Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, whether his Department has considered establishing one of the always on munitions factories in the North East; and when he expects to announce the locations of those factories.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review committed to build at least six new energetics and munitions factories in the UK. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is currently developing a plan to deliver this commitment alongside our wider Defence Industrial Strategy, delivering long-term investment to boost UK growth and generating skilled UK jobs and export opportunities. The MOD is carefully considering arrangements for those factories including potential locations, and more detail will be set out in due course. It is currently considered to be premature to discuss specific proposals or sites until the necessary preparatory work has concluded.
I can reassure the hon. Member that I am aware of lobbying by MPs from the North East looking to increase defence investment in the region and as this Government delivers defence being an engine for growth I believe there are opportunities for the region in the future. I would be happy meeting her and regional colleagues to discuss further.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 121 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, for what reason the fruitless payment relating to the Reconstruction of Multi Threat Wall for Typhoon Synthetic Trainers was made.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Additional costs were incurred on the Typhoon Future Synthetic Training new buildings to ensure the internal walls complied with the latest appropriate standards, in order to meet security requirements.
This required the redesign and rework of walls that were already being constructed and resulted in the fruitless payment detailed in the Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) infantry, (b) artillery, (c) armoured and (d) support battalions there were in the Army on 1 January in each of the last eight years.
Answered by James Heappey
The table below show the formations of the Army from 2016-2023. This was extracted from the Government website (Table 6 for the Army):
UK_Armed_Forces_Equipment_and_Formations_2023_tables.xlsx (live.com)
Land Formations of UK Armed Forces
Combat Role and arm/corps | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Combat Forces | 61 | 61 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 62 | 63 |
Infantry | 46 | 46 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 |
Regular Army Battalions | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
Army Reserves Battalions | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Royal Armoured Corps | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
Regular Army Regiments | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
Army Reserves Regiments | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Combat Support Forces | 62 | 62 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 64 | 66 | 64 |
Royal Artillery | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
Regular Army Regiments | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Army Reserves Regiments | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Royal Engineers | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
Regular Army Regiments | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Army Reserves Regiments | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Royal Signals | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
Regular Army Regiments | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Army Reserves Regiments | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Intelligence Corps | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
Regular Army Regiments | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Army Reserves Regiments | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Combat Service Support | 71 | 71 | 71 | 66 | 66 | 66 | 67 | 62 |
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers | 14 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 |
Regular Army Battalions | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
Army Reserves Battalions | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Royal Logistic Corps | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
Regular Army Regiments | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Army Reserves Regiments | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Royal Army Medical Corps | 26 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 19 |
Regular Army Regiments | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 |
Army Reserves Regiments | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 12 |
Royal Military Police | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Regular Army Regiments | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Army Reserves Regiments | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Corps, Division & Brigade HQ | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
NATO Corps HQ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Division / District HQ | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Deployable | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Non-deployable | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Brigade HQ | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Deployable | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
Non-deployable | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many regiments were active in the (a) Army and (b) Royal Marines in each year since 2010.
Answered by James Heappey
It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the hon. Member's questions. I will write to her when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many regiments in the (a) Army and (b) Royal Marines have been disbanded since 2010.
Answered by James Heappey
It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the hon. Member's questions. I will write to her when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of Army training exercises abandoned in each year since 2019.
Answered by James Heappey
This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in how many international military training exercises UK personnel took part in each year since 2015.
Answered by James Heappey
I refer the hon. Member to my letter dated 12 December 2023 to Question 13864 to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne, (Mr Healey) which was deposited in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of RAF training exercises abandoned in each year since 2019.
Answered by James Heappey
This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there is a minimum number of vessels in a Royal Navy carrier battle group.
Answered by James Heappey
The composition and size of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) deployments are tailored to meet the operational requirement and all options are continuously reviewed to ensure optimum Royal Navy output.
The last CSG deployment between September and November 2023 included exercising and integration with NATO and Joint Expeditionary Force, operating in the Norwegian Sea, Baltic Sea and High North with five Royal Navy/RFA ships as well as vessels from partners and allies.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the last exercise was that included a full carrier battle group.
Answered by James Heappey
The composition and size of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) deployments are tailored to meet the operational requirement and all options are continuously reviewed to ensure optimum Royal Navy output.
The last CSG deployment between September and November 2023 included exercising and integration with NATO and Joint Expeditionary Force, operating in the Norwegian Sea, Baltic Sea and High North with five Royal Navy/RFA ships as well as vessels from partners and allies.