Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to commission an independent review of the compliance of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's maternity and parental leave policies with employment law.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
A comprehensive funded programme to modernise all Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) supporting tools and policies is already underway, in collaboration with relevant Government Departments and stakeholders. There are no plans for an independent review.
The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act became law in April 2024 and the Ministry of Defence Policies have been updated, with appropriate consultation, to comply. Any legacy or existing RFA policy or process that is identified that may inadvertently or deliberately have scope to do so will be suspended and reviewed, in collaboration with expert stakeholders and our Maritime Trade Unions.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of resources allocated to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's human resources function (a) to address parental policy concerns raised by trade unions (b) in general.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Department keeps the allocation of resources under regular review to ensure it is able to meet its obligations. A targeted programme to develop the lived experience within the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is underway, and this is balanced against wider civil service headcount considerations. The RFA routinely consults with Trade Unions.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel returning from maternity leave being required to (a) return to sea-based duties within a specified timeframe and (b) take unpaid leave to cover gaps in shore-based assignments.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Managers have latitude to consider individual needs when scheduling working patterns at sea. This includes recognising family circumstances, parental obligations and employee requests. It also necessarily means ensuring that this flexibility protects Defence outputs and maximises training opportunities while allowing all personnel to take leave and benefit from existing Civil Service terms and conditions of service.
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) does not have any permanent onshore posts and there is no facility to provide bespoke roles adapted to individual circumstances. There are 100 rotational shore jobs that support RFA and Defence output, with clear key skills and experience requirements.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support is available to Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) personnel who are (a) pregnant and (b) new parents where both partners are employed by the RFA; and what provision is made to ensure adequate childcare arrangements for seafaring couples.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Under the Maternity and Carers Act (MCA), women receive additional protections from 26 weeks of pregnancy. Alongside this, a comprehensive range of support is available for parental, maternity, paternity, adoption, carers, and shared parental responsibilities. These provisions include enhanced leave entitlements and tailored assistance through mechanisms such as Occupational Health, keep-in-touch days, and reasonable workplace adjustments.
This framework is complemented by a full programme of opt-in wellbeing interventions, activities, and advice delivered through the Employee Assistance Programme, the Defence Health and Wellbeing Portfolio, and Family and People Services. Further support is provided by linked organisations such as the Defence Sports and Recreation Association and the Civil Service Sports Council. In addition, the RFA workforce benefits from an extended welfare network under the umbrella of expert services, including the Navy Families Federation, ensuring holistic support for employees and their families.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what changes have been made to Royal Fleet Auxiliary shore-based assignment policies for personnel on maternity leave in the last two years; and what assessment he has made of the impact of those changes on (a) recruitment and (b) retention of female officers and ratings.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is committed to the principles of the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). We are enormously grateful for the vital contribution the RFA makes to the defence of the nation by supporting the Royal Navy.
While we recognise the needs of individuals within the RFA will vary, employment policies and processes are designed to promote fairness, equality and inclusivity. Fixed-period assignments are created based on Defence need rather than personal circumstances.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish a list of the (a) names and (b) locations of former airforce bases within the UK that are no longer in use by the Royal Air Force but remain part of the Ministry of Defence estate as of 1 September 2025.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
No, a historical list is not held. The Defence Disposal Database details all Ministry of Defence sites the Department plans to release when they become surplus to Defence requirements. This is published on gov.uk: Disposal database: House of Commons report - GOV.UK
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
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 increasing funding for support for education professionals working with armed forces children; and what steps he is taking to ensure that funding in this area is (a) informed by research, (b) supported by evaluation and (c) aligned with improving outcomes for armed forces families.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Understanding that education is a devolved matter, the Secretary of State for Defence does not issue core funding to educational settings for Service children.
However, the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Armed Forces Families Fund provides additional funding opportunities for schools and local authorities across the UK. Since 2023, £4.5 million has supported the Service Pupil Support Programme (SPSP) in schools and local authorities across the UK. The sub themes of the SPSP align with the aims of the Armed Forces Families Strategy and include elements focusing upon the educational outcomes of Service children and supporting Service children with additional learning needs. The SPSP is evaluated externally and is also presently funding three university research projects in areas of specific interest.
In England the Department for Education continues to allocate additional funding in the form of the Service Pupil Premium (SPP) to state funded schools with Service children among their pupils. Service Pupil Premium funding helps schools to provide pastoral and academic support to current and former Service children. Schools are allocated SPP funding for each pupil aged 5 to 16 who is currently recorded as a Service child in the autumn school census or who has held this status in the last six years via ‘Ever 6’, or who receives a child pension from the MOD. The SPP is now worth £350 per eligible pupil annually. For example, more than £26 million has been paid to schools in the financial year 2023 to 2024, benefiting more than 78,000 pupils.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is planning to take to improve the (a) quality and (b) availability of data on the educational (i) outcomes and (ii) experiences of armed forces children; and if he will make it his policy to develop a national dataset to help inform evidence-based (A) policy and (B) practice in this area.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
We are committed with counterparts in Government to maintaining robust data around the educational outcomes of all children to inform future strategic and policy development. It is important to remember that education is a devolved matter, and caution should be applied in considering the feasibility of a UK-wide dataset, where very different education systems would be compared. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the importance of the devolved administrations maintaining their own datasets to inform where their resources should be targeted.
The Department for Education (DfE) continues to provide the MOD updated datasets on how Service children perform in state schools in England across key measures of academic attainment; this information is published in the Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report. The DfE and the MOD have also recently published joint guidance to schools and local authorities on how best to support Service children in education.
In Scotland, the Additional Support for Learning (ASL) Act places duties on education authorities, who retain the statutory responsibility for the delivery of education in Scotland. These duties require Scottish authorities to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of pupils. This includes Service children and young people, who may require extra support, short or long term and for whatever the reason. Delivery of ASL is a joint endeavour between the Scottish Government and Scottish Local Authorities.
The Welsh Government are currently exploring the potential to broaden the definition of Service children in Wales to ensure the maximum number of children can benefit from the support available. Linked to this they are considering how they collect data on Service children in Welsh schools to ensure that policy and support is based on robust evidence.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the training provided by Capita to the Royal Navy.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Project Selborne contract began on 1 April 2021 and is implementing a transformation in the way that the Royal Navy delivers its training, unlocking more opportunities for them to fulfil their potential and get better trained people to the frontline, quicker.
We keep the program made by Project Selbourne under review.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason he approved Project Selbourne.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Project Selborne contract began on 1 April 2021 and is implementing a transformation in the way that the Royal Navy delivers its training, unlocking more opportunities for them to fulfil their potential and get better trained people to the frontline, quicker.
We keep the program made by Project Selbourne under review.