Ministry of Defence

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) supports this Bill as we are aware of the unique challenges our personnel and their families face. While much of this Bill will not apply to schools overseas run by the MOD, we will support aspects that impact our work, primarily around safeguarding. As part of our commitment to our Service families we take the safeguarding of children particularly seriously, and we have a strong social-work service and well-trained teams supporting each branch of the military wherever they are posted, including overseas. Our teams also work very closely with the Department for Education and Devolved Administrations to ensure Service children’s wellbeing and education is supported.

In February 2022, under the previous Government a spreadsheet with names and other information relating of individual applicants of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) – the resettlement scheme for Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK Armed Forces in Afghanistan – was emailed outside of official Government systems.

The previous Government decided to seek an injunction concerning the breach and the High Court granted a super-injunction. They also decided to set up a new secret resettlement route, called the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR). The ARR was created to support a limited cohort of people who were affected by the data loss incident and who were previously thought to be at the highest risk, into the UK.

The current Secretary of State then commissioned an independent policy review from former Deputy Chief of Defence Intelligence, Paul Rimmer. This began earlier this year and was presented to Ministers in June. The review examined the overall policy context in spring 2025, three years since the data incident and concluded that it appears “highly unlikely” that merely being on the dataset would be grounds for targeting.

As the Defence Secretary outlined in his oral statement of 15 July 2025, the Rimmer review was a very significant element in the Government’s decision to change policy to close the ARR, though not the sole element. We have now made the matter public so it can be subject to full Parliamentary scrutiny.

To resettle those under the ARR, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) uses mixed cohort flights to relocate Afghans to the UK under the schemes that make up the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP). This includes the ARR and ARAP scheme. These flights have also included a small number of persons eligible for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).

The MOD has used both RAF and charter flights. Additionally, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to resettle eligible Afghans has run charter flights. For reasons that are commercially and operationally sensitive, we cannot name the companies that organised the charter flights.

The average total monthly costs from MOD charter flights, Royal Air Force flights and IOM charter flights is to date £457,833.33.

As of 15 July 2025, under the Afghanistan Response Route, 900 principals are in Britain or in transit, together with 3,600 family members.

The Boxer programme is planned to deliver 60% by value of the original production contract from the UK.

The long-term support solution for the programme is still under development but will look to build on the hundreds of UK jobs that have already been protected during the manufacture of the platform. It is not yet known what proportion of that supply chain will be based in the UK and North East.

4% of the Ajax programme’s key suppliers are based in the North and North East of England.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) contains only strategic recommendations to Government. It does not contain any specific new contract details for any company. As the Government has now confirmed a number of times, at no point did stakeholders receive any commercially sensitive information ahead of publication. The SDR was not classified as market sensitive or in scope of the UK Market Abuse Regulation.

Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) has been in operation for over four years and over 95% of all applications are now found to be ineligible. This Government has been clear that resettlement schemes cannot be an indefinite process. Over 19,000 individuals have now relocated to the UK under ARAP.Those who have submitted an application will be duly processed.

Over 13,200 people have also been successfully resettled under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) since 2021. We will continue to honour our commitments to those who have already been found eligible for ACRS and ARAP.

We owe the people who served on Operation Banner a huge debt of gratitude. Their professionalism and in many cases personal sacrifices saved many lives and helped to bring about peace in Northern Ireland. I will continue to champion their cause as we deal with Northern Ireland’s legacy. We are working hard to ensure that veterans’ interests are fully considered in any future legislation on this matter.

I am acutely aware of the impact that military service can have on veterans and their families. Where a veteran (or serving member of the Armed Forces) faces allegations arising from activities related to their duties, they are offered appropriate legal support at public expense.

The Veterans Welfare Service (VWS), run by the Ministry of Defence, provides free one-to-one support for veterans or anyone supporting a veteran, and their families, with a national network of welfare managers across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

More broadly, in England, Op COURAGE provides support with mental health and wellbeing for veterans, and Op RESTORE is the veterans’ physical health and wellbeing service, with similar services available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Housing support is available across the United Kingdom via Op FORTITUDE, a single referral pathway connecting veterans with support

The Government is committed to providing Ukraine with £3 billion a year of military support for as long as needed. This year, the UK will provide more financial aid in military support to Ukraine than at any time since the full-scale invasion began: £4.5 billion to deliver military support, enhance training and strengthen industrial collaboration.

This is separate from the £5 billion we are investing in the Ministry of Defence budget this financial year. This additional investment will enable us to fix the foundations of defence and support key activities including the UK’s programme of joint exercises with NATO allies, invest in advanced technology such as Directed Energy Weapons and develop and refurbish the defence estate to provide our military families with the homes they deserve.

It will take time to collate and review the information needed to answer the hon. Member’s question. I will write to him shortly and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

There has been no direct impact on military spending. Additional ringfenced funding was identified, initially from the Reserve and then funded as part of the Spending Review plans we set out in June.

To maximise the value of my time on overseas visits, I will sometimes join working lunches with industry to discuss their live export campaigns and priorities. The dates referenced cover a period where I was in New Zealand and Australia to further Defence priorities in the region.

I attended a working lunch with Babcock at their office in Auckland on 26 May to discuss a live export campaign to New Zealand.

I did not attend a lunch with Babcock on 27 May. This was a reporting error in my transparency returns.

I attended a working lunch with Babcock at their office in Perth, Australia on 30 May, to discuss their partnership with the Australian Submarine Delivery Agency.

As set out by the Secretary of State in his statement on 22 May 2025, the Agreement is at a cost of less than 0.2% of the annual defence budget and secures a base which is vital for UK national security for over a century. It represents good value for UK taxpayers.

A bill to implement the Treaty was introduced by the Government to the House of Commons on 15 July 2025.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has commissioned several audits at various times since the data protection incident relating to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy to inform remediation plans. All recommendations from these audits have been accepted and are either complete or work-in-progress.

It is a key priority of this Government to reinforce data handling practices. Within the Defence Afghan Relocation and Resettlement (DARR) team we have introduced a new casework management system which prioritises data protection. We also recently completed a comprehensive review on legacy data held within this casework management system and historic email accounts to ensure information is held at the right security classification and within the right location, which also enhances the case-working capability. This includes the application of need-to-know principles, with shared sites locked down and proactively managed.

A new senior civil servant level Chief Information Officer was appointed within the DARR team in October 2024 with responsibility for a larger and more skilled data and information management team. They produced a data strategy in line with the Government Digital Services’ data maturity assessment and this is shaped by priorities as identified from the myriad internal and external audits.

We regularly emphasise the need to complete the relevant mandatory training across DARR and all current staff have completed it. Bespoke induction training includes security briefings and data protection training, and there are regular communications on protecting information and expected behaviours, including discussions at senior leadership level.

We are continuously investing in our cybersecurity infrastructure to ensure we remain resilient against evolving threats. Through targeted interventions, campaigns, and role-specific training, we are embedding a culture where every individual understands their role in safeguarding Defence. By reinforcing positive cyber habits and reducing human cyber risk, we are building a workforce that is confident, capable, and cyber secure.

As set out in the Strategic Defence Review and in the ongoing work on Defence Reform, the Ministry of Defence through the National Armament’s Director will improve the effectiveness of our procurement processes by removing silos between services, by speeding up our decision-making, and by reducing bureaucracy.

The vast majority of Service personnel maintain the highest standards of behaviour, in the most challenging of circumstances. There are safeguards in place to reduce the risk of vexatious claims against them.

The Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Act was introduced in 2020 with the aim to provide greater certainty for service personnel and veterans in relation to claims and potential prosecution for historical events that occurred on overseas operations. This includes a statutory presumption against prosecution, meaning that it will be "exceptional" for Service personnel or veterans to be prosecuted in those circumstances.

The Act does not prevent victims of alleged offences by Service personnel from bringing forward their allegations, which will be investigated and, where appropriate, prosecuted.

All members of the Armed Forces, including the Reserve Forces and Ministry of Defence civilians, plus veterans, are provided with welfare and legal support at public expense where they face criminal or civil allegations that relate to actions taken during their employment or service, and where they were performing their duties. This applies regardless of where in the world the alleged offence took place, or when.

In response to the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) recommendations, and as part of Defence Reform, the department is currently making substantive changes to the end-to-end process for Science, Technology, Innovation, Integration, Acquisition and Support. These changes will ensure Defence: better adopts leading edge research from academia, allies and wider government; works more closely with UK based industry especially SMEs to mature leading edge technology; better leverages the UK’s leading financial sector for the benefit of defence; and catalyses UK based industry to execute differentiating innovation; all at a pace to enable us to react to the threats faced by the nation.

The DRE will be formed by an evolution of Dstl and Defence Science and Technology. There is still design work to be completed and will be announced in due course. The intention remains to focus the organisation on that work that must be done in Government for UK defence and security, including: early-stage research that must be led by officials; maintaining critical national capabilities in essential areas such as chemical and biological defence, novel and unconventional weapons, explosives and energetics and counter-terrorism technology where the market cannot sustain; and ensure Ministry of Defence is an intelligent customer for Science and Technology.

The SDR stated that the department may wish to keep the Dstl brand. Dstl is a widely respected brand internationally and nationally.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 July 2025 to Question 67413 to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr Cartlidge).

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-07-14/67413

Approximately 60% of the Challenger 3 supply chain will be provided by UK suppliers. North East suppliers represent a significant contribution to this figure.

This Government remains committed to delivering on our manifesto promise to ensure that veterans in South Shropshire and across the country achieve the recognition, support and opportunities they deserve.

That is why we recently launched VALOUR, our commitment to establish the first-ever UK-wide approach to veteran support. This will be an institutionally resilient system that will reform the system at the local, the regional, and the national level, ensuring that support is available across the country, and that it is tailored to the needs of veterans in the communities where they live.

The VALOUR pilot was launched on 26 June 2025, in partnership with Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire, and will help to develop a blueprint to roll out VALOUR across the country next year.

Details regarding the VALOUR development funding will be released in the coming months. Existing organisations throughout South Shropshire will be able to apply for this funding and, if successful, will be recognised as a VALOUR support centre. This process will recognise existing best practice in local communities, while maintaining agility and flexibility across the sector.

I would ask the hon. Member to encourage organisations and veterans in your constituency to sign up for updates and to register their interest in taking part in future surveys or focus groups on VALOUR. This collaborative approach will ensure that this service works for those who need it. More information is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/valour-information-and-next-steps

To meet the ongoing demand for scalable tactical vests (STV) in August 2024, 1,980 STV textile covers in civilian blue (No Multi-Terrain Pattern) and without the Soft Armour Filler(SAF), were ordered. Defence Equipment and Support have ordered 15 Special Measure bespoke STV (SAF and MTP cover) since July 2024 for those that do not fit in any of the 12 standard sizes.

With the F-35 Lightning, the RAF is already equipped with one of the most advanced fighter jets in the world, and the integration of METEOR will further improve the aircraft's capability in future years. While Meteor integration is in progress, the UK's fleet of F-35 aircraft already carry AIM-120 AMRAAM. Once operational, Meteor and AMRAAM will offer a complementary capability.

Following the Strategic Defence Review 2025, the Royal Navy is progressing plans to enhance its amphibious capabilities through investment in new amphibious shipping including the Multi Role Strike Ship, Littoral Response Groups and the ongoing modernisation of the Commando Force. Final decisions on capability will be informed by the Defence Investment Plan in autumn 2025.

The Royal Air Force is in the process of establishing a review in line with Recommendation 48 of the Strategic Defence Review. This work will form part of the Chief of the Air Staff's wider Optimise Directive, which coheres initiatives aimed at delivering benefits across the Royal Air Force and ensuring the best use of resources. Examining investment options for the explosives' storage estate and availability of weapons through the Defence Investment Plan will form a key aspect of the review, which will be completed by June 2026.

For the Royal Air Force, Protector and Storm Shroud are entering operational service this year.

For the Royal Navy, the Concept of Hybrid Carrier Air Wings continues to develop to greatly enhance the striking power of our carriers. Molloy T150 uncrewed rotary wing logistics support air systems have deployed as part of OP HIGHMAST. The Peregrine rotary wing system has also entered operational service in the Gulf. Development continues on uncrewed surface vessels and uncrewed underwater vehicles.

Further systems are under development or undergoing trials in a range of roles across both services. This will continue to be accelerated, with further workstreams through the Defence Investment Plan.

The Ministry of Defence is continuing with its procurement of E-7 Wedgetail in order to meet the national and NATO requirements for an Airborne Early Warning & and Control capability which is interoperable with its allies.

The recent Strategic Defence Review recommended that further E-7 aircraft should be procured when funding allows, taking account of infrastructure and operating costs.

The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) was a scheme developed by the UK Government to provide support to our Afghan Partners and allies. As such, the decision to close ARAP to new principal applications was taken by the UK Government.

We continue to support BAE Systems in their ongoing export campaigns for Typhoon. We recognise the central role played by Combat Air in our industrial strategy and its vital contribution to the UK economy.

Over the next 10 years, Defence has plans to invest up to £30 billion on Combat Air through the Typhoon, F-35 and the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a significant proportion of which will be devoted to UK companies, particularly in north-west England.

As well as delivering a world class Combat Air fleet for our Armed Forces, this is supporting over 40,000 long-term, high-quality UK manufacturing jobs.

Recent orders placed by Spain and Italy for 25 and 24 aircraft respectively, negotiations on a potential deal with Türkiye, together with another 20 Typhoon expected to be ordered by Germany later this year, means that high-quality manufacturing jobs in BAE Systems are secure well into the 2030s.

This is because the UK leads on the manufacturing of 37% of all new Typhoon aircraft in accordance with the Eurofighter industrial workshare agreed by the four core nations (UK, Germany, Italy and Spain).

The work to deliver and integrate a new British-made ECRS Mk2 radar and integration of a new helmet called Striker II onto our existing fleet of Typhoon will also be carried out by BAE Systems Warton.

I refer the noble Lord to the statement I made on 1 April 2025 (HLWS571) about Defence Reform.

Under the Secretary of State for Defence and Ministers, the structure of the Ministry of Defence has been simplified under four Areas: a Department of State, a Military Strategic Headquarters, a National Armaments Director Group, and the Defence Nuclear Enterprise. Departmental processes, and the organisation of public bodies and agencies, are now being updated to reflect the new structure, which will include simplification and reducing duplication.

As per my statement on Monday 23 June 2025, a full security review is being conducted across the defence estate. Further plans will be announced in due course after the completion of the review.

Whilst the Army will undertake some specific measures to provide additional security for its infrastructure as part of this wider work, these cannot be disclosed for reasons of operational security.

The Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force do not have a definition for ‘frontline roles’ and the figures below therefore reflect the current Full-Time Trained Strength:

Royal Navy/Royal Marines – 28,040

Army – 70,860

Royal Air Force – 27,710

The Government continues to work closely with our allies to monitor Iran’s nuclear programme, and is in regular contact with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)including through the UK’s permanent mission in Vienna. The IAEA issued its latest report on the status of Iran’s nuclear programme on 31 May 2025. This report confirmed that Iran had continued to expand its nuclear programme, including through accumulating a large stockpile of High Enriched Uranium. We are also concerned by the Iranian law proposing a suspension of cooperation with the IAEA. Iran must urgently resume cooperation with the IAEA to enable the Agency to verify Iran’s nuclear material as it is legally required to do under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA.

As of 18 July 2025, there are currently 972 eligible Afghans in transitional accommodation on the Defence Estate under the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP). Use of the Defence Estate will be gradually reduced over the coming months, with a view to ceasing its use as transitional accommodation for Afghan families by the end of 2025.

The Ministry of Defence has considered the impact of closing the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme (ARAP). The scheme was in operation for four years and had received over 190,000 applications. Over the duration of the scheme, over 95% of total applications have been found ineligible.

It is now considered that most of those who wished to apply for ARAP and would likely be eligible, will have already applied. ARAP has therefore fulfilled its purpose. The Department is not intending to publish an impact assessment.

The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme is administered by the Ministry of Defence, and the decision to close ARAP to new applications was taken following consultation with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Home Office, His Majesty’s Treasury and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Other agencies were first informed of the intent to bring Afghan schemes to a close in the Defence Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement in the House of Commons in December 2024.

Afghan nationals who wish to come to the UK can still make an application to the Home Office under the most suitable route within the Immigration Rules. Any such application would need to demonstrate that the applicant meets the relevant requirements for that route, including payment of any applicable fees.

I welcome the hon. Gentleman’s interest in space. The Ministry of Defence along with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and other departments, is coordinating space activities across government. Ministers from across government met on the 22 April to discuss space and, since the publication of the Strategic Defence Review, Ministers met on 7 July to follow up on our approach to space. We remain committed to establishing and evolving the right space governance structure to ensure that activities are effectively coordinated across all relevant departments.

The Strategic Defence Review published earlier this year has recommended that Defence must urgently develop the resilience of its military space systems.

The new Defence Investment Plan, which will be published in Autumn, will set out how we will deliver the Strategic Defence Review's vision and will be both deliverable and affordable.

The Ministry of Defence has continuous discussions with several European counterparts related to common platforms, such as A400M and Typhoon, and future capabilities. This includes continuous engagement with Italy as part of the delivery of our joint Global Combat Air Programme. We also have regular engagement with France and Germany to look to deliver interoperability in the development of our respective future combat air systems.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) sets a new vision for how our Armed Forces should be conceived. This envisages a combination of conventional and digital warfighters; the power of drones, AI, and autonomy complementing the 'heavy metal' of tanks and artillery. It identifies that an immediate priority for force transformation should be a shift towards greater use of autonomy and Artificial Intelligence within the UK's conventional forces. As in Ukraine, this would provide greater accuracy, lethality, and cheaper capabilities-changing the economics of Defence. To support this shift towards autonomy, the Government has already announced an additional £2 billion this parliament on autonomy, making total spend on autonomy £4bn, including establishing a new Drone Centre.

The Mine Hunting Capability Programme is delivering a rolling programme of unmanned surface vessels and unmanned underwater vehicles into Royal Navy service for use by frontline Mine Warfare specialists. These autonomous mine hunting systems are in regular use by the Mine Threat Exploitation Group, both for training and operations.

Gurkhas have made an outstanding contribution to the UK through their years of dedicated service to the Crown and are held in high esteem by the British Army and public alike.

The number of recruits required for the Brigade of Gurkhas is managed on an annual basis and depends on factors such as retirements, transfers and any changes in unit Order of Battles. Therefore, the Army cannot provide confirmation on the likely number of Gurkha recruits for each of the next five years.

The British Army’s wish to recruit women has been communicated to the Government of Nepal and we will continue to engage them on this subject.

Yes, the lifetime cost quoted of the Afghan resettlement schemes includes family members coming to the UK.

Projected costs are based on per person costs used for planning purposes, and estimated numbers of future arrivals. The estimate is based on costs incurred including: relocation and transitional accommodation costs; Local Authority tariffs and the Local Authority Housing Fund; legal fees; and staffing costs (e.g. case workers). The cost estimates also factor in assumptions on numbers of outstanding ARAP applications expected to be made eligible, family sizes and length of stay in transitional accommodation.

HM Treasury included the cost of all Afghan resettlement schemes in the spending audit in July 2024. HMT has fully funded all future costs of resettlement schemes as part of the Spending Review in June.

Yes, the lifetime cost quoted of the Afghan resettlement schemes includes family members coming to the UK.

Projected costs are based on per person costs used for planning purposes, and estimated numbers of future arrivals. The estimate is based on costs incurred including: relocation and transitional accommodation costs; Local Authority tariffs and the Local Authority Housing Fund; legal fees; and staffing costs (e.g. case workers). The cost estimates also factor in assumptions on numbers of outstanding ARAP applications expected to be made eligible, family sizes and length of stay in transitional accommodation.

HM Treasury included the cost of all Afghan resettlement schemes in the spending audit in July 2024. HMT has fully funded all future costs of resettlement schemes as part of the Spending Review in June.