Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will publish a breakdown of projected defence spending on US (a) goods, (b) services and (c) land rents in the next five years.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This information is not held in the format requested.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the UK defence budget is spent on the procurement of (a) items and (b) services from the US.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This information is not held in the format requested.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to comments by President Trump on support for Ukraine, whether he is taking steps to re-allocate funding to domestic (a) procurement, (b) services and (c) other defence expenditure.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The United States is the United Kingdom's primary defence and security ally. Our collaboration in defence is mutually beneficial, and we maintain robust working partnerships in the areas of intelligence, nuclear, science and technology, and operations.
The defence sector plays a vital role not only in our national security but also to the prosperity and economic growth of the UK. That is why we are bringing forwards a Defence Industrial Strategy that will review the consideration of sovereign capability and capacity and will align our security and economic priorities.
We are determined to achieve a secure, lasting peace in Ukraine, which means putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position to prevent any return to Russian aggression. Since July 2024, the Government has provided over £5.26 billion in military aid and financial support to Ukraine, including a £3 billion annual military aid and a £2.26 billion loan for military spending.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to divest from defence procurement from the US.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This Government is committed to improving the UK defence industrial base to ensure a robust defence sector, support economic growth and provide greater certainty in procurement processes.
The United States is the United Kingdom's primary defence and security ally. Our collaboration in defence is mutually beneficial, and we maintain robust working partnerships in the areas of intelligence, nuclear, science and technology, and operations.
The UK and US share a strong economic relationship that is equitable, balanced, and reciprocal. With $1.5 trillion invested in each other's economies and supporting over 2.5 million jobs collectively, our economic ties are significant.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the level of US government control of Starlink in Ukraine.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has assessed the implications of a disruption to Starlink services to Ukraine. The large number of Starlink terminals (reported at over 40,000) means Starlink makes a significant contribution to Ukraine civil and military sectors. As per Starlink terms and conditions, off-the-shelf purchases of Starlink terminals are not subject to US Government export regulations.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will fully implement the recommendations of the Atherton report.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Following the July 2021 House of Commons Defence Committee report into Women in the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence has delivered a range of initiatives to improve the experience of women in the Armed Forces.
Key actions have been taken to combat unacceptable sexual behaviour, with two Zero Tolerance policies and a Sexual Exploitation and Abuse policy; improvements have been made to women’s health and wellbeing with new policies on menopause and breastfeeding, emergency sanitary provision, sports bras and a urinary support device; together with improved female fit uniform and equipment (including body armour); greater career flexibility; and improved access to childcare through the Wraparound Childcare scheme.
Related work has reformed the Service Complaints System to improve confidence and efficiency. The Service Justice System is more victim focussed, having established the Defence Serious Crime Unit and the Victim and Witness Care Unit in 2023.
The Raising our Standards Team will continue to focus on driving more inclusive behaviours. In addition, new initiatives are being developed on women’s health to better prepare them for arduous training as well as an increased focus on bringing a gender perspective to the future development of existing equipment and uniform.
The Armed Forces Commissioner Bill will establish an independent champion for our Serving personnel and their families. This a new, unprecedented post that will serve as a direct point of contact for Service personnel and their families to raise general service welfare matters.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support women in the armed forces.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Following the July 2021 House of Commons Defence Committee report into Women in the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence has delivered a range of initiatives to improve the experience of women in the Armed Forces.
Key actions have been taken to combat unacceptable sexual behaviour, with two Zero Tolerance policies and a Sexual Exploitation and Abuse policy; improvements have been made to women’s health and wellbeing with new policies on menopause and breastfeeding, emergency sanitary provision, sports bras and a urinary support device; together with improved female fit uniform and equipment (including body armour); greater career flexibility; and improved access to childcare through the Wraparound Childcare scheme.
Related work has reformed the Service Complaints System to improve confidence and efficiency. The Service Justice System is more victim focussed, having established the Defence Serious Crime Unit and the Victim and Witness Care Unit in 2023.
The Raising our Standards Team will continue to focus on driving more inclusive behaviours. In addition, new initiatives are being developed on women’s health to better prepare them for arduous training as well as an increased focus on bringing a gender perspective to the future development of existing equipment and uniform.
The Armed Forces Commissioner Bill will establish an independent champion for our Serving personnel and their families. This a new, unprecedented post that will serve as a direct point of contact for Service personnel and their families to raise general service welfare matters.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department plans to take in response to Russian use of cluster munitions in Ukraine.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As a State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), the UK has made a commitment not to produce or use cluster munitions and to discourage their use. We stand by that.
As President of the CCM in 2022 the UK frequently highlighted the use of cluster munitions by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. The UK has committed £6.1million to address explosive ordnance, including cluster munitions, in Ukraine in financial year 2024-5 through the Global Mine Action Programme.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if the Government will make an assessment of the (a) adequacy of and (b) lessons learned from the security response to the Russian invasion of Crimea; and if he will make an assessment of the impact of that response on the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Prime Minister made clear in his statement to the House on 25 February 2025 that this Government is actively responding to the security situation regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We have already commissioned a Strategic Defence Review (SDR) to examine the whole of Defence and identify where reprioritisation of roles, capabilities, activities, and support may be made in the current Defence programme to allow new investment, achieve better value for money, and secure greater economic gain for the UK.
The Reviewers will make their final report to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State in the spring of this year. The Secretary of State will then subsequently report to Parliament.
This Government is also beginning the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, reaching 2.5% of GDP from April 2027, maintaining that level for the rest of this Parliament, and then setting a clear ambition for defence spending to rise to 3% in the next Parliament.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will (a) hold discussions and (b) take steps with Super Humans Ukraine to provide (i) training, (ii) equipment for (A) prosthetics and (B) medical (1) assistance and (2) training and (iii) other support in Ukraine.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As a world leader in military rehabilitation, the UK Ministry of Defence, in consultation with our Ukrainian partners has chosen to contribute to the NATO Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) funded Project RENOVATOR, a project to support the development of increased rehabilitation capacity and capability within Ukraine to help deal with the thousands of injured military personnel.
Project RENOVATOR supports the building of infrastructure and the provision of equipment and delivery of training and education, including specialist physiotherapy and prosthetic capabilities. The ultimate aim is to provide five modernised rehabilitation facilities across the country, supporting Ukraine to develop a modern military healthcare system.