Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of mobility associated with armed forces service on the educational continuity of the children of service personnel with special educational needs and disabilities.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is aware of the potential impact of Service related mobility on children with additional needs from Armed Forces families. December 2025 saw the publication of MOD commissioned research carried out by Oxford Brookes University entitled ‘Supporting ALL to Thrive’ (See link: https://sattproject.org.uk/|).
This project investigated the educational opportunities, experiences and outcomes of children with additional learning or support needs and/or disabilities from UK Armed Forces families. The Oxford Brookes research team have presented their findings to the Department for Education and continue to work with the MOD in developing an evidence base that can help shape future policy development.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has plans to review documentation made public following the expiry of the 20-year confidentiality period relating to gurkha pensions and their alignment to British military standards.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This Government holds the Gurkhas in the utmost esteem and greatly values their exceptional and lasting contribution to the United Kingdom. Their courage, loyalty, and commitment have been an integral part of the British Armed Forces for more than 200 years. The Government remains dedicated to honouring their service and ensuring they are treated with fairness and respect.
Defence has no current plans to review documentation made public following the expiry of the 20-year confidentiality period relating to Gurkha pensions and their alignment to British military standards. Defence considers the Gurkha Pension Scheme (GPS) to be a fair scheme, tailored to the historical circumstances during which it was open. The terms of the GPS have been challenged in a number of judicial reviews, including a case which went to the European Court of Human Rights and, at all levels, the courts have upheld the Government’s position that the scheme is lawful.
Gurkha service in the British Armed Forces was established under the 1947 Tripartite Agreement between Nepal, the UK, and India. The 1948 GPS was designed to support veterans retiring to Nepal, where their families lived. The Brigade of Gurkhas has been based in the United Kingdom since July 1997 and terms and conditions changed over time to reflect this new reality: Since 2006, Gurkhas have served on the same terms and conditions of service as the rest of the British Army, with certain provisions preserving the Brigade’s unique identity.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timetable is for the introduction of the Armed Forces Covenant into law.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Government’s election manifesto committed to placing the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law. During Armed Forces week in June, the Prime Minister announced that Military personnel, Veterans, their families and the bereaved are to have their unique circumstances legally protected by central and devolved Governments for the first time under new plans to extend the Covenant Legal Duty to more policy areas and across the UK.
It is our ambition to include these statutory changes in the next Armed Forces Bill, which is required every five years to continue to have an Armed Forces.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to engage with young people to promote recruitment in the Armed Forces.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) 2025 is clear that Defence must now meet the longstanding challenge of recruiting and retaining new generations with different requirements. We are committed to the vision that long-term success depends on reconnecting society with the Armed Forces and the purpose of Defence, and for recruitment the focus should be on speed, drastically shortening the period between applicants expressing interest and joining.
To achieve this, Defence will offer novel ways of entry into the Armed Forces that attract more people from a wider range of backgrounds. The Army and Navy are developing short term employment opportunities - “gap year” schemes - for young men and women across a variety of exciting roles that will upskill, provide apprenticeships, and a flavour of life in the Armed Forces. Full plans will be announced in due course now that we have published the SDR.
Furthermore, the Armed Forces enjoy good relationships with schools, primarily in terms of engagement to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths curriculum areas but also in careers engagement, which collectively enhances our engagement with young people. The Armed Forces only visit schools when invited to do so, usually in support of career events, citizenship talks, science and maths challenges and other exercises.
The Armed Forces do not target recruitment activity at under-16s, and no visits to schools by the Armed Forces are directly linked to recruitment, other than careers fairs which generally involve a range of employers. Presentations may be given highlighting Armed Forces careers, but no pupil is ever signed up or able to make a commitment to become a recruit during the course of a visit.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support veterans' services in Eastleigh constituency.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country, no matter which community they are based in. In Eastleigh and across the country, the Government is ensuring a wide range of support is available for veterans. At the 2021 census, 3,518 people in Eastleigh reported that they had previously served in the UK Armed Forces, representing 4.6% of the population aged 16 and over.
The Ministry of Defence runs the Veterans Welfare Service, which provides advice and support to veterans and their families. For support with employment, the Career Transition Partnership is the initial point of provision for those leaving military Service and Op ASCEND is the employment pathway for veterans.
In England Op RESTORE and Op COURAGE provide physical and mental health specialist services. Housing support is available across the United Kingdom via Op FORTITUDE, a single referral pathway connecting veterans with support.
In May this year, we also announced VALOUR, a new commitment, backed by £50 million, to establish the first-ever UK-wide approach to veteran support, which will ensure easier access to essential care and support for veterans across the country. A new regional approach, based on a network of VALOUR support centres and regional field officers, will help to ensure that services are designed to meet the needs of their local communities.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of military promotion processes.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
As recommended by the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), we are working towards supporting a ‘One Defence’ mindset through career management structures that reward behaviour and action accordingly. Unified Career Management (UCM) is currently in place within specialised cohorts which provides a joint approach to career management and promotion boards. Lessons learnt from UCM will provide an opportunity to refine the roll out to additional cohorts.
We will also consider the more radical options recommended by the SDR to break down single Service siloes, such as joint promotion boards and central career management.
Defence is taking seriously the SDR's call to invest in foundational leadership, financial, commercial, and technology skills across the civilian and military workforce, including the flexibility to reward the development of expertise in specialist areas, including through pay and promotion freedoms; and developing a two-way secondment programme with a focus on short-term, informal schemes that are effective and can be delivered quickly. We are working at pace on a plan for delivery.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the daily messing rate for a soldier in the British army in each quarter in each of the past five years
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Daily Messing Rate (DMR) differs across our overseas bases and the multiple Operations and Exercises carried out across the globe each year.
The table below sets out the DMR rates for each quarter of the last five years in the UK, for Service personnel, noting the differences in kcal requirements from May 2024;
| kcal requirements | |||||
Quarter | 3000 kcal | 4000 kcal | 5000 kcal | |||
20/21 Q1 (Apr-Jun 20) | £3.58 | £4.14 | £6.39 | |||
20/21 Q2 (Jul-Sep 20) | £3.62 | £4.17 | £6.41 | |||
20/21 Q3 (Oct-Dec 20) | £3.63 | £4.19 | £6.43 | |||
20/21 Q4 (Jan-Mar 21) | £3.63 | £4.19 | £6.43 | |||
21/22 Q1 (Apr-Jun 21) | £3.64 | £4.21 | £6.45 | |||
21/22 Q2 (Jul-Sep 21) | £3.66 | £4.22 | £6.47 | |||
21/22 Q3 (Oct-Dec 21) | £3.63 | £4.11 | £6.06 | |||
21/22 Q4 (Jan-Mar 22) | £3.63 | £4.11 | £6.06 | |||
22/23 Q1 (Apr-Jun 22) | £3.69 | £4.18 | £6.13 | |||
22/23 Q2 (Jul-Sep 22) | £3.62 | £4.12 | £6.07 | |||
22/23 Q3 (Oct-Dec 22) | £3.62 | £4.12 | £6.07 | |||
22/23 Q4 (Jan-Mar 23) | £3.62 | £4.12 | £6.07 | |||
23/24 Q1 (Apr-Jun 23) | £3.90 | £4.52 | £6.47 | |||
23/24 Q2 (Jul-Sep 23) | £5.19 | £6.01 | £8.01 | |||
23/24 Q3 (Oct-Dec 23) | £5.28 | £6.11 | £8.17 | |||
23/24 Q4 (Jan-Mar 24) | £5.22 | £6.05 | £8.05 | |||
24/25 Q1 (Apr 24 only) | £5.22 | £6.05 | £8.05 | |||
Note; Defence Catering Strategy Implemented from 1 May 24 (Revised kcal requirement and DMR calculation method). | ||||||
Quarter | 2900 kcal | 3600 kcal | 5000 kcal | |||
24/25 Q1 continued (May-Jun 24 only) | £5.64 | £6.10 | £8.56 | |||
24/25 Q2 (Jul-Sep 24) | £5.64 | £6.11 | £8.59 | |||
24/25 Q3 (Oct-Dec 24) | £5.60 | £6.05 | £8.45 | |||
24/25 Q4 (Jan-Mar 25) | £5.65 | £6.12 | £8.88 | |||
Current (Apr-Jun 25) | £5.77 | £6.24 | £8.96 | |||