Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his target is for the number of Chinook aircraft in the forward fleet in 2035.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence does not routinely publish future forward fleet numbers, as doing so could reveal information that would prejudice operational security and the effectiveness of the Armed Forces.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to benchmark the cost effectiveness of the UK nuclear deterrent programme by comparison with the French.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There are significant differences in how the UK and French nuclear enterprises are organised and structured which would render such a comparison meaningless.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many aircraft will comprise the Chinook Forward Fleet in 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence does not routinely publish future forward fleet numbers, as doing so could reveal information that would prejudice operational security and the effectiveness of the Armed Forces.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by what percentage the forecast 10 year programme cost of the Defence Nuclear Enterprise has increased since the Equipment plan 2023-2033: update on affordability.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As stated by my Rt hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool Garston (Maria Eagle) in the answer she gave on 13 June 2025 to Question 58561 to the hon. Member for Widnes and Halewood (Derek Twigg), the Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) originally forecast an equipment plan spend of £117.8 billion over the period 2023-33 and, over the same period to 2033, the forecast for DNE equipment plan spend had increased by about £10 billion. This is equivalent to an increase of 8.7%.
This government is investing more than £63 billion over the next four years to strengthen the UK’s nuclear deterrent and to fund Dreadnought and SSN-AUKUS submarines, a new warhead, and other crucial nuclear work. As the Defence Investment Plan set out, the money spent on defence by the end of the decade will be 2.7% of GDP, up from 2.3% when this government took office in 2024.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many helicopters will be operationally available to the UK armed forces to perform the casualty evacuation role between 2027 and 2030.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Ministry of Defence continually reviews platform capabilities to ensure that current and future Defence requirements are met.
Casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) is a military task rather than a capability delivered by a single helicopter type, and Defence maintains a range of rotary-wing platforms that can be employed to support casualty evacuation as required.
At present, CASEVAC capability is provided by the Chinook, Merlin Mk4/4A, Wildcat AH Mk1 and Jupiter HC Mk2 helicopter fleets. As announced in the Defence Investment Plan, Wildcat AH Mk1 is planned to be withdrawn from service from 2027.
Decisions on the helicopter platforms that will be available to perform the CASEVAC role between 2027 and 2030 will be taken in accordance with Defence capability requirements and operational needs, which are kept under regular review.
The number of helicopters available to undertake a CASEVAC task at any given time is not fixed and will vary according to operational commitments, maintenance requirements, training activity and force readiness levels. The Department does not disclose detailed readiness or availability information, as doing so could prejudice the operational effectiveness and security of the Armed Forces.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which helicopter platforms will be available to the armed forces to perform the casualty evacuation role between 2027 and 2030.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Ministry of Defence continually reviews platform capabilities to ensure that current and future Defence requirements are met.
Casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) is a military task rather than a capability delivered by a single helicopter type, and Defence maintains a range of rotary-wing platforms that can be employed to support casualty evacuation as required.
At present, CASEVAC capability is provided by the Chinook, Merlin Mk4/4A, Wildcat AH Mk1 and Jupiter HC Mk2 helicopter fleets. As announced in the Defence Investment Plan, Wildcat AH Mk1 is planned to be withdrawn from service from 2027.
Decisions on the helicopter platforms that will be available to perform the CASEVAC role between 2027 and 2030 will be taken in accordance with Defence capability requirements and operational needs, which are kept under regular review.
The number of helicopters available to undertake a CASEVAC task at any given time is not fixed and will vary according to operational commitments, maintenance requirements, training activity and force readiness levels. The Department does not disclose detailed readiness or availability information, as doing so could prejudice the operational effectiveness and security of the Armed Forces.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of accessibility to NHS mental health services, including average waiting times for assessment and treatment for residents in Lewes constituency.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that too many people are waiting too long for mental health support and is committed to improving access to services.
Data on average waiting times for assessment and treatment for National Health Service mental health services are not held centrally at the parliamentary constituency level. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning mental health services for their local populations, including in the Lewes constituency, and for ensuring services meet local needs. NHS England continues to work with local systems to improve access to services, including through the development of neighbourhood mental health teams that provide care and support closer to home. In Sussex, 16 neighbourhood mental health teams have been established, including one serving Lewes, bringing together mental health services and wider support organisations to deliver more integrated, locally tailored care.
As prioritised in our Medium-Term Planning Framework, we are taking action to reduce the longest waits for specialist mental health support, tackle regional disparities, expand access, and improve productivity across services. We are also improving community mental health support by accelerating the rollout of mental health support teams in schools and colleges to achieve full national coverage by 2029 and investing in early support hubs.
The forthcoming Mental Health Strategy and the Modern Service Frameworks for Severe Mental Illness and for Children and Young People will help improve consistency, reduce unwarranted variation, and ensure patients receive high-quality, evidence-based care wherever they live.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much was the purchase of the Finnart Oil Terminal.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Due to commercial sensitivities, we are unable to disclose the purchase price.
This acquisition forms part of the Clyde Transformation Programme, which will invest £15.1 billion over ten years to directly improve Royal Navy readiness. The Finnart Oil Terminal will strengthen defence fuel holdings and operational resilience, while also reinforcing the Government’s commitment to defence’s role as an engine for growth in the West of Scotland.
More broadly, the Government is investing £26 billion through Project Royal Oak over the next decade. This represents the biggest naval base upgrade for over 45 years.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the proposed out-of-service date for (a) HMS Ledbury (b) HMS Cattistock (c) HMS Brocklesby (d) HMS Middleton (e) HMS Hurworth.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy is gradually phasing out its traditionally crewed and complex mine countermeasure vessels, as modern, autonomous systems are delivered. The last Hunt Class ship is due to leave service in 2031.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, following the retirement of the batch 1 River Class vessels, how does his department intend to conduct at sea training.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy constantly reviews out-of-service dates to achieve maximum availability of its platforms for operational tasking. For operational security reasons, the Royal Navy does not release the out-of-service dates of individual platforms. The Class out-of-service date for OPV Batch 1 is 2028.
Following the Defence Investment Plan, which allocates £200 million to Offshore Patrol Vessels, future OPV deployment plans will be reviewed to ensure they remain aligned with Defence priorities.