Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 71247 on Military Aircraft: Ministers, which Senior Ministers have been authorised to have occasional use of RAF CSAT aircraft.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The following Senior Ministers have been authorised to have occasional use of RAF CSAT aircraft:
This is consistent with policies to CSAT travel from previous Governments.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2025 to Question 75027 on Military Aircraft: Ministers, how many of the 44 tasks were (a) domestic and (b) overseas.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
It has been the practice of successive administrations not to publish granular information relating to the official movements of Ministers and those accompanying them within the United Kingdom. Information about official overseas Ministerial travel is published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is his policy on members of the Armed Forces (a) being members of single-sex private members’ clubs in a personal capacity and (b) participating in such clubs in a professional capacity.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Defence does not hold a specific central policy on individual membership of single-sex private members’ clubs. Participation with external organisations in a professional capacity is subject to formal approval through the Chain of Command.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled New Ministry of Defence Permanent Secretary announced, published on 31 October 2025, whether the outgoing Permanent Secretary will receive any (a) exit and (b) severance payment.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
It is anticipated that any severance payments received, would be published in the Ministry of Defence annual report and accounts for 2025 to 2026.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in his Department.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Department has 41 direct Ministerial appointments, across seven entities. These are as follows:
Defence Industrial Joint Council
Name | Job title | Annual remuneration | Time commitment (per annum) | Expected end date |
Dr Charles Woodburn | Chair | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 15/04/2026 |
Dame Fiona Murray CMG CBE | Deputy Chair | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 29/04/2026 |
Michael Ord | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 29/04/2026 |
Kevin Craven | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 22/05/2026 |
Kata Escott CB | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 22/05/2026 |
David Lockwood OBE | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 22/05/2026 |
Gary Smith | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 05/06/2026 |
Craig Beddis | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 22/05/2026 |
Ned Baker | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 01/06/2026 |
Kerry Baker | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 22/05/2026 |
Joanne O'Doherty | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 01/06/2026 |
Paul Livingston CBE | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 22/05/2026 |
Andrew Kinniburgh | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 22/05/2026 |
Nick Sharpe | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 22/05/2026 |
Louis Mosley | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 22/05/2026 |
Mike Clancy | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 05/06/2026 |
Steve Wadey | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 22/05/2026 |
Tufan Erginbilgic | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 01/06/2026 |
Julian David OBE | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 22/05/2026 |
Graham Booth | Member | £0 | 4 days (minimum) | 22/05/2026 |
Defence Investors Advisory Group
Name | Job title | Annual remuneration | Time commitment (per annum) | Expected end date |
Kerry Baldwin | Co-Chair | £0 | 15 days | 31/03/2026 |
Dame Sharron White DBE | Co-Chair | £0 | 15 days | 31/03/2026 |
Three members: names have been omitted due to commercial sensitivity. | Member | £0 | 9 days | 31/03/2026 |
Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan
Name | Job title | Annual remuneration | Time commitment (per annum) | Expected end date |
The Rt Hon Lord Justice Charles Haddon-Cave | Chair | £256,000 | Full time | No fixed date |
LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme Independent Panel
Name | Job title | Annual remuneration | Time commitment (per annum) | Expected end date |
Lord Brian Paddick | Chair | £86,250 | 115 days | 02/02/2027 |
Alison Brown MBE | Member | £57,500 | 115 days | 14/05/2027 |
Francis Castle MBE | Member | £57,500 | 115 days | 14/05/2027 |
Dr Matthew Gould | Member | £57,500 | 115 days | 14/05/2027 |
Hannah Graf MBE | Member | £57,500 | 115 days | 14/05/2027 |
Craig Jones MBE | Member | £57,500 | 115 days | 14/05/2027 |
Caroline Paige MBE | Member | £57,500 | 115 days | 14/05/2027 |
Dr Annabell Poate-Joiner | Member | £57,500 | 115 days | 14/05/2027 |
Emma Riley | Member | £57,500 | 115 days | 14/05/2027 |
LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme Appeals Board
Name | Job title | Annual remuneration | Time commitment (per annum) | Expected end date |
Douglas Bosphore-Ward MBE | Chair | £37,500 | 50 days | 14/05/2027 |
Judith Henry | Member | £25,000 | 50 days | 14/05/2027 |
Rachael Ruxton | Member | £25,000 | 50 days | 14/05/2027 |
Tracey Myhill | Member | £25,000 | 50 days | 14/05/2027 |
Octric Semiconductors Ltd
Name | Job title | Annual remuneration | Time commitment (per annum) | Expected end date |
Graham Love | Interim Chair | £120,000 | 104 days | 13/09/2026 |
Strategic Advisor to the Secretary of State for Defence
Name | Job title | Annual remuneration | Time commitment (per annum) | Expected end date |
Prof Malcolm Chalmers | Adviser | £162,500 | 260 days | 03/02/2027 |
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of joining the European Defence Security Fund.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
This Government has delivered an ambitious security and defence partnership with the European Union. The Strategic Defence Review will strengthen NATO, the cornerstone of the UK’s defence, and it will help grow the economy. It allows us to step up on Euro-Atlantic security together and ensures we are able to explore UK access to Security Action for Europe (SAFE). We are working with our European partners to understand how an arrangement might work. The exact detail of UK participation will be subject to discussions on the specific terms of a UK-EU bilateral participation agreement; we do not wish to pre-empt the outcome of any such negotiations. This Government wants the right deal on the right terms.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to repeal the assimilated EU law of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/1816 in relation to the classification of controversial weapons under the (a) UK Climate Transition Benchmarks and (b) UK Paris-aligned benchmarks to prevent divestment in (i) Trident renewal and (ii) sub-contractors who undertake Trident-related contracts.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the former Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Ms Reynolds) on 9 April 2025 to Questions 43043 and 43449 to the hon. Member for Salisbury (Mr Glen).
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the payment of armed forces pensions counts towards the 5% NATO defence spending target.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
In line with the current NATO definition, spend on armed forces pensions is already included as part of core defence spending. This will continue to be the case against the 5% defence spending target.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press release entitled Internship Scheme To Get More Working Class Students Into Civil Service, published on 1 August 2025, whether children of members of the armed forces will be able to apply for the Summer Internship Programme in his Department in 2026.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Summer Internship Programme is a pan-Civil Service initiative designed to increase the representation of those from a working-class background into the Civil Service, and support opportunities to join the Fast Stream within this group. As such, it has a number of eligibility requirements, including socio-economic status. Children of Armed Forces personnel are subject to the same eligibility criteria as other applicants.