Asked by: Lord Hampton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk that female personnel are injured as a result of wearing body armour designed for male bodies; and when they expect to mitigate this risk with body armour that is designed for women's bodies.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Department’s priority is to ensure all Service personnel receive appropriate and equitable levels of protection.
While there is currently no evidence demonstrating a causal link between the in-service body armour system and an increased incidence of injury among female personnel, we will continue the procurement of Tactical Ballistic Plates, which will replace the in-service OSPREY and Enhanced Combat Body Armour plates. These will be available in four sizes to provide an improved fit for a wider range of personnel and reduced weight for most users. Additionally, we have initiated a Complex Geometry Body Armour project with potential delivery from 2029, subject to trials and validation. This is likely to include the development of an appropriate testing regime and Human Factors Integration work to ensure this capability delivers improved fit and operational effectiveness for Servicewomen.
Asked by: Lord Hampton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure the manufacture of body armour remains in the UK in order to safeguard resilience, jobs, and investment, in times of conflict.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence will procure body armour in accordance with the UK Procurement Act 2023. This allows for the encouragement of manufacturing in the UK while ensuring Service personnel have the protection they require and providing value for money for taxpayers.
Asked by: Lord Hampton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the division of funding is between the Light Mobility Vehicle programme and the Heavy Protected Mobility programme; what is the procurement timeline for the Light Mobility Vehicle programme; and what is the planned maximum number of vehicles to be procured as part of the Light Mobility Vehicle programme.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Land Mobility Programme is a 20-year, circa £4 billion pan-Defence programme to deliver over 13,000 digitally enabled, adaptable utility and protected mobility vehicles to the Joint Force. It comprises three sub-programmes: Heavy Protected Mobility (PM), Light PM, and Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV).
The LMV programme is in its assessment phase, with competition due to start late summer 2026. The Heavy PM programme remains in its concept phase, and as a result it has not yet been assigned a funding profile. Therefore, I am unable to provide a break down in funding between the two sub-programmes until the concept phase for Heavy PM concludes.
I can, however, confirm that on current plans, LMV is due to deliver by 2030. The total number of vehicles being procured is still subject to the ongoing assessment phase.
Asked by: Lord Hampton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to facilitate training of pilots from commercial to military pilots.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Commercial pilot training does not directly align with the training provided by the Royal Air Force (RAF) for military pilots. While there are some commonalities, there are also significant differences between operating civilian and military aircraft. Consequently, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), under CAP2254, accredits only certain aspects of military aircrew training.
The RAF Reserves offer four schemes that provide opportunities for commercial pilots including training for Air Experience Flight (AEF) duties, progression to Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) roles for University Air Squadrons (UAS) and AEF flight commanders, as well as roles with Defence partners such as Ascent Flying Training and Babcock.
Asked by: Lord Hampton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they plan to have with the government of Cyprus and the Sovereign Base Areas to allow the dependents of UK Armed Forces to work in Cyprus.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
At present, there are no discussions planned on this topic. Immediate family members of UK Service personnel are frequently employed by the Sovereign Base Areas Administration (SBAA) and by British Forces Cyprus (BFC), in the UK’s Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) on Cyprus. They are also free to start their own businesses in the SBAs. Additionally, immediate family members may apply for employment in the Republic of Cyprus, following the same process as any other UK citizen.