Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of defence funding on RAF Northolt’s ability to support military operations.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
RAF Northolt is a core military establishment, delivering a breadth of important day-to-day outputs for Defence. There are no defence funding trends which might impact RAF Northolt’s ability to support military operations.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to improve cybersecurity protections for critical national infrastructure.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence takes cyber security very seriously, particularly with regard to critical national infrastructure. We do not comment publicly on the detail of our protections for security reasons.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the recent performance of HMS Protector in addressing threats to sovereign interests in the British Antarctic Territories.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) remains committed to supporting the UK’s sovereign interests and wider commitments in the Antarctic and South Atlantic. HMS PROTECTOR routinely deploys to the Antarctic Peninsula to undertake activities in support of the UK’s interests, including Antarctic Treaty inspections and station visits in support of the British Antarctic Survey.
The MOD keeps all operational activity under regular review to ensure that the UK’s interests in the South Atlantic are supported, and sovereignty of the British Antarctic Territory is maintained. For this reason, BFSAI personnel have recently conducted an Antarctic overflight, providing a sovereign presence in the British Antarctic Territory.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps he has taken to support SMEs based in the UK to bid for defence contracts.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This Government has already committed to spending £2.5 billion more with defence SMEs. Central to driving this pledge is the recent establishment of the new Office for Small Business Growth which will help simplify and speed up cumbersome processes, provide advice to SMEs and encourage private sector investment. We have also recently announced a £20 million fund to offer accelerated contracts to small, innovative British startups, as well as establishing a protected budget of £400 million for UK Defence Innovation. We're breaking down barriers and opening new avenues for innovation, ensuring that our SMEs can play a vital role in strengthening our defence capabilities.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps he has taken to improve the (a) cost and (b) time efficiency of armed forces procurement processes.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Industrial Strategy and Strategic Defence Review set out plans to overhaul procurement. Our new segmented approach to procurement, supported by accelerated commercial pathways, is designed to enable programmes to get to contract faster and be more cost efficient. We are making progress towards the target date of 1 April 2026 for establishment of the segmented approach in line with the Strategic Defence Review.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timeline is for the operational deployment of autonomous surface vessels by the Royal Navy.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy’s ‘Hybrid Navy’ proposition will embrace autonomy in the coming years with the future programme being developed in accordance with the Strategic Defence Review. Uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the domain capabilities over the next five years, with the exact numbers and levels of investment apportioned to these systems to be determined as part of the Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing Royal Naval presence in the North Sea.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Royal Navy maintains a persistent and agile presence in UK waters, including the North Sea, and we keep force posture under continual review in light of the threat and operational demand. We will continue to work with allies and partners to deter hostile activity, protect critical national infrastructure, and respond rapidly where required.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to support the recruitment of (a) apprentices and (b) graduates to the British defence industry.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence already supports over 460,000 jobs and 24,000 apprenticeships across the UK, providing sustainable, high-quality, well-paying jobs. As part of the Defence Industrial Strategy, the Ministry of Defence has announced a £182 million skills package which includes a range of initiatives that will support apprentices and graduates. These include Defence Technical Excellence Colleges, the Defence Universities Alliance and the Graduate and Apprentice Clearing System.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential security implications for British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean following the US’s intervention in Venezuela.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK Government is committed to safeguarding the security of all our Overseas Territories, including those in the Caribbean. The Ministry of Defence undertakes regular assessments of the requirements for Defence support to those Overseas Territories.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure UK defence commitments in the Indo-Pacific remain robust amid rising tensions between China and Japan.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK's commitment to a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific is unwavering. In addition to our permanent bases and persistent maritime presence, we are building the capacity of regional partners, conducting joint exercises, and deepening defence industrial collaboration. Two of the UK's major defence programmes - AUKUS and GCAP - include Indo-Pacific partners.
Japan is our closest security partner in Asia, and we will continue to cooperate closely to safeguard peace, stability and prosperity in the region. We support all actions to de-escalate tensions and return to calm. I spoke with Defence Minister Koizumi on 17 December 2025, during which I reiterated this message.