Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the defence capabilities of the Armed Forces in response to China's (a) Dongfeng-5C intercontinental ballistic missile and (b) second-strike capability.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence does not comment on specific capabilities, as doing so could provide an operational advantage to those who may seek to harm the UK.
The UK has a suite of capabilities to tackle the missile threat which is advancing, proliferating and converging. The Government has announced an investment of £1 billion to enhance our homeland air and missile defence through the Strategic Defence Review. The UK’s nuclear deterrent exists to deter the most extreme threats to the UK and our Allies. Its purpose is to preserve peace, prevent coercion, and deter aggression.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made with his EU counterparts on further military cooperation between the UK and Common Security and Defence Policy exercises.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Security and Defence Partnership agreed with the European Union on 19 May 2025 is an example of this Government delivering on our manifesto commitments to strengthen European security, support growth and reinforce NATO.
We will continue to prioritise engagement and cooperation on the issues that are most important in helping to safeguard European security and prosperity – all in support of this government’s NATO First defence policy as set out in the Security and Defence Review.
The Security and Defence Partnership outlines that the UK will consider its participation in EU CSDP civilian and military crisis management activity. This cooperation can take many forms and officials are in discussions with the EU to explore potential options.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
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 extending the Armed Forces Covenant Duty to include all (a) (i) UK and (ii) devolved government Departments and (b) policy areas.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Government’s election manifesto committed to placing the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law. During Armed Forces week in June, the Prime Minister announced that Service personnel, Veterans, their families and the bereaved are to have their unique circumstances legally protected by central and devolved Governments for the first time under new plans to extend the Covenant Legal Duty to more policy areas and across the UK. It is our ambition to include these statutory changes in the next Armed Forces Bill.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help increase awareness of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty amongst service personnel.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Defence has made a concerted effort and is absolutely committed to raising awareness of the Armed Forces Covenant Legal Duty through our election manifesto commitment to fully extend the duty into law. This includes the creation of a Duty toolkit which explains the practical implications for the Armed Forces community and outlines the key policies that it encompasses. The toolkit is held on the Covenant’s dedicated website, available at the following link: https://www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk/
Questions concerning the Duty are embedded within both the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey and Families Continuous Attitude Survey, helping to assess awareness levels and identify areas where Service personnel and families may face disadvantage. Through the implementation of the Covenant Legal Duty Extension, we will be producing and providing educational and communications’ resources to support understanding further.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support armed forces personnel who have experienced intimate partner violence and abuse.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Defence will not tolerate domestic abuse in any form and will respond to any formal allegations and take necessary action against perpetrators. Addressing domestic abuse is a ministerial priority and a shared responsibility for defence leaders, and providing support and care to victims and survivors is a priority for me and those in Defence tasked with tackling this issue.
Our efforts to combat domestic abuse include a robust, consistent and persistent response, informed staff, and the fostering of an open and understanding culture, where support is offered and seeking support is encouraged. We aim to create a culture where every person feels empowered to report instances that are perpetrated against or by Defence personnel, regardless of seniority or position.
The Ministry of Defence Domestic Abuse Action Plan 2024-2029 was formally published in March 2024 and details key actions Defence is taking to tackle domestic abuse. These include how we will prevent, intervene, and partner to support those affected and ensure perpetrators are held accountable.
For victims and survivors, we not only offer practical and emotional support from our own welfare organisations and the Victim Witness Care Unit, but we also partner with external specialists such as Aurora New Dawn and Mankind. Both of these organisations receive funding from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and provide support to Armed Forces personnel and their families.
Our efforts also include Raising Our Standards (ROS), which exists improve culture and tackle all unacceptable behaviours, which includes initiatives that are preventative in nature.
Defence is committed to playing our part in this government’s commitment to halve Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in a decade, and we are taking a public health approach to addressing VAWG. This means taking a preventative approach to tackle the drivers of offending, whilst expanding victim support and ensuring swift and certain enforcement after an incident takes place. Other work underway through ROS also includes a King’s Counsel Review of Defence Zero Tolerance policies, a tri-Service complaints unit removing complaints from the single Service chain of command for the first time and funding for a new military appraisal system.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many 16 to 18 year olds girls have attended Army Foundation College Harrogate in each of the last five years.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The annual female attendee figures are provided in the table below; all figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
Courses straddle multiple calendar years, meaning some recruits who joined in one year and remain in attendance the following year will be counted in both.
Year | Figure |
2020 | 280 |
2021 | 250 |
2022 | 210 |
2023 | 270 |
2024 | 200 |
Figures include trainees who join AFC (H) and leave within the same month, who would not otherwise appear on the monthly strengths.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the August 2025 data breach for people with outstanding ARAP applications; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that breach on the (a) processing and (b) prioritisation of those cases.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence assessed that this incident did not pose a significant threat to the safety of ARAP principals. This incident surrounded data for those arriving on flights into the UK, meaning that their eligible decisions had already been made.
The data incident of February 2022 was announced in the Defence Secretary’s Oral Statement of July 2025. For this cohort, the published Rimmer Review considered it “highly unlikely” that merely being on the February 2022 dataset would be grounds for targeting by the Taleban, noting the time that has passed since the fall of Kabul and the wealth of data the Taleban already have access to.
All outstanding ARAP applications will be considered on their own merits against the ARAP criteria. Where there is a unique or imminent circumstance, officials can also consider expedition on a case-by-case basis. We aim to complete the process of relocation before the end of this Parliament.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) military families and (b) veterans will be served by the forces first housing scheme.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Forces First approach will mean more Service personnel have access to the high-quality homes and home-ownership opportunities they deserve and will form part of the upcoming Defence Housing Strategy.
This approach will be applied by agreement with local authorities and development partners on a site-by-site basis, so it is not possible to estimate the number of military families or veterans who will currently benefit at this time.
A trailblazer for this approach is already underway at MOD Feltham in South-West London, where the MOD, the London Borough of Hounslow and the Greater London Authority have agreed to adopt a Forces First approach as part of a groundbreaking partnership to develop the site. Once vacated, this new development alone is expected to deliver hundreds of homes and jobs.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to mental health services for (a) service personnel and (b) veterans.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Defence Medical Services (DMS) has established Defence Mental Health Networks (DMHNs) across the UK to improve access to mental health services for Service personnel. These specialist community mental health services provide enhanced access to expert assessment and treatment for service personnel experiencing mental health disorders. By introducing new single points of access, enabling the sharing of specialist skills across network locations, and consolidating clinical and governance processes, DMHNs are reducing wait times to enhanced assessments and core treatment therapies.
DMS has further introduced standardised training for primary care clinicians incorporating emerging digital interventions to ensure that service personnel can access initial mental healthcare at any Defence medical centre.
Op COURAGE, the Veterans’ Mental Health, and Wellbeing Service, provides an integrated mental health care pathway for veterans in England, with similar services in other parts of the UK.
Earlier this year, we announced VALOUR, a new commitment to establish the first-ever UK-wide approach to veteran support, which will ensure easier access to essential care and support for veterans across the country.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average time was between a service personnel being medically discharged and them receiving a copy of their full medical records in each of the last three years.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
When an individual leaves the Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence recognises the importance of facilitating the transfer of healthcare information to their civilian healthcare provider(s).
On leaving Defence Medical Services (DMS) care, Service personnel are provided with a medical care summary, known as an FMed133, and advised to register with an NHS GP and provide them a copy of their FMED 133.
If a patient’s full DMS health record is required, this is provided on request to their NHS GP. Given this and that some records are never requested, no accurate estimate can be made of the average time from discharge to the receipt of the medical records by the NHS GP.
To improve the transfer of healthcare information, DMS is working towards the greater interoperability with NHS systems and the electronic transfer of medical records from DMS to NHS GPs. Programme CORTISONE is expected to implement changes over the next one-two years.