Asked by: Lord Hampton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to facilitate training of pilots from commercial to military pilots.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Commercial pilot training does not directly align with the training provided by the Royal Air Force (RAF) for military pilots. While there are some commonalities, there are also significant differences between operating civilian and military aircraft. Consequently, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), under CAP2254, accredits only certain aspects of military aircrew training.
The RAF Reserves offer four schemes that provide opportunities for commercial pilots including training for Air Experience Flight (AEF) duties, progression to Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) roles for University Air Squadrons (UAS) and AEF flight commanders, as well as roles with Defence partners such as Ascent Flying Training and Babcock.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many long range one-way attack drones his Department has ordered for (a) Ukraine and (b) the British armed forces since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
At the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in October 2025, the Defence Secretary confirmed that £600 million has been invested by the UK this year to accelerate drone delivery to Ukraine, with more than 85,000 military drones delivered in between April and October 2025 out of our aim of 100,000 in this financial year.
The Ministry of Defence has had delivery of nearly 10,000 uncrewed systems since July 2024. Due to operational security considerations, it is important to guard against the threat of adversary data aggregation regarding the specific detailed breakdown of UK military capability, including platform numbers and types, so would be inappropriate to comment further.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he held discussions with the lead reviewers of the Strategic Defence Review regarding the cost of implementing its recommendations.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was presented to the Department by the external reviewers, who were working to the Terms of Reference that the review be deliverable and affordable within the fiscal envelope available to Defence
The Department is now working on the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which will take the SDR’s strategic direction and its costed recommendations, including on capabilities, and turn that into a delivery plan to ensure we deliver an affordable programme that delivers on the SDR. Defence spending will see a major sustained increase over the next decade.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the lead reviewers of the Strategic Defence Review were asked to provide costings for their recommendations.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was presented to the Department by the external reviewers, who were working to the Terms of Reference that the review be deliverable and affordable within the fiscal envelope available to Defence
The Department is now working on the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which will take the SDR’s strategic direction and its costed recommendations, including on capabilities, and turn that into a delivery plan to ensure we deliver an affordable programme that delivers on the SDR. Defence spending will see a major sustained increase over the next decade.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review were fully costed on publication.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was presented to the Department by the external reviewers, who were working to the Terms of Reference that the review be deliverable and affordable within the fiscal envelope available to Defence
The Department is now working on the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which will take the SDR’s strategic direction and its costed recommendations, including on capabilities, and turn that into a delivery plan to ensure we deliver an affordable programme that delivers on the SDR. Defence spending will see a major sustained increase over the next decade.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Strategic Defence Review was costed before publication.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was presented to the Department by the external reviewers, who were working to the Terms of Reference that the review be deliverable and affordable within the fiscal envelope available to Defence
The Department is now working on the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which will take the SDR’s strategic direction and its costed recommendations, including on capabilities, and turn that into a delivery plan to ensure we deliver an affordable programme that delivers on the SDR. Defence spending will see a major sustained increase over the next decade.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil servants are employed through skilled worker visas in the Ministry of Defence.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As at 10 February 2026, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has nine active civil servants who have continued their employment with the MOD through a Skilled Worker Visa Sponsorship.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2026 to Question 106994 on Veterans: Radiation Exposure, whether research on the effects of radiation on British servicemen held by the Technical Cooperation Programme of the Ministry of Defence is held in (a) this country and (b) another country; and by what body it is held.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Further to the answer provided to Question 106994, and recognising the gravity of this issue, the Department has been working to identify teams and bodies who may have, or may have had, an interest in this work. This may include entities which are now arms-length bodies.
As may be expected, the historical nature of these events is making it more challenging to locate, access and search information held in a variety of archives, both electronic and paper. In particular, it is unclear if records and archives relating to particular programmes or events include any material specifically relating to British Service personnel.
Officials are developing a more substantive overview of the situation. This will be included in the letter which was promised to Emma Lewell MP in response to Question 106994, and which will be copied to the hon. Member.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February to Question 108700 on Strategic Defence Review, if he will publish a breakdown of the £270 billion to be spent on Defence in this Parliament as a percentage of GDP for each remaining year of the current Parliament.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The annual breakdown of the £270 billion is below:
Year | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
MOD Settlement (TDEL) | 62.2 | 65.5 | 71 | 73.5 |
% of GDP | 2.01% | 2.03% | 2.13% | 2.13% |
The Government will be spending 2.6% of GDP on defence in 2027.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment has he made of the potential merits of exceptions for (a) Military Intelligence Services and (b) Special Forces operators under the Hillsborough Law.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) keeps under continual review the implications of proposed legislation for Defence activities, including those undertaken by the most sensitive parts of Defence and the Armed Forces.
Work is ongoing across the MOD to ensure that all Defence organisations can meet their legal obligations under the forthcoming Hillsborough Law, while also maintaining the necessary protections for highly sensitive operational capabilities and broader National Security.