Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when will the British Army be provided with body armour designed to fit women.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence remains firmly committed to ensuring that our Service personnel are equipped with appropriate and sufficient protective equipment. As part of this commitment, we are delivering an update to body armour for UK personnel through the Tactical Ballistic Plates (TBP) project.
Anthropometric data was used in the design of TBP. Plates will be available in four sizes, to better fit a broader range of personnel, including women.
A comprehensive range of options will be assessed ahead of the TBP contract award, which is currently scheduled for December 2026. This evaluation will ensure that the new armour achieves the optimal balance between fit and the protection required for all our personnel. In-service dates will be confirmed once the contract has been awarded and the delivery schedule is finalised.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will calculate defence sales by UK companies to the Irish Republic in each year for which records are available.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Data on UK defence exports is published annually by UK Defence and Security Exports (UK DSE), now National Armaments Directorate (NAD). They present export figures only at regional level, with no disaggregated data available for Ireland specifically.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many injuries have been sustained by servicewomen from body armour in the past 10 years.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Medical records do not attribute injuries to specific items of equipment, and therefore the Ministry of Defence is unable to provide the information requested.
The Ministry of Defence remains firmly committed to ensuring that our service personnel are equipped with appropriate and sufficient protective equipment.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department will seek to recoup costs from the Irish government for UK security assets during Ireland's presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK and Ireland work closely together on shared security challenges, but the UK does not provide defence cover for Ireland, nor does it deploy security assets to protect Irish subsea infrastructure. The Ministry of Defence has not received any requests from Ireland for security support during their presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Matters relating to Ireland's defence posture and expenditure rest with the Irish authorities, and any enquiries on those issues should be directed to them.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what fees have been remitted to the UK from the Irish government for the use of UK (a) military (b) naval (c) security assets to safeguard Irish interests in each year for which records exist.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK and Ireland work closely together on shared security challenges, but the UK does not provide defence cover for Ireland, nor does it deploy security assets to protect Irish subsea infrastructure. The Ministry of Defence has not received any requests from Ireland for security support during their presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Matters relating to Ireland's defence posture and expenditure rest with the Irish authorities, and any enquiries on those issues should be directed to them.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether arrangements exist for refunding the cost of UK security assets used to protect Irish subsea infrastructure from Russian attack.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK and Ireland work closely together on shared security challenges, but the UK does not provide defence cover for Ireland, nor does it deploy security assets to protect Irish subsea infrastructure. The Ministry of Defence has not received any requests from Ireland for security support during their presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Matters relating to Ireland's defence posture and expenditure rest with the Irish authorities, and any enquiries on those issues should be directed to them.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the Irish Defence Forces have undertaken training in the UK in each year for which records are available and what arrangements exist for cost recovery.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Since 2017, a total of 158 members of the Irish Defence Forces have undertaken training on UK Ministry of Dfence-run courses. All costs have been fully funded by Ireland, including course fees and associated expenses.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of body armour currently supplied to the British Army in deflecting projectiles in (a) men (b) women.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We are committed to ensuring that our forces are equipped with the best possible kit for the future, both men and women. We are ensuring that our Service personnel are equipped with appropriate and sufficient protective equipment. As part of this commitment, we are delivering an update to body armour for all UK personnel through the Tactical Ballistic Plates (TBP) project.
Assessments of the effectiveness of body armour are conducted as a key part of the selection process prior to any contract award. These assessments are carried out against a detailed set of performance criteria derived from a classified threat assessment, ensuring that the armour provides the required level of protection against relevant ballistic threats.
The in-service hard armour plates and soft armour filler are subject to regular inspection and testing to ensure their continued integrity and the protection levels they are designed to provide for all personnel.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the Defence Investment Plan.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Department is working flat out to deliver the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) which will be published as soon as possible.
The DIP is backed by the Government’s largest sustained increase in defence investment since the end of the Cold War, spending £270 billion on defence in this Parliament alone.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 17 October 2025 to Question 77029 on Israel: Military Aid, following the ceasefire in Gaza, when he will review his decision on Israeli defence personnel attendance on UK courses.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
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 We will keep this decision under review.