Ministry of Defence

The treaty is not finalised yet, when the deal is finalised, the Government will put it before the House.

People taking mefloquine (also known as Larium) can experience abnormal dreams, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and more rarely psychiatric symptoms such as hallucinations, agitations and psychosis have also been reported. This differs to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) where very specific criteria must be met to establish a diagnosis. Essential to this diagnosis is that the individual will have been exposed to an extremely threatening or horrific event or a series of events.

Given the specifics required for the diagnosis of PTSD, is it unlikely for those presenting with any side effects of taking mefloquine to be confused with that of PTSD.

The Ministry of Defence does not recognise the term ‘Larium toxicity’ however, the side effects that may be experienced whilst taking mefloquine will be treated according to the diagnosis; for example, if the patient is experiencing depressive symptoms, the treatment for depression will be instigated.

The information requested about the numbers of personnel discharged over the previous 10 years whilst experiencing symptoms related to taking mefloquine, is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The Ministry of Defence continues to work in partnership with our allies and the appropriate civilian authorities.

We take the safety and security of our sites seriously and we maintain robust security measures, including counter-drone capabilities. It is, and always will be, an absolute priority to protect the UK against foreign and malign interference.

The National Security Act has additionally delivered a range of measures to strengthen the UK’s efforts to detect, deter and disrupt state threats.

Computer numerical control (CNC) machines enable the precise production of advanced components. We have not received requests for CNC systems in the last two years. The Ministry of Defence is not taking any steps to increase the number of systems to Ukraine as we have not provided these type of systems to Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defence has and continues to work closely with the Armed Forces of Ukraine to understand their specific requirements, this includes the provision of components and specific tools to enable production of systems and capabilities in Ukraine.

Computer numerical control (CNC) machines enable the precise production of advanced components. We have not received requests for CNC systems in the last two years. The Ministry of Defence is not taking any steps to increase the number of systems to Ukraine as we have not provided these type of systems to Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defence has and continues to work closely with the Armed Forces of Ukraine to understand their specific requirements, this includes the provision of components and specific tools to enable production of systems and capabilities in Ukraine.

The UK recognises the need to develop strong defence industrial partnerships with Ukraine to accelerate and deepen UK and Ukrainian defence industrial capacity and capability, and to rebuild its defence industrial base.

Through Task Force HIRST, we actively encourage the development of partnerships and joint ventures between UK defence industry and local Ukrainian companies, and HMG has led five successful Trade Missions to Ukraine to bring together UK and Ukrainian Government and defence industry representatives, as well as international partners, to identify opportunities for developing sustainable, long-term cooperation and partnerships.

I recently led a trade mission of UK, Dutch and Norwegian firms to Ukraine in support of these and other aligned objectives.

We acknowledge concerns about the coroner’s findings in the Clonoe inquest and the Ministry of Defence is reviewing the coroner’s findings carefully. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.

There are currently 941 outstanding Northern Ireland legacy civil claims against the Ministry of Defence pertaining to incidents which occurred before the Belfast Agreement in 1998. The amounts paid in settlements or damages in such cases in each of the previous five financial years (FY) were:

FY 2019-20: £1,391,428.50

FY 2020-21: £665,514.00

FY 2021-22: £2,659,712.00

FY 2022-23: £3,890,281.00

FY 2023-24: £3,953,832.00

For the same five-year period, legal expenses incurred by the Ministry of Defence as payment of claimants’ costs were:

FY 2019-20: £575,193.77

FY 2020-21: £593,329.72

FY 2021-22: £784,568.20

FY 2022-23: £3,418,922.39

FY 2023-24: £2,560,995.61

For the same five-year period, legal expenses incurred by the Ministry of Defence’s own legal teams were:

FY 2019-20: £77,626.03

FY 2020-21: £78,811.07

FY 2021-22: £222,520.62

FY 2022-23: £157,161.76

FY 2023-24: £358,036.87

Service Family Accommodation (SFA):

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) conducts more than 300,000 maintenance tasks per year. These tasks relate to health and safety works, as well as proactive and reactive repairs, to maintain safe and compliant homes in line with the Decent Home Standard.

Of those 300,000 tasks, there are circa 2% which are currently on hold (these form the ‘backlog’). None of these tasks are priority work and they will be addressed once discretionary funding is available.

Built Estate (including Single living Accommodation):

Maintenance and life cycle replacements are identified though visual inspection regimes or via MOD’s Asset Lifecycle and Replacement Model (ALaRM) tool which predicts works needed to restore assets to a good condition.

This provides the Defence Infrastructure Organisation with a picture of the works required on the assets. Safety works are addressed immediately, or the risk mitigated, for example, by building closure.

The remaining maintenance requirements are prioritised for funding by the Asset owner within Defence. Infrastructure assets are categorised against their operational need.

The safety of Service personnel and their families remains a top priority for the MOD.

We are working with Ukraine and international partners to secure commercial shipping and shipping routes in the Black Sea, including Ukraine's maritime corridor. The 100 Year Partnership will help with this endeavour through the provision of training and equipment to Ukraine, to prevent and deter Russian attacks.

The 100 Partnership Declaration has made clear that freedom of navigation for commercial shipping in the Black Sea and beyond must be upheld and the UK will continue to do all it can to help Ukraine through the strengthening of its maritime forces.

The UK co-leads the maritime capability coalition with Norway and this work supports Ukraine’s maritime capabilities now and in the future.

NATO made a long-term commitment to Ukraine and has been clear that Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO. The Prime Minister has reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to Ukraine’s irreversible path to NATO membership, as agreed by all Allies at the Washington Summit.

That is a process that will take time, and for now our priority is to make sure Ukraine is in the strongest possible position on the battlefield and in any potential negotiations to come.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.

Over the last 12 months, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has:

• Delivered the final year of an ambitious 4-year AI Science and Technology (S&T) Programme which has conducted experimentation across a range of defence use-cases for AI and developed important enabling areas of research such as AI ethics and AI assurance.
• Provided support to wider defence AI activities through the Defence AI Centre, for example Dstl’s expertise on AI Assurance significantly informed the recent publication of MOD guidance on Dependable AI in Defence, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jsp-936-dependable-artificial-intelligence-ai-in-defence-part-1-directive.
• Worked with international partners on AI, such as the AUKUS Pillar 2 experimentation on developing Resilient and Autonomous Artificial Intelligence Technologies in order to improve international interoperability for AI-enabled systems.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/aukus-takes-another-step-forward-with-real-time-ai-trials.

• Worked closely with industry and academic partners on AI, for example via their Agile Delivery Partner which enables joint multi-disciplinary teams and academic research centres to transition civilian AI techniques into Defence applications and help strengthen the UK’s Defence AI Ecosystem.
• Continued to develop approaches to using AI to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its work, for example piloting secure access to Large Language Models and also trialling the use of AI techniques to improve exploitation of its large database of Defence Science and Technology Reports.

Dstl can draw on a range of resources, published on GOV.UK, to inform AI usage. This includes the Generative AI Framework for HMG, which has been superseded by the AI Playbook for the UK Government, as well as JSP936 covering dependable AI in defence.

As the Minister for Veterans and People, I have commissioned an internal review in Defence to ensure that we are making the most of the unique contribution our Reserve Forces offer. The review will examine the Reserves landscape and will include some aspects of their terms and conditions of Service, such as normal retirement age.

The Department continues to monitor and publish bi-annual statistics on the number of prescriptions for mefloquine (also known as Larium) given to UK Armed Forces personnel at Ministry of Defence medical facilities since 12 September 2016.

The full release of information can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mefloquine-lariam-prescribing-in-the-uk-armed-forces-statistics-index

Defence is planning to deploy the Carrier Strike Group to the Indo-Pacific where it will be the focal point for numerous exercises, operations, and engagements in the region.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to reviewing its estate to ensure it is of the right size and suitable for Defence purposes, whilst supporting wider Government house building initiatives.

On average, the MOD releases enough surplus land for over 3,500 new homes a year.

Any new sites identified as surplus would be disposed in the usual way.

As set out in December, the Government has purchased over 36,000 military homes through a landmark deal to bring the military housing estate back into public ownership.

Alongside this, the Government kickstarted work on a new military housing strategy which will explore better use of MOD land to support the delivery of affordable homes.

Integrating uncrewed systems with our crewed platforms is a critical part of ensuring the Royal Navy can effectively respond to competition, crisis and conflict in the future. Delivering uncrewed systems will feature heavily in the design specifications of the Multi-Role Support Ships – the next generation of amphibious ships to support the Commando forces. The Ministry of Defence is collaborating with industry to assess the merits of uncrewed systems with trials and spiral development, while learning operational lessons from Ukraine.

Since March 2024, the programme has been reset to leverage existing infrastructure and deliver some benefits earlier, whilst making progress towards broader programme key milestones. The team has been restructured and additional specialist resources have been brought on board. The programme has achieved an amber status following a further IPA review.

For operational security reasons and as a matter of policy, the Ministry of Defence will neither confirm, deny, nor comment on any foreign nations’ military aircraft movement or operations within UK airspace or UK overseas bases.

Nuclear Test Veterans who believe they have suffered ill health due to service have the right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pension Scheme (WPS) and have the same access to the scheme as any other veteran, with each application being assessed on its individual merits. War Disablement Pensions are medically certified with relevant material facts including on claimed incidents, events, and exposures.

There is not a specific Nuclear Test Veteran claim form for compensation under the WPS. However, a supplementary form is available which allows for Nuclear Test Veteran specific information to be provided at the point of claim, reducing potential delays arising from seeking this information.

The Veterans Welfare Service offers assistance to all veterans throughout the application process.

An information leaflet for claiming compensation for conditions relating to exposure to ionising radiation can be accessed through the gov.uk website at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f461d0ae90e074c4d303333/NTVleaflet.pdf

Although the Ministry of Defence is unable to comment on possible changes to the Social Security Act 1973 as this legislation was introduced by the Department of Social Security, now the Department for Work and Pensions, I am leading work across Government and with civil society to look at the best ways to ensure all Veterans get access to the support and opportunities they need and deserve. This year, we will set out our plans for Veterans in our updated Veterans’ Strategy. This Government will always stand up for those who have served our country.

Prior to 1975, there were no rights to preserved pensions in any public or private pension schemes. For instance, to qualify for a pension under the Civil Service arrangements, an individual had to be over age 50 and have served for ten or more years. Those who left voluntarily before meeting these criteria lost rights to pensions. For the Armed Forces, occupational pensions were awarded only if a member had completed at least 16 years reckonable service as an Officer or 22 years reckonable service as an Other Rank. Reckonable service is paid service after age 21 for officers or after age 18 for Other Ranks.

Engagements for shorter periods were on non-pensionable terms. Gratuities (lump-sum payments) were awarded to those who did not serve long enough for a pension but had completed at least nine years reckonable service as an Officer or 12 years reckonable service as an Other Rank. Gratuities were not paid to compensate for lack of pension but rather to assist the individual to settle into civilian life.

The Social Security Act 1973 brought about changes by requiring all occupational pension schemes to preserve pension rights for those who left service after 6 April 1975 having completed at least five years qualifying service and having attained the age of 26 (later Social Security Acts reduced the qualifying period from five years to two years and removed the age qualification requirement). These changes were not made retrospective.

The legacy issues of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 1975 are replicated in other public sector schemes in existence prior to the Social Security Act 1973. Where legacy issues are common across public sector schemes, a retrospective change implemented for the Armed Forces would certainly result in pressure from others for similar treatment. To concede retrospection for one group would place great pressure on other public service schemes. Further, if retrospection were to be accepted, future meaningful improvements to pension schemes for current employees would be unaffordable. It is a principle of public service pensions policy, and one that has been upheld by successive Governments, that improvements to pension schemes are not made retrospective.

I am working across Government and with civil society to help those who leave the Armed Forces, including those in Gloucester, transition back into civilian life.

The vast majority of Service personnel successfully transition to civilian life with few challenges. The Defence Holistic Transition Policy sets out how the Ministry of Defence supports Service leavers to assist in a successful transition, including through the Career Transition Partnership, Veterans Welfare Service (VWS), and Defence Transition Services (DTS) and Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans (IPC4V). VWS, DTS and IPC4V work together to deliver holistic transition and welfare support on a casework basis to the Armed Forces community.

All three Services provide information, guidance and support; they facilitate access to entitlements and services provided by Government Departments, local authorities and the charity sector via signposting or referrals, in line with client need and capacity. The teams cover Gloucester and are based throughout the UK, including Northern Ireland.

Further support is available for Veterans after leaving service including an NHS Trust and Primary Care Network accreditation scheme across England to ensure they can best support veterans access health care; Government funded housing support for Veterans; Armed Forces Champions across the UK’s JobCentre Plus network to help support members of the armed forces community into work; and the veterans’ railcard offering discounts on most rail travel.

There is also a range of skills and education support available to Veterans after their time in Service, whether via the newly refreshed Career Transition Partnership, which supports those in search of new job opportunities, or a sector-based employment programme, which provides Veterans and their families with career progression support and access to specialist pathways into roles in nationally significant sectors.

The House of Commons Library has an online data dashboard for constituencies which includes data on Veterans taken from the most recent censuses in Great Britain. This is available here:

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/constituency-data-uk-armed-forces-veterans-2021-census/

England and Wales Census 2021 data showed that 3,537 people in South Norfolk constituency reported that they had previously served in the UK armed forces. This represents 4.7% of this constituency’s population aged 16 and over. This compares with 3.8% of the population in the East of England region and 3.8% in Great Britain.

As stated in my Written Answer of 27 January (HL4169), the views of the membership of the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (RFCAs) were taken into account as part of the 2019 Review of the RFCAs which recommended that the Council of RFCAs (CRFCA) and the 13 RFCAs should be merged into a single Executive Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), with a National Office and a set of regional organisations.

There will of course be divergent views in any organisation which is potentially subject to change. However, notwithstanding individual perspectives, it is critical that the delivery model is regularised as it currently does not comply with the principles set out in Managing Public Money: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/managing-public-money

Under current legislation, the CRFCA was not intended to be a separate legal entity. Through section 116 (s116) of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 (RFA96), it is a Joint Committee that is part of, and subordinate to, the Associations that have created it. This means that in its current form, RFA96 vests in the Association Voluntary Membership executive authority which, through s116, has been delegated to the CRFCA Board via Association Chairs and then sub-delegated to the CRFCA Chief Executive. As noted in the RFCA Framework Agreement 2016, this creates inevitable tension between an Association’s autonomy and its application of delegation, and any directive authority vested in CRFCA Chief Executive.

The UK’s nuclear weapons are operationally independent and only the Prime Minister can authorise their use. It is a long-standing policy that we do not discuss detailed nuclear command and control matters and so will not be able to provide any additional detail.

Research to identify, understand, and mitigate against risks of AI in sensitive applications is underway. We will ensure that, regardless of any use of AI in our strategic systems, human political control of our nuclear weapons is maintained at all times.

The Ministry of Defence does not have a projection and comparison of the kind described. The 2019 Review of the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (RFCAs) recommended that the Council of RFCAs (CRFCA) and the 13 RFCAs should be merged into a single Executive Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB). The NDPB implementation work was paused due to it failing to obtain a legislative slot in the last Parliament; this work has now re-commenced.

The Review acknowledged that it would be difficult to calculate exact costs until the NDPB organisational design is finalised, and it also noted that it expected that any upfront investment in establishing the NDPB would be recouped in the medium-term through improved commercialisation of the Reserves and Cadets estate. It is expected that annual savings and efficiencies will be made by having a central co-ordinated body, rather than the current model with 13 RFCAs each undertaking very similar work and on occasions duplicating activity.

There are a number of officials from across the Ministry of Defence who contribute to the work in this area in partnership with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. This includes policy, legal, financial and military teams.

11 personnel are engaged on the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) on a full-time basis at the Standing Joint Force Headquarters, the JEF HQ.

The Ministry of Defence's spending figures on training in support of Ukraine are £115 million for financial year 2022-23 and £200 million for financial year 2023-24. Figures for the current financial year will be released in due course.

The table below is based on those who have been involved in co-ordinating Operation INTERFLEX for each of the six Tranches, which to date have delivered more than 51,000 trained Ukrainians. The table includes those assigned to INTERFLEX HQ, the training delivery units and the logistic support element.

Please note the UK delivers Op INTERFLEX in conjunction with our partners. Canada, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand, Lithuania, Australia, Romania, Netherlands, Kosovo, and Estonia are all supporting the training programme. Albania will also be joining from the end of February, so UK personnel numbers alone do not represent output of total personnel.

In late 2024 the Secretary of State extended Op INTERFLEX into 2025. We continually assess how we can improve our training offer to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Operation INTERFLEX remains our main training effort in support of Ukraine and, together with our international partners, we have trained over 51,000 Ukrainian personnel since June 2022. The UK is committed to working with partners to meet Ukraine's training requirements now and in the future.

This information is available in the public domain. The average time required to process a Service Complaint is contained within the Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces Annual Report statistics which are available at the following link: https://www.scoaf.org.uk/annual-statisticals-tables.

The information you have requested on the average time required to process a Service Complaint is shown in Annex A, below.

No information is held about the cost of each complaint. This information is not routinely recorded and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Annex A

Information regarding how many Service Complaints have been received, and how many have not been upheld, is publicly available and can be found in the Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces Annual Report statistics available at the following link: https://www.scoaf.org.uk/annual-statisticals-tables. Please note that the most recent year for which information is currently available is 2023.

The data you have requested is shown in Annex A, below, by Service. Please note that Complaints are recorded by Service and not Command and therefore no data is available for Strategic Command.

Potential ship names are proposed by the Royal Navy's Ships Names and Badges Committee, ahead of approval by Ministry of Defence Ministers and His Majesty The King.

There are no current plans to rename any other Royal Navy ships.

The exact annual operating budget for the Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is not centrally calculated. However, the operation of both teams combined would account for less than 00.03% of the annual defence budget.

The exact annual operating budget for the Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is not centrally calculated. However, the operation of both teams combined would account for less than 00.03% of the annual defence budget.

To ensure the UK is prepared to deal with the changing threat, our Budget increased defence spending by £2.9 billion for next year. The future spending envelope for Defence will be set out in the usual way.

To ensure the UK is prepared to deal with the changing threat, our Budget increased defence spending by £2.9 billion for next year and we are committed to setting a path to 2.5% of GDP on defence in the spring.

The Strategic Defence Review is wide-ranging, ensuring we look hard at the threats we face and the capabilities we need to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.

The Government announced in December 2024 the launch of the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP), a cross-Government programme that will bring existing Afghan resettlement schemes into one single pipeline. Whilst this is not a new resettlement scheme, it will ensure we support those eligible Afghans and their family members, including those who are vulnerable, to rebuild their lives in the UK.

Since 2022, we have provided over 12,000 mortar rounds to Ukraine across various calibres. The hon. Member will be aware that for operational security reasons I am unable to provide more detailed procurement and delivery schedules.

This Government is steadfast in our commitment to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Campaign, as well as long-service and gallantry medals were all issued to eligible Service personnel during and immediately after the First World War. The Ministry of Defence does not usually review decisions on medallic recognition when more than five years have elapsed since the event. This is because it is viewed that those making the required judgements at the time, were better placed to do so, than now. This principle has been examined by the Cabinet Office Honours and Decorations Committee a number of times and on each occasion has been found to be sound.

Campaign medals, which are awarded in circumstances meeting certain thresholds or risk and rigour, any carry with them strict eligibility criteria, differ considerably from commemorative medallions which purely memorialise an event at a later date and have a wider distribution.

Whilst we recognise and are indebted to the significant bravery and sacrifice of those British troops who served alongside their Anzac counterparts during the Gallipoli Campaign in the First World War, no commemorative medal is currently planned.

The House of Commons library has an online data dashboard for constituencies which includes data on veterans taken from the most recent censuses in Great Britain. This is available here:

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/constituency-data-uk-armed-forces-veterans-2021-census/

England and Wales Census 2021 data showed that 3,066 people in Bromsgrove constituency reported that they had previously served in the UK Armed Forces. This represents 3.8% of the population in this constituency aged 16 and over. This compares with 3.5% of the population in the West Midlands region and 3.8% in Great Britain.

To ensure the privacy and protection of Veteran's personal information, the implementation of the Digital Veteran Card system will be developed in collaboration with Government Digital Services and Office for Veterans’ Affairs. It will comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Secure by Design Principles and other applicable data protection legislation. As with the current physical cards, the digital cards will not hold or present detailed or sensitive Service information.

The Project is working in close collaboration with the Office of Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) to engage and consult with veterans throughout the development and delivery of the Virtual Veterans Card. This is completed via user research with veterans and charities to understand their needs to ensure the Ministry of Defence provides a high-quality user-centred service.

To ensure the privacy and protection of Veteran's personal information, the implementation of the Digital Veteran Card system will be developed in collaboration with Government Digital Services and Office for Veterans’ Affairs. It will comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Secure by Design Principles and other applicable data protection legislation. As with the current physical cards, the digital cards will not hold or present detailed or sensitive Service information.

The Project is working in close collaboration with the Office of Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) to engage and consult with veterans throughout the development and delivery of the Virtual Veterans Card. This is completed via user research with veterans and charities to understand their needs to ensure the Ministry of Defence provides a high-quality user-centred service.