Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many visas a) his Department, b) the National Army Museum, c) the National Museum of the Royal Navy, d) Sheffield Forgemasters International and e) the Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations have sponsored since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Since 4 July 2024, the Department has sponsored six visas. In addition, National Army Museum has sponsored none, the National Museum of the Royal Navy has sponsored one, Sheffield Forgemasters International has sponsored two, and Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations have sponsored one.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of (a) consultations and (b) reviews conducted by his Department since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This information is not held centrally and therefore it has not been possible to provide the answer within the allotted time frame. I will write to the hon. Member with an update in due course and will place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled New Defence Growth Deals Created to Boost Local Economies Under Major Sector Plan, published 7 September 2025, when he expects to announce further Defence Growth Deals.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is working at pace to develop the five Defence Growth Deals in Plymouth, South Yorkshire, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Should economic and fiscal conditions allow, the Government will consider launching more Defence Growth Deals across the UK in the next Parliament.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 improving the UK’s capability to facilitate in air refuelling.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave to Question 63066 on 4 July 2025 to the hon. Member for Huntingdon.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to confirm the (a) delivery and (b) in-service date for the new F35A jets.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave to Question 63225 on 7 July 2025 to the hon. Member for Poole.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2025 to Question 64210 on Chagos Islands: Sovereignty, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing the number of civilian visits to Diego Garcia on security.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Chagossian Heritage Visits to Diego Garcia were routine prior to COVID-19. They are not frequent, are limited in the number of participants and are tightly controlled. Any person visiting Diego Garcia is subject to a number of security protocols.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 55488 on Military Bases: Closures, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the site disposal guidelines due to increasing risks to (a) global and (b) national security.
Answered by Maria Eagle
Both global and national security risks are already continually assessed as part of the military requirement for sites that shape the disposal position.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had recent discussions with his US counterpart on spending 5% of gross national income on defence.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The Secretary of State for Defence has regular engagements with the US Secretary of Defense where they discuss a range of topics including defence spending. At the Hague Summit, Allies committed to investing 5% of GDP annually on defence and security, which will build an Alliance that is stronger, fairer and more lethal than ever before.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department’s press release Largest ever UK defence AI trial conducted across land, sea and air, published on 25 May 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the cyber security risks of increased reliance on AI in defence.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The process of understanding threat informs the functioning of our entire enterprise, from intelligence and military operations through to what technologies we adopt and why. AI naturally features as one of the many technologies that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) monitors for both opportunity and risk. The MOD takes all aspects of cyber security very seriously, and our AI, Security, and Policy teams are working closely to ensure the impact of AI on our work delivers opportunities while not adversely impacting cyber security. We have a long history of incorporating new technologies into military capability and are leveraging our long-established legal, safety and regulatory regimes as we incorporate AI into military capability.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the UK will need permission from Mauritius to alter operations at Diego Garcia under the terms of the UK-Mauritius agreement on the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
No permission is required as a result of the treaty. Annex 1, paragraph 1(b)(i) of the treaty sets out that the United Kingdom will have unrestricted ability to control the conduct and deployment of armed operations.