Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK unveils new undersea warfare technology to counter threat from Russia, published on 8 December 2025, whether a contract has been placed for the Herne submarine since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
No contract or orders have been placed for the Herne large diameter uncrewed underwater vessel. Procurement of such platforms would be conducted in accordance with UK commercial law, through a fair competition.
The first formal element of the tendering process for Atlantic NET, commenced in September 2025 and was completed in January 2026. This involved the assessment of 26 compliant industry proposed solutions for ‘Persistent ASW Sense (ISR) as a Service’ and followed on from six months of regular two-way industry engagement with approximately 327 companies in the supplier base. These are largely UK based, or have UK elements in their proposals.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK unveils new undersea warfare technology to counter threat from Russia, published on 8 December 2025, how many orders for the Herne submarine have been placed since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
No contract or orders have been placed for the Herne large diameter uncrewed underwater vessel. Procurement of such platforms would be conducted in accordance with UK commercial law, through a fair competition.
The first formal element of the tendering process for Atlantic NET, commenced in September 2025 and was completed in January 2026. This involved the assessment of 26 compliant industry proposed solutions for ‘Persistent ASW Sense (ISR) as a Service’ and followed on from six months of regular two-way industry engagement with approximately 327 companies in the supplier base. These are largely UK based, or have UK elements in their proposals.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK unveils new undersea warfare technology to counter threat from Russia, published on 8 December 2025, whether a contract has been placed for the Seabed Sentry network since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
No contract has been placed for Seabed Sentry. Procurement of such platforms would be conducted in accordance with UK commercial law, through a fair competition.
The first formal element of the tendering process for Atlantic NET, commenced in September 25 and was completed in January 26. This involved the assessment of 26 compliant industry proposed solutions for ‘Persistent ASW Sense (ISR) as a Service’ and followed on from 6 months of regular two-way industry engagement with approximately 327 companies in the supplier base. These are largely UK based, or have UK elements in their proposals.
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 Written Ministerial Statement on Ajax, published on 22 January 2026, to what extent did departmental submissions not reflect the full breadth of known aggregated safety risk regarding vibration related injuries and historical programme issues.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As I advised in my Written Statement on 22 January 2026, the outcome of the Ministerial review concluded that Departmental submissions were accurate in declaring Ajax as safe to operate. However, it also found Ministers should have been briefed more comprehensively in relation to operational impact and the nuanced risks of operating safely. Importantly, submissions did not reflect the full breadth of known aggregated safety risk, particularly regarding vibration related injuries and historical programme issues.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what are the respective projects covering delivery of separate a) land, b) sea, c) air and d) overall joint autonomous collaborative platforms.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
As set out in the Strategic Defence Review, we must shift towards a greater use of autonomy and AI to improve our Armed Forces' capability and lethality. Further detail of the projects that will achieve this drive for autonomy in each environment will be included as part of the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan. Projects being developed include, but are not limited to, the Atlantic Bastion series of uncrewed systems operating below, on and above the surface of the sea to defend our nuclear deterrent and secure the Atlantic, and Army's autonomous collaborative platforms designed to work alongside Apache attack helicopters.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when security and defence arrangements were last assessed for each of the overseas territories.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK maintains credible contingency plans for the Overseas Territories, and has strategically located bases in Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, Ascension Island, the Sovereign Base Areas on the island of Cyprus, and the joint UK/US base on Diego Garcia. These plans are kept under review to ensure they are commensurate to the threat.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential risk of closure of the General Dynamics Land Systems UK factory in Merthyr Tydfil following the completion of the 589 Ajax vehicles in 2027.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
While the future of the Merthyr Tydfil factory is a matter for General Dynamics Land Systems UK, I have frequent engagement with representatives from General Dynamics, the Welsh Government and the local MPs regarding the Ajax platform.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.
We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made it a requirement to use Aubert & Duval Armad steel to manufacture barrels for rifle variants within Project Grayburn.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Project GRAYBURN is its concept phase. One of the primary outputs of this phase will be user requirements. These will consider the full range of performance characteristics including maximum weight and coating requirements.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the maximum weight of the new rifle under Project Grayburn.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Project GRAYBURN is its concept phase. One of the primary outputs of this phase will be user requirements. These will consider the full range of performance characteristics including maximum weight and coating requirements.