Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of in-service helicopters' exhaust emissions that have been tested in the last five years.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence has previously conducted multiple sampling surveys on the, now out of service, Sea King helicopter between 1999 and 2015. These previous surveys found no conclusive evidence to suggest that aircrew were subject to exposure levels above UK and international safety standards.
In response to recent concerns regarding the emissions of out of service helicopters, including the Sea King and Wessex, the Ministry of Defence has commenced a programme a programme of exhaust emission substance sampling for its in-service helicopter fleet.
Modern helicopters and their engines are developed and certified to recognised standards with stringent emissions requirements and there is no current evidence to suggest personnel are at risk from current in-service helicopters. We are proactively conducting this work to ensure we are meeting our legal duty of care to our people. It is vital we can reassure them of their safety while at work.
The testing programme commenced in February 2025 and is ongoing. Throughout, we are balancing the need to conduct testing with the operational requirements and availability of the aircraft.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on exhaust emissions tests on in-service helicopters.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence has previously conducted multiple sampling surveys on the, now out of service, Sea King helicopter between 1999 and 2015. These previous surveys found no conclusive evidence to suggest that aircrew were subject to exposure levels above UK and international safety standards.
In response to recent concerns regarding the emissions of out of service helicopters, including the Sea King and Wessex, the Ministry of Defence has commenced a programme a programme of exhaust emission substance sampling for its in-service helicopter fleet.
Modern helicopters and their engines are developed and certified to recognised standards with stringent emissions requirements and there is no current evidence to suggest personnel are at risk from current in-service helicopters. We are proactively conducting this work to ensure we are meeting our legal duty of care to our people. It is vital we can reassure them of their safety while at work.
The testing programme commenced in February 2025 and is ongoing. Throughout, we are balancing the need to conduct testing with the operational requirements and availability of the aircraft.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has provided military assistance to Israel since March 2025.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has provided military assistance to Israel since March 2025 for the sole purpose of rescuing hostages in Gaza.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will review Indefinite Leave to Remain visa fees for family members of non-UK armed forces personnel.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
This Government is committed to removing visa fees for non-UK veterans who have served our country for four or more years, and their dependents. The Ministry of Defence is actively working with the Home Office to take this forward.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average waiting time was to resolve urgent repairs requested for service family accommodation in the last 12 months.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The average response time to resolve urgent repairs requested for Service Family Accommodation from April 2024 to March 2025 is below:
Month | Average Response Time In Hours |
April 2024 | 38.48 |
May 2024 | 37.99 |
June 2024 | 33.50 |
July 2024 | 38.10 |
August 2024 | 40.43 |
September 2024 | 38.35 |
October 2024 | 40.98 |
November 2024 | 38.26 |
December 2024 | 36.30 |
January 2025 | 40.86 |
February 2025 | 36.05 |
March 2025 | 38.39 |
Please note, the Department can only provide data up to the last quarterly period which ended in March 2025.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the proportion of British-made steel procured by the UK defence industry in the last year.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The UK steel sector provides vital support to the UK’s defence capabilities. Steel used in our major Defence programmes is sourced by our prime contractors from a range of UK and international suppliers, as programmes may often have requirements for specialist steel which cannot be sourced in the UK. The amount and origins of steel procured for Defence programmes is included in the Department for Business and Trade’s annual Steel Public Procurement report which can be found on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/steel-public-procurement
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is developing a Defence Industrial Strategy that will align this Government’s national security and economic priorities. This will include a review of the UK’s approach to critical supply chain elements, such as steel, alongside reviewing and reconfirming the areas where the UK needs to retain sovereign production capacities onshore. The Government will also bring forward a new cross Government Steel Strategy which will establish a long-term vision for the industry, promoting long-term growth, that aligns with wider priorities, including the trade strategy, Strategic Defence Review and the upcoming Modern Industrial Strategy.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he is taking steps to increase domestic steel production capabilities for products required by the UK defence industry.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The UK steel sector provides vital support to the UK’s defence capabilities. Steel used in our major Defence programmes is sourced by our prime contractors from a range of UK and international suppliers, as programmes may often have requirements for specialist steel which cannot be sourced in the UK. The amount and origins of steel procured for Defence programmes is included in the Department for Business and Trade’s annual Steel Public Procurement report which can be found on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/steel-public-procurement
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is developing a Defence Industrial Strategy that will align this Government’s national security and economic priorities. This will include a review of the UK’s approach to critical supply chain elements, such as steel, alongside reviewing and reconfirming the areas where the UK needs to retain sovereign production capacities onshore. The Government will also bring forward a new cross Government Steel Strategy which will establish a long-term vision for the industry, promoting long-term growth, that aligns with wider priorities, including the trade strategy, Strategic Defence Review and the upcoming Modern Industrial Strategy.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide an update on surveillance flights over Gaza in the last month.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Since December 2023 the Ministry of Defence has conducted surveillance flights within the airspace over Israel and Gaza, solely for the purpose of locating hostages.
I am unable to comment further on detailed intelligence matters.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on an unified security clearance system across the (a) Ministry for Defence, (b) Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and (c) Home Office for prospective suppliers in the defence sector.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I can confirm that there is a unified security clearance system for His Majesty's Government, provided by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV), which is part of the Cabinet Office. UKSV is the single government vetting provider of National Security Vetting, including for suppliers, or prospective suppliers, where personnel require a national security clearance. I am meeting cross government colleagues shortly to continue His Majesty’s Government co-ordination of our vetting efforts.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with SMEs on barriers to defence procurement.
Answered by Maria Eagle
As part of our development of the Defence Industrial Strategy I have attended a series of Roundtable events with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across the United Kingdom. These events provide an opportunity to engage with SMEs across the defence supply chain, and to receive feedback on their experiences of doing business with defence, including the challenges which they encounter.
In addition to this, planning for a new SME Support Centre for SMEs has started. Officials have held multiple consultation events with SMEs and defence industry to ensure that the new service meets defence SMEs needs. We will be holding more consultation events in the coming weeks.