Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's statement entitled Naval Base Infrastructure, published on 14 July 2026, what proportion of the £26 billion investment is allocated to (a) new capabilities, (b) accommodation.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The £26 billion investment of Project Royal Oak is an aggregate package inclusive of HMNB Clyde, HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth. This package encompasses a broad range of infrastructure, estate renewal, accommodation, engineering, sustainment and operational support activity. The disaggregation of these outputs includes aspects that are commercially and operationally sensitive, however financial data on MOD major projects is published in the Annual Report on the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) from the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA).

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's statement entitled Naval Base Infrastructure, published on 14 July 2026, what assessment he has made of the contribution of Project Royal Oak to meeting the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Project Royal Oak delivers key Strategic Defence Review recommendations by recapitalising the Defence estate and strengthening the Strategic Base. Through £26 billion of investment over the next decade, including major upgrades at Faslane, Portsmouth and Devonport, the programme will enhance warfighting readiness, support the Defence Nuclear Enterprise, enable the future Hybrid Navy, and improve the resilience of critical maritime infrastructure in support of NATO and UK national security.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's statement entitled Naval Base Infrastructure, published on 14 July 2026, how much of the announced £26 billion investment under Project Royal Oak represents (a) new funding, (b) previously announced funding.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The £26 billion investment of Project Royal Oak represents the future investment package agreed through the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which was a zero-based review of Defence budgets. This investment package encompasses a broad range of infrastructure, estate renewal, accommodation, engineering, sustainment, and operation support activity.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's statement entitled Naval Base Infrastructure, published on 14 July 2026, how many apprentices and adult learners the proposed Skills Development Centre expects to support each year.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Skills and Development Centre scope is currently being refined. The number of apprentices and adult learners it will be capable of supporting will be confirmed once that work has concluded.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to implement a full life extension to the Type 45 fleet.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Defence Investment Plan has allocated a specific funding line within this parliament to conduct a study on the transition between Type 45 and the Hybrid Navy Maritime Air Defence capability, including whether a life extension will be required. As previously stated, this will be assessed in 2027-28.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's statement entitled Naval Base Infrastructure, published on 14 July 2026, what timetable has been set for the modernisation of 10 Dock at HMNB Devonport.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As part of Project Royal Oak, £7.1 billion will be invested in HMNB Devonport and Devonport Dockyard over the next decade. This investment includes continued upgrades to 15 Dock to enhance capability and resilience for the submarine maintenance programme, the modernisation of 10 Dock, and completion of the 14 Dock recommissioning programme, which will enable legacy submarine defuelling operations to resume. It also includes broader infrastructure renewal and maintenance across the site.

This significant investment reflects both historic underinvestment in infrastructure and evolving operational requirements. The 15 Dock programme has already enabled the successful docking of the first Astute-class submarine at Devonport.

Following the nuclear regulatory review, we are currently exploring opportunities to accelerate work on 10 and 14 Dock, and we continue to drive forward delivery of these projects at the earliest possible opportunity.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's statement entitled Naval Base Infrastructure, published on 14 July 2026, what timetable has been set for the upgrade of 15 Dock at HMNB Devonport.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As part of Project Royal Oak, £7.1 billion will be invested in HMNB Devonport and Devonport Dockyard over the next decade. This investment includes continued upgrades to 15 Dock to enhance capability and resilience for the submarine maintenance programme, the modernisation of 10 Dock, and completion of the 14 Dock recommissioning programme, which will enable legacy submarine defuelling operations to resume. It also includes broader infrastructure renewal and maintenance across the site.

This significant investment reflects both historic underinvestment in infrastructure and evolving operational requirements. The 15 Dock programme has already enabled the successful docking of the first Astute-class submarine at Devonport.

Following the nuclear regulatory review, we are currently exploring opportunities to accelerate work on 10 and 14 Dock, and we continue to drive forward delivery of these projects at the earliest possible opportunity.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's statement entitled The Armoured Cavalry Programme, published on 14 July 2026, what specific measures are being introduced to address the recommendations relating to vibration and noise, and what testing will be undertaken to demonstrate their effectiveness.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The safety of our Service personnel remains paramount. The Army Safety Investigation Team investigation and the Independent Expert Panel Review have both completed, and their findings indicate no single causal mechanism of the symptoms reported by soldiers but a combination of multiple factors. Both reports agreed that the platform is safe when operated and maintained within the correct parameters and that noise and vibration were both within legal limits.

Work is underway to align the findings of the Independent Expert Panel Review with the findings the Army Safety investigation Team report. Progress against recommendations is being actively tracked and managed within the programme, ensuring a controlled, transparent and evidence-led approach to delivery.

I will continue to keep the House informed about developments with Ajax, as I have done since Exercise Titan Storm via Written Ministerial Statement.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's statement entitled The Armoured Cavalry Programme, published on 14 July 2026, what the planned completion date is for each recommendation.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Work is underway to align the findings of the Independent Expert Panel Review with the findings of the Army Safety investigation Team report.

Progress against recommendations is being actively tracked and managed within the programme, ensuring a controlled, transparent and evidence-led approach to delivery.

It is too early to confirm planned completion dates for the recommendations.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's statement entitled Naval Base Infrastructure, published on 14 July 2026, what timetable has been set for the works on 14 Dock at HMNB Devonport.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As part of Project Royal Oak, £7.1 billion will be invested in HMNB Devonport and Devonport Dockyard over the next decade. This investment includes continued upgrades to 15 Dock to enhance capability and resilience for the submarine maintenance programme, the modernisation of 10 Dock, and completion of the 14 Dock recommissioning programme, which will enable legacy submarine defuelling operations to resume. It also includes broader infrastructure renewal and maintenance across the site.

This significant investment reflects both historic underinvestment in infrastructure and evolving operational requirements. The 15 Dock programme has already enabled the successful docking of the first Astute-class submarine at Devonport.

Following the nuclear regulatory review, we are currently exploring opportunities to accelerate work on 10 and 14 Dock, and we continue to drive forward delivery of these projects at the earliest possible opportunity.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's statement entitled The Armoured Cavalry Programme, published on 14 July 2026, what steps his department will take to determine whether implementation of the recommendations of the Ajax Independent Expert Panel Review has successfully improved the user experience.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The safety of our Service personnel remains paramount. The Army Safety Investigation Team investigation and the Independent Expert Panel Review have both completed, and their findings indicate no single causal mechanism of the symptoms reported by soldiers but a combination of multiple factors. Both reports agreed that the platform is safe when operated and maintained within the correct parameters.

Progress against recommendations is being actively tracked and managed within the programme, ensuring a controlled, transparent and evidence-led approach to delivery. User feedback is a key element of this evidence.

I will continue to keep the House informed about developments with Ajax, as I have done since Exercise Titan Storm via Written Ministerial Statement.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to enable small rural communities to access funding for flood prevention from the proceeds of the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee Levy.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Regional Flood and Coastal Committees (RFCCs) which include locally elected members, can use their Levy to fund flood resilience projects that are locally important, guided by local priorities and business plans. This includes projects that benefit small rural communities.

Recently, RFCCs have heavily supported Property Flood Resilience (PFR) projects, particularly in smaller rural communities where investment in larger engineered solutions is not always viable.