Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the first Type 32 frigate will be commissioned.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is continuously evaluating its capabilities, including potential enhancements to the Royal Navy's fleet. As stated in the Strategic Defence Review, the Royal Navy is transitioning towards a Hybrid Navy, delivering a mixed fleet of crewed and uncrewed vessels. These will be delivered through faster, smarter procurement and enabled by modular, reconfigurable technology and scalable platforms to increase mass and effect.
Future capability plans for the Royal Navy are being considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan (DIP). It would be inappropriate to provide further detail at this time.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current ship-to-ship lethality capabilities of the Royal Navy surface fleet.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy is undertaking a significant programme to modernise and increase the lethality of the Fleet. The introduction of Sea Venom and the Naval Strike Missile are key aspects of this programme which will be followed by further capability upgrades over the next few years.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to take steps to make it easier for people in the British Overseas Territories to enter army officer training in the UK.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
British Overseas Territory Citizens (BOTC) are already eligible to apply to join the British Army and there are no restrictions on the numbers who can serve as Officers or Other Ranks. However, a UK (Great Britain and Northern Ireland) footprint is an integral part of the national security vetting process for joining the Armed Forces, and clearance levels vary depending on the rank and role applied for. Where an applicant, regardless of nationality, has not resided in the UK continuously for the required period prior to their application, additional checks may be needed.
For BOTC, the lack of UK residency can be managed through a residency waiver, which would include additional documentation being provided by individuals. Each case will be risk-assessed on a case-by-case basis, and successful BOTC applicants would be eligible for clearance but for a shorter period of time in the first instance. Once the individual is in the Armed Forces, they will build up a UK footprint which will then allow the necessary checks to take place should their clearance need to be extended, or they wish to be considered for further roles where a higher clearance level is required.
The British Army recruitment page sets out the eligibility criteria, including for those not resident in the UK that will require more checks.
Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Overseas Territory, British Antartic Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, St Helena, Ascension & Tristan De Cunha, the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri, Dhekelia and Episkopi in Cyprus and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to create a memorial to the British Liberation Task Force 135 that freed the Channel Islands in 1945.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) deeply values the contribution of Liberation Task Force 135 in ending the occupation of the Channel Islands. While there are currently no plans to create a dedicated memorial, it remains longstanding Government policy that the MOD does not typically establish or fund memorials. These are usually supported through private donations and public subscription, and placed with the agreement of the relevant local authority.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to improve the domestic (a) development, (b) production and (c) delivery of autonomous systems for service in the Royal Air Force.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The Strategic Defence Review recognised that the RAF must stay at the leading edge of Combat Air's evolution, through the transition from exclusively crewed Combat Air platforms to a Future Combat Air System (FCAS) with a mix of crewed, uncrewed, and increasingly autonomous platforms, integrated into the UK's digital targeting web.
Both Protector and Stormshroud, the RAF’s first ACP, entered service this year, the latter being an excellent example of how the RAF is taking modernising its approach to autonomous systems, by combining expertise of the RAF, the Governments Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and UK industry.
The RAF are committed to the exploitation of autonomy and other complimentary technologies in a range of systems, delivering effects across the Air domain. The pace of adoption will be facilitated by the Defence Investment Plan, due for publication later this year.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to improve the mine hunting capabilities of the Royal Navy.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The Mine Hunting Capability Programme is delivering a rolling programme of unmanned surface vessels and unmanned underwater vehicles into Royal Navy service for use by frontline Mine Warfare specialists. These autonomous mine hunting systems are in regular use by the Mine Threat Exploitation Group, both for training and operations.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to improve the air-to-air refuelling capabilities of the Royal Air Force.
Answered by Maria Eagle
I refer the hon. member to the answer I gave to Question 63066 on 4 July 2025 to the hon member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty).
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will expand the nuclear capabilities of the Royal Navy.
Answered by Maria Eagle
There are no plans to expand the existing nuclear capabilities of the Royal Navy beyond those announced in the Strategic Defence Review published on 2 June 2025.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to enter into an association agreement with the EU on (a) UK participation in (i) the European Defence Agency, (ii) the European Defence Fund and (iii) Permanent Structured Cooperation and (b) other defence matters.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As agreed in the Security and Defence Partnership, the EU and UK will regularly exchange on defence initiatives.
Implementation discussions will begin shortly, exploring the possibility of establishing an Administrative Arrangement between the UK and the European Defence Agency, as well as cooperation in individual PESCO projects. Currently participation in the European Defence Fund (EDF) is open only to industry located in European Union Member States and those members of the European Economic Area associated with the EDF (Norway).
Any UK commitment – financial or otherwise – will ensure value for taxpayers and support defence goals.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help support (a) UK and (b) allied operations aimed at disrupting cocaine trafficking networks operating (i) through Venezuela and (ii) in the wider Caribbean region.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 4 February 2025 to Question 26446. A Royal Navy ship maintains a persistent presence in the Caribbean Sea where it contributes to regional security through the conduct of counter-illicit trafficking operations.
Defence maintains close relationships with independent states throughout the region and works in partnership with Canada, France, the Netherlands and the United States to align and conduct joint activity.