Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of food served in military catering contracts was sourced from the UK, in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 March 2025 to Question 36360 to the hon. Member for South Holland and the Deepings (Sir John Hayes MP).
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department have permission to work remotely outside the UK; and in which countries those staff are based.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
A total of 45 Ministry of Defence (MOD) Civil Servants have been permitted international remote working since the temporary concession was introduced in 2021. The vast majority were to accompany their partners/spouses who work in the Armed Forces and are posted abroad to NATO countries. This figure does not include MOD Civil Servants who are posted overseas on Government business.
MOD Civil Servants are not normally allowed to work remotely overseas, unless they have been exceptionally approved for a temporary concession. The criteria for the temporary concession includes accompanying their spouse/civil partner/unmarried cohabiting partner who is a member of the Armed Forces who has been formally posted overseas, or exceptional personal/domestic reasons.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on (a) social media promotions, (b) influencer marketing and (c) online advertising in the last 12 months.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
A full Departmental response could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The majority of Departmental advertising expenditure is undertaken by the three branches of the Armed Forces to aid recruitment. Generic advertising expenditure outside of this remit is not held centrally. The most recent available information on tri Service recruitment advertising can be found here: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament and here Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if they will make it their policy to not provide (a) translation and (b) interpretation for speakers of non-UK languages for services provided by their Department.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
No, translation and interpretation for a range of languages other than English (‘non-UK’ languages) is, and will continue to be, required to provide a wide variety of services across multiple areas of Defence.
Language service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers while maintaining high standards of service delivery.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the long-term cost to the public purse of (a) military logistics, (b) equipment support, (c) personnel risk, (d) reconstruction liabilities and (e) other costs arising from proposals for UK ground deployment to Ukraine.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This Government is committed to providing at least £3 billion a year in military support to Ukraine. As the Defence Secretary has made clear in the Commons, Ukraine’s security is our security, and we will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. The UK will also provide £2.26 billion in additional military support to Ukraine for financial year 2025-26 through the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration loan. Additional support is being provided through UK Export Finance guaranteed loans.
Other Government Departments are also providing non-military support to Ukraine including the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Business and Trade.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has had discussions with NATO allies on the potential impact of the (a) capture, (b) injury and (c) killing of UK personnel while operating in Ukraine on the potential for (i) escalation and (ii) retaliation.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Secretary regularly speaks with his NATO counterparts on practical plans for how our militaries can support security guarantees for Ukraine’s future.
The UK is playing a leading role in accelerating work on security arrangements for Ukraine. This includes putting our own troops on the ground if necessary.
Advanced operational planning within the Coalition of the Willing, which is not NATO led, remains ongoing for options across land, sea and air, and to regenerate the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether their Department plans to amend its policies on access to (a) toilets, (b) changing facilities and (c) other single-sex spaces in (i) Departmental buildings and (ii) other buildings within their Department’s remit following the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
16 April 2025 saw the Supreme Court ruling that sex is to be understood as biological sex for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010. The Ministry of Defence notes and will follow this ruling.
It is important that we ensure dignity and respect for all.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), as Britain’s equalities watchdog, is developing updated guidance to support service providers. Ministers will consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it following further work in light of this ruling.
The Government is considering the implications of the Court’s judgment, including what this means for Government buildings.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the Royal Navy’s capacity to intercept small boats in the Channel carrying people seeking unlawful entry to the UK.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Home Office is the lead gGvernment department responsible for border security and migration.
It has established the Border Security Command to strengthen global partnerships and enhance the UK’s efforts to investigate, arrest, and prosecute people smugglers profiting from the dangerous movement of people across the channel.
Defence assets are procured for Defence tasks.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) religious and (b) cultural holidays are observed by their Department.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK Civil Service only formally observes the government-set bank holidays.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of main battle tanks are operational to a deployment standard.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I hope the hon. Member will understand that we do not routinely disclose figures relating to Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks in the active fleet in the interests of security and operational effectiveness.