Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the RAF's news article entitled RAF Concludes Enhanced Air Policing Mission in Romania, published on 31 July 2026, what aircraft were identified during the seven live ‘Alpha’ scrambles by 3 (Fighter) Squadron.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Typhoons were launched as part of the NATO Enhanced Air Policing Mission for Aircraft causing concern to civil controllers and drones which were approaching the NATO Air Policing area of responsibility. Many of the incidents were resolved prior to interception.
Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of annual cost of requiring social value obligations.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence commercial policy requires the application of the Cabinet Office Social Value Model to all in-scope procurements conducted under the Procurement Act 2023, which was enacted by the last Government.
Suppliers should not assume that costs associated with delivering social value commitments will be passed on to the contracting authority.
Contracting authorities are encouraged to consider whether it is appropriate to cap tendered prices to ensure that the delivery of social value does not result in additional costs that fail to represent value for money.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what expenditure his Department has forecast on replenishment of munitions stocks between 2026-27 and 2029-30.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
In financial years 2026-27 to 2029-30, the Department currently forecasts a total expenditure of approximately £5.72 billion on investment in munitions and weapons stockpiles. This includes investment in General Munitions, Directed Energy Weapons, LMM, ASRAAM and Spear Cap 3. This includes both core funding and funding from HMT for replenishment of stockpiles granted to Ukraine.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether it is their intention to pay off all, or part of, outstanding student loans to those recruited to the armed services.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Whilst this concept may have merits, the Armed Forces already provide significant opportunities for individuals to join and develop personally and professionally without the need to pay off student loans on entry. Many entry routes do not require degree-level qualifications, and existing schemes and pathways support personnel in gaining valuable qualifications and skills before and throughout their careers, benefiting both the individual and operational capability. Introducing a policy to repay student loans on entry would require extensive analysis to assess the financial implications, including the number of personnel with student loans, the overall cost of implementation, the administrative resources required, and any impact on existing support schemes that reflect the Armed Forces' long-standing commitment to investing in their people.
The Armed Forces already operate a range of bursary schemes for individuals undertaking degree-level study who commit to joining after completing their studies. These schemes differ across the single Services to reflect Service requirements, with support ranging from the payment of tuition fees to contributions towards living costs. The majority are focused on the Officer cadre, with the Army Musicians and Royal Navy Submarine Undergraduate Apprenticeship schemes being notable exceptions.
The Armed Forces also provide a comprehensive range of educational and professional development opportunities to invest in upskilling our people, through schemes such as Enhanced Learning Credits, the Publicly Funded Further and Higher Education Scheme, Apprenticeships and funded postgraduate study opportunities. In addition, personnel can gain qualifications and accreditation for the skills they acquire throughout their careers, demonstrating Defence's commitment to investing in its people and supporting their professional development at every stage of service.
Furthermore, Defence has introduced novel entry pathways to widen opportunities to join the Armed Forces, including Zig Zag Careers, the Defence Direct-Entry Cyber pathway and the Armed Forces Foundation Year Scheme. These initiatives provide alternative routes into Service, helping Defence attract the skills it requires while offering young people opportunities to develop their potential, gain valuable skills and contribute to the nation's security.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the estimated value is of defence procurement programmes that have received departmental approval but are awaiting contract signature.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold information in the specific format requested. The Department reviews and grants departmental approval at programme level. However, a single approved procurement programmefrequently encompasses multiple underlying contracts.
These individual contracts are often distributed across differing stages of pre-award finalisation, commercial negotiation, or international partnership development. Our central tracking systems monitor approvals by macro-programme capability rather than at an aggregated ledger of un-signed contract valuations, compiling a single estimated value could only be achieved at disproportionate cost. The Department remains fully committed to commercial transparency.
To maintain public accountability without disrupting active commercial negotiations, the MOD continuously publishes its upcoming commercial pipeline via the UK 1 Pipeline Notice on Find a Tender, in alignment with modern transparency obligations.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether stockpile holdings for (a) Brimstone, (b) Paveway IV, (c) SPEAR 3, (d) Meteor and (e) ASRAAM munitions are assessed as meeting departmental planning assumptions and needs.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not publish munition stockpile levels, as disclosure of such information could undermine national and operational security. The UK’s weapons stockpile is maintained at levels required by the Armed Forces and is actively reviewed to balance threats, availability, industrial capacity, and technology.
The MOD reviews and updates our munitions plan periodically, ensuring that planning assumptions remain aligned with the evolving threat environment and lessons identified from recent operations. Requirements for Brimstone, Paveway IV, SPEAR 3, Meteor and ASRAAM capabilities will be considered as part of this broader review to ensure UK stockpiles remain sufficient to meet the demands of current and future operations.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the level of requirement for a successor capability to Challenger 3 beyond its planned out-of-service date.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has assessed that there remains an enduring requirement for the capability provided by a Main Battle Tank. The Challenger 3 Main Battle Tank will provide the British Army’s principal armoured fighting capability through the 2030s, and the Department continues to consider how this capability should be sustained in the longer term. No decisions have yet been taken on a specific successor programme.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the long-term sustainability of UK naval shipbuilding capacity following the completion of programmes funded under the Defence Investment Plan.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government assesses the long-term sustainability, capability and capacity of UK naval shipbuilding through the ongoing work of the National Shipbuilding Office (NSO), as part of the National Armaments Director Group, and the Royal Navy.
The Defence Investment Plan provides a significant forward programme of naval procurement, and the NSO, RN and wider NADG will continue to work closely with industry to understand future workforce, capacity and infrastructure requirements in the immediate and long term.
The NSO will publish a Shipbuilding and Maritime Technology Action Plan later this year which will detail this government’s approach to ensuring the long-term growth and sustainability of the UK Shipbuilding sector.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what analysis his Department has undertaken of the military flying training systems operated by NATO allies for the purpose of identifying opportunities to improve value for money and pilot output within the UK Military Flying Training System.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK undertakes regular analysis of NATO flying training system opportunities via participation in the NATO Flying Training Europe High Visibility Project, the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training system and the International Flying Training School. Output is reviewed for quality, safety and value for money to ensure the Combat Air requirement is met for new Fast Jet Pilots.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to maintain Royal Navy escort numbers pending the entry into service of the planned fleet of Type 26 and Type 31 frigates.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 July 2026 to Question 17101 to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr Obese-Jecty).
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-07-08/17101