Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 17 October 2025 to Question 77029 on Israel: Military Aid, following the ceasefire in Gaza, when he will review his decision on Israeli defence personnel attendance on UK courses.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence decided to pause future Israeli participation on UK training and education courses until the situation in Gaza and the West Bank had been satisfactorily addressed We will keep this decision under review.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Israeli (a) civilians, (b) military officers, (c) military other ranks and (d) defence healthcare workers have previously accessed UK (i) defence courses (ii) training in each year for which records are available.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Our records indicate 174 Israelis have previously accessed UK-based defence courses and training, between the years of 1976 and 2024. Further detail is provided in the Annex. Data has been obtained from all available sources but is not guaranteed to be exhaustive given the length of time and because training data is not held in a central database.
The data obtained does not differentiate between defence courses and training.
I would also note that positions on some UK courses are offered to the Israeli Ministry of Defence – who then allocate positions across the Israel Defence Force.
As you will be aware, the Government took the decision to pause Israeli Defence attendance on UK professional military education given our concerns about the military operation in Gaza. We are keeping this decision under review.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish his Department's impact assessment for the removal of UK military courses from Israeli nationals.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
To protect formulation of Government policy, advice provided to Ministers on this matter will not be published.
Given our concerns regarding the Israeli Defence Force’s conduct in Palestine, particularly following the Government of Israel’s decision to escalate its offensive in Gaza City, the Ministry of Defence decided to pause future Israeli participation on UK training and education courses.
To avoid significant disruption to students and their families, any students on UK courses that are currently running have been permitted to continue.
We are keeping this decision under review and are mindful of the potential prospects for a ceasefire and long-term resolution to the conflict.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the countries that are barred from accessing UK military training.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Any decision to provide professional military education or training to a partner nation is made on a case-by-case basis and is underpinned by a robust assessment as to the benefits, risks, and compliance with international human rights law. In the interests of national security and upholding trust and confidentiality in our international partnerships, it is not appropriate for the Government to comment on the provision of training to individual countries.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list military training courses booked for Israelis that have been cancelled by the UK in each of the last 5 years.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence has not withdrawn any places allocated to Israel on UK training or education courses in the last five years.
As you will be aware, the Government took the decision to pause Israeli attendance on UK professional military education given our concerns about the on-going Israeli campaign in Gaza. We will keep this decision under review.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the King's Gurkha Artillery will recruit female Nepali citizens.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Gurkhas have made an outstanding contribution to the UK through their years of dedicated service to the Crown and are held in high esteem by the British Army and public alike.
The number of recruits required for the Brigade of Gurkhas is managed on an annual basis and depends on factors such as retirements, transfers and any changes in unit Order of Battles. Therefore, the Army cannot provide confirmation on the likely number of Gurkha recruits for each of the next five years.
The British Army’s wish to recruit women has been communicated to the Government of Nepal and we will continue to engage them on this subject.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to implement the ruling on For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025 in the armed forces.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
16 April 2025 saw the Supreme Court ruling that sex is to be understood as biological sex for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010. Updated Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance will be available in due course, and we’ll consider how this affects our policies when the detail is shared.
Our priority is to ensure that all our people in Defence have the support and facilities they need.
The Government remains committed to dignity and respect for all, and this has been reaffirmed by the Supreme Court.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Gurkhas will be recruited in each of the next five years.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Gurkhas have made an outstanding contribution to the UK through their years of dedicated service to the Crown and are held in high esteem by the British Army and public alike.
The number of recruits required for the Brigade of Gurkhas is managed on an annual basis and depends on factors such as retirements, transfers and any changes in unit Order of Battles. Therefore, the Army cannot provide confirmation on the likely number of Gurkha recruits for each of the next five years.
The British Army’s wish to recruit women has been communicated to the Government of Nepal and we will continue to engage them on this subject.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when female Gurkha soldiers will be recruited.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Gurkhas have made an outstanding contribution to the UK through their years of dedicated service to the Crown and are held in high esteem by the British Army and public alike.
The number of recruits required for the Brigade of Gurkhas is managed on an annual basis and depends on factors such as retirements, transfers and any changes in unit Order of Battles. Therefore, the Army cannot provide confirmation on the likely number of Gurkha recruits for each of the next five years.
The British Army’s wish to recruit women has been communicated to the Government of Nepal and we will continue to engage them on this subject.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, (a) on what dates and (b) how his Department contacted service personnel on potential exposure to water contaminants in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina between 1953 and 1987.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
We take the safety of our personnel very seriously and any veteran that may have served at Camp Lejeune during this period and believes that their health was affected can apply for compensation under the War Pension Scheme. It is also worth noting that the US compensation scheme had been running for almost two years at the point it was raised on 30 July 2024 to the new Ministerial team.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold information on British personnel affected by water contamination at US Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987; however, we are making every effort to ensure Serving personnel and veterans are aware of their rights moving forward. On notification, I immediately instructed the Ministry of Defence to issue communications to encourage those who think they may have been affected by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune to contact the department. On 2 August 2024 the Department released an article on Gov.uk explaining how to check eligibility and claim before the deadline. This was also followed up by posts on the Department’s social media accounts and internally through Veterans UK and all three Services.
I continue to encourage anyone who was based at Camp Lejeune between 1 August 1953 and 31 December 1987 to write to the MOD so that we may provide them with advice.