Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date (a) Ministers in his Department were informed of the data breach affecting Afghan nationals who worked with UK forces and (b) that breach was escalated to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Officials were alerted to the data incident on 14 August 2023, and it was reported the next day to Ministry of Defence (MOD) Head Office and Ministers in the previous Government. Immediate action was taken to ensure that the compromised dataset, which had appeared online, was removed and an internal investigation was conducted. The incident was reported to the Metropolitan Police and the Information Commissioner’s Office on 17 August 2025, within 72 hours of first learning about the data incident. The Information Commissioner’s Office has continued to work with the Department on this matter and on improvements to MOD data handling and protection.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will set out the labelling requirements that apply at point-of-sale in Defence Academy catering outlets to identify halal-certified meat; and whether customers are informed when certification involves specific slaughter methods.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There is no requirement in law to inform customers of specific slaughter methods, and this practice is not commonplace within the Ministry of Defence (MOD). At the Defence Academy catering outlets, all halal-certified meat is explicitly labelled at the point of sale as ‘Halal Friendly’. Catering staff are also trained to provide dietary information upon request.
Halal meat is not supplied by default across Defence contracts. The unit price, supply chain and wastage of supplying halal-certified or any other meat at the Defence Academy is not held by the MOD, as this is a matter for our contractors. Information on the audit and traceability checks undertaken to verify Halal certification is also the responsibility of the providing contractor.
All halal meat supplied to the Defence Academy must comply with UK animal welfare legislation, including the requirement for pre-slaughter stunning. Certification bodies are not centrally mandated, but suppliers must meet MOD food safety and assurance standards.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) audit and (b) traceability checks are conducted to verify halal (i) certification and (ii) segregation in the Defence Academy catering supply chain; and how often compliance is reviewed.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There is no requirement in law to inform customers of specific slaughter methods, and this practice is not commonplace within the Ministry of Defence (MOD). At the Defence Academy catering outlets, all halal-certified meat is explicitly labelled at the point of sale as ‘Halal Friendly’. Catering staff are also trained to provide dietary information upon request.
Halal meat is not supplied by default across Defence contracts. The unit price, supply chain and wastage of supplying halal-certified or any other meat at the Defence Academy is not held by the MOD, as this is a matter for our contractors. Information on the audit and traceability checks undertaken to verify Halal certification is also the responsibility of the providing contractor.
All halal meat supplied to the Defence Academy must comply with UK animal welfare legislation, including the requirement for pre-slaughter stunning. Certification bodies are not centrally mandated, but suppliers must meet MOD food safety and assurance standards.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on (a) the unit price (b) the supply chain and (c) wastage of supplying halal-certified meat by default at the Defence Academy.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There is no requirement in law to inform customers of specific slaughter methods, and this practice is not commonplace within the Ministry of Defence (MOD). At the Defence Academy catering outlets, all halal-certified meat is explicitly labelled at the point of sale as ‘Halal Friendly’. Catering staff are also trained to provide dietary information upon request.
Halal meat is not supplied by default across Defence contracts. The unit price, supply chain and wastage of supplying halal-certified or any other meat at the Defence Academy is not held by the MOD, as this is a matter for our contractors. Information on the audit and traceability checks undertaken to verify Halal certification is also the responsibility of the providing contractor.
All halal meat supplied to the Defence Academy must comply with UK animal welfare legislation, including the requirement for pre-slaughter stunning. Certification bodies are not centrally mandated, but suppliers must meet MOD food safety and assurance standards.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) animal welfare and (b) assurance standards are required of halal-certified meat supplied at the Defence Academy; whether stunning is mandated; and which certification bodies are recognised.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There is no requirement in law to inform customers of specific slaughter methods, and this practice is not commonplace within the Ministry of Defence (MOD). At the Defence Academy catering outlets, all halal-certified meat is explicitly labelled at the point of sale as ‘Halal Friendly’. Catering staff are also trained to provide dietary information upon request.
Halal meat is not supplied by default across Defence contracts. The unit price, supply chain and wastage of supplying halal-certified or any other meat at the Defence Academy is not held by the MOD, as this is a matter for our contractors. Information on the audit and traceability checks undertaken to verify Halal certification is also the responsibility of the providing contractor.
All halal meat supplied to the Defence Academy must comply with UK animal welfare legislation, including the requirement for pre-slaughter stunning. Certification bodies are not centrally mandated, but suppliers must meet MOD food safety and assurance standards.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will ensure that halal food is not the default option in (a) his Department, (b) military academies and (c) the armed forces.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
It is current Defence policy that Halal food is not the default option for the Ministry of Defence (MOD), military academies, or the Armed Forces. There are currently no Defence institutions where Halal food is the only option.
Suppliers are required to enable the MOD inclusive Dining Offer by accommodating catering requests for all personnel, irrespective of gender, race, religious beliefs and committed lifestyle choices. Food products used by ethnic groups following traditional dietary practices associated with their cultural background and religious beliefs, shall be sourced, prepared, processed and packaged in accordance with the requirements of the relevant religious law.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many employees in his Department earn (a) £100,000 and (b) £166,000 or more per year.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
As at 31 March 2025, of the 57,501 Civil Servants in the Ministry of Defence (MOD), a total of 401 individuals, representing 0.7 per cent, earn over £100,000.
The below table shows the number of MOD Civil Servants earning above £100,000 and £160,000 as at 31 March 2025.
Total number of MOD Civil Servants on full/reduced pay | Gross Earnings > £100K and <= £166k | Gross Earnings over £166k (not included in over £100K figure) |
57,501 | 384 | 17 |
Source: Analysis Civilian - Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES) data
Gross salary is adjusted for Full Time Equivalent (FTE). Gross salary is calculated as per Cabinet Office ACSES guidance. This excludes allowances associated with short-term circumstances or duties (e.g. deputising allowances, reimbursements and overtime), salary sacrifices and non-consolidated performance related pay during the year.
The population for these figures includes all MOD civil servants on full or reduced pay as at 31-Mar-2025. Civil Servants on other pay arrangements and people that left during the year are excluded.
Statistics on the composition of the Civil Service workforce, including regional, diversity and earnings data is published by the Cabinet Office on gov.uk at the following link:
www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of procurement contracts were awarded to UK companies in the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Maria Eagle
Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder (https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder). Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023 above £12,000 inc VAT are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service. This includes a note of the winning supplier. (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search).Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much their Department has spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation for languages other than (i) British Sign Language and (ii) languages native to the UK for people contacting (A) their Department and (B) its agencies in 2025.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Department has spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation (excluding Arm’s Length Bodies) £27,611,694.85 ex VAT in FY24/25
Excluding (i) British Sign Language and (ii) languages native to the UK for people contacting the Department has spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation (excluding Arm’s Length Bodies) £27,596,855.85 ex VAT in FY24/25.
Within Strategic Command, the Permanent Joint Headquarters has an ongoing requirement for interpreters and written translation services to support operational activity overseas and in the UK. Within the contract, over 99% of the value is spent on interpreters who support training and Headquarters activity. Estimated Annual spend against this contract is £30 million.
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
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).