Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the stability of the semiconductor supply chain for the UK defence industry.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The Department is actively engaged in de-risking critical defence supply chain vulnerabilities, including for semiconductors, working collaboratively with industry and our international partners to mitigate risks. We aim to identify critical pinch points in our supply chains, for example, critical components, to enable us to make informed decisions around how and if to intervene. The Strategic Review and Defence Industrial Strategy will restate the importance of robust and resilience supply chains to ensure the delivery of critical defence outputs and keep the UK safe and secure.
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 defence manufacturers on skills levels in that sector.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The Ministry of Defence is working closely with the defence industry to ensure we have the skilled workforce we require across the defence sector and this is an important focus in the upcoming Defence Industrial Strategy.
We will continue working with industry, including through the newly established Defence Industrial Joint Council, to ensure the sector has access to the skilled workforce it requires now and into the future.
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 the number of apprenticeships within the defence sector.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is one of the largest providers of apprenticeships in the UK with over 25,000 apprenticeships across the Armed Forces and Civil Service in 2024. The MOD is working closely with the Department for Education and with the defence industry to ensure we have the skilled workforce we require across the defence sector. This is an important focus in the upcoming Defence Industrial Strategy.
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 number of animals used for Defence Science and Technology Laboratory research in 2024.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory’s (Dstl) remit to provide safe and effective countermeasures for UK Armed Forces could not currently be achieved without some use of animals. The Ministry of Defence does not conduct animal experiments for the development or testing of offensive weapons.
Dstl is committed to the principles of Reduction, Replacement and Refinement (3Rs) in its use of laboratory animals, and only use animals where no feasible alternative methodologies exist.
In 2024, Dstl used 679 animals in procedures regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA).
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department segregates armaments into (a) defensive and (b) offensive categories.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The Ministry of Defence does not categorise armaments as defensive or offensive during the procurement process. Items are generally considered in terms of the capability that they provide, and many items are capable of being used both offensively and defensively.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timeline is for the introduction of the Digital Veteran Card.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The digital HM Armed Forces Veteran Card is scheduled for release by the end of summer 2025.
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 local councils on the implementation of VALOUR support centres.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
On 5 May 2025 my hon. Friend, the Minister for Veterans and People (Al Carns) announced VALOUR, a new UK-wide approach to veteran support, to foster the enterprising spirit of veteran charities, better connect local and national services and ensure that veterans’ support is data driven.
We will establish a network of field officers and VALOUR-recognised support centres, overseen by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs.
The detailed structures and processes that will underpin VALOUR will be designed in collaboration with relevant partners. That includes engagement and discussions with a range of stakeholders including local councils, who are a vital partner in this new endeavour.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment they have made of the potential impact of the use of AI in their Department on security.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The Ministry of Defence takes all aspects of security very seriously, and our AI and Security teams are working closely to ensure that the impact of AI on our work is positive and does not adversely affect security. We do not comment on details of security.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The median age of computers issued to officials in the Department is four years.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking tackle skills gaps within the defence industry.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises that attracting and retaining the right mix of skills is critical to sustaining a vibrant, innovative and competitive UK defence sector. This is an important area of focus in the development of the Defence Industrial Strategy and will be a topic given close attention by the Defence Industrial Joint Council. The MOD continues to work closely with the Department for Education, the Department for Business and Trade and defence sector companies to ensure the sector has access to the skilled workforce it requires.