Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Defence Investment Plan will be published before the rise of the House on 18 December 2025.

Answered by Maria Eagle

We expect to publish the Defence Investment Plan this autumn, before the Christmas recess period.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Minister for Defence Procurement plans to respond to the hon. Member for South Suffolk's letter dated 1 July 2025.

Answered by Maria Eagle

I responded to the hon. Member’s letter of 1 July 2025 on 29 July 2025. This was within 20 working days of receipt, in accordance with longstanding policy.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Armed Forces Recruitment Service contract contains diversity targets.

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

Defence remains committed to attracting, recruiting, retaining and developing the best talent from the broadest diversity of thought, skills, and backgrounds, to ensure our workforce is reflective of today’s society and able to meet current and future security threats.

The Armed Forces Recruiting Service (AFRS) will provide a streamlined, single-entry point for prospective recruits, with the aim of recruiting from the broadest spectrum of society to attract the best talent into the Armed Forces.

Under the AFRS contract, Serco, as the supplier, is required to comply with the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Diversity and Inclusion policy. The contract also includes Annual Mandated Performance Indicators focused on enhancing equality and diversity within the workforce.

As part of the broader Defence Diversity and Inclusion strategy 2018-2030, Levels of Ambition (LOA) exist to guide efforts in creating a more inclusive workplace and are key to attracting and retaining the best talent from across society. It is important to note that the AFRS contract remains cognisant of MOD LOA; however, there is a clear distinction between LOA and contractual diversity targets.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 11 July 2025 on Lancaster 2.0, HCWS812, if he will list each member of the new UK-France Nuclear Steering Board.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare

The UK France Nuclear Steering Group will be chaired by the Presidency of the Republic on the French side and by the Cabinet Office on the UK side. The steering group will be made up of senior officials from other Ministries and organisations as required. The first meeting will take place in the autumn, and it will meet regularly after that. Attendance shall be determined by the agenda items for each meeting; representation will vary accordingly.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 11 July 2025 on Lancaster 2.0, HCWS812, when the new UK-France Nuclear Steering Board will first meet.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare

The UK France Nuclear Steering Group will be chaired by the Presidency of the Republic on the French side and by the Cabinet Office on the UK side. The steering group will be made up of senior officials from other Ministries and organisations as required. The first meeting will take place in the autumn, and it will meet regularly after that. Attendance shall be determined by the agenda items for each meeting; representation will vary accordingly.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 11 July 2025 on Lancaster 2.0, HCWS812, how regularly the new UK-France Nuclear Steering Board will meet.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare

The UK France Nuclear Steering Group will be chaired by the Presidency of the Republic on the French side and by the Cabinet Office on the UK side. The steering group will be made up of senior officials from other Ministries and organisations as required. The first meeting will take place in the autumn, and it will meet regularly after that. Attendance shall be determined by the agenda items for each meeting; representation will vary accordingly.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 11 July 2025 on Lancaster 2.0, HCWS812, who will chair the new UK-France Nuclear Steering Board.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare

The UK France Nuclear Steering Group will be chaired by the Presidency of the Republic on the French side and by the Cabinet Office on the UK side. The steering group will be made up of senior officials from other Ministries and organisations as required. The first meeting will take place in the autumn, and it will meet regularly after that. Attendance shall be determined by the agenda items for each meeting; representation will vary accordingly.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the proposed remuneration package for the new National Armaments Director has been revised since the post was first advertised.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The salary for the National Armaments Director role remains as advertised.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the contract for the acting National Armaments Director has been extended in the 2025-26 financial year.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Andy Start continues to be the acting National Armaments Director. The substantive appointment of the National Armaments Director is underway.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the contract for the Armed Forces Recruitment Service will include specific recruitment targets for the (a) Army, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy.

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

We inherited a retention and recruitment crisis from the last administration and it is the policy of this Government to recover numbers in our Armed Forces and to grow the size of the Army. To deliver this we will be working with the new provider of the tri-service recruitment to deliver improvements in recruitment numbers.

From Full-Service Implementation in 2027, the Armed Forces Recruiting Service (AFRS) will deliver against annual recruitment targets and demand, which will be set by the three Services; the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force, via the Command Recruiting Support Plan (CRSP). The CRSP is generated and approved in conjunction with the single Services with the AFRS contract containing a mechanism to adjust demand during each Recruiting Year.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July to Question 67413 on France: Military Alliances, whether his Department recognises any distinction between strategic and sub-strategic nuclear capabilities.

Answered by Maria Eagle

The UK does not categorise nuclear weapon capabilities as either strategic or sub-strategic. The UK and NATO have said that any employment of nuclear weapons against NATO would fundamentally alter the nature of a conflict.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will quantify his Department’s (a) underspend and (b) overspend in financial year 2024-2025.

Answered by Maria Eagle

The Department's performance against its control totals for financial year 20245-25 will be set out in its Annual Report and Accounts, which will be published shortly.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his oral statement of 17 July 2025 on Ukraine, Official Report, col 475, how many and what proportion of the drones supplied to Ukraine were made by British companies.

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

Where the UK's drone industry can meet Ukraine's drone requirements, the Ministry of Defence sources from UK industry, and this is true of the majority of the spend on drone procurements for Ukraine.

As stated by the Defence Secretary at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on 4 June, where he pledged £350 million investment into drones this financial year, the majority of the spend is with British companies. The proportion of drone spending spent with UK suppliers has varied year on year but this financial year we are on track to spend over 70% through UK suppliers.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of the drones that have been supplied to Ukraine were manufactured in the UK.

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

Where the UK's drone industry can meet Ukraine's drone requirements, the Ministry of Defence sources from UK industry, and this is true of the majority of the spend on drone procurements for Ukraine.

As stated by the Defence Secretary at the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on 4 June, where he pledged £350 million investment into drones this financial year, the majority of the spend is with British companies. The proportion of drone spending spent with UK suppliers has varied year on year but this financial year we are on track to spend over 70% through UK suppliers.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Defence Investment Plan will report based on a cost envelope in relation to (a) his Department's budget or (b) NATO qualifying defence expenditure.

Answered by Maria Eagle

The Defence Investment Plan will set out the Department's spending plans to deliver the vision of the Strategic Defence Review against its forecast budget. This will be based on the Department's Spending Review settlement, and the MOD's projected share of the Government's ambition to spending 3% of GDP on defence in the next Parliament as and when fiscal and economic conditions allow.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Defence Investment Plan will report based on a cost envelope of (a) 2.5%, (b) 3% or (c) 3.5% of GDP on defence expenditure.

Answered by Maria Eagle

The Defence Investment Plan will set out how the MOD will deliver the vision of the Strategic Defence Review within the MOD's share of the Government's commitment to spending 2.6% of GDP on defence by 2027, and 3% of GDP in the next Parliament as fiscal and economic conditions allow.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 25 February 2025 on Defence and Security, Official Report, column 633, whether the annual increase in defence spending will include the Single Intelligence Account.

Answered by Maria Eagle

The Prime Minister has been clear about the contribution our intelligence and security services make to the defence of our nation. The commitment to spend 2.6% on defence from 2027 will include all spend relating the Single Intelligence Account.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the specified operational locations are which qualify service personnel to receive the Operational Allowance.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The number of Service personnel who have received tax free operational allowance in each of the last five financial years including the financial year 2025-26 to date, can be found in the table below.

Service personnel on deployed operations in the following Specified Operational Locations (SOL) qualify for the payment of Operational Allowance:

Chad (all locations)

Egypt (Sinai only)

Iraq (all locations)

Mali (all locations)

Somalia (all locations)

South Sudan (all locations)

Democratic Republic of Congo (Goma only)

Lebanon (Naquora only) – backdated to 7 Oct 23

Red Sea (within operational areas) – backdated to 19 Oct 23

I am withholding the names of some locations for the purpose of safeguarding national security, as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel have received the tax free operational allowance in each of the last five financial years.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The number of Service personnel who have received tax free operational allowance in each of the last five financial years including the financial year 2025-26 to date, can be found in the table below.

Service personnel on deployed operations in the following Specified Operational Locations (SOL) qualify for the payment of Operational Allowance:

Chad (all locations)

Egypt (Sinai only)

Iraq (all locations)

Mali (all locations)

Somalia (all locations)

South Sudan (all locations)

Democratic Republic of Congo (Goma only)

Lebanon (Naquora only) – backdated to 7 Oct 23

Red Sea (within operational areas) – backdated to 19 Oct 23

I am withholding the names of some locations for the purpose of safeguarding national security, as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel have received the tax free operational allowance in the 2025-26 financial year.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The number of Service personnel who have received tax free operational allowance in each of the last five financial years including the financial year 2025-26 to date, can be found in the table below.

Service personnel on deployed operations in the following Specified Operational Locations (SOL) qualify for the payment of Operational Allowance:

Chad (all locations)

Egypt (Sinai only)

Iraq (all locations)

Mali (all locations)

Somalia (all locations)

South Sudan (all locations)

Democratic Republic of Congo (Goma only)

Lebanon (Naquora only) – backdated to 7 Oct 23

Red Sea (within operational areas) – backdated to 19 Oct 23

I am withholding the names of some locations for the purpose of safeguarding national security, as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what percentage of GDP will be spent on (a) NATO qualifying defence spend and (b) the MOD budget in financial year (i) 2025-26, (ii) 2026-27, (iii) 2027-28 and (iv) 2028-29.

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

The estimated percentage GDP figures are set out below:

The future years defence spending figures are based on current OBR GDP.

Under NATO guidance Government expenditure can be counted towards defence spending, provided it is specifically to meet the needs of its armed forces, those of Allies or of the Alliance.

Found: Letter dated 20/08/2025 from Alistair Carns MP to James Cartlidge MP in response to Written Parliamentary