Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Written Statement of 30 June 2025 on Nuclear Test Veteran Records Exercise and the Merlin Database, HCWS748, if he will publish the findings gathered from the 43,000 files which have already been reviewed, in the context of the (a) age and (b) infirmity of the remaining Nuclear Test Veterans.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
This Government has reset the relationship with nuclear test veterans and the organisations that support them, and we remain committed to listening to their concerns and working collaboratively to address them.
As of 30 June 2025, officials have reviewed over 43,000 files, including files from the Merlin Database, as part of the exercise that is looking at concerns raised with me about some Nuclear Test Veterans' medical records. The contents of the Merlin database will be transferred to The National Archives (TNA) as formal public records under the Public Records Act. Records will be held in perpetuity and made available via the public facing online catalogue at TNA called "Discovery". As the records are digital they will be free to download and there will be no limit on the number that can be downloaded.
I will update the House when I am in a position to share the findings of the exercise that is looking at concerns raised with me about some Nuclear Test Veterans' medical records.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Written Statement of 30 June 2025 on Nuclear Test Veteran Records Exercise and the Merlin Database, HCWS748, for what reason the Individual Medical Records of military personnel who participated in the nuclear testing programme are not being examined as part of the search for relevant medical data.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
This Government has reset our relationship with nuclear test veterans and the organisations that support them, and we remain committed to listening to their concerns and working collaboratively to address them.
I understand that many are eager for an update on progress on the records exercise. Our focus has been to start by reviewing all surviving policy records and instructions related to blood and urine testing, as well as policies relating to the retention of these records. We have begun with the policy files to ensure there is an understanding of the policy procedures and instructions for medical tests that were given at the time. Doing this first helps us to understand whether policies and instructions were followed. The Ministry of Defence has begun the process of looking at Nuclear Test Veterans' service and medical records.
I will update the House when I am in a position to share the findings of this exercise.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many sites for reserve forces managed by (a) the Reserve Forces and Cadets Associations and (b) his Department are (i) unusable and (ii) partly unusable because of (A) boiler breakdowns and (B) leaking roofs.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
All Reserve Forces and Cadets sites are managed by the Reserves Forces and Cadets Association (RFCA) and not the Department.
The Volunteer Estate (VE) contains some 5112 buildings, of which 59 (1.15%) are fully or partly unusable due to boiler breakdowns and leaking roofs. Further details can be found in the table below:
Total No. of Buildings Affected | Buildings unusable | Boiler Failure | Leaking Roof | Buildings partly unusable | Boiler Failure | Leaking Roof |
59 | 17 | 9 | 10 | 42 | 17 | 25 |
We are committed to growing the Reserves and Cadets. As part of the plan to do so, we are looking at how we make better use of the resources and infrastructure available.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his oral statement of 2 June 2025 on Strategic Defence Review, Official Report, column 53, how much and what proportion of the funding for military accommodation will be allocated to the reserve forces estate.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
None of the funding has been allocated to the Reserve Forces Estate as it does not contain Service Family Accommodation. The Reserves Forces Estate is directly funded from a separate budget.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the (a) domestic and (b) foreign sources of high-grade steel on which his Department will rely for the manufacture of (i) warships, (ii) armoured vehicles and (iii) jet aircraft (A) for the remainder of the parliament and (B) subsequently.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Industrial Strategy will carefully consider the Ministry of Defence’s approach to steel, as a sub-sector within Defence and a critical element of the UK’s Defence industrial base. This will include consideration of the MOD’s use of specialist steel and the potential for Defence procurements to support the steel sector, noting capability and value for money considerations. The Defence Industrial Strategy will have a remit extending to 2035.
The Government will also bring forward a Steel Strategy that will ensure a sustainable future for UK steelmaking. The Steel Strategy will establish a long-term vision for the industry, promoting long-term growth, that aligns with wider priorities including Invest 2035, the upcoming Industrial Strategy.
Defence programmes have some requirements for specialist steel which cannot currently be sourced from UK manufacturers. Steel therefore sometimes needs to be sourced from overseas suppliers. UK steel is utilised where feasible including in both shipbuilding and armoured vehicles manufacture.
As part of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT)’s Steel Procurement Pipeline, the MOD publishes information on the steel required for current Defence projects such as shipbuilding and armoured vehicles. As part of the Department for Business and Trade’s Steel Public Procurement release the MOD also provides details on the country of origin for steel used in various Defence projects:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/steel-public-procurement
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential effectiveness of landmines in enabling the defence of land borders against conventional armed attack.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I hope the right hon. Gentleman will understand that the Ministry of Defence can’t comment publicly on operational matters. All anti-personnel landmines present an enduring risk to civilians in the wake of conflict. It is for this reason the UK remains a committed State Party to the Ottawa Treaty. The UK has successfully operated without anti-personnel landmines for fifteen years.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office on the prevention of future acquisition of UK defence companies by US defence companies; and what powers are at the Government's disposal to intervene to prevent such sales on national security grounds.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Secretary of State for Defence has regular discussions with the Foreign Secretary – and other members of the National Security Council – on a range of national security issues.
The Government scrutinises any transactions in sensitive sectors such as defence on a case-by-case basis to assess potential national security risks and has powers, including under the National Security and Investment Act 2021, to intervene where it is necessary and proportionate. The Government will not hesitate to act where necessary to protect UK national security interests.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has continued to (a) monitor and (b) report regularly to Parliament on the numbers of service personnel prescribed Lariam as an anti-malarial prophylaxis, since the Government Response HC 648 published in September 2016 to the Defence Committee's Fourth Report of Session 2015-16 HC 567, published in May 2016 on the use of Lariam; and if he will publish such statistics as are available in tabular form.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Department continues to monitor and publish bi-annual statistics on the number of prescriptions for mefloquine (also known as Larium) given to UK Armed Forces personnel at Ministry of Defence medical facilities since 12 September 2016.
The full release of information can be found at the following link:
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on investigating drone intrusion incidents at (a) RAF Mildenhall, (b) RAF Lakenheath and (c) RAF Feltwell (i) during and (ii) since November 2024, with reference to the presence at each location of individuals connected with a hostile foreign state; and what steps he is taking to counter such intrusions in the future.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence continues to work in partnership with our allies and the appropriate civilian authorities.
We take the safety and security of our sites seriously and we maintain robust security measures, including counter-drone capabilities. It is, and always will be, an absolute priority to protect the UK against foreign and malign interference.
The National Security Act has additionally delivered a range of measures to strengthen the UK’s efforts to detect, deter and disrupt state threats.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what criteria are applied by the Defence Medical Services to distinguish the adverse effects caused by the prescribing of Lariam (Mefloquine) to service personnel as an anti-malarial prophylaxis and those caused by post traumatic stress disorder; what treatment options are available for alleviating the effects of Lariam toxicity; and how many service personnel have been discharged in each of the past 10 years as a result of Lariam toxicity effects.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
People taking mefloquine (also known as Larium) can experience abnormal dreams, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and more rarely psychiatric symptoms such as hallucinations, agitations and psychosis have also been reported. This differs to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) where very specific criteria must be met to establish a diagnosis. Essential to this diagnosis is that the individual will have been exposed to an extremely threatening or horrific event or a series of events.
Given the specifics required for the diagnosis of PTSD, is it unlikely for those presenting with any side effects of taking mefloquine to be confused with that of PTSD.
The Ministry of Defence does not recognise the term ‘Larium toxicity’ however, the side effects that may be experienced whilst taking mefloquine will be treated according to the diagnosis; for example, if the patient is experiencing depressive symptoms, the treatment for depression will be instigated.
The information requested about the numbers of personnel discharged over the previous 10 years whilst experiencing symptoms related to taking mefloquine, is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.