Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what protocols Veterans UK follows to ensure compliance with directions issued by First-tier Tribunal judges in War Pension appeals; and whether performance against those protocols is independently monitored.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Tribunal directions can be issued at several stages of the appeal. In all circumstances the directions are actioned by caseworkers.
Tribunal directions typically include directed timeframes, where on occasion the caseworker would respectfully request from Tribunal Clerk, extensions to any unachievable timeframes.
Compliance with deadlines is monitored internally using internal trackers. The Tribunal clerks monitor responses to directions and raise any concerns or issues, with the caseworkers until the direction has been appropriately actioned.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department records the number of War Pension cases in which tribunal outcomes identify factual inconsistencies or errors in medical evidence provided by Veterans UK.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As part of a War Pension Tribunal outcome, written reasons for the decision are provided. The Ministry of Defence does not keep a separate record of whether any factual inconsistencies are identified.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Veterans UK complies with disclosure obligations in War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme cases, particularly in relation to evidence provided to tribunals.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Evidence Bundles at Tribunals consists of all the information and documents used to make the decision on the claim including any advice received from the Ministry of Defence Medical Advisor. A full copy is provided to the appellant with all documents used to make the decision, and the appellant has the opportunity to raise any concerns or provide any comments.
Deadlines for submission of evidence bundles are monitored using internal trackers, markers on the hard copy files and independently by the Tribunal Clerks.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what processes are in place to assure the accuracy of medical reports produced for War Pension claims.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence does not produce medical reports for War Pension Scheme claims. All medical records are obtained from an individual's General Practitioner and/or hospital to ensure the information is sourced from qualified medical professionals.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to monitor and respond to changes in the military balance in the Arctic region, including Russia’s nuclear capabilities and posture, and what discussions he has held with NATO partners on this matter.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence keeps Russian military capabilities and investment under continuous review. We work closely with our NATO Allies to understand the implications of Russian military capability development for Alliance security. NATO is strengthening its deterrence and defence as a result of the increasing threat from Russia and will continue to adapt as necessary.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of recent trends in levels of Russian nuclear submarine and naval activity within the Arctic Circle and the implications for the security of the United Kingdom and NATO allies.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence keeps Russian military capabilities and investment under continuous review. We work closely with our NATO Allies to understand the implications of Russian military capability development for Alliance security. NATO is strengthening its deterrence and defence as a result of the increasing threat from Russia and will continue to adapt as necessary.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of whether current force levels across the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force are sufficient to meet assessed threats.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Our Armed Forces are ready to deter, fight and win - today, tomorrow and together with our allies.
Since elected, this Government has been committed to strengthening our Armed Forces. Through the Strategic Defence Review, we have outlined plans to increase the total number of Regular personnel, when funding allows. Additionally, we have embraced a whole-of-society approach to deterrence and defence, reinforcing our collective resilience, and are committed to increasing the number of Active Reserves by 20%, bolstering surge capacity and showcasing the UK's readiness to defend itself.
We do not disclose Force levels, but they remain under constant review. However, we do routinely publish our UK Service personnel statistics on strengths, requirements, intake, applications and outflow, by Service available at the link provided below:
www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2025
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to tackle UK defence capability gaps.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence employs a rigorous approach to identify and mitigate risks arising from gaps in defence capability, ensuring the delivery of defence's strategic and operational objectives. The Strategic Defence Review sets out recommendations to enhance the agility and lethality of our armed forces, which will be implemented through the Defence Investment Plan. The Integration of our defence capabilities will be driven through the Integrated Force Plan, ensuring that capability remains coherent and aligned with national defence strategy.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the UK’s defence industrial base to support rapid mobilisation and sustained conflict.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Department regularly assesses the Defence enterprise’s ability to respond swiftly to sustained conflict. Additional measures to support rapid mobilisation and sustained readiness were outlined in the Defence Industrial Strategy and the Strategic Defence Review. The current strategy prioritises resilience by developing integrated and assured supply chains, scalable production capacity, and an “always-on” munitions capability that can be rapidly expanded. Working across Government and with international partners, significant progress is already underway.
Key initiatives include regular wargaming exercises with industry, reforms to commercial processes, establishing a dedicated scenario planning and modelling capability and developing potential legislative powers to remove barriers and accelerate delivery of critical projects.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the UK’s ability to defend against a large scale conventional military attack.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence Review acknowledge that the UK and European allies face a new era of threat.
Defence plays a key role in the Cabinet Office-led Home Defence Programme, a whole of Government endeavour, to enhance our national security, resilience and preparedness for crisis and conflict. Defence is central to this, combining its strengths with those of wider Government, industry and society. The department maintains plans in coordination with NATO and wider Government, with the Armed Forces continually exercising their capabilities to ensure they can respond rapidly and effectively to keep Britian safe.