Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of applications (a) submitted and (b) denied for the War Pension were overturned on appeal.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
During the Financial Year 2024-25, 7,867 War pension disablement claims were registered.
During the Financial Year 2024-25, 3,510 first or second claims were cleared. Of these, 320 claims were unsuccessful.
During the Financial Year 2024-25, 125 disablement claims initially unsuccessful/rejected were cleared at Tribunal. Of these 40 were allowed (overturned).
All data is reported in the War Pensions Scheme Accredited Official Statistic and can be found at the following link.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/war-pensions-scheme-statistics-2025
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the press release of 26 December 2025 on defence exports, what assessment the Department has made of emerging markets for future export growth.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence continually seeks to identify export opportunities for the UK defence industry, working with the UK Defence Solution Centre and industry, and in line with UK licencing.
We have a pipeline of appointments for UK platforms, components and services and as the Minister responsible for exports I need the team regularly to review actions, appointments and next steps.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has provided (a) training and (b) assistance to Guyana to protect its Exclusive Economic Zone.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence offers a range of training to global partners. Our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) course emphasises peacetime operations both ashore and afloat in support of activities in the EEZ. Personnel from Guyana’s Defence Force have attended this course.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled Raising a glass: Beloved village pubs to be helped with new funding to broaden their services, published on 18 October 2025, whether he plans to bring forward planning reforms to allow pubs to more easily construct new premises to achieve those goals.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is currently consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), including policies which would give substantial weight to proposals that provide new or improved community facilities such as public houses and safeguards against the loss of existing public houses.
The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps he has taken to support the work of the Newcastle-under-Lyme Job Centre.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP ensures that all Jobcentre Plus staff receive comprehensive training and have access to up-to-date, modern systems. This includes clear diary management tools, enabling staff to support customers as effectively as possible. Where additional expertise is needed, staff can draw on a network of specialist roles such as Disability Employment Advisers and work psychologists or refer customers to local providers.
DWP continues to work closely with local partners, employers, and training providers to ensure that Jobcentre services in Newcastle-under-Lyme remain responsive to the needs of the community. This includes signposting to training, apprenticeships, and employability programmes, as well as supporting local recruitment and skills initiatives.
In addition, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work. The new service will be a locally tailored and embedded service, designed to meet the different needs of local labour markets, local people and local employers. It will be an active partner with key local stakeholders and providers of services and will be flexible, operating differently in different areas to reflect local systems and needs.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK armed forces personnel are embedded in the US Gerald Ford carrier strike group in the Caribbean.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Personnel from His Majesty's Armed Forces routinely serve on long‑standing exchange programmes with NATO Allies and key international partners. These arrangements strengthen interoperability, enhance mutual understanding, and support our shared security aims.
For reasons of operational and personnel security, the Ministry of Defence does not comment on the specific roles, locations, or units in which UK personnel may be embedded.
Asked by: Brian Leishman (Labour - Alloa and Grangemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK armed forces personnel are present in Guyana.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
None.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Armed Forces in response to the question from the hon. Member for South Suffolk during the Urgent Question on Northern Ireland Troubles Bill: Armed Forces Recruitment and Retention of 5 January 2026, Official Report, column 63, how many of the five protections for veterans in the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill will also apply to alleged paramilitaries.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Northern Ireland Troubles Bill introduces five protections that have been specifically designed for veterans. Some of these protections apply universally, including to all other former members of the security forces, recognising their service. The Government has been clear that no former Paramilitaries may be part of the Legacy Commission’s Victim and Survivor Advisory Group.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason was the Short Service Limited Commission discontinued in 2007.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Short Service Limited Commission had, by 2007, already been superseded by the Gap Year Commission. In mid‑2007, the Gap Year Commission was discontinued due to a shift in policy emphasis toward people programme measures judged to deliver wider recruitment and retention benefits.
The scheme was later reintroduced in 2015 and was subsequently integrated into what is now the Army Internship Programme.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there are British armed forces personnel in active service in Venezuela.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
There are no British Armed Forces personnel in active service in Venezuela.