Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with local authorities, combined authorities and industry representatives in the North East regarding the potential of an "always on" munitions factory in the region.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

It is vital we invest our defence spending across UK whenever possible to grow our economy and industrial base. As set out in our recent publication UK Defence Footprint, MoD spent £178 million in the North East in 2024 to 2025. To support economic growth, our industrial base and defence capacity, we have committed £1.5 billion in the Strategic Defence Review to move munitions production to “always on” and build six new munitions and energetics factories, taking our total munitions spend this parliament to £6 billion. The MOD is carefully considering arrangements for those factories, including their potential locations, and more detail will be set out in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the potential contribution to addressing regional imbalances of locating one of the proposed "always-on" munitions factories in the North East.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

It is vital we invest our defence spending across UK whenever possible to grow our economy and industrial base. As set out in our recent publication UK Defence Footprint, MoD spent £178 million in the North East in 2024 to 2025. To support economic growth, our industrial base and defence capacity, we have committed £1.5 billion in the Strategic Defence Review to move munitions production to “always on” and build six new munitions and energetics factories, taking our total munitions spend this parliament to £6 billion. The MOD is carefully considering arrangements for those factories, including their potential locations, and more detail will be set out in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to announce the locations of the six new "always-on" munitions factories; and whether they will publish the criteria being used to determine site selection.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

It is vital we invest our defence spending across UK whenever possible to grow our economy and industrial base. As set out in our recent publication UK Defence Footprint, MoD spent £178 million in the North East in 2024 to 2025. To support economic growth, our industrial base and defence capacity, we have committed £1.5 billion in the Strategic Defence Review to move munitions production to “always on” and build six new munitions and energetics factories, taking our total munitions spend this parliament to £6 billion. The MOD is carefully considering arrangements for those factories, including their potential locations, and more detail will be set out in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 21 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, what criteria would need to be met to define a UK-based company as part of the defence industrial base.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

To define a UK-based company as part of the defence industrial base, it must contribute to national security and align with the aim of increasing the competitiveness of the UK defence market. This includes being a UK supplier or part of priority defence sub-sectors, supporting capability collaboration, and contributing to exports. The company should also help grow and sustain the UK industrial base in line with increased defence spending.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 114 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 8 July 2025, when sixth-generation aircraft will replace (a) Typhoon and (b) F-35.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

With regard to Typhoon out of service dates I refer the hon. Member to the response by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Defence Procurement and Industry on 1 September 2025 to Question 69517. The F35 aircraft will remain a cornerstone of our CA capabilities out to the 2060s. The UK’s sixth generation Combat Air Capabilities will be delivered by the Global Combat Aircraft, alongside uncrewed platforms and the current generation of aircraft.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken to replenish UK munitions stockpiles.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As announced in the Strategic Defence Review, we our investing £6 billion this Parliament in munitions to replenish our stockpiles. This investment includes £1.5 billion specifically to develop an “always on” munitions pipeline, building six new munitions and energetics factories to ensure we increase the capacity and resilience of our domestic munitions production.

I look forward to meeting the hon. Member to discuss her perspectives in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 117 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what progress he has made on helping to shape the UK space market to support exports to (a) Europe, (b) Asia and (c) the Middle East.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence is proactively supporting the UK space industry to access export opportunities. Since June 2025, in conjunction with other Departments, we have supported UK space sector companies to attend trade missions and export-focused events in Australia, Japan, Korea and Taiwan, and will support events in Germany and France before the end of 2025.

This work compliments our significant investment in defence space technologies and satellite communications, collaboration with UK industry and international partners, and participation in European Space Agency programmes; all of which contribute to supporting exports.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress he has made in developing an integrated layered air defence system as part of the Land Ground Based Air Defence programme.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Integrated Air and Missile Defence investments will be prioritised appropriately against the threat as part of the future Integrated Force. Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Review recommendations, including on homeland Integrated Air and Missile Defence, will be set out in the Defence Investment Plan to be published this year.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Ministry of Defence contractors that use alternative finance providers, including fintech lenders, meet procurement and financial resilience requirements.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) fully assess the financial status of legal entities before any new contract is awarded. Bidders must be able to demonstrate both economic and financial capacity requirements. These requirements including assets and liabilities are related and proportionate to the subject matter of the contract and are limited to determining that the bidder has the financial capacity to perform the contract.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, from which date the Integrated Force Model will be fully operational.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Military Strategic Headquarters (MSHQ) is the central command hub for the UK Armed Forces, led by the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS). The MSHQ has been operational since April 2025, bringing together military strategy, operations, and force development in one integrated structure. The Integrated Force Model, as per the Strategic Defence Review, has four elements: a single force design; a common set of foundational enablers; digital enablement at its core; and collaboration with other government departments in real time. All these elements are subject to ongoing work through the Defence Investment Plan which will provide the framework through which the Ministry of Defence is modernised.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve (a) transparency and (b) communication in cases of alleged armed forces pension overpayments.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Armed Forces pension overpayments can occur for various reasons, most commonly following the death of a pension recipient.

When an overpayment is identified, the payment agent, Equiniti, will initially inform the pension recipient or their next of kin about the overpayment and outline the available recovery options.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has established a robust process for managing overpayments, which includes providing advice and welfare support. If repaying the debt poses financial difficulties, recipients are encouraged to contact the debt recovery team. In certain cases, following an individual assessment, the debt may be partially written off, or an affordable repayment plan can be arranged.

Members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) have the right to raise a complaint through the Internal Disputes Resolution Procedure (IDRP) if they disagree with any decision or action taken by the scheme administrator. This single-stage process reviews all aspects of the complaint, including any additional evidence or information provided. Individuals wishing to challenge overpayment recovery decisions can do so by contacting the AFPS.

The MOD works closely with the payment agent to review and improve communication regarding overpayment issues, incorporating lessons learned to enhance the process.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 46 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, in what locations he plans to launch regional STEM initiatives.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The locations have not been determined, and we will work in partnership with industry, including through the Defence Industrial Joint Council, to launch regional STEM initiatives where there is a large defence presence.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the armed forces serving in England who are considered not medically deployable are awaiting treatment; and how many have been waiting for longer than six months.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

As of 8 November 2025, there were 2,375 UK Armed Forces personnel graded as Medically Not Deployable (MND), awaiting an NHS or private healthcare appointment following a referral from a Defence Medical Centre in England. Of these, 930 have been waiting longer than six months.

Information on the number of UK Armed Forces personnel graded as MND awaiting an NHS or private healthcare appointment following a referral from a Defence Medical Centre in Wales or Northern Ireland is not held centrally.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to take steps to ensure that families of staff seconded to his Department's non-departmental public bodies receive the same recognition of ordinary residence as direct employees of his Department.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence has no such plans as Non-Departmental Public Bodies have delegated authority over their HR policies, including the management of secondees.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79460 on UK Space Command, what the (a) name and (b) scope is of the project for new detection technology.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

In order to maintain operational security and protect our assets, we are unable to provide detailed information on specific technical characteristics or on the scope and deployment of the project's systems. For this reason, we are also unable to provide the name of the project.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 78 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, how much funding the UK provides to the Five Power Defence Arrangements.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The UK provided £240,000 in financial year (FY) 2023-24 and £266,000 in the FY 2024-25.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan will specify future air-to-air refuelling requirements.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The future requirement for all military capabilities is being considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan, which is due to be published this year.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what interim solutions he has identified to fill the capability gap left by delays to the SPEAR 3 missile programme.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The F-35B Lightning's fifth-generation capabilities are transforming its operational effectiveness. The Lightning uses advanced stealth low observable capabilities and unparalleled sensor fusion and threat detection. When combined with the Lightning Electronic Warfare, Jamming and Electronic Attack capabilities, it provides the capability to dominate a highly contested battlespace.

In parallel, its sensor fusion and advanced secure datalinks enable it to share threat and advanced targeting information with other UK offensive assets and those of Allies in real time to coordinate with a wide range of other stand-off weapon systems across maritime, land and air-based systems to achieve a wider decisive Joint Fires effect.

The future F-35B munitions strategy is being addressed through the Defence Investment Plan.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the average time taken to complete call-outs for urgent repairs to standard family accommodation for military personnel since 11 October 2025.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The table below provides the number of callouts for urgent repairs to standard family accommodation for Military Personnel, as well as the average time taken to complete callouts for urgent repairs to standard family accommodation by our Industry Partners, Amey and VIVO, since 11 October 2025.

Under the Regional Maintenance Services (RAMS) contracts, the required Acceptable Level of Performance for completing urgent repairs raised for Service Family Accommodation (SFA) is within 48 hours.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2025 to Question 79538 on NHS: Defence Medical Services, when was the process of digitally extracting redacted patient notes from general practice surgeries introduced.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The British Army introduced the use of the Intelligent General Practice Supporting (iGPR) software for the secure and efficient processing of sensitive medical reports in January 2025 following an initial pilot. The Royal Navy adopted Medi2data to digitally access candidate medical reports from 9 April 2025, noting the wider benefits of using this service.

The Armed Forces Recruiting Service (AFRS) will provide a streamlined, single-entry point for prospective recruits. The service will launch in 2027, replacing the individual schemes run by the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force. The Defence Medical Services is engaged in this work.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what workshops the Defence Medical Services have participated in with the NHS to explore the United Kingdom’s ability to deal with various combat scenarios and the treatment of casualties.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Defence Medical Services and NHS have participated in a series of exercises to explore the UK’s ability to deal with various combat scenarios and the treatment of casualties in February and July 2025. Further exercises are planned for the end of November 2025 and in 2026. The health services for Devolved Administrations, NATO partners and voluntary sector organisations are engaged in this work.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the level of (a) recruitment and (b) retention of Armed Forces personnel stationed in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Data held in the annually published location statistics for UK Regular Armed Forces report indicates increased recruitment from within the Surrey Heath constituency, in the 12 months to 31 March 2025 compared to the preceding 12-month period. Whilst we have not made similar geographical assessments for retention, given that Surrey Heath is an area with proximity to Army establishments, reduction in the Army's rate of voluntary outflow in the 12 months to 30 June 2025, compared to preceding 12 months serves to highlight likely improvement.

We are committed to improving recruitment and retention through a range of targets, initiatives and measures and have already made a positive impact; although outflow currently remains greater than intake, inflow has increased and outflow has decreased, with the gap between reducing. In the 12 months preceding 1 July 2025 there was an increase of 13% in people joining the Armed Forces compared to the previous 12 month period. At the same time there was a decrease of 11% in people leaving the Armed Forces.

Further information can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/location-statistics-for-uk-regular-armed-forces-and-civilians-2025

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the availability of the F-35 fleet in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not release availability data for operational security reasons; the National Audit Office (NAO) reporting of this metric was also appropriately redacted for this reason. The standard availability metric used by the NAO assumes that the assets are available 24/7; which skews the metric when calculating MOD capability usage, particularly Combat Air, as we do not keep the assets airborne 24/7.

There were a range of factors in the reported October 2024-January 2025 period including Force regeneration as part of standard Force Readiness cycles, and periods of planned personnel leave. This included a period when both Squadrons were deployed to a Carrier for an Exercise, routine post exercise regeneration with personnel leave and scheduled aircraft maintenance for many of the aircraft, and the Christmas and New Year leave period.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 11 of the Fifty-First Report of the Committee of Public Accounts, entitled The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability, HC 1232, for what reason the UK F-35 fleet achieved approximately one-third of the target for the time it was able to fly all its required missions in 2024.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not release availability data for operational security reasons; the National Audit Office (NAO) reporting of this metric was also appropriately redacted for this reason. The standard availability metric used by the NAO assumes that the assets are available 24/7; which skews the metric when calculating MOD capability usage, particularly Combat Air, as we do not keep the assets airborne 24/7.

There were a range of factors in the reported October 2024-January 2025 period including Force regeneration as part of standard Force Readiness cycles, and periods of planned personnel leave. This included a period when both Squadrons were deployed to a Carrier for an Exercise, routine post exercise regeneration with personnel leave and scheduled aircraft maintenance for many of the aircraft, and the Christmas and New Year leave period.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 11 of the Fifty-First Report of the Committee of Public Accounts, entitled The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability, HC 1232, for what reason the UK F-35 fleet achieved two-fifths of the level of availability of the global F-35B fleet between October 2024 and January 2025.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not release availability data for operational security reasons; the National Audit Office (NAO) reporting of this metric was also appropriately redacted for this reason. The standard availability metric used by the NAO assumes that the assets are available 24/7; which skews the metric when calculating MOD capability usage, particularly Combat Air, as we do not keep the assets airborne 24/7.

There were a range of factors in the reported October 2024-January 2025 period including Force regeneration as part of standard Force Readiness cycles, and periods of planned personnel leave. This included a period when both Squadrons were deployed to a Carrier for an Exercise, routine post exercise regeneration with personnel leave and scheduled aircraft maintenance for many of the aircraft, and the Christmas and New Year leave period.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 79617 on Military Bases, what disused bases are earmarked for disposal in this Parliament.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The list of sites that have been identified for disposal are published on Gov.uk and can be found via the following link: Disposal database: House of Commons report - GOV.UK

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of UK F-35 aircraft have had their stealth characteristics measured.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

A revised Business Case for a Sovereign Low Observable Verification Facility will be submitted in 2027. We do not comment on the stealth characteristics of individual aircraft for very obvious operational reasons.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the stealth characteristics of the UK's F-35 aircraft are measured.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

A revised Business Case for a Sovereign Low Observable Verification Facility will be submitted in 2027. We do not comment on the stealth characteristics of individual aircraft for very obvious operational reasons.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on including a UK weapon in the F-35 Joint Programme Office digital accelerator.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 13 of the Fifty-First Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of Session 2024-26 on The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability, HC1232, published on 31 October 2025, what progress he has made in identifying other weapons to purchase for the F-35 which are already available and integrated.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The F-35B Lightning's fifth-generation capabilities are transforming its operational effectiveness. The Lightning uses advanced stealth low observable capabilities and unparalleled sensor fusion and threat detection. When combined with the Lightning Electronic Warfare, Jamming and Electronic Attack capabilities, it provides the capability to dominate a highly contested battlespace.

In parallel, its sensor fusion and advanced secure datalinks enable it to share threat and advanced targeting information with other UK offensive assets and those of Allies in real time to coordinate with a wide range of other stand-off weapon systems across maritime, land and air-based systems to achieve a wider decisive Joint Fires effect.

The future F-35B munitions strategy is being addressed through the Defence Investment Plan.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Fifty First Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of Session 2024-26 on The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability, HC 1232, published on 31 October 2025, what steps is he taking to address the lack of a standoff weapon to attack ground-based targets from a safe distance.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The F-35B Lightning's fifth-generation capabilities are transforming its operational effectiveness. The Lightning uses advanced stealth low observable capabilities and unparalleled sensor fusion and threat detection. When combined with the Lightning Electronic Warfare, Jamming and Electronic Attack capabilities, it provides the capability to dominate a highly contested battlespace.

In parallel, its sensor fusion and advanced secure datalinks enable it to share threat and advanced targeting information with other UK offensive assets and those of Allies in real time to coordinate with a wide range of other stand-off weapon systems across maritime, land and air-based systems to achieve a wider decisive Joint Fires effect.

The future F-35B munitions strategy is being addressed through the Defence Investment Plan.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made in building the sovereign Air Signature Assessment Facility.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

A revised Business Case for a Sovereign Low Observable Verification Facility will be submitted in 2027. We do not comment on the stealth characteristics of individual aircraft for very obvious operational reasons.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the number of call-outs for urgent repairs to standard family accommodation for military personnel since 11 October 2025.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The table below provides the number of callouts for urgent repairs to standard family accommodation for Military Personnel, as well as the average time taken to complete callouts for urgent repairs to standard family accommodation by our Industry Partners, Amey and VIVO, since 11 October 2025.

Under the Regional Maintenance Services (RAMS) contracts, the required Acceptable Level of Performance for completing urgent repairs raised for Service Family Accommodation (SFA) is within 48 hours.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October to Question 83095 on Armed Forces: Training, what the five key recommendations for improvement for the University Officer Training Corps were.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The five recommendations made by Ofsted after its inspection in February 2024 were as follows:

1. Provide staff with the training they need to further develop their teaching and assessment skills.

2. Swiftly complete any necessary repairs to buildings and facilities.

3. Reduce the time taken to complete medical checks and clearance after recruitment.

4. Minimise the impact of budget reductions and unfilled posts on the care, welfare and training of Officer Cadets and staff workload.

5. Coordinate and collate cross-UOTC quality improvement processes to secure sustainable improvements in care, welfare and training.

The University Officer Training Corps aims to continually improve across all safeguarding and safe training aspects, and in doing so, has made significant progress against the recommendations.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support the wellbeing of service families living in Armed Forces accommodation in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

In April 2025 we announced the new Consumer Charter, part of the Defence Housing Strategy, designed to deliver tangible improvement for Defence housing and improve the lived experience for our Service personnel and families across the UK, including those in Surrey Heath. Progress against the seven Charter Commitments is well underway, with many already completed, and all due to complete by the end of December 2025 - the one-year anniversary of the Annington Deal. As commitments are met, we are communicating progress to Service families.

We have also made progress on welfare provisions. In January 2025, our Armed Forces Welfare Support Policy was fully reviewed and updated to ensure welfare structures meet the needs of Service personnel and their families. Each Service has tailored its policies to address unique requirements, supported by the new Welfare HARDFACTS Annex, which provides comprehensive guidance on addressing emotional, medical, housing, financial, and legal concerns. The Tri-Service Welfare Support Agreement ensures collaboration across the Royal Navy, Army, and Royal Air Force to deliver consistent and specialist support, including for those living in the Surrey Heath constituency.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how veterans can obtain replacement medals when originals have been (a) lost and (b) stolen in cases where ill health has delayed the submission of (i) police and (ii) insurance reports.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) maintains a long-established policy whereby, upon receipt of proof of loss, due to fire or flood (a successful insurance claim), or theft (a police report), our Medal Office will provide replacement medals.

The requirement for documented proof of loss is applied without exception to all applications, even when illness or other circumstances prevent the individual from expediting their claim. This is to protect the integrity of medallic recognition, and the wider UK Honours system by ensuring, as far as possible, that duplicate copies of medals are not in circulation and to reinforce the intrinsic value of the medals themselves.

The policy and procedure for replacement medals is to be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/apply-medal-or-veterans-badge/replace-a-medal-or-badge

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a memorial to commemorate Force 135 and all those involved in the liberation of the Channel Islands during World War Two at the National Arboretum.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

As advised in the answer I gave to Question 78038 on 18 October 2025, the Ministry of Defence maintains a longstanding policy that it does not typically establish or fund memorials. The normal expectation is that new memorials will be supported through private donations or public subscription and established with the agreement of the relevant local authority. On that basis, there are no plans to assess the potential merits of establishing a memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum, to commemorate Liberation Task Force 135.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the armed forces serving in Northern Ireland who are considered not medically deployable are awaiting treatment; and how many have been waiting for longer than six months.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

As of 8 November 2025, there were 2,375 UK Armed Forces personnel graded as Medically Not Deployable (MND), awaiting an NHS or private healthcare appointment following a referral from a Defence Medical Centre in England. Of these, 930 have been waiting longer than six months.

Information on the number of UK Armed Forces personnel graded as MND awaiting an NHS or private healthcare appointment following a referral from a Defence Medical Centre in Wales or Northern Ireland is not held centrally.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the armed forces serving in Wales who are considered not medically deployable are awaiting treatment; and how many have been waiting for longer than six months.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

As of 8 November 2025, there were 2,375 UK Armed Forces personnel graded as Medically Not Deployable (MND), awaiting an NHS or private healthcare appointment following a referral from a Defence Medical Centre in England. Of these, 930 have been waiting longer than six months.

Information on the number of UK Armed Forces personnel graded as MND awaiting an NHS or private healthcare appointment following a referral from a Defence Medical Centre in Wales or Northern Ireland is not held centrally.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 5 of the Fifty First Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of Session 2024-26 on The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability, HC 1232, published on 31 October 2025, for what reason the out of service date was extended from 2048 to 2069.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The decision to extend the out-of-service date for the UK F-35B fleet to 2069 was made by the previous Government.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 23 of the Fifty First Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of Session 2024-26 on The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability, HC 1232, published on 31 October 2025, what progress has he made on delivering new infrastructure for 809 Naval Air Squadron by 2029.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Department is considering the PAC report in detail and will respond to its findings in detail through the Treasury Minute process.

New infrastructure for the Naval Air Programme continues to be progressed with a current completion target of the first quarter of 2030.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate has he made of the additional whole-life costs of operating the F-35A as a Dual-Capable Aircraft.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The whole-life cost estimate includes procurement and sustainment of 138 F-35 aircraft to 2069, including technical infrastructure, weapons integration, and aircraft upgrades.

Within the development of the Defence Investment Plan, F-35A Dual Capable Aircraft costs are calculated in accordance with departmental policy.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what elements are included within the whole-life cost estimate of £57 billion for the F-35 programme.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The whole-life cost estimate includes procurement and sustainment of 138 F-35 aircraft to 2069, including technical infrastructure, weapons integration, and aircraft upgrades.

Within the development of the Defence Investment Plan, F-35A Dual Capable Aircraft costs are calculated in accordance with departmental policy.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he will set out a timetable for the purchase of the remaining 90 F-35 aircraft his Department committed to purchasing.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review are being taken forward in the Defence Investment Plan.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timeline is for completion of new service accommodation at RAF Marham.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Four new Single Living Accommodation blocks are under construction at RAF Marham. The first block is scheduled for completion and handover for occupation on 4 December 2025, with two further blocks due for completion by February 2026. The final block is planned for completion in April 2027.

There are no plans for the construction of new Service Family Accommodation at RAF Marham.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the value for money of the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft contract since its commencement in 2008.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The RAF Voyager fleet provides value for money by serving as a versatile asset for air-to-air refuelling, strategic airlift, and VIP transport.

Under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract, Air Tanker is required to provide the Department with their performance data.

This gives the Department complete transparency, ensuring regular monitoring and compliance with the terms of the agreement.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 3 of the Fifty First Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of Session 2024-26 on The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability, HC 1232, published on 31 October 2025, (a) what steps and (b) how long will it take to address the shortage of engineers in the F-35 programme.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to page 15, paragraphs 15-17 of the Fifty First Report of the Committee of Public Accounts of Session 2024-26 on The UK’s F-35 stealth fighter capability, HC 1232, published on 31 October 2025.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has increased its recruitment of engineers significantly in the last two years; offering joining bonuses and increasing the capacity of its technical training skills to enable more recruits to be trained more quickly. To improve retention the RAF has implemented a Financial Retention Incentive for engineers.

The MOD has acknowledged that the F35 programme suffers from a shortage of engineers and that it is crucial that the Department addresses this issue, with significant steps already having been taken to improve the situation. However, training time required for engineers means that it is expected to take three or four years before the programme has the required numbers.

The MOD has noted the Public Accounts Committee’s recommendations related to personnel and will be responding through the Treasury Minute Process in due course. The recruitment and retention of personnel remains one of the top two priorities for the Chief of the Defence Staff.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2023 to Question HL288 on Army: Recruitment, what were the conclusions of the evaluation of bespoke terms of service for under-18s.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Soldier terms of service will continue to apply to all personnel, including for those under-18. The Army takes its duty of care for all personnel, particularly those under 18, extremely seriously, ensuring they are treated with special consideration. We keep terms of service under continuous review to ensure best practice and to deliver operational effectiveness.

The Army ensures under-18s are supported and safeguarded through additional measures, including:

• Discharge as of Right (DAOR): Recruits under 18 can leave the Army at any time up to their 18th birthday by giving 14 days' written notice to their Commanding Officer (CO). Additionally, those under 18 at attestation can DAOR within six months of joining, following 28 days of service.
• Operations: No personnel under 18 are deployed on operations, in line with the UK’s obligations under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• Recruitment: The Army complies with all legal and policy requirements, conducting school visits only when invited as part of outreach programmes. Career advice is provided to pupils in Year 9 and above.
• Trades: Under-18 recruits are not channelled into Infantry or frontline combat roles. Role allocation considers personal preference, age, trainability, academic record, and physical ability.
• Education and Qualifications: The Army provides a first-class education programme, enabling young people to gain qualifications, life skills, self-confidence, and stability.
• Safeguarding: The Army determines which roles require disclosure checks when they involve working with under-18 Service Personnel and ensures that personnel filling these roles are appropriately vetted.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the average time taken to complete call-outs for urgent repairs to single living accommodation for military personnel since 11 October 2025.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Nine in 10 military homes (over 40,000 houses) will be modernised or upgraded to new, higher standards, with 14,000 homes rebuilt or substantially refurbished, funded by the Government’s record uplift in Defence spending and the Strategic Defence Review’s £1.5 billion extra investment into military housing in this parliament.

The table below shows data held by the Ministry of Defence on the number of call-outs for urgent repairs to Single Living Accommodation for military personnel and the average time taken to complete these call-outs since 11 October 2025, split by region.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the number of call-outs for urgent repairs to single living accommodation for military personnel since 11 October 2025.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Nine in 10 military homes (over 40,000 houses) will be modernised or upgraded to new, higher standards, with 14,000 homes rebuilt or substantially refurbished, funded by the Government’s record uplift in Defence spending and the Strategic Defence Review’s £1.5 billion extra investment into military housing in this parliament.

The table below shows data held by the Ministry of Defence on the number of call-outs for urgent repairs to Single Living Accommodation for military personnel and the average time taken to complete these call-outs since 11 October 2025, split by region.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reports of (a) pests and (b) rodent infestations have been recorded in (i) single living accommodation and (ii) service family accommodation (A) at RAF Shawbury, (B) in North Shropshire constituency and (C) in Shropshire in each year since 2015.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Nine in 10 military homes (over 40,000 houses) will be modernised or upgraded to new, higher standards, with 14,000 homes rebuilt or substantially refurbished, funded by the Government’s record uplift in Defence spending and the Strategic Defence Review’s £1.5 billion extra investment into military housing in this parliament.

The number of reports of pest and rodent infestations in Single Living Accommodation and Service Family Accommodation year on year from April 2022 can be found in the tables below:

Single Living Accommodation

The accuracy and reliability of data held before 2018 cannot be assured.

Service Family Accommodation

Data prior to the in-service date of the current Future Defence Infrastructure (FDIS) Contracts (1 April 2022) is not held.

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 United Kingdom not securing access to the first tranche of Security Action for Europe projects on the economy.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Brexit deal signed by the last Government did not include UK participation in Security Action For Europe (SAFE). Thanks to the Prime Minister’s EU reset we are now able to explore participation.

The UK is committed to a broad and constructive relationship with the EU. We are working to implement the package agreed at the UK-EU Summit and build on our landmark Security and Defence Partnership – which includes taking forward discussions on a bilateral participation agreement for cooperation under the EU’s Security Action For Europe instrument. As part of these efforts, the Ministry of Defence continues to work closely across the whole of Government, including the His Majesty’s Treasury, the Department of Business and Trade and the Cabinet Office, and in cooperation with industry partners and all our European allies, to inform our approach to enhancing Europe's defence industrial capacity and production and deliver critical capabilities required to support Ukraine.

While we will not give a running commentary on talks, this Government has been clear that we would only agree to a deal if we were satisfied it provided value to the UK and UK industry.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has undertaken modelling on the potential impact of the UK not participating in the first tranche of procurements financed under the EU’s Security Action for Europe programme on the UK defence sector.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK is committed to a broad and constructive relationship with the EU. We are working to implement the package agreed at the UK-EU Summit and build on our landmark Security and Defence Partnership – which includes taking forward discussions on a bilateral participation agreement for cooperation under the EU’s Security Action For Europe (SAFE) instrument. As part of these efforts, the Ministry of Defence continues to work closely across the whole of Government, including the His Majesty’s Treasury, the Department of Business and Trade and the Cabinet Office, and in cooperation with industry partners and all our European allies, to inform our approach to enhancing Europe's defence industrial capacity and production and deliver critical capabilities required to support Ukraine.

While we will not give a running commentary on talks, this Government has been clear that we would only agree to a deal if we were satisfied it provided value to the UK and UK industry.

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 Security and Defence Partnership between the UK and EU on the defence sector.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK is committed to a broad and constructive relationship with the EU. We are working to implement the package agreed at the UK-EU Summit and build on our landmark Security and Defence Partnership – which includes taking forward discussions on a bilateral participation agreement for cooperation under the EU’s Security Action For Europe (SAFE) instrument. As part of these efforts, the Ministry of Defence continues to work closely across the whole of Government, including the His Majesty’s Treasury, the Department of Business and Trade and the Cabinet Office, and in cooperation with industry partners and all our European allies, to inform our approach to enhancing Europe's defence industrial capacity and production and deliver critical capabilities required to support Ukraine.

While we will not give a running commentary on talks, this Government has been clear that we would only agree to a deal if we were satisfied it provided value to the UK and UK industry.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many employment tribunal claims have been lodged against his Department by (a) unfair dismissal and (b) claims under the Equality Act 2010 in each of the last five years.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The below tables show the number of Employment Tribunal claims recorded under the categories of (a) unfair dismissal and (b) claims under the Equality Act 2010 for each financial year from 2020-21 to 2025-26.

It is important to note that some cases are recorded with one claim category, such as unfair dismissal, while others are recorded with multiple claim categories, such as constructive dismissal and failure to make reasonable adjustments which is why claims under the Equality Act 2010 have increased.

Figures fewer than 3 have been replaced with [c] to limit inadvertent disclosure of personal data.

Defence must be an environment in which everyone feels supported, valued, and confident to give their best, regardless of their backgrounds. There are a number of live intiiatives in the Department I am overseeing, designed to encourage individuals to feel safe and able to raise concerns about inappropriate behaviour and result in 100% action where it is proven, demonstrating Defence takes such concerns seriously.

In addition to the MOD Raising our Standards programme, a civilian HR Casework Improvements Project is reviewing the end-to-end delivery of HR casework. It launched a new universal casework model in February 2025 which overhauled HR systems, policies and procedures to ensure they are more supportive and fair, independent and transparent, with efficiencies reducing timescales; all ultimately improving the employee experience. Further more, in response to feedback on our current Raising a Concern (Whistleblowing) Policy and Procedure, Defence has committed to a comprehensive, ministerial-led review of Whistleblowing in Defence. The final report and recommendations from this Review are to be published and laid before Parliament in April 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many complaints regarding (a) gas, (b) electrical and (c) water issues have been recorded in (i) single living accommodation and (ii) service family accommodation (A) at RAF Shawbury, (B) in North Shropshire constituency and (C) in Shropshire in each year since 2015.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Nine in 10 military homes (over 40,000 houses) will be modernised or upgraded to new, higher standards, with 14,000 homes rebuilt or substantially refurbished, funded by the Government’s record uplift in Defence spending and the Strategic Defence Review’s £1.5 billion extra investment into military housing in this parliament.

The table below provides a breakdown of the number of complaints regarding gas, electric and water issues broken down by year from 2018.

The accuracy and reliability of data held before 2018 cannot be assured.

Single Living Accommodation

For RAF Shawbury and North Shropshire

For Shropshire:

Service Family Accommodation

For Service Family Accommodation the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold data in the format requested.

In order to answer this Parliamentary Question, MOD’s Industry Partner would need to review every Stage 1 complaint, which could only be completed at a disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many complaints regarding (a) damp and (b) mould have been recorded in (i) single living accommodation and (ii) service family accommodation (A) at RAF Shawbury, (B) in North Shropshire constituency and (C) in Shropshire in each year since 2015.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Nine in 10 military homes (over 40,000 houses) will be modernised or upgraded to new, higher standards, with 14,000 homes rebuilt or substantially refurbished, funded by the Government’s record uplift in Defence spending and the Strategic Defence Review’s £1.5 billion extra investment into military housing in this parliament.

The table below provides a breakdown of the number of complaints regarding damp and mould broken down by year from 2018.

The accuracy and reliability of data held before 2018 cannot be assured.

For RAF Shawbury and North Shropshire

For Shropshire:

Service Family Accommodation (SFA)

The Ministry of Defence does not hold data for SFA in the format requested.

In order to answer this Parliamentary Questions, MOD’s Industry Partner would be required to review every stage 1 complaint, which could only be completed at a disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Cabinet Office Freedom of Information Act response with reference FOI2025/12575, published on 5 September 2025. whether Ministerial flights on the (a) Envoy IV, (b) Voyager are carbon-offset.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Royal Air Force (RAF) report emissions for all domestic and overseas Ministerial flights under the UK, EU and CH Emissions Trading Scheme for the Envoy and Voyager aircraft that are above the 1000T CO2 threshold, to purchase and surrender carbon credits for those flights. The RAF are exempt under the Carbon Offsetting Reduction Scheme (CORSIA) for additional carbon offsetting as they are below the annual 10,000T CO2 emissions threshold.

All Ministerial flights comply with the Department for Transport (DfT) Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate which requires fuel suppliers to provide ready blended fuel at 2% SAF to 98% Jet A-1 fuel. The RAF is committed to reducing its carbon footprint through the Air Mobility Fuel Efficiencies and Emissions Reduction Programme, the Defence Aviation Net Zero Strategy and compliance with the UK DfT SAF Mandate.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s length bodies have spent on (i) installing electric vehicle charging facilities and (ii) purchasing electric vehicles since 4 July 2024; and what estimate their Department has made of the difference in capital cost between (A) the electric vehicles purchased by their Department and (B) comparable (1) petrol and (2) diesel models.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Information on the amount spent on installing electric vehicle facilities on Ministry of Defence sites since 4 July 2024 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Since 4 July 2024, the Department and its arm’s length bodies have spent £52,435 (VAT ex) on the purchase of electric vehicles.

The Department has not made an estimate of the difference in capital cost between the electric vehicles purchased and comparable petrol or diesel models.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2025 to Question 75028 on France: Military Alliances, what his Department's policy on the procurement of (a) low-yield and (b) air-launched nuclear weapons to use on the battlefield.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As set out in the Strategic Defence Review. The UK will continue to rely on continuous at-sea deterrence delivered by our four Vanguard Class submarines, equipped with Trident II D5 missiles, armed with UK sovereign nuclear warheads. The UK’s replacement warhead programme will deliver the A21/Mk7 warhead to replace the in service Mk4A. The SDR also sets out our ambition to join NATO’s nuclear mission using US sovereign weaponry.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veterans have been identified by his Department as at risk of homelessness since 11 October 2025.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

This Government remains resolute in our commitment to provide housing support to veterans who need it.

There are a number of measures and metrics used to capture veteran homelessness; however, it is important to note that none of these will capture every single case and with the transient nature of homelessness, the overall picture of veteran homelessness and rough sleeping is not complete.

However, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government does capture and report the number of households presenting to Local Authorities who are either experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The most recent annual data release is for 2023-24 and shows that there were 2,270 veteran households at risk of or experiencing homelessness in England. This is 0.7% of all households in England and is steady with the previous year.

The Ministry of Defence operates the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS), a free service to assist veterans and their families across a wide range of issues. During October 2025, VWS records have identified two instances where homelessness has been captured on an individual’s file as they transition from serving to veteran. Both individuals have been assigned a MOD Veterans Services Case Manager and are being supported.

As the Minister for Veterans and People, I attend the Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping which brings together ministers from across Government to drive progress on the development of a cross-government strategy to get back on track to ending homelessness. This group is designed to ensure we are working across government, and in partnership with Local Authorities and Mayors, to tackle the root causes of homelessness.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what percentage of flying instructor roles are currently gapped within the F-35 programme.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

53% of flying instructor roles are currently gapped on the Lightning training Squadron, this is an improvement of some 20% since the publication of the National Audit Office report in July 2025. The shortfall is mitigated by using flying instructors from elsewhere on the Lightning Force.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there are plans to build new service family accommodation in the constituency of Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Defence Housing Strategy sets out a vision for the future renewal of the Service family estate, backed by a 10-year programme of investment. Until the Strategy implementation plan is finalised, we are unable to confirm any future plans for new Service Family Accommodation in your constituency of Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 23 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, what progress he has made on determining which banks will form part of the defence industrial base.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Banks and other financial services companies, whose capital and expertise we need to invest and grow the defence sector, are being engaged in the development of the Defence Finance and Investment Strategy through the Defence Investors Advisory Group.

This engagement informs both Government, industry and the investor community on what types of opportunity are appropriate, and how barriers to investment in defence can be removed while making the sector more attractive for private investment. This includes venture capital, private equity, banks and pension funds. This will deliver growth and strengthen the UK defence industrial base. The Defence Finance and Investment Strategy will set this out and is due to be published in early 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that national security is prioritised in discussions on the future of the Eskdalemuir Seismological Array.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to safeguarding the Eskdalemuir Seismic Array, recognising its critical role in national and global security.

MOD officials regularly engage with the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Scottish Government to ensure that the Array’s capabilities are not affected by future wind energy deployment in the 50km zone of interest.

As a member of the DESNZ-chaired Eskdalemuir Working Group, the MOD continues to advocate for the protection of the Array, with all stakeholders aligned on its importance and the need for its safeguarding.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) discussions and (b) meetings officials in his Department have had with the Eskdalemuir Working Group on the Eskdalemuir Seismological Array.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Eskdalemuir Working Group (EWG) members include the Ministry of Defence (MOD), the Scottish Government, and representatives from local planning authorities and the wind industry.

The EWG meets regularly, with the last meeting taking place on 3 September 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) discussions and (b) meetings officials in his Department have had with Xi Engineering on the Eskdalemuir Seismological Array.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) engages with Xi Engineering through the Eskdalemuir Working Group (EWG), chaired by the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, which includes the MOD, Scottish Government, local planning authorities and the wind industry.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of (a) consultations and (b) reviews conducted by his Department since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

This information is not held centrally and therefore it has not been possible to provide the answer within the allotted time frame. I will write to the hon. Member with an update in due course and will place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the next meeting is of the Defence growth board; and how regularly does it meet.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Defence Growth Board last met on 3 November 2025, and the next meeting will be after the Budget.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who the members of the Defence Growth Board are.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The members of the Defence Growth Board include the Secretary of State for Defence, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Secretary of State for Business.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the number of service family accommodation by (a) region, (b) local authority, and (c) Westminster constituency.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Documents reflecting the number of Service Family Accommodation by region, local authority, and Westminster constituency are attached.

Data has been sourced from Northgate and is accurate as at 1 November 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many homes in the Poole constituency will be (a) modernised and (b) upgraded under the Defence Housing Strategy.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

At this stage, we are unable to confirm how many Defence Homes will be improved within the Poole constituency.

Currently, planning is at relatively high level across the whole estate which tells us that around nine out of ten Defence homes will need to be modernised or upgraded under the implementation of the Strategy over 10 years, in a carefully planned renewal programme.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled New Defence Growth Deals Created to Boost Local Economies Under Major Sector Plan, published 7 September 2025, when he expects to announce further Defence Growth Deals.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence is working at pace to develop the five Defence Growth Deals in Plymouth, South Yorkshire, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Should economic and fiscal conditions allow, the Government will consider launching more Defence Growth Deals across the UK in the next Parliament.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 61220 on Ministry of Defence: Public Expenditure, how many lines of activity in his Department were considered as part of the zero based review.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

At Spending Review 2025, the Government conducted the first zero-based review (ZBR) of department budgets in 18 years, with every line of spending scrutinised to ensure value for money.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of any correlation between the standard of Armed Forces housing and levels of (a) recruitment and (b) retention.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) monitors Service personnel attitudes through the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS). AFCAS includes questions on satisfaction with certain aspects of accommodation and how provision of accommodation influences decisions to remain in or leave the Services. 40% of Regular personnel report that accommodation provision increases their intentions to stay, whilst 30% state that it increases their intentions to leave. While housing is widely recognised as part of the overall employment offer, there is currently no formal assessment in MOD establishing a link between accommodation quality and recruitment levels.

On 1 June 2025, the Defence Secretary, announced £1.5bn of additional funding over the next five years, to deliver longer term and enduring improvements to UK SFA housing. This investment is part of the Government’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR), which sets a path for the next decade to transform Defence housing helping to support recruitment, retention and morale.

To help improve the attractiveness of Service life, in April 2025 we announced the new Consumer Charter, part of the Defence Housing Strategy, designed to deliver tangible improvement for Defence housing and improve the lived experience for our Service Personnel and families across the UK. Progress against the seven Charter Commitments is well underway, with many already completed, and all due to complete by the end of December 2025 - the one-year anniversary of the Annington Deal. As commitments are met, we are communicating progress to Service families.

Our Consumer Charter is raising the minimum standard of 1,000 homes to improve the lived experience for Service families this calendar year.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October to Question 79482 on Defence: Intelligence Services, whether the Defence Counterintelligence Unit was delivered by the November 2025 timeline outlined in the Strategic Defence Review.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Defence Counterintelligence Unit (DCIU) was endorsed at the Military Strategic Headquarters Board earlier in November 2025, in line with the timeline outlined in the Strategic Defence Review. This unit will build on the work of existing capabilities in Defence with further work required to reach full operating capability. We expect to announce further progress on the intelligence recommendations from the Strategic Defence Review, including the DCIU, by the end of the year.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Royal Air Force sub-unit has been deployed to Belgium in a counter-unmanned aerial systems role.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The RAF Regiment's No2 Counter Uncrewed Air Systems (CUAS) Wing has been deployed to Belgium.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of his Department’s capability during Exercise PEGASUS.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

Defence fully participated in Exercise PEGASUS, a tier one national exercise designed to simulate a realistic pandemic scenario. A Defence team was fully integrated with DHSC and UKHSA to plan and design Defence's contribution to the exercise.

For each of the three full-play 'anchor' exercise days that ran between September and October 2025, a Departmental Operations Centre was stood up. This included a mix of civilian and military experts to simulate a fully informed response to a pandemic. Defence Ministers also participated in simulated Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBR) meetings.

Defence teams are now involved in the evaluation process, identifying any lessons learned from the exercise. Defence will take action on these lessons and will incorporate them into our existing pandemic management plan.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's contribution is to Exercise PEGASUS.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

Defence fully participated in Exercise PEGASUS, a tier one national exercise designed to simulate a realistic pandemic scenario. A Defence team was fully integrated with DHSC and UKHSA to plan and design Defence's contribution to the exercise.

For each of the three full-play 'anchor' exercise days that ran between September and October 2025, a Departmental Operations Centre was stood up. This included a mix of civilian and military experts to simulate a fully informed response to a pandemic. Defence Ministers also participated in simulated Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBR) meetings.

Defence teams are now involved in the evaluation process, identifying any lessons learned from the exercise. Defence will take action on these lessons and will incorporate them into our existing pandemic management plan.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the recent announcement by the United States to provide Ukraine with more military equipment through NATO, what plans he has provide additional military equipment to Ukraine.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The UK is ramping up military support to Ukraine to bolster Ukraine’s defences through the depths of winter. The UK have entered a tech sharing agreement with Ukraine which will facilitate the mass production of thousands of advanced air defence interceptor drones per month under Project OCTOPUS.

We have also announced that 140 additional lightweight-multirole missiles (LMM) manufactured by Thales Northern Ireland will be delivered and that over 85,000 drones had been delivered to Ukraine in the past six months. In the eight months since taking joint leadership of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, we have successfully raised pledges of over £50 billion in military help for Ukraine.

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 use of GPS-enabled smart watches on the security of UK defence sites.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Ministry of Defence has strict rules governing where smart devices, including GPS-enabled smart watches, can and cannot be used. We do not comment on the detail of those measures.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 65 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, what his planned timetable is for aligning the UK Defence Innovation Rapid Innovation Unit with the US Defence Innovation Unit.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) launched in July 2025. Focus has now shifted to implementing, transitioning, and operationalising UKDI to ensure it is fully operational by July 2026. This work will include building on UKDI’s strong existing relationship with the US DIU and ensuring a partnership between the two organisations to share lessons and deliver capabilities that are of mutual defence benefit.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the private sector organisations given advance sight of the Strategic Defence Review prior to its publication.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As the hon. Member will be aware, the Secretary of State for Defence has been determined to reset the relationship between Parliament and the Ministry of Defence, increasing transparency and openness. The Department sought to reflect this determination for the publication of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), and to build on the approach made for previous defence reviews.

On the day of the launch, we offered embargoed copies of the SDR to key stakeholders, including the House of Commons Defence Committee, certain industry representatives and others. This was done in good faith, reflecting the contribution by stakeholders to the first-of-its-kind review.

The list of industry representatives that read the SDR in this manner is below:

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of measures to ensure that cases of (a) rape and (b) other serious offences committed in the UK by service personnel are tried in civilian courts.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

When deciding whether to prosecute, in the civilian Criminal Justice System or the Service Justice System, an offence committed in the UK by Service persons, prosecutors take into account the victim’s preference. These decisions are made by independent prosecutors on a case-by-case basis under protocols provided for under sections 320A to C of the Armed Forces Act 2006.

The report published by His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate on 28 November 2024 “found good compliance with the protocols in place to govern where cases should be heard. All the cases we examined were in the correct jurisdiction and there was proper consideration of victims’ views when deciding on jurisdiction.”

A victim of a rape offence dealt with in the Service Justice System (SJS) will see their case come to trial quicker than in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) in England and Wales and are less likely to withdraw from proceedings.

Although the processes used across the two systems are not the same, investigations into adult rape-flagged offences in 2024 by civilian police take longer (326 days vs.147 days in the SJS for rape offences), with 59% of victims withdrawing during that time (vs. 24% in the SJS).

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much the Government has received from foreign military sales of F-35s.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Partner Nations within the F-35 programme who contribute to F-35 development can recoup elements of those development costs from foreign military sales of the F-35.

To date this has resulted in $94.83 million in recoupment costs for the Department.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many complaints have been made by (a) junior soldiers and (b) their parents or guardians about unacceptable sexual behaviour at the Army Foundation College between 1 January 2018 and 30 November 2024.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The information is not held in the format requested.

However, 159 sexual misconduct allegations were recorded on the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system against personnel serving at Army Foundation College (Harrogate) (AFC(H)) between 1 January 2018 and 30 November 2024. 108 of these allegations predated the Unacceptable Sexual Behaviour (USB) policy which came into effect on 19 November 2022. It is important to note that these figures include all Army personnel located at AFC(H), regardless of whether they are staff or Junior Soldiers.

AFC(H) reports every instance of unacceptable sexual behaviour under its Zero Tolerance Policy and actively encourages recruits to report concerns from day one. Serious incidents are reported to the civilian police. On arrival at AFC(H) the recruits receive day-one training in Army Values and Standards emphasizing Zero Tolerance and mandatory discharge for certain transgressions. Ofsted inspections in 2021 and 2024 praised how recruits confidently report unacceptable behaviours by peers and staff, knowing complaints will be handled seriously and swiftly. Ofsted noted that emotional and psychological safety, inclusion, and teamwork are firmly embedded in College life.

In March 2024, after interviewing 61.5% of female Junior Soldiers, Ofsted found that "female recruits rarely experience instances of sexual harassment or bullying. If they do, they know how to report it and know that staff will deal with it swiftly."

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions has he held with the European Commissioner for Defence and Space on the potential merits of enhanced UK-EU cooperation under Security Action for Europe.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK is committed to a broad and constructive relationship with the EU. We are working to implement the package agreed at the UK-EU Summit and build on our landmark Security and Defence Partnership – which includes taking forward discussions on a bilateral participation agreement for enhanced cooperation under the EU’s Security Action For Europe (SAFE) instrument. As part of these efforts, the Defence Secretary continues to work constructively with all of our European allies, including with the European Commissioner for Defence and Space, to enhance Europe's defence industrial capacity and production and to deliver the critical capabilities to support Ukraine.

We will not pre-empt the outcome of discussions with our European partners, this Government has been clear that we would only agree to a deal if we were satisfied it provided value to the UK and UK industry.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the loss of Chinook ZD576 on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994, for what reason the Full Authority Digital Engine Control system of the RAF Chinook fleet at that time was (a) accepted off-contract without verification of the Safety Critical Software and (b) without a Certificate of Design and Performance; and whether the his Department's Independent Safety Assurance Authority raised any concerns regarding its implementation.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Our deepest sympathies remain with the bereaved families of this tragic accident. I refer the hon. Member to The Mull of Kintyre Review published in 2011, specifically pages 17-18, which covers this aspect of the detailed inquiries into the tragic loss of Chinook ZD 576.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October to Question 83064 on Unmanned Air Systems: Training, how many base level FPV operators were trained via Project DRONE ACADEMY.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

Project DRONE ACADEMY was a time limited innovation project that ran for 12 months from May 2024 to April 2025. The 120 operators were trained from a variety of units across Army, Navy and Air Force. At the end of the trial, all lessons and equipment from the project were transferred to the Army’s Combat Manoeuvre Centre (CMC) to inform their ongoing FPV drone flying training offering.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to (a) scrap, (b) sell or (c) donate to Ukraine the MQ-9 Reaper when it leaves service.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 April 2025 to Question 44918.

There are no plans to sell or donate any MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Air Systems to Ukraine.

Disposal will be managed in accordance with our Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contractual obligations.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with cabinet colleagues on the UK’s position in the event of military action by the United States against Venezuela.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Defence Secretary engages with Cabinet colleagues on a range of foreign policy issues. The US is the UK’s principal defence and security partner and the depth of our defence relationship with the US remains an essential pillar of our security.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.6 of the report entitled The UK’s F-35 capability, HC 989, published by the National Audit Office on 11 July 2025, what steps are being taken to address personnel shortfalls within the F‑35 programme.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

We inherited a retention and recruitment crisis from the last Government and are determined to fix it.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has introduced a programme of surging recruitment for the RAF so that it returns to workforce balance across every specialisation.

This activity includes a significant focus on the engineer profession where, over the last two years, the RAF has offered joining bonuses and increased the capacity of Technical Training Schools to enable more recruits to be trained.

To improve retention, the RAF has implemented a Financial Retention Incentive for engineers.

The recruitment and retention of personnel remains one of the top two priorities for the Chief of the Defence Staff.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking with his US counterpart to ensure that advanced F-35 fighter jet technology is not utilised by the Chinese Government.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence works closely with the F-35 Joint Program Office to protect sensitive defence technologies associated with the F-35 programme.

There are comprehensive security, counter-intelligence, and export-control arrangements in place to prevent any unauthorised access, transfer, or exploitation of advanced capabilities by third parties, including the Chinese Government.

We continue to engage regularly with our US counterparts to ensure these protections remain robust, up to date, and fully aligned with our shared national-security priorities.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 22 of the report entitled The UK’s F-35 capability, HC 989, published by the National Audit Office on 11 July 2025, if he will set out the updated estimate of the whole‑life cost of the (a) equipment, (b) personnel, (c) infrastructure, (d) fuel, (e) ammunition and (f) total cost of the F‑35 programme.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The F-35 programme reports costs to the Departments and National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) policy as a Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP). My Department will address the Public Accounts Committee recommendations in the formal Government response to the Committee in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the response of 21 October 2025 to Question 81717, what the level of funding per service user was for (a) Defence Transition Services, (b) Personal Recovery Units and (c) the Veterans Welfare Service in each year since 2023.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold this information. Each case is unique, and the MOD spends as necessary to support each individual.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2025 to Question 44918 on Unmanned Air Systems, whether he plans to donate any of those drones to Ukraine, in the context of changes to US export control policies.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 April 2025 to Question 44918.

There are no plans to donate any MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Air Systems to Ukraine.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timeline is for the integration of the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon on the Joint Strike Fighter.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Future Cruise Anti-Ship Weapon programme is designed to be integrated on Typhoon and Rafale aircraft, as well as future platforms including the Global Combat Air Programme. Fit checks on F35 have been successfully conducted to test if FC/ASW can be integrated if required. All decisions on capabilities will be in the Defence Investment Plan.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 38649 on Unmanned Air Systems: Procurement, whether the MQ-9 Reaper is currently in service.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

No, the MQ-9 Reaper has retired from service and is replaced by the MQ-9B Protector remotely piloted aircraft.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on establishing the Office for Small Business Growth.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Planning for the new Defence Office for Small Business Growth continues.  The support that will be offered by the Office has been developed following wide ranging consultation with a variety of stakeholders, including Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), prime contractors, trade associations, mid-tier suppliers, Regional Defence and Security Clusters, and academia. The Office for Small Business Growth will be established by the end of January 2026 on a limited basis and develop its offering throughout 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October to Question 83151 on Warrior Vehicles, what the disposal timeline is of each Warrior variant.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 June to Question 55779, which remains extant and applies to all variants of Warrior vehicles:

As at 1 June 2025, there are 359 Warrior vehicles in service. As the Out of Service date for Warrior is 2027, with all vehicles withdrawn from service by the end of the decade, any that remain held by the Department beyond this will be classed as surplus to requirements.

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-05-30/55779

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on delivering the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability programme.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

An Outline Business Case covering the Construction Test and Evaluation phase for the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability programme (DARC) was submitted to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Investments Approval Committee this summer. It is now being considered alongside other investments as part of the Government's ongoing Defence Investment Plan (DIP).

The MOD has already begun a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed redevelopment of Cawdor Barracks for the DARC site. This includes a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment to ensure that DARC has a minimal impact on the local skyline.

The EIA is part of a Town Planning application that will be submitted to the local planning authority in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what role the Office for Defence Exports played in the recent deal for Turkey to purchase 20 Eurofighter Typhoons.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

A cross-Government team worked on successfully delivering Typhoon to Turkey. The Defence Export Office provided expert advice and support during this process.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the RAF surveillance footage over the Eastern Mediterranean, Israel and Gaza was livestreamed.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

As is longstanding convention, I cannot comment on intelligence matters for reasons of national security and to preserve our ability to respond to future hostage incidents around the world.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 6 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 2 June 2025, what discussions his Department has had with (a) Durham County Council, (b) the North East Mayor and (c) industry representatives on the potential location of an always-on munitions factory in the North East.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

We are committed to ensuring the Defence industry is an engine for growth through strengthened industrial relationships and domestic investment. As published in the UK Defence Footprint the North East region has seen £178 million of Defence spending in 2024-25. We have committed £6 billion this Parliament towards munitions, as outlined in the Strategic Defence Review 2025, which supports defence capacity whilst generating local jobs and economic prosperity. This investment includes £1.5 billion for building six new energetics and munitions factories in the UK to deliver an 'always on' pipeline, locations and arrangements of which are being assessed through ongoing work. Whilst it is currently premature to comment on specific site proposals and their assessment, more detail will be available once the necessary preparatory work has been completed.

Found: Specific issues contributing to this include (i) the Ministry of Defence (MoD) procurement process,

Found: Recommendations: Launch a Development-Security Strategy Unit (DSSU) within FCDO–MoD to coordinate cross-budget

Found: As the Ministry of Defence has pointed out, food yields globally could decrease by 30%.5 Given that

Found: Launch a Development-Security Strategy Unit (DSSU) within FCDO–MoD to coordinate cross-budget planning

Found:  Farnborough Airshow works with DBT, MoD, and the Home Office.  Most venues engage via local authorities

Found: police forces that are the British Transport Police, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and the Ministry of Defence

Found: On the model of the MoD reviews8 which integrate security, defence, development and foreign policy into

Found: three specialist forces: the British Transport Police, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, and the Ministry of Defence

Found: Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence relating to an update on recommendations

Found: Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence relating to the MoD’s Equipment Plan 2023

Found: See also Ministry of Defence, Defence Industrial Strategy 2025: Making Defence an Engine for Growth,

Found: See also Ministry of Defence, Defence Industrial Strategy 2025: Making Defence an Engine for Growth,

Found: The 2022 MoD data breach was one of these cases, but had additional complexity due to the handling

Found: have seen for many decades, if not generations, in the defence industry, for example, through the MOD

Found: House of Commons Women and Equalities Select Committee Palace of Westminster London SW1A 0AA MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

Found: other relevant authority, defined (c13) as including police services, MI5, MI6, GCHQ, and the Ministry of Defence

Found: Trust, RSPB, Woodland Trust, Wildlife Trust are significant landowners, as are the Government through MoD

Found: cuts to the FCDO, many folks around the world will be wondering, frankly, “Where are the cuts for the MOD

Found: Asymmetric Capabilities) by: Professor Sir Vernon Gibson CB FRS Interim Chief Scientific Adviser, Ministry of Defence

Found: There is a lot that the Government and the Ministry of Defence want to achieve in our military capability

Found: There is a lot that the Government and the Ministry of Defence want to achieve in our military capability

Found: James Black: RAND has done research on this topic both for the DoD and for the MoD.

Found: necessarily believe that they are covered by the civil service rules—there is clearly an issue there in the MOD

Found: We will be using some of those Ministry of Defence resources, which is good for the Ministry, because

Found: We have set up a new alternative accommodation task force which includes us, the Ministry of Defence

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking with (a) NHS England and (b) integrated care boards to ensure that NHS dental provision is effectively delivered under the Armed Forces Covenant Duty; and whether he has considered increasing levels of (i) guidance and (ii) oversight in this area to help prevent disadvantage for service families following relocation.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise that Armed Forces families may move more frequently than the civilian population in support of our service personnel. Data on dental access does not suggest that Armed Forces families are being disadvantaged when compared to the civilian population. We are taking steps to improve access to dentistry and members of the armed forces community will also benefit from the improved access these changes bring about, in the same way as the civilian population.

NHS England is working proactively with the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces Families Federations to provide guidance to integrated care boards in relation to local dental access for families relocating to the area and guidance for families. Signposting for Armed Forces Personnel on dentistry access for their families has been improved through the ‘Discover My Benefits website’, and A “Myth Busting” paper has been prepared by the Armed Forces Families Federation. This includes a link to the Single Point of Contact for NHS England dedicated to Armed Forces access issues.

Free NHS dental care is available to people receiving War Pension Scheme payments, or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments, and the treatment is for your accepted disability. We are also supporting more than 1,500 children in British military families overseas through our supervised toothbrushing programme.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the £200m National Wealth Fund allocation to Grangemouth could be used for Ministry of Defence projects.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

As set out in the Chancellor’s Statement of Strategic Priorities to the National Wealth Fund, it should consider the role it can play in supporting the delivery of the wider Industrial Strategy, including in defence.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what evidence the DVSA based its decision to withdraw Approved Driving Instructors’ ability to book driving tests on behalf of their pupils; and whether the DVSA has assessed the likely impact of this change on (a) test readiness, (b) road safety and (c) test centre administration.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The measures the Secretary of State for Transport, announced on 12 November are designed to make the practical driving test booking process fairer, providing all learners with equal access to the booking system and ensuring that everyone pays the prescribed fee.

The decision follows a call for evidence and a public consultation that many in the industry responded to. Further detail on the rationale will be provided in the consultation report which will be published in due course.

The introduction of the 10-day cancellation period is intended to encourage responsible behaviour from learner drivers to consider their test readiness and to notify DVSA in good time if they are unable to attend.

The number of learner drivers who fail to attend their driving test represents less than 3% of all tests taken which accounts for around 60,000 tests. With unprecedented demand for tests DVSA is doing all it can to further reduce unused test slots and encourage learners to inform them so that the test slot can be utilised.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) driving examiners that are supporting DVSA will be based at the driving test centre with the highest demand near their MoD base or home location.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what modelling her Department undertook to inform its decision to remove instructor-booked driving tests to reduce waiting times.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The measures the Secretary of State for Transport, announced on 12 November are designed to make the practical driving test booking process fairer, providing all learners with equal access to the booking system and ensuring that everyone pays the prescribed fee.

The decision follows a call for evidence and a public consultation that many in the industry responded to. Further detail on the rationale will be provided in the consultation report which will be published in due course.

The introduction of the 10-day cancellation period is intended to encourage responsible behaviour from learner drivers to consider their test readiness and to notify DVSA in good time if they are unable to attend.

The number of learner drivers who fail to attend their driving test represents less than 3% of all tests taken which accounts for around 60,000 tests. With unprecedented demand for tests DVSA is doing all it can to further reduce unused test slots and encourage learners to inform them so that the test slot can be utilised.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) driving examiners that are supporting DVSA will be based at the driving test centre with the highest demand near their MoD base or home location.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will set out which driving test centres will benefit from the help of military driving examiners under the partnership with the Ministry of Defence.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The measures the Secretary of State for Transport, announced on 12 November are designed to make the practical driving test booking process fairer, providing all learners with equal access to the booking system and ensuring that everyone pays the prescribed fee.

The decision follows a call for evidence and a public consultation that many in the industry responded to. Further detail on the rationale will be provided in the consultation report which will be published in due course.

The introduction of the 10-day cancellation period is intended to encourage responsible behaviour from learner drivers to consider their test readiness and to notify DVSA in good time if they are unable to attend.

The number of learner drivers who fail to attend their driving test represents less than 3% of all tests taken which accounts for around 60,000 tests. With unprecedented demand for tests DVSA is doing all it can to further reduce unused test slots and encourage learners to inform them so that the test slot can be utilised.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) driving examiners that are supporting DVSA will be based at the driving test centre with the highest demand near their MoD base or home location.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the DVSA has made of the effect of the current 10-day cancellation period for driving tests on no-show rates.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The measures the Secretary of State for Transport, announced on 12 November are designed to make the practical driving test booking process fairer, providing all learners with equal access to the booking system and ensuring that everyone pays the prescribed fee.

The decision follows a call for evidence and a public consultation that many in the industry responded to. Further detail on the rationale will be provided in the consultation report which will be published in due course.

The introduction of the 10-day cancellation period is intended to encourage responsible behaviour from learner drivers to consider their test readiness and to notify DVSA in good time if they are unable to attend.

The number of learner drivers who fail to attend their driving test represents less than 3% of all tests taken which accounts for around 60,000 tests. With unprecedented demand for tests DVSA is doing all it can to further reduce unused test slots and encourage learners to inform them so that the test slot can be utilised.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) driving examiners that are supporting DVSA will be based at the driving test centre with the highest demand near their MoD base or home location.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the DVSA has made of the regional impact of its proposed booking system changes.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The measures the Secretary of State for Transport, announced on 12 November are designed to make the practical driving test booking process fairer, providing all learners with equal access to the booking system and ensuring that everyone pays the prescribed fee.

The decision follows a call for evidence and a public consultation that many in the industry responded to. Further detail on the rationale will be provided in the consultation report which will be published in due course.

The introduction of the 10-day cancellation period is intended to encourage responsible behaviour from learner drivers to consider their test readiness and to notify DVSA in good time if they are unable to attend.

The number of learner drivers who fail to attend their driving test represents less than 3% of all tests taken which accounts for around 60,000 tests. With unprecedented demand for tests DVSA is doing all it can to further reduce unused test slots and encourage learners to inform them so that the test slot can be utilised.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) driving examiners that are supporting DVSA will be based at the driving test centre with the highest demand near their MoD base or home location.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Hanson of Flint on 30 October (HL Deb cols 1501-2), whether they will provide further detail of the way in which asylum seekers will be phased into housing in Ministry of Defence barracks.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Alternative Home Office sites are populated with a phased and incremental approach to full occupancy.

Consideration of both sites is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of when the average waiting time for driving tests will be below seven weeks.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

There are several factors driving higher demand for tests, and it is not currently possible to say when waiting times will reduce to 7-weeks or fewer. The Secretary of State will be working closely with DVSA in addressing this important issue.

In the coming months, DVSA will:

• change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests

• introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.

• make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has made on implementing its plan to reduce driving test waiting times in the South East.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) fully acknowledges car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this continues to have on learner drivers. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests.

On the 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times. In the coming months, DVSA will:

• Change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests
• Introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.
• Make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.

DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country, including in the Southeast to provide as many tests as possible. Since July last year, DVSA has recruited and trained 344 driving examiners (DE) who are now in post and delivering driving tests. A full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.

For test centres serving learner drivers in the Southeast, DVSA has recruited and trained 52 DEs who are now in post and delivering driving tests. There are currently 24 new entrant DEs undertaking training, 32 booked on a training course and DVSA has made offers to 26 new entrants.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many additional driving examiners have been recruited to test centres in the South East since May 2025.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) fully acknowledges car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this continues to have on learner drivers. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests.

On the 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times. In the coming months, DVSA will:

• Change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests
• Introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.
• Make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.

DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country, including in the Southeast to provide as many tests as possible. Since July last year, DVSA has recruited and trained 344 driving examiners (DE) who are now in post and delivering driving tests. A full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.

For test centres serving learner drivers in the Southeast, DVSA has recruited and trained 52 DEs who are now in post and delivering driving tests. There are currently 24 new entrant DEs undertaking training, 32 booked on a training course and DVSA has made offers to 26 new entrants.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 130 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what recent progress he has made on undertaking a sprint review.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The sprint review is initiated and led by the Ministry of Defence, working with the Department of Health and Social Care and other Governmental and private organisations. A series of meetings are planned for late 2025 which will explore and progress the joint plans to meet the recommendations outlined in the Strategic Defence Review.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's joint press notice entitled Mirror, signal, manoeuvres: Military driving examiners mobilised to cut test backlog, published on 12 November 2025, which areas the military driving examiners will be deployed to.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has accepted the resource of Defence Driving Examiners (DDEs), to be based at the driving test centres with the highest demand near their MOD base or home location.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has submitted the required information under section 293B(7) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 in relation to an application by the Ministry of Defence concerning the use of Crowborough Training Camp for asylum seeker accommodation.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Discussions are underway to use the Crowborough site for asylum accommodation. Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.

The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, the NHS, the Police, and local partners, including via Multi Agency Forums pre-delivery and post-Go Live of the proposed site to address the concerns of those most impacted and to identify ways to keep them informed.

The Home Secretary will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate and compliant with the relevant planning regulations and processes where required.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government plans to reopen (a) military and (b) non-military government training opportunities to Israelis following the ceasefire in Gaza.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has a long history of providing assistance to other nations in the security and justice fields and continues to do so around the world. UK training courses promote British values, including human rights, democracy, and compliance with international humanitarian law.

The Ministry of Defence decided to pause future Israeli participation on UK training and education courses until the situation in Gaza and the West Bank had been satisfactorily addressed. Since the ceasefire we have continued to monitor the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, and the Government will keep this decision under review.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time is for a driving test in Aylesbury; and when the backlog for those tests will be cleared.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The average waiting time in weeks, as of October 2025, at Aylesbury driving test centre (DTC) was 19 weeks.

The average waiting time in weeks, as of October 2025, for other DTC’s that might serve customers in the area, are shown below:

Bletchley – 24 weeks

High Wycombe – 5 weeks

Leighton Buzzard – 24 weeks

Oxford – 24 weeks

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests that will break down barriers to opportunity as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

At the Transport Select committee on 12 November 2025, the Secretary of State for Transport confirmed the latest DVSA modelling shows it is not possible to meet a 7-week waiting time by summer 2026. There are several factors driving higher demand for tests, and it is not currently possible to say when waiting times will reduce to 7-weeks or fewer. The Secretary of State will be working closely with DVSA in addressing this important issue.

In the coming months, DVSA will:

• change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests
• introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.
• make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve data collection on (a) the number of veterans serving custodial sentences and (b) potential disparities in sentencing outcomes.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Sentencing decisions in individual cases are a matter for the independent judiciary, who take into account the circumstances of the offence and any aggravating and mitigating factors, in accordance with the relevant law. Sentencers also have a statutory duty to follow any relevant sentencing guidelines, developed by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, unless in the interests of justice not to do so. Sentencing guidelines help promote consistency and transparency in sentencing.

Whilst the fact that someone is a veteran is not explicitly listed as a mitigating factor in statute nor in sentencing guidelines, judges have the flexibility to consider relevant factors in an individual case and could, for example, choose to take previous positive good character or exemplary conduct into account when determining a sentence, if considered appropriate to do so based on the full facts of the case.

We do not hold data concerning the previous military service of those sentenced at the criminal courts and so are unable to make an assessment of sentencing outcomes for this cohort relative to non-veterans. More generally, prisoners are asked on entry into custody whether they have served in the armed forces, and responses are then checked against Ministry of Defence records.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made a comparative assessment of the consistency of sentencing outcomes for (a) veterans and (b) non-veterans convicted of similar offences.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Sentencing decisions in individual cases are a matter for the independent judiciary, who take into account the circumstances of the offence and any aggravating and mitigating factors, in accordance with the relevant law. Sentencers also have a statutory duty to follow any relevant sentencing guidelines, developed by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, unless in the interests of justice not to do so. Sentencing guidelines help promote consistency and transparency in sentencing.

Whilst the fact that someone is a veteran is not explicitly listed as a mitigating factor in statute nor in sentencing guidelines, judges have the flexibility to consider relevant factors in an individual case and could, for example, choose to take previous positive good character or exemplary conduct into account when determining a sentence, if considered appropriate to do so based on the full facts of the case.

We do not hold data concerning the previous military service of those sentenced at the criminal courts and so are unable to make an assessment of sentencing outcomes for this cohort relative to non-veterans. More generally, prisoners are asked on entry into custody whether they have served in the armed forces, and responses are then checked against Ministry of Defence records.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of military service on sentencing decisions in criminal cases.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Sentencing decisions in individual cases are a matter for the independent judiciary, who take into account the circumstances of the offence and any aggravating and mitigating factors, in accordance with the relevant law. Sentencers also have a statutory duty to follow any relevant sentencing guidelines, developed by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, unless in the interests of justice not to do so. Sentencing guidelines help promote consistency and transparency in sentencing.

Whilst the fact that someone is a veteran is not explicitly listed as a mitigating factor in statute nor in sentencing guidelines, judges have the flexibility to consider relevant factors in an individual case and could, for example, choose to take previous positive good character or exemplary conduct into account when determining a sentence, if considered appropriate to do so based on the full facts of the case.

We do not hold data concerning the previous military service of those sentenced at the criminal courts and so are unable to make an assessment of sentencing outcomes for this cohort relative to non-veterans. More generally, prisoners are asked on entry into custody whether they have served in the armed forces, and responses are then checked against Ministry of Defence records.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many officers dismissed from the National Crime Agency have subsequently joined police forces in the UK since 2017.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Recruitment is managed locally by individual police forces, following national guidelines and the application, assessment, and selection framework set by the College of Policing.

The police barred list came into force on 15 December 2017 and contains the details of any police officer, special constable or member of police staff who has been dismissed from policing from misconduct or performance. Inclusion on the barred list is automatic at the point of dismissal and acts as a bar to joining police forces and other policing bodies.

The Government is strengthening this position and protecting wider law enforcement through the Crime and Policing Bill, with new barred lists for the National Crime Agency, as well as for the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, British Transport Police and Ministry of Defence Police. This legislation will ensure that those dismissed from the NCA are prevented from re-entering policing.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Data Protection Act 2018 and Article 5 of the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the safeguards to ensure that personal data gathered through the digital Veteran Card service is not shared across Government departments without the explicit consent of the veteran.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department has conducted a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) for the digital Veteran Card, approved by the One Login Senior Responsible Officer and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Data Protection Officer, in consultation with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). A Data Sharing Agreement governs processing between the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and ensures that data is only used for its intended and agreed purpose.

Personal data is stored locally on the veteran’s mobile device and is only shared when the veteran actively chooses to present their digital card. There is no automatic cross-government data sharing. Veterans retain full control of their data and can delete their card at any time.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Eskdalemuir Working Group will prioritise (a) the maintenance of national security and (b) international defence obligations when considering any new (i) regime and (ii) methodology for measuring seismic interference within the safety zone around the Eskdalemuir Seismological Array.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We recognise and are aware of the interference that onshore wind turbines can cause to seismological monitoring stations, and the subsequent safeguarding concerns that operators of seismological arrays can have. We are working closely with the Ministry of Defence to bring forward a resolution to this issue, via the Eskdalemuir Working Group. We are clear that the Eskdalemuir Seismic Array is a key piece of defence infrastructure that is part of international monitoring networks and that any updated approach to managing onshore wind deployment near the Array will not compromise its detection capabilities.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what (a) discussions and (b) meetings officials in his Department have had with Xi Engineering on the Eskdalemuir Seismological Array.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We recognise and are aware of the interference that onshore wind turbines can cause to seismological monitoring stations, and the subsequent safeguarding concerns that operators of seismological arrays can have. The Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy, published in July 2025, prioritised bringing forward a resolution to this issue. We have and continue to work closely with the Scottish Government, the Ministry of Defence, Wind Industry representatives and Xi Engineering to deliver on this commitment

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to introduce measures to (a) restrict practical driving test bookings to a candidate’s local area and (b) prevent fraudulent activity on third-party platforms offering driving test swaps.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests across the country.

DVSA is working hard to reduce the average waiting times, using the responses gathered from its public consultation on improving the rules for booking car driving tests. The consultation closed on 23 July. On 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, announced the outcome of the consultation to improve car driving test booking rules.

In the coming months, DVSA will:

• Change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests
• Introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.
• Make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.

DVSA encourages learner drivers to only use the official GOV.UK website to book and manage their driving test. DVSA has published advice aimed at learner drivers warning them of the risks of using third party services/apps to book a practical driving test. Further information can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/learner-drivers-warned-about-the-risks-of-driving-test-cancellation-finders.

On 6 January 2025, DVSA introduced new terms and conditions for use of the service driving instructors and trainers use to book and manage practical driving tests for their pupils. Since this change DVSA has issued 275 warnings, 404 suspensions, and closed 894 business accounts.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of additional driving lessons caused by driving test booking backlogs in Surrey Heath constituency on families.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) fully acknowledges car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this continues to have on learner drivers. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access.

On 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA would take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.

On the 12 November, the Secretary of State, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times, and announced further actions. The government remains committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, particularly in rural areas where a driving licence is vital for accessing jobs and training, as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

In the coming months, DVSA will:

• Change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests
• Introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.
• Make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.

Driving instructors are not directly employed by DVSA and DVSA has no control over what approved driving instructors charge for their services including lessons, test fees, and vehicle hire. To help with costs, learners might wish to consider private practice with family or friends. Guidance on supervising a learner driver is available on the ‘Ready to Pass?’ website as well as on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/guidance/supervise-a-learner-driver.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of driving test waiting times on the (a) mental health and (b) wellbeing of learner drivers in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) fully acknowledges car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this continues to have on learner drivers. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access.

On 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA would take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.

On the 12 November, the Secretary of State, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times, and announced further actions. The government remains committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, particularly in rural areas where a driving licence is vital for accessing jobs and training, as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

In the coming months, DVSA will:

• Change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests
• Introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.
• Make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.

Driving instructors are not directly employed by DVSA and DVSA has no control over what approved driving instructors charge for their services including lessons, test fees, and vehicle hire. To help with costs, learners might wish to consider private practice with family or friends. Guidance on supervising a learner driver is available on the ‘Ready to Pass?’ website as well as on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/guidance/supervise-a-learner-driver.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of driving test availability on people entering the workforce in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) fully acknowledges car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this continues to have on learner drivers. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access.

On 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA would take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.

On the 12 November, the Secretary of State, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times, and announced further actions. The government remains committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, particularly in rural areas where a driving licence is vital for accessing jobs and training, as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

In the coming months, DVSA will:

• Change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests
• Introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.
• Make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.

Driving instructors are not directly employed by DVSA and DVSA has no control over what approved driving instructors charge for their services including lessons, test fees, and vehicle hire. To help with costs, learners might wish to consider private practice with family or friends. Guidance on supervising a learner driver is available on the ‘Ready to Pass?’ website as well as on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/guidance/supervise-a-learner-driver.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps her Department has taken to reduce driving test waiting times for young drivers in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) fully acknowledges car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this continues to have on learner drivers. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access.

On 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA would take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.

On the 12 November, the Secretary of State, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times, and announced further actions. The government remains committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, particularly in rural areas where a driving licence is vital for accessing jobs and training, as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

In the coming months, DVSA will:

• Change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests
• Introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.
• Make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.

Driving instructors are not directly employed by DVSA and DVSA has no control over what approved driving instructors charge for their services including lessons, test fees, and vehicle hire. To help with costs, learners might wish to consider private practice with family or friends. Guidance on supervising a learner driver is available on the ‘Ready to Pass?’ website as well as on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/guidance/supervise-a-learner-driver.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help increase the availability of driving tests in Eastbourne.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests that will break down barriers to opportunity as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

On the 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times.

In the coming months, DVSA will:

• Change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests
• Introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.
• Make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.

DVSA is also continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country to provide as many tests as possible. Since July last year, DVSA has recruited and trained 344 driving examiners (DE) who are now in post and delivering driving tests. A full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.

Eastbourne driving test centre is part of a cluster of centres, including Hastings. A new entrant driving examiner has recently successfully passed their training course and has been testing since September. DVSA is in the final stages of a further recruitment campaign where both test centres will be advertised.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of driving tests in Broxtowe.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests that will break down barriers to opportunity as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

On the 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times.

In the coming months, DVSA will:

• Change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests
• Introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.
• Make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.

DVSA is also continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country to provide as many tests as possible. Since July last year, DVSA has recruited and trained 344 driving examiners (DE) who are now in post and delivering driving tests. A full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.

Nottingham Chilwell test centre serves candidates from Broxtowe. Since June 2024, DVSA has recruited six new entrant driving examiners who are now conducting tests at Chilwell.

DVSA has also advertised for this test centre in its recent recruitment campaign and applicants are working their way through the interview process. DVSA will be advertising again for this test centre in its next recruitment campaign.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what coordination mechanisms exist between her Department, the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office to align aid spending with (a) defence, (b) resilience and (c) counter-malign influence objectives.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office keeps all aspects of its Official Development Assistance programmes under review to ensure the maximum impact on our objectives, in consultation with other government departments and a wide range of other stakeholders.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the use of MOD Garats Hay to house asylum seekers.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

As part of our commitment to close all asylum hotels, we are working across government to consider a range of more appropriate sites including ex-military sites to reduce the impact on communities.

The Prime Minister has instructed the Home Office and Ministry of Defence to accelerate work on identifying appropriate sites, with results expected in the coming weeks and months.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press notice entitled Mirror, signal, manoeuvres: Military driving examiners mobilised to cut test backlog, published on 12 November 2025, what the total full-time employee equivalent contribution of the defence driving examiners is expected to be during the year of their deployment.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has agreed with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) that 36 defence driving examiners (DDE) will do driving tests for one day a week for 12 months. This equates to a total full-time employee equivalent contribution of up to 6,500 more tests during the year of their deployment. The DDE will predominantly focus on car driving tests but will have the flexibility to do vocational testing as well if needed.

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Found: Education 30 30 Ministry of Justice 90 60 Department of Health and Social Care 150 300 Ministry of Defence

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Found: 2 - - - 2 - Yes ITS434051 27/11/2014 2 - - - 2 - - Stayed the Same 1 N - N - 54191 10033441 Ministry of Defence

Found: - Yes - 2 - 2 10041162 02/02/2018 2 - - - 2 - Yes - 2 - - Stayed the Same 2 58403 10033438 Ministry of Defence

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Found: Reasonable progress Reasonable progress Reasonable progress - - - 1 2730905/1 R - 2730909 10088452 Ministry of Defence

Found: 02 00:00:00 2 - - - 2 - Yes - 2 - - Stayed the Same 2 Ofsted provider webpage 58403 10033438 Ministry of Defence

Found: Adviser Non-financial professional and personal Pre-symptom Health – unpaid advisor to Ministry of Defence

Found: Adviser Non-financial professional and personal Pre-symptom Health – unpaid advisor to Ministry of Defence

Found: Adviser Non-financial professional and personal Pre-symptom Health – unpaid advisor to Ministry of Defence

Found: Adviser Non-financial professional and personal Pre-symptom Health – unpaid advisor to Ministry of Defence

Found: Adviser Non-financial professional and personal Pre-symptom Health – unpaid advisor to Ministry of Defence

Found: Adviser Non-financial professional and personal Pre-symptom Health – unpaid advisor to Ministry of Defence

Found: & Dohme UK LtdMid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Ministry of Defence

Found: (73.1-81.7) , OR=0.980 (0.919-1.044) APACHE II: AUC=78.9 (75.0-82.9) , OR=1.046 (1.002-1.092) MOD

Found: 17.0±7.7 MEDS score: 11 (8-16) PIRO score: 11 (9-14) 28-day mortality: 26.2% ICU admission: 21.8% MOD

Found: 17.0±7.7 MEDS score: 11 (8-16) PIRO score: 11 (9-14) 28-day mortality: 26.2% ICU admission: 21.8% MOD

Found: (73.1-81.7) , OR=0.980 (0.919-1.044) APACHE II: AUC=78.9 (75.0-82.9) , OR=1.046 (1.002-1.092) MOD

Found: (73.1-81.7) , OR=0.980 (0.919-1.044) APACHE II: AUC=78.9 (75.0-82.9) , OR=1.046 (1.002-1.092) MOD

Found: 17.0±7.7 MEDS score: 11 (8-16) PIRO score: 11 (9-14) 28-day mortality: 26.2% ICU admission: 21.8% MOD

Found: If the pension is considered tax exempt by Unearned Income the MoD, they will issue a confirmation

Found: accommodation How to treat armed forces accommodation Armed Forces accommodation The Ministry of Defence

Found: The childcare provider must be approved by a Ministry of Defence accreditation scheme abroad.

Found: The Ministry of Defence would, in the first instance, be expected to deal with care issues for those

Found: include the Hutton Inquiry (an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of the Ministry of Defence

Found: Islandsnone givenSep 2014 - Next LDP no progressNot mentionedRuralRural30South Ayrshire0.2sept 2014 & Mod

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Found: how to progress this work is planned.Progress has been made on secure communication between NHS and MOD

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Found: This includes: • Network Rail • Ministry of Defence • Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

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