Found: Letter to the Chair from Luke Pollard MP, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, and Lord Coaker

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 19 September 2024 (HL783), what progress they have made towards (1) identifying and marking the graves of Egyptians who died serving the UK during the First World War, including in the Egyptian Labour Corps, and (2) recovering the records of all Egyptians who served with UK forces.

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

Further to the information provided to the noble Lady in February 2022, January 2023 and September 2024, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) has made notable progress in identifying 23 Egyptian Labour Corps and Camel Transport Corps personnel at Haifa War Cemetery. These men, whose graves cannot be individually identified amongst almost 90 of their unknown comrades, will receive special markers within the cemetery for the first time since the First World War. While ongoing instability in the region limits what can be achieved on the ground in the short term, preparations have been made to produce the headstones in readiness for more favourable conditions.

The CWGC continues to work to recover the names of the 16,500 other Egyptian personnel known to have died across the Middle East in British service during the First World War. These men have only ever been commemorated collectively by the Commission’s Giza Memorial. The records sought, if they survive, are believed to be in the possession of the Egyptian state archives or one or more departments of the Government of Egypt. CWGC continues to raise this matter with the Egyptian authorities but is yet to gain access to the information it requires.

The Commission's wider historical research in archives across Africa and Europe continues to make positive progress in revealing the names of those previously not commemorated, and in mapping potential burial sites. To date, more than 20,600 names have been recovered, and CWGC is actively working to commemorate these individuals in a manner befitting their service and loss.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to strengthen the United Kingdom’s defence capabilities and improve national readiness.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence (Lord Coaker), on 8 April 2026 to Question HL15983 in the House of Lords.

Defence plays an integral role in the Cabinet Office-led Home Defence Programme. This coordinates civil and military preparations across the whole of Government and society for some of the most serious risks we could face, including communicating, empowering and engaging with all tiers of resilience actors to ensure that all sectors are prepared for and able to respond to the most catastrophic of risks. Alongside this, defence is refreshing our own homeland defence plan as a priority for 2026

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he can confirm how many ships the Royal Navy has.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my noble Friend, Lord Coaker, the Minister for the House of Lords, on 31 March 2026 the Question HL15483 asked by Baroness Goldie on 12 March 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 29 of his Department's document entitled Defence Diplomacy Strategy, published on 24 March 2026, whether he will publish a terms of reference for the review into the use of think tanks.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

As part of our implementation of the Defence Diplomacy Strategy, the Ministry of Defence has begun work to understand how we can reinvigorate our approach to think tank engagement to better support defence diplomacy activity and enhance our international relationships. Work on the initial review will be completed before the end of 2026, although we anticipate an ongoing conversation with think tanks rather than a one-off project.

Defence is considering how best to engage with Parliament. We will ensure the review and the insights it delivers can be implemented effectively in a timely manner within Defence and with the think tank community.

The review will be led by the Ministry of Defence’s Defence and Security Policy organisation within the Department of State, with support from the Secretary of State’s Office of Net Assessment and Challenge (SONAC) and other parts of the department as appropriate. The review will be steered by Minister of State Lord Coaker.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 29 of his Department's document entitled Defence Diplomacy Strategy, published on 24 March 2026, when the review into the use of think tanks will (a) begin and (b) conclude.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

As part of our implementation of the Defence Diplomacy Strategy, the Ministry of Defence has begun work to understand how we can reinvigorate our approach to think tank engagement to better support defence diplomacy activity and enhance our international relationships. Work on the initial review will be completed before the end of 2026, although we anticipate an ongoing conversation with think tanks rather than a one-off project.

Defence is considering how best to engage with Parliament. We will ensure the review and the insights it delivers can be implemented effectively in a timely manner within Defence and with the think tank community.

The review will be led by the Ministry of Defence’s Defence and Security Policy organisation within the Department of State, with support from the Secretary of State’s Office of Net Assessment and Challenge (SONAC) and other parts of the department as appropriate. The review will be steered by Minister of State Lord Coaker.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 29 of his Department's document entitled Defence Diplomacy Strategy, published on 24 March 2026, whether the review into the use of think tanks will be published before Parliament.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

As part of our implementation of the Defence Diplomacy Strategy, the Ministry of Defence has begun work to understand how we can reinvigorate our approach to think tank engagement to better support defence diplomacy activity and enhance our international relationships. Work on the initial review will be completed before the end of 2026, although we anticipate an ongoing conversation with think tanks rather than a one-off project.

Defence is considering how best to engage with Parliament. We will ensure the review and the insights it delivers can be implemented effectively in a timely manner within Defence and with the think tank community.

The review will be led by the Ministry of Defence’s Defence and Security Policy organisation within the Department of State, with support from the Secretary of State’s Office of Net Assessment and Challenge (SONAC) and other parts of the department as appropriate. The review will be steered by Minister of State Lord Coaker.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 29 of his Department's document entitled Defence Diplomacy Strategy, published on 24 March 2026, who will lead the review into the use of think tanks.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

As part of our implementation of the Defence Diplomacy Strategy, the Ministry of Defence has begun work to understand how we can reinvigorate our approach to think tank engagement to better support defence diplomacy activity and enhance our international relationships. Work on the initial review will be completed before the end of 2026, although we anticipate an ongoing conversation with think tanks rather than a one-off project.

Defence is considering how best to engage with Parliament. We will ensure the review and the insights it delivers can be implemented effectively in a timely manner within Defence and with the think tank community.

The review will be led by the Ministry of Defence’s Defence and Security Policy organisation within the Department of State, with support from the Secretary of State’s Office of Net Assessment and Challenge (SONAC) and other parts of the department as appropriate. The review will be steered by Minister of State Lord Coaker.

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Found: Held by department Luke Pollard Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Lord Coaker

Found: Return Nil Return Luke Pollard Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Lord Coaker

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Found: Return Nil Return Nil Return Luke Pollard Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Lord Coaker

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