Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his oral contribution of 16 January 2023 on the Ukraine: Update, Official Report, column 36, what steps his Department is taking to increase the state of readiness for the two batteries of AS-90 guns, which are at varying states of readiness, prior to them being donated to Ukraine.

The Army is working to maximise the readiness of platforms granted to Ukraine which will provide an important increase in Ukraine's capabilities and will help to accelerate Ukrainian success on the battlefield.

It would be inappropriate to comment further due to the potential impact on security and operational effectiveness.