Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate his Department has made of the numbers of Afghan (a) interpreters and (b) other personnel, who assisted UK armed forces and remain at risk from the Taliban whilst stranded in (i) Afghanistan and (ii) neighbouring countries, following the closure of UK resettlement schemes; and what legal routes will continue to exist for such individuals to seek safety.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government does not hold an estimate of the total number of people who may have been eligible for ARAP but did not apply. ARAP is a well-known scheme amongst the Afghan communities and has seen over 190,000 applications since it was opened in April 2021. Our assessment that the majority of those likely to be found eligible had already applied has been deduced from the fact that over the past two years, 95% of applications to the ARAP scheme have been found ineligible. The period following the first 12 months after Operation PITTING in Aug 2021 saw ineligible decisions begin to significantly overtake eligible ones. This trend has continued consistently to July 2025, when the ARAP scheme was shut to new applications.
Individuals wishing to relocate to the UK can find further information online.
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 hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the relocation of Armed Forces personnel causing families to lose their place in the waiting list for NHS dental provision in their new location; and what requirements the Armed Forces Covenant makes on this matter.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Armed Forces Covenant requires organisations to give due regard to the principle that Service personnel and their families should face no disadvantage when developing, delivering, and reviewing policies and decisions that may impact the Armed Forces community. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) remains committed to supporting the Armed Forces community under the Armed Forces Covenant and as announced by the Prime Minister in June, work is currently underway to put the Covenant fully into law. This means that the Legal Duty will apply across 14 broad policy areas, increasing from three, applying also to Central Government, Devolved Governments and at a local level.
The MOD recognises that, while there are challenges in accessing NHS dental care nationally, these difficulties are often exacerbated by the mobile nature of Service life. Defence actively works in close partnership with the NHS and other government departments to address these issues and explore solutions to improve access to essential services for Service families. Families of Service personnel who are currently receiving dental treatment in the UK and are about to be mobilised, or are returning from overseas can contact NHS England at england.armedforceshealth@nhs.net for advice on continuity of care.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason records of Service personnel previously dismissed from the Armed Forces for reasons of sexual orientation were ordered to be destroyed in 2010; how fully that policy of destruction was implemented; and whether such reasons for dismissal would routinely be included in the Record of Service which each veteran would normally have received on leaving the Armed Forces.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
In 2010 and 2011, most remaining investigative records concerning decriminalised sexual offences were destroyed in line with Ministry of Defence policy and data protection legislation. These records were deemed to have no further investigative value, and there was therefore no basis for further retaining them, particularly where records contain sensitive personal information.
The destruction was implemented as a general policy. It is not possible to establish an accurate statistic on the completeness of implementation. However, is it recognised that some relevant records were not destroyed.
Personnel Service records were not affected by the destruction of investigative records and remain intact. Whether reasons for dismissal were routinely included in the Record of Service provided to Veterans would depend on the specific practices at the time and may require further investigation.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veterans previously dismissed from the Armed Forces for reasons relating to their sexuality have applied to the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme since December 2024; whether the allocated funds will be adequate to deal with the numbers anticipated; how many of the applicants have already received awards; and what priority is given to applicants on grounds of (a) advanced age and (b) serious infirmity.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
As of 7 July 2025, 856 Veterans had applied for the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS) Dismissed or Discharged Payment, and 84 payments had been made.
The FRS rules specify that priority is given to applicants who are over 80 years of age, have a terminal illness, or are experiencing severe financial hardship. This is to ensure these prioritised groups receive support as quickly as possible, with the first payments issued as planned within 15 weeks of the scheme going live. Some cases are more complex and require additional time due to the unique and individual circumstances involved. All other applications are processed in the order in which they are received.
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
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 - Minister of State (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.