a Japanese secret research facility which operated between 1933 and 1945 and conducted human experiments to test potential military uses of biological and chemical agents.
The victims, who were all killed, were predominantly Chinese, and to a lesser extent, Russian, Korean and Mongolian. Reports of Western and Commonwealth Prisoners of War being victims of Unit 731 are unverified and there is no confirmed evidence of UK nationals being held there.
The Ministry Of Defence has received no correspondence making representations for military awards for bravery, in respect of those involved in the activities of Unit 731 during the Second World War.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much land in Wales is owned by the Ministry of Defence, and what portion of that land is now available for sale for the purpose of building new houses.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As of 1 April 2024, Ministry of Defence (MOD) land holdings Wales comprised of some 23,300 hectares (6.8% of the MOD total).
The majority (85.4%) of this land is freehold land owned by the Department, the remainder is land held on a short term and contractual basis or through grants for a specific purpose.
It is too early to say at this time what proportion of this land may be used for the building of new homes.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the recent announcements on the increase in defence spending, what plans they have, if any, for (1) the recruitment of additional military recruits from Wales, (2) the tendering of new contracts for supplies or services for defence purposes with business in Wales, or (3) the appropriation of additional land or buildings for defence purposes in Wales.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Defence is proud of its strong ties in Wales, from RAF Valley and the Royal Welsh to the construction of AJAX armoured vehicles in Merthyr Tydil. As mentioned by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury last month during a visit to Newport, detail of how and where the defence budget will be invested in the future will be set out in the Strategic Defence Review.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much money the Ministry of Defence paid to the Crown Estates in relation to their activities in Wales in the financial year 2023–24.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
During the financial year 2023-24, the Ministry of Defence paid £2,805 to the Crown Estate in relation to its activities in Wales.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many operational personnel of the British Army are currently based in (1) England, (2) Wales, (3) Scotland, (4) Northern Ireland, and (5) overseas.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
I refer the Noble Lord to the below table which shows the number of Trade Trained Regular Army Personnel by Stationed Location, as of 1 January 2024.
Location | Personnel |
England | 59,920 |
Wales | 1,350 |
Scotland | 3,520 |
Northern Ireland | 1,370 |
Overseas | 3,010 |
Notes/Caveats: