Asked by: Earl of Minto (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether armed forces recruitment targets are being met.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government is focused upon improving Armed Forces recruitment, modernising and refining our policies and processes to attract the best possible talent. The results are clear; UK Regular Armed Forces intake has increased by 13% when compared to previous 12-months and intake is now greater than outflow at the Tri-service level, for the first time in four years.
We have delivered this through policies which have included a 35% pay increase for new recruits; one of the largest pay increases in the last 20 years for existing personnel; scrapping over 100 outdated medical policies; the creation of novel entry pathways such as the military Direct-Entry Cyber and ZigZag Careers pathways as well as the recently announced Armed Forces Foundation Scheme (‘Gap Year’); and delivering the ambition to make a conditional offer of employment to candidates within 10 days, and a provisional training start date within 30 days.
Asked by: Earl of Minto (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce additional weaponry on the Type 26 and Type 31 frigates.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Type 26 and Type 31 frigates have been designed with flexibility and adaptability in mind, including provision within the baseline designs to accommodate a range of future capability enhancements as required.
As part of routine capability planning, the Ministry of Defence keeps potential upgrades to all Royal Navy platforms under regular review.
Asked by: Earl of Minto (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the current level of unmanned aerial systems is lower than that as of 1 January 2024; and if so, what is the timescale for the replenishment of munitions stockpiles to that level.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has had delivery of over 7,900 uncrewed systems since July 2024. Due to operational security considerations, it is important to guard against the threat of adversary data aggregation regarding the specific detailed breakdown of UK military capability and stockpiles, including uncrewed systems platform numbers and types. Therefore, it would be inappropriate to comment further.
Asked by: Earl of Minto (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government why the publication of the Defence Investment Plan has been delayed.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The department is working to finalise the Defence Investment Plan, which we will publish as soon as we can. We need to ensure investment choices are right for both now and the future. It is the first zero-based review of Defence's budgets in eighteen years and goes significantly further than the last Government's Equipment Plan by looking across every budget line, including people and infrastructure.
Asked by: Earl of Minto (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what changes have been implemented by the National Armaments Director since October 2025.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Under the leadership of the National Armaments Director (NAD), the NAD Group brings together teams delivering the national ‘arsenal’, the Defence Industrial Strategy, innovation and end to end acquisition to enable better ways of working and empower greater collaboration across Defence.
Part of the wider Defence Reform programme, the NAD Group is streamlining previously complex systems and structures, ensuring greater control over our defence development and acquisition structure, with simplified reporting lines, better coordination and less duplication of effort.
The NAD Group is already delivering improvements. For example, in January 2026 the Group’s Commercial and Industry team launched the Defence Office for Small Business Growth, which will simplify procurement processes, provide expert advice, and encourage private sector investment, enabling Small and Medium Enterprises to play a greater role in strengthening the UK’s defence capabilities.
Asked by: Earl of Minto (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) prevent, and (2) deter, further incursions by Russian spy ships.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Defence is ready to respond to any potential threats and take necessary steps to protect the UK's national interest. Defence will not shy away from robust action to protect Britain; with our NATO allies, we are strengthening our response to ensure that Russian ships and aircraft cannot operate in secrecy near UK or NATO territory.
The Royal Navy constantly monitors activity in and around UK waters and is ready and willing to respond if required, with ships held at high readiness under existing maritime security response plans. The Royal Navy is working closely across Government and with our international Allies to secure the waters and critical undersea infrastructure in and around the UK. HMG's centre of excellence for maritime security, the Joint Maritime Security Centre monitors our critical national infrastructure for potential threats. The Royal Navy also patrols UK waters with Maritime Patrol Aircraft and the Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance programme and continues to invest in new capabilities.
This includes responding to the Yantar, a Russian ship used for gathering intelligence and mapping to threaten our critical national underwater infrastructure and pose a threat to our way of life. During the Yantar's most recent deployment in and around the UK's exclusive economic zone, she was continuously and closely monitored by Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset and the RAF's P-8s. Defence has also directed a change in the Royal Navy's posture, so that we can more closely track and robustly respond to the threats from this vessel and many others. Such actions have previously included surfacing a Royal Navy submarine - strictly as a deterrent measure - to make clear that we monitor every move.
Asked by: Earl of Minto (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the speech by the First Sea Lord on 8 December, what steps they are taking to prevent the loss of the naval control of the Atlantic to Russia.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence has announced Atlantic Bastion – the Royal Navy's programme to create an advanced hybrid naval force to secure the North Atlantic for the UK and NATO against the persistent and growing threat posed by Russia.
Atlantic Bastion will see ships, submarines, aircraft and unmanned vessels connected through AI-powered acoustic detection technology and integrated into a digital targeting web. Atlantic Bastion will enable the Armed Forces to find, track and, if required, act against adversaries with unprecedented effectiveness across vast areas of ocean. It represents a generational shift in capability and dominance in the North Atlantic.
Asked by: Earl of Minto (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the timeline is for the purchase of the 12 F-35 aircraft announced in the Strategic Defence Review.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave to Question HL11137 on 4 November 2025.
Asked by: Earl of Minto (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the decision by Rolls-Royce to consider moving its £1.6 trillion jet engine project and 40,000 jobs to America.
Answered by Lord Stockwood - Minister of State (HM Treasury)
Government, through its modern Industrial Strategy, is working with industry, including Rolls-Royce, to support its industrial ambitions to unlock growth and jobs in the UK.
Government is supporting the aerospace sector, including Rolls-Royce and its supply chain, through Aerospace Technology Institute research and development programme which has funding of up to £2.3 billion to 2035. The support awarded to Rolls-Royce is key to helping it develop its new UltraFan engine which, when realised, will secure jobs in the UK for decades to come.
Asked by: Earl of Minto (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce duplication and simplify (1) management structures in the Ministry of Defence, and (2) the organisation of public bodies and agencies that work with the Ministry of Defence.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the noble Lord to the statement I made on 1 April 2025 (HLWS571) about Defence Reform.
Under the Secretary of State for Defence and Ministers, the structure of the Ministry of Defence has been simplified under four Areas: a Department of State, a Military Strategic Headquarters, a National Armaments Director Group, and the Defence Nuclear Enterprise. Departmental processes, and the organisation of public bodies and agencies, are now being updated to reflect the new structure, which will include simplification and reducing duplication.