Ministry of Defence
We protect the security, independence and interests of our country at home and abroad. We work with our allies and partners whenever possible. Our aim is to ensure that the armed forces have the training, equipment and support necessary for their work, and that we keep within budget.
Shadow Ministers / Spokeperson
Liberal Democrat
Baroness Smith of Newnham (LD - Life peer)Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Defence)
Conservative
James Cartlidge (Con - South Suffolk)Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Liberal Democrat
Helen Maguire (LD - Epsom and Ewell)Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Defence)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
Baroness Goldie (Con - Life peer)Shadow Minister (Defence)
Earl of Minto (Con - Excepted Hereditary)
Shadow Minister (Defence)
Mark Francois (Con - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Shadow Minister (Defence)
Ministers of State
Lord Coaker (Lab - Life peer)Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Maria Eagle (Lab - Liverpool Garston)
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Al Carns (Lab - Birmingham Selly Oak)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Luke Pollard (LAB - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
10:30
Oral Evidence
This inquiry will examine the AUKUS partnership, a trilateral security agreement between Australia, the US and the UK which was …
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase support for Ukraine.
This Order amends the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/527) (the “Principal Order”), which provides …
A Bill to establish, and confer functions on, the Armed Forces Commissioner; to abolish the office of Service Complaints Ombudsman; …
09:57
News and Communications
Ministry of Defence Commons Appearances
Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs
Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:- Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
- Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
- Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.
Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue
Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.
Bills currently before Parliament
Ministry of Defence does not have Bills currently before Parliament
Acts of Parliament created in the 2024 Parliament
Ministry of Defence has not passed any Acts during the 2024 Parliament
Ministry of Defence - Secondary Legislation
Petitions
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
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Departmental Select Committee
Defence Committee
Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.
At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.
Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.
11 Members of the Defence Committee
Defence Committee Member since 11th September 2024
Defence Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Defence Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Defence Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Defence Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Defence Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Defence Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Defence Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Defence Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Defence Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Defence Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Defence Committee: Upcoming Events
3 Jun 2025, 10 a.m.
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Defence Committee - Private Meeting
10 Jun 2025, 10 a.m.
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Defence Committee - Private Meeting
17 Jun 2025, 10 a.m.
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Defence Committee - Private Meeting
24 Jun 2025, 10 a.m.
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1 Jul 2025, 10 a.m.
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Defence Committee - Private Meeting
8 Jul 2025, 10 a.m.
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Defence Committee - Private Meeting
15 Jul 2025, 10 a.m.
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Defence Committee: 24 Current Inquiries
Defence Committee: Previous Inquiries
50 most recent Written Questions
(View all written questions)Our new Defence Industrial Strategy will make sure national security and a high-growth economy are aligned to deliver the change we promised: cracking down on waste, building resilient supply chains and boosting Britain's defence industry.
By strengthening our relationship with industry, innovators and investors we will make it easier and more attractive to do business in Defence than ever before.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This year the UK will give more military support to Ukraine than ever before, with a £4.5 billion boost.
At the 27th Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting, we announced a rapid surge in support, valued at around £450 million. This follows the £2.26 billion loan agreement with Ukraine earmarked for military spending.
We are absolutely committed to securing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This year the UK will give more military support to Ukraine than ever before, with a £4.5 billion boost.
At the 27th Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting, we announced a rapid surge in support, valued at around £450 million. This follows the £2.26 billion loan agreement with Ukraine earmarked for military spending.
We are absolutely committed to securing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Cables and pipelines are as vital for our economy as factories and power stations.
This Government is increasing defence spending to keep Britain safe at home and secure abroad. And that includes investing in RFA Proteus to protect our undersea cables.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Training time lost due to incursions on Ministry of Defence ranges is not recorded as the Defence Infrastructure Organisation has not been requested to do so.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Challenger 3 Main Battle Tank (MBT) upgrade has been developed to deliver multiple improvements to the existing Challenger 2 platform. Challenger 3 MBT will upgrade and replace 148 Challenger 2 platforms from 2027.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The number of overturned War Pension entitlement appeals from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2024:
Financial Year | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
Allowed | 130 | 125 | 110 |
Sources: War Pensions Computer System (WPCS)
Figures include both first claims to pension and further condition claims.
By financial year the tribunal decision was made.
Numbers rounded to the nearest 5 in line with the WPS Accredited Official Statistic.
Data for financial year 2024/25 is scheduled for release on 3 July 2025.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy allocated £38,000 of funding for the First Sea Lord's Sea Power Conference 2025. This money has not been spent and will be utilised when the conference is re-scheduled.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The data requested for the previous five financial years can be found below. These costs relate to MOD Woodbridge (Rock Barracks and Woodbridge Airfield), as the only Army owned site within the hon. Member’s constituency:
Year | £ million |
FY2024-25 | 4.416 |
FY2023-24 | 4.528 |
FY2022-23 | 4.723 |
FY2021-22 | 3.799 |
FY2020-21 | 3.768 |
Note: These figures represent the total actual costs for the Hard and Soft Facilities Management of the establishment.
Funds are allocated appropriately to deliver strategic objectives. In advance of the conclusions of the Strategic Defence Review , I hope the hon. Member will understand that I cannot anticipate future budgetary allocations.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Housing Strategy includes an extensive review of our entire Service Family Accommodation (SFA) portfolio to determine how we will utilise our properties. I expect we will be able to provide details of our future intentions when the review is completed.
There are 225 SFA properties located in the Suffolk Coastal constituency of which, 60 (27%) are currently unoccupied. 41 of these SFA are ready to be occupied by families and 19 require improvement works before they can be allocated to Service families.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Housing Strategy includes an extensive review of our entire Service Family Accommodation (SFA) portfolio to determine how we will utilise our properties. I expect we will be able to provide details of our future intentions when the review is completed.
There are 225 SFA properties located in the Suffolk Coastal constituency of which, 60 (27%) are currently unoccupied. 41 of these SFA are ready to be occupied by families and 19 require improvement works before they can be allocated to Service families.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The current Government inherited a crisis in recruitment and retention from the last administration, and this Government is focused upon improving Armed Forces recruitment, modernising and refining our policies and processes to attract the best possible talent. Defence is committed to reducing the time taken for candidates to pass through Armed Forces recruitment processes and enter service. Access to medical records is one of the main frictions in current Armed Forces recruitment processes, adding time into candidates’ progress through their application journey. To reduce this friction we are actively taking steps to optimise relevant processes working with the Department for Health and Social Care. This is already delivering results with shorter wait times.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK is co-leading the Drone Capability Coalition (DCC) with Latvia, which will increase the quality and quantity of drones provided to Ukraine, including through a recent order of 30,000 drones.
Nationally, in the 2024-25 financial year, the UK delivered drones worth over £325 million to Ukraine, which included collaboration between UK and Ukrainian drone companies. This includes the co-development of drone technologies, for example; radios, alternative navigation methods, electronic warfare resistant GPS antennas.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence's SME direct spend target continues to be developed in parallel with and as part of the Strategic Defence Review and the Defence Industrial Strategy. We intend to publish an updated SME Action Plan setting out how we will deliver on the target and take forward the broader commitments to SMEs set out in the Defence Industrial Strategy.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 30 April 2025, to Question 44696.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Spear Capability 3 air-to-surface weapon programme is currently undergoing re-baselining, with a Review Note expected towards the end of 2025. Until that is approved, dates are considered draft and of low confidence. The estimated current timeline for in-service capability is expected to be early 2030s.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does hold some of the information requested.
Please see below showing the companies in the area requested who provided defence goods or services. These are based on the supplier site set as the primary invoice address for the contract.
The MOD does not distinguish suppliers from contractors and does not hold data on any sub-contractors a direct contract might use.
The Department cannot provide the granularity for each service provided as this would require a review of each individual contact. The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Parent Supplier Name |
ACTIVINSIGHTS LIMITED |
AUDIO PRECISION UK LTD |
BABCOCK DYNCORP LIMITED |
CABLECONNECT SOLUTIONS LIMITED |
DAVID GARRARD |
DUFAYLITE DEVELOPMENTS LTD |
GRAS SOUND & VIBRATION UK LIMITED |
HEATCON COMPOSITE SYSTEMS (EUROPE) LTD. |
IAN HOPWELL LIMITED |
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS LIMITED |
JOHN GRAHAM CONSTRUCTION LIMITED |
KIER GRAHAM DEFENCE LIMITED |
MASS CONSULTANTS LIMITED |
MUNTERS LTD |
PLEXSYS INTERFACE PRODUCTS UK LTD |
SVANTEK UK LTD |
SYSTEMWARE EUROPE LIMITED |
THE COLLEGE OF ANIMAL WELFARE LIMITED |
V-BANDZ LIMITED |
VINTAGE ENGINE TECHNOLOGY LIMITED |
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is actively assessing the potential of uncrewed remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) to support airborne early warning (AEW) roles across the air environment.
These assessments are part of broader efforts to modernise UK defence capabilities through the integration of autonomous systems. While current RPAS platforms are predominantly used for land and maritime surveillance tasks, future developments may enable their use in AEW missions.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Through the MQ-9 International Cooperation Support Partnership, of which the United Kingdom is a signatory, the Royal Navy (RN) has established that the General Atomics MQ-9 can be modified to operate from the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers. As such, the MQ-9 is being considered as a candidate for the RN’s requirement for Carrier Strike Airborne Early Warning following the planned withdrawal of the Crowsnest Airborne Early Warning system when it reaches the end of its service life.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review has been considering the state of the defence industrial base, the approach to be taken to acquisition and support, and the contribution of Defence to the Government's Growth Mission. The Review will make Defence central both to the security, and to the economic growth and prosperity, of the United Kingdom.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) has reached several major milestones since its launch in December 2022. In December 2023, the UK, Italy and Japan signed the "Convention on the Establishment of the Global Combat Air Programme – GCAP International Government Organisation", formalising the partnership for developing a next-generation fighter aircraft.
The UK Government ratified the treaty in October 2024, and it entered into force in December 2024, enabling the creation of the GCAP International Government Organisation (GIGO), headquartered in Reading, UK.
Also in December 2024, BAE Systems (UK), Leonardo (Italy), and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co Ltd (JAIEC), agreed to form a joint venture for GCAP, subject to regulatory approvals.
The partners have agreed that the GIGO will let the first joint international contract during financial year 2025-26 for completion of Concept and Assessment and initial Design and Development activities.
The programme's ambition remains to deliver an aircraft into service from 2035, and the detailed milestones will be agreed following completion of the Concept and Assessment phase.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) consists of a range of interdependent programmes to support, maintain and renew the United Kingdom’s independent nuclear deterrent.
For the past two years, over 90% of DNE spend was directly with UK suppliers.
The DNE was established in financial year 2023-24. Due to organisational changes, comparable information is not held centrally for earlier years and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Tactical Hearing Protection System (THPS) Specialist User requirement is met by the 3M ComTac XPI.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The current Out of Service Date (OSD) for the L85 (SA80) Rifle family is 2030. Plans for the L85 Rifles beyond their OSD are yet to be formally agreed.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Mechanised Infantry (BOXER) programme supports a network of over 100 UK suppliers. It has created approximately 1,000 direct British jobs and sustains three times as many.
60% by value of the original BOXER production contract is planned to come from the UK.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We are committed to ensuring Government responses to correspondence are timely, accurate, and high quality. On this occasion there was an administrative error which has caused a delay, for which I apologise. However, I can assure the hon. Member that I will be writing to him imminently on the matter he has raised.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Government inherited a recruitment crisis from the last Government.
The Defence Secretary has undertaken to review the current recruitment policies and has already announced several changes to prior outdated approaches.
An update to Joint Service Publication (JSP) 950 Leaflet 6-7-7, which sets out the Medical Employment Standards for the Armed Forces, was published in August 2024 following an intensive period of review undertaken by clinical experts, Defence personnel staff and the recruiting agencies.
The updated JSP 950 Leaflet 6-7-7 is now in use and applies to both Regular and Reserve Forces. In the case of acne, the update confirms that candidates with acne that has resolved with or without treatment, are now able to join the Armed Forces.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Remote Controlled Howitzer 155mm (RCH 155) project is currently in the assessment phase with the intention of delivering the system within this decade, therefore, it is not possible to provide a total figure at present. The anticipated new Rheinmetall UK gun barrel factory, that will manufacture RCH 155 and Challenger 3 barrels, will support over 400 jobs.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Armoured Cavalry (Ajax) Programme supports 4,100 jobs in the UK supply chain across 230 companies.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The New Medium Helicopter procurement remains commercially sensitive, and the evaluation and approval process needs to complete before further details, including estimates of the number of jobs it will support, can be confirmed.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The New Medium Helicopter procurement remains commercially sensitive, and the evaluation and approval process needs to complete before further details, including estimates of the number of jobs it will support, can be confirmed.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The workshop is scheduled to take place on 21 May 2025 with representatives from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Homes England in attendance.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
RAF Wyton has been confirmed as a trailblazer site to potentially deliver new homes on surplus Ministry of Defence land. The Department is working with Homes England on how to accelerate the sites sale.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Housing Strategy, planned for publication later this year, will set out a roadmap to deliver a generational renewal of military accommodation, where the main objective is to raise the minimum standard of Armed Forces housing.
It will also turbocharge the development of surplus military land creating opportunities for Armed Forces home ownership and support the delivery of affordable homes for families across Britain as part of the Government’s Plan for Change.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK is co-leading the Drone Capability Coalition (DCC) with Latvia, which will increase the quality and quantity of drones provided to Ukraine, including through a recent order of 30,000 drones.
Nationally, in the 2024-25 financial year, the UK delivered drones worth over £325 million to Ukraine, which included collaboration between UK and Ukrainian drone companies.
The UK works closely with the Armed Forces of Ukraine to ensure that they can effectively operate the drones provided, including through providing training and technical assistance. It should also be noted that Ukrainian drone capability is world leading so this partnership offers significant opportunity for UK capability.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Minister for Veterans and People gave on 12 May to Questions 50185, 50186, 50187, 50189, 50190, and 50191 to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr Cartlidge), and Question 50424 to the hon. Member for Spelthorne (Mr Jopp).
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Department has policies and procedures in place to ensure that all its processes are compliant under Data Protection legislation and Ministry of Defence personnel are mandated to complete data protection training on an annual basis. This was most recently reviewed and updated in 2024.
There have been no specific reports of GDPR restrictions affecting activities. Training regularly features drones as part of exercises. We are constantly experimenting with and embracing innovative technology, including in drone warfare.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The provision of support to routine operations by artificial intelligence (AI) is ambitious, safe and responsible, in line with the Dependable AI Joint Service Publication 936. All capabilities, whether AI-enabled or not, are developed and used in line with existing rigorous processes to ensure safety, effectiveness and lawfulness.
Adherence to the rule of law is central to the Ministry of Defence’s approach to and its conduct of military operations. Any operation supported by AI is subject to the same applicable laws. Military commanders remain responsible for their decisions at all times, including where these are enabled by AI.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK deplores the barbaric acts that are taking place in Ukraine, after Russia’s illegal invasion, and will continue to support holding all perpetrators to account.
We continue to support the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigating allegations of international crimes committed in Ukraine and are also working closely with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, where the UK has provided £11.3 million to support Ukraine's domestic accountability efforts, including to document, investigate and prosecute atrocity crimes.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
At their most recent performance review, Serco had achieved the target for all Key Performance Indicators for this contract. The Contract Management Plan for the RAF Brize Norton Support Service contract can be found along with quarterly performance reports at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-performance-indicators-kpis-for-governments-most-important-contracts
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK welcomes foreign investment. The National Security and Investment Act 2021 (NSIA) provides the UK Government robust powers to scrutinise and, if necessary, intervene in acquisitions or investment that may pose a risk to national security. This legislation is country agnostic and operated by the Investment Security Unit (ISU) in the Cabinet Office. Defence, alongside other Government Departments, works closely with the ISU, which has the cross-Government lead for advising on the national security implications of foreign investment.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Skynet 6 Programme continues to progress to meet Defence’s satellite communication needs. The build of the Skynet 6A satellite is about to transition into the testing and validation phase. Negotiations for the acquisition of a single narrowband satellite and the competition for up to three wideband satellites are both progressing. The ground infrastructure has remained fully operational.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Work on the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon programme is continuing under contract with MBDA. Discussions with our partners to finalise arrangements for the next phase are in progress.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Work on the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon programme is continuing under contract with MBDA. Discussions with our partners to finalise arrangements for the next phase are in progress.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy constantly reviews out of service dates to achieve maximum availability of its platforms for operational tasking. For operational security reasons, the Royal Navy does not release the out of service dates of individual platforms.
Class of Ship | Out of Service Date |
Queen Elizabeth Class | 2069 |
Albion Class | 2025 |
Daring Class | 2038 |
Duke Class | 2035 |
Wave Class | 2025 |
Tide Class | 2040 |
Bay Class | 2034 |
Fort Class | 2028 |
Hunt Class | 2031 |
Sandown Class | 2025 |
River Class | 2028 (Batch 1 Offshore Patrol Vessel) 2040 (Batch 2 Offshore Patrol Vessel) |
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Uncrewed systems are changing the character of warfare at pace, and this Government is adapting our approaches to acquisition, regulation and operation. In support of the conflict in Ukraine the Ministry of Defence has procured over 30,000 First Person View Drones spending circa £35 million and utilised the lessons to inform the Department's approach to FPV Drone capabilities.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Uncrewed systems are changing the character of warfare at pace, and this Government is adapting our approaches to acquisition, regulation and operation. In support of the conflict in Ukraine the Ministry of Defence has procured over 30,000 First Person View Drones spending circa £35 million and utilised the lessons to inform the Department's approach to FPV Drone capabilities.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Uncrewed systems are changing the character of warfare at pace, and this Government is adapting our approaches to acquisition, regulation and operation. In support of the conflict in Ukraine the Ministry of Defence has procured over 30,000 First Person View Drones spending circa £35 million and utilised the lessons to inform the Department's approach to FPV Drone capabilities.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)