Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people served in the Royal Irish Regiment Home Service Battalions on a part-time basis up to and including disbandment in August 2007.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The number of part time personnel who served in the Royal Irish Regiment Home Service Battalions from its formation on 1 July 1992 until August 2007 is shown below:
01-Apr-07 | - |
01-Apr-06 | 1,170 |
01-Apr-05 | 1,210 |
01-Apr-04 | 1,300 |
01-Apr-03 | 1,390 |
01-Apr-02 | 1,500 |
01-Apr-01 | 1,680 |
01-Apr-00 | 1,780 |
01-Apr-99 | 1,910 |
01-Apr-98 | 1,960 |
01-Apr-97 | 2,010 |
01-Apr-96 | 2,120 |
01-Apr-95 | 2,260 |
01-Apr-94 | 2,480 |
01-Apr-93 | 2,700 |
01-Apr-92 | - |
Notes:
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people served in the Ulster Defence Regiment on a part-time basis between 1970 and 1992.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Electronic data is only held going back to 1984, prior to this the only information held is on the 1975 and 1980 strengths. This information can be found below.
The Ulster Defence Regiment Part Time Strength as at 1 April 1975, 1 April 1980 and from 1 April 1984 - 1 April 1992
01-Apr-92 | 2,990 |
01-Apr-91 | 3,120 |
01-Apr-90 | 3,300 |
01-Apr-89 | 3,420 |
01-Apr-88 | 3,510 |
01-Apr-87 | 3,720 |
01-Apr-86 | 3,770 |
01-Apr-85 | 3,730 |
01-Apr-84 | 4,090 |
01-Apr-80 | 4,820 |
01-Apr-75 | 6,280 |
Notes:
· Figures have been rounded to 10.
· Figures are absolute numbers.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the implications for his pension policy of the ruling of the Advocate General for Scotland v Mr Charles Milroy [2026] EAT 25; and what steps he intends to take.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Due to the ongoing legal process, it is not possible to provide a substantive comment on the case. The Ministry of Defence is reviewing the judgment in detail to understand its implications fully and a further update will be provided once that assessment is complete.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many hearing loss cases are pending with the Davies Group.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Ministry of Defence (MOD) Claims statistics are published annually. The next MOD common law compensation claims statistics will be published this summer.
Previously published Annual reports can be found at the following link.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mod-compensation-claims-statistics
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what performance metrics the Davies Group are held to; and how frequently those metrics are evaluated.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Davies Group claims management contract requires Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to be reported quarterly. These reports are supplemented by regular fortnightly progress and performance meetings between Ministry of Defence officials and the Davies Group to discuss aspects of contract delivery and formulation of strategies for dealing with claims including the extremely high volumes of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss claims.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to provide the costs of Hearing Loss Claims in last 5 years to the MOD, including damages, costs and costs per case.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Statistics on the number of common law compensation claims and financial settlements including Noise-Induced Hearing Loss are published annually at the following link.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mod-compensation-claims-statistics
The next report will be published this summer, covering financial year 24-25, however it would be disproportionate to calculate the costs per case.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the Davies Group is tracking and reporting costs associated with delays in case progression.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Davies Group provide regular statistics and other information to support the management of Ministry of Defence (MOD) claims. Both the MOD and Davies Group have increased resources to manage the unprecedented high volume of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss claims.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to outline the average turnaround time for resolution in Hearing Loss Cases in each of the four regions of the United Kingdom.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
It is not possible to outline the average turnaround time for the resolution of Hearing Loss claims in each of the four nations of the United Kingdom.
This information is not currently held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost as it would require extensive research across the claims handlers and litigation services providers who manage claims in the various jurisdictions across the UK.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to detail the longest outstanding case with the MOD/Davies group relating to Hearing Loss.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The oldest open Noise-Induced Hearing Loss claim dates back to 30 June 2016. This claim was left inactive by the claimant’s legal representative, until a new firm of solicitors reissued the claim on 8 May 2025.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to conduct a further assessment of potential site disposal across his Department.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
On 27 March 2025, the Government announced a new taskforce to deliver thousands of homes on surplus public land, with Defence land becoming a ‘trailblazer’ for the new partnership approach to development. This is an opportunity for all parts of the country, helping meet the Government’s ambition for 1.5 million homes.
As part of this, the Defence Secretary has identified the long-term capacity on surplus Ministry of Defence (MOD) land for at least 100,000 homes. Trailblazer sites include a site in Ripon, which was transferred from MOD to Homes England to allow construction at Deverell Barracks to start within 12 months to expedite the delivery of 1,300 homes.