Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the establishment of the Armed Forces Commissioner on service personnel in Broxtowe constituency.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Armed Forces Commissioner is the first step in a series of steps that will be taken by the new Government to renew the nation’s contract with those who serve, and to improve service life. They will be a direct point of contact for the Armed Forces and their families in every constituency, including Broxtowe, to raise welfare issues that impact on their service life. Through reports and recommendations, the new Commissioner will bring those welfare issues to the attention of Parliament and the public.
The Bill to create an Armed Forces Commissioner is now undergoing consideration in the House of Lords having completed its Commons Stages last month.
Asked by: Ian Roome (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to make the process of tending for his Department's contracts is more accessible to SMEs.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) hold a crucial place in UK defence. They are the backbone of the UK economy and vital to delivering the innovation, expertise and agility we need now and in the future. Consideration of SMEs is a key element in our development of the forthcoming Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS). Through this we will consider how we better support SMEs, reduce barriers and set the conditions that unlock the full potential of SMEs to innovate at pace and seize future opportunities. A revised SME Action Plan will follow the DIS with the aim to improve engagement and increase Ministry of Defence (MOD) direct spend with SMEs.
In the meantime, the Procurement at MOD page on the gov.uk website contains detailed information for SMEs looking to become a supplier or contractor in defence. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence/about/procurement
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he is taking steps with his international counterparts to (a) help ensure that an assessment is made of the condition of and (b) protect the (i) Gaza and (ii) Deir el Belah Commonwealth War Grave Cemeteries in Gaza.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) reports that as a result of the recent conflict in Gaza, both the Gaza War Cemetery and the Deir al Balah War Cemetery have suffered extensive damage, including to approximately 10% of the headstones.
A more detailed assessment cannot be carried out until the current situation subsides. The CWGC will, however, restore those sites to a befitting standard as and when circumstances allow. Until then, the locally employed maintenance team remain temporarily relocated outside Gaza.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's policy is on Members of Parliament holding surgeries for armed forces personnel in military barracks.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Guidance on the use of Ministry of Defence sites to host MP constituency surgeries is set out in Joint Service Publication 850, entitled Infrastructure and Estate Policy, Standards and Guidance which states that: 'Use of MOD facilities is not to be permitted for any purpose associated with a political party, a group having political associations, an organisation with political aims or for large scale assemblies/rallies which in the judgement of the Budget Holder are likely to cause a breach of the peace or result in unruly conduct.'
Asked by: Calvin Bailey (Labour - Leyton and Wanstead)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) relocation assistance and (b) other support for travel costs are provided by his Department for (i) prospective students and apprentices considering (A) defence apprenticeships, (B) university graduate schemes and (C) further education programmes and (ii) people accepted onto such schemes.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence offers no specific entitlements to claim travel or subsistence costs for those attending interviews or events relating to a prospective apprenticeship or graduate scheme. However, business units have discretion to stipulate in recruitment adverts that receipted and necessary expenses may be claimed.
Civilian apprentices who necessarily live away from home are entitled to financial support with accommodation and the costs of a return journey home three times per year.
In some circumstances First Appointment Expenses (FAE) may be offered through an external recruitment advert. FAE is based upon a tax exemption which allows an employer to pay up to £8,000 towards the cost of certain expenses incurred when an individual moves home to take up a new job.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 May 2024 entitled Nuclear Test Veterans: Atomic Weapons Establishment Records, HCWS45, when he plans to publish the results of the review into the historic files in the ES and AB series relating to the UK’s nuclear weapons programme.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Since the security review commenced in 2018, almost 70,000 of around 74,000 records withdrawn from public access have been released back to the National Archives. Updates on the progress of the review can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-nuclear-archive-records
Asked by: Ian Roome (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has had discussions with the TV Licensing Agency on (a) discounts and (b) exemptions from the TV licence for armed forces personnel in service accommodation.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence has neither held discussions, nor has any current plan to hold discussions, with the TV Licencing Agency regarding an Armed Forces discount to the TV Licence or an exemption for personnel living in Service accommodation.
Asked by: Ian Roome (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel live in service accommodation.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
As of 6 February 2025, there was a total of 113,461 Armed Forces personnel living in Service accommodation. This figure includes both Single Living Accommodation occupancy and Service Family Accommodation occupancy.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military pensions are unclaimed; and what steps his Department is taking to increase the claimant rate of those pensions.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The estimated number of unclaimed pensions as of March 2024, the end of the last financial year, was 14,797.
Tables on membership can be found at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66977e29a3c2a28abb50d0d1/Armed_Forces_Pension_Scheme_annual_accounts_2023_to_2024.pdf
Once a pension reaches 60 working days past the point of being due for payment, proactive attempts are made to trace the member and, on receiving a current address, an explanatory letter and application form is sent advising that a pension may be due. If returned, the deferred pension is put into payment.
Where there is information advising that the individual is deceased, the MOD engages to confirm whether there are any dependants and then process as normal.
In addition, in an aim to increase the claimant rate of those pensions, on receipt of their HM Armed Forces Veteran Card, individuals are advised to review the Deferred Pension Booklet on the gov.uk website to check their possible entitlement and submit a claim if appropriate.
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of Capita’s performance in armed forces recruitment since March 2022.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 17 December 2024 to Question 19640 to the right hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois).
The new Government inherited a crisis in retention and recruitment. We have made it a priority to address this with a series of work streams designed to increase recruitment and renew the contract between the nation and those who serve to improve retention. Recruiting and retention remain one of our highest priorities - the Army/Capita Recruiting Partnering Project is completely focusedon delivering a significant increase in recruitment in 2024-25.
Working in a collaborative partnership, the Army and Capita have robust contract management measures, including Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and penalty deductions where KPIs are not met, to monitor performance against contractual requirements. However, as I am sure the right hon. Member will understand, detailed contractual arrangements, including performance measures, are not routinely disclosed by the Department in order to protect the commercial interests of all parties.