Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he will consider including those veterans who were exposed to asbestos pre-1987 whilst on active service and who later contract lung cancer in the 2016 lump sum compensation scheme payable currently only to those who contract mesothelioma.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The lump sum provision under the War Pensions Scheme applies only to veterans suffering from diffuse mesothelioma. Diffuse mesothelioma has a unique causal link to asbestos exposure, and the inexorable nature of the disease coupled with the lack of effective treatment leads to poor life expectancy.
Service personnel who develop lung cancer or asbestos-related diseases including before 1987 may be eligible to claim compensation under the War Pension Scheme or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme provided there is a causal link to Service.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Chapter 7.2 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what discussions he is having with the Secretary of State for Transport on the rates for (a) training and (b) employment for UK resident civilian seafarers in the shipping industry.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Government has endorsed the vision of the Strategic Defence Review and accepted all 62 of its recommendations, including those mentioned in Chapter 7.2. Implementation is underway as a priority and will be executed through a whole of UK Defence effort.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 increasing the level of compensation for service personnel who develop lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases as a result of exposure to asbestos to the same level as for those who develop mesothelioma.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Service personnel who develop lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases are able to claim compensation under the War Pension Scheme or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme which are subject to annual uplifts. The Department is currently reviewing the mesothelioma lump sum payment to ensure it remains fair and appropriate for those affected.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 increasing the level of compensation available to service personnel who develop mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Service personnel who develop lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases are able to claim compensation under the War Pension Scheme or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme which are subject to annual uplifts. The Department is currently reviewing the mesothelioma lump sum payment to ensure it remains fair and appropriate for those affected.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many seafarer (a) apprentices and (b) cadets have been trained by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in each year since 2010.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Cadetship and apprenticeship opportunities available within the RFA are designed to provide individuals with a comprehensive pathway to a fulfilling and meaningful career at sea. These programmes cater to a wide range of academic backgrounds and offer individuals the chance to develop the skills and qualifications necessary to thrive in a unique maritime environment.
In 2025, and in partnership with the Maritime Trade Unions, the Royal Navy successfully made a broad pay and non-pay financial award across the RFA workforce to recruit, retain and sustain an engaged and inclusive workforce.
The table below shows the numbers of apprentices and cadets trained by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary since 2014. Figures from prior to May 2014 are not readily available and have been excluded from the analysis.
Year | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025* |
Total | [c] | [c] | 45 | 105 | 97 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 87 | 87 | 70 | 44 |
Cadet | 10 | 23 | 11 | 32 | 24 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 10 |
Apprentice | [c] | [c] | 34 | 73 | 73 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 69 | 72 | 53 | 34 |
Notes
1. 2014 and 2025 are partial years. 2014 consists of data available from 1 May 2014 to 31 December 2014. 2025 consists of data available from 1 January 2025 to 30 June 2025.
2. This analysis defines Cadets and Apprentices who achieve promotion as having completed training.
3. This analysis excludes any untrained personnel who joined through other entry routes and were not designated as an Apprentice or Cadet.
4. Figures of 5 or fewer and the corresponding Total are represented by '[c]', in line with disclosure control policy.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish a timeline for the delivery of new vessels under the Fleet Solid Support contract with Navantia.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Successful delivery of the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ship programme, which is currently in the design phase, remains a priority. The acquisition of Harland & Wolff (H&W) by Navantia UK (NUK), following the administration of H&W, has provided greater certainty to the delivery of the FSS programme and protects the UK’s shipbuilding capability, and the supply chain that supports this, now and over the long-term.
The design work is progressing well and production of the first FSS ship is expected to begin later in 2025, with all three vessels bolstering the Royal Fleet Auxiliary over the coming decade.
Whilst we have agreed with NUK the minimum changes to the contract necessary, the impact on the approved cost and in-service dates is still being assessed and will be mitigated as far as possible. On completion of this work, it will be subject to re-approval by the relevant authorities, with updates provided through official channels at the appropriate time. We are unable to comment any further on the details of the contract due to commercial sensitivities.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on issuing payments to terminally ill veterans under the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence has made significant progress in issuing payments to terminally ill Veterans under the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme. All eligible terminally ill Veterans who have applied for the Dismissed or Discharged payment have been paid.
We have been prioritising payment to the elderly and those with serious health conditions to ensure they receive support as quickly as possible, with the first payments issued as planned within 15 weeks of the scheme going live to these prioritised groups. Some cases are more complex and require additional time due to the unique and individual circumstances involved. We envisage the scheme speeding up once the most complex cases are delt with.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many payments have been issued under the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
As of 9 June 2025, 44 Veterans had received payments through the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS). Payments made by the FRS are not compensation payments and do not seek to compensate for any pecuniary losses or attempt to place personnel in a financial position they could have been in, had the ban not existed.
We have been prioritising payments to the elderly and those with serious health conditions to ensure they receive support as quickly as possible, with the first payments issued as planned within 15 weeks of the scheme going live to these prioritised groups. Some cases are more complex and require additional time due to the unique and individual circumstances involved. We envisage the scheme speeding up once the most complex cases are delt with.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) veterans and (b) serving personnel who have served as crew on (A) Sea Kings, (B) Pumas and (C) Chinooks have been diagnosed with (i) multiple myeloma, (ii) sarcoma and (iii) blood cancer in the last ten years.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence is undertaking work to determine the number of Serving personnel who have served as air crew and been diagnosed with cancer. I will write to the hon. Member when information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve (a) recruitment and (b) retention at the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary are highly valued, specialist personnel. We are committed to listening to their concerns and keeping a continued dialogue to address the issues they have raised. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continues to engage with the Maritime Trade Unions (MTUs), who represent members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), to discuss a resolution to the on-going RFA pay dispute.
Recognising that the RFA is the largest employer of British non-military seafarers, the RFA intend to introduce a series of new recruitment and retention initiatives, including enhanced lateral entry routes from maritime industry, improved occupational health measures and a suite of options to increase working flexibility.
The MOD continues to work with both MTUs to resolve the on-going RFA pay dispute whilst mitigating potential impact of strike action to ensure that the Royal Navy continues to deliver its maritime commitments.