Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to raise public awareness of the risks associated with football-related chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Mitigating the causes and effects of head injuries in sport is of huge importance to the Government and we are taking steps to raise public awareness of the risks and to improve awareness of the causes and effects of concussion.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is developing an Action Plan on Acquired Brain Injury which will be published shortly.

We do not hold information about, and are not in a position to estimate, the number of people at risk of developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy from participation in contact sports.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if will make an estimate of the number of people at risk of developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy as a result of participation in contact sports.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Mitigating the causes and effects of head injuries in sport is of huge importance to the Government and we are taking steps to raise public awareness of the risks and to improve awareness of the causes and effects of concussion.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is developing an Action Plan on Acquired Brain Injury which will be published shortly.

We do not hold information about, and are not in a position to estimate, the number of people at risk of developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy from participation in contact sports.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the number of (a) women and (b) men employed by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary by seafarer grade.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Official statistical information regarding all civilians employed within the Ministry of Defence is released biannually. The last release was on 1 October 2025 and included the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. More information can be found at: Supplementary_tables_to_MOD_biannual_civilian_personnel_report_-_October_2025.ods. Grade specific data for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary is not publicly released.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary continually monitors its workforce levels to ensure it can meet operational requirements.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many vacancies currently exist in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary by seafarer grade.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Official statistical information regarding all civilians employed within the Ministry of Defence is released biannually. The last release was on 1 October 2025 and included the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. More information can be found at: Supplementary_tables_to_MOD_biannual_civilian_personnel_report_-_October_2025.ods. Grade specific data for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary is not publicly released.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary continually monitors its workforce levels to ensure it can meet operational requirements.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what the proportion of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s work has been outsourced to (a) commercial contractors and (b) international allies since January 2015 to date.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) routinely uses a blend of inhouse capability and contracted support to deliver marine engineering, logistics, and operational services in line with longstanding Defence Maritime Support policy. This work is commissioned on a vessel-by-vessel basis and varies from year-to-year depending on the RFA’s operational programme and maintenance cycles. The majority of RFA core operational activity is carried out directly by RFA civilian-crewed vessels.

No RFA operational output has been outsourced to international allies. On occasion, allied naval tankers have provided replenishment-at-sea services to UK vessels under standard NATO interoperability arrangements, and UK RFA tankers have provided the same service in return. These reciprocal arrangements are routine across NATO navies.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the names of the vessels on the UK Defence Shipping Register.

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

The Defence Shipping Register is a record of all vessels currently in service in the Ministry of Defence. Release of the list of vessels names would provide a complete picture of the size and capability of the service and allow individual vessel’s type, movements and locations to be traced using easily accessible public shipping trackers; I hope the hon. Member understands that it would therefore be inappropriate to release this information into the public domain.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Royal Fleet Auxiliary and (b) recognised trade unions on the Strategic Defence Review’s recommendations on the operational role of the RFA.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence maintains regular engagement with appropriate stakeholders concerning matters affecting the operational roles and capabilities of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Transport and (b) Department for Transport agencies on the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s adherence to applicable Merchant Shipping Regulations.

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

Under the provisions of the Merchant Shipping (Ministry of Defence Ships) order 1989 [Order in Council No 1991], the Royal Fleet Auxillary (RFA) was exempted from many aspects of the UK Merchant Shipping Acts in respect of registered vessels of the RFA. Although the RFA is exempt from a number of provisions within the Merchant Shipping Acts, it remains the Department’s policy to comply voluntarily. With the non‑mandatory elements, wherever practicable, the RFA will comply except where this would conflict with operational requirements.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to reports of the sale of the former Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels Wave Ruler and Wave Knight to Inocea Group, what discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) shipping industry representatives, (c) NATO allies and (d) trade unions on the record of Inocea subsidiaries in delivering naval auxiliary support services for NATO allies, including the Royal Canadian Navy.

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

The two ships in question had been tied up for some time under the last Government and we inherited a position where neither ship were planned to go to sea again. Disposal of former Royal Fleet Auxiliary assets is conducted in accordance with established Ministry of Defence (MOD) and wider His Majesty's Government policies. Officials engage with colleagues across Government and shipping industry representatives as required to ensure compliance with applicable defence, export control, and national‑security considerations during disposal activity. The MOD maintains regular dialogue with NATO Allies on operational, capability and interoperability matters. These discussions do not extend to the performance of commercial service providers contracted by other nations, which remain the responsibility of those nations.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Section C5 of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Defence and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, what information his Department holds on when the Royal Fleet Auxiliaries (RFA) Working Group last met; and if he will publish the recommendations this Working Group has made to the MOD-MCA MOU Management Committee to date.

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

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) and Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) last met on 2 October 2025. The meeting was chaired by the MCA and included attendance from the RFA and Defence Maritime Regulator.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it is his department’s policy to apply, on a voluntary basis, the provisions of the Maritime Labour Convention to the (a) merchant navy seafarers and (b) vessels in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

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

The Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006, does not apply to warships or naval auxiliaries, including the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). The Government has therefore not designated RFA vessels as ships to which the MLC formally applies. The Ministry of Defence ensures that all personnel serving on RFA vessels are provided with working and living conditions consistent with the principles of MLC wherever this is practicable and compatible with operational requirements.

In respect of merchant navy seafarers employed by the Department, the Government fully applies the provisions of the MLC in line with UK merchant shipping legislation.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the binding merchant shipping Statutory Instruments applicable under the MoD Ships Order in Council, listed in Annex A1 of the Regulations for Royal Fleet Auxiliaries BRd 875.

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

The binding merchant shipping statutory instruments applicable under the Minstry of Defence Ships Order in Council, are reviewed on a regular basis by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). This is part of ensuring the RFA’s Safety Management Systems continuous compliance with updated international and statutory regulations. Ongoing compliance is additionally monitored externally by the MCA as part of the annual Document of Compliance (DOC) audit process.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Royal Fleet Auxiliary and (b) the Secretary of State for Transport on the Memorandum of Understanding between his department and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

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

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has regular working groups with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) which offer opportunities for amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between his MOD and the MCA.

At the most recent MOD and MCA annual working group meeting chaired on the 12 November 2025 there were no formal requests for amendment to the overall MOD-MCA MOU received for this year, though several clarifications and feedback points have been noted for potential future updates.

Internal discussions within the Defence Maritime Regulator (DMR) are planned to address clarifications, mainly regarding the approach to affected services, rather than substantive changes to the MOU itself.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the commercially managed ships currently in MoD service.

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

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works closely with commercial partners to deliver crucial defence outputs. Information regarding commercially managed ships in MOD service is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the requirements in the Regulations for Royal Fleet Auxiliaries BRd 875 for Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships to carry copies of merchant navy legislation.

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

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary carries merchant navy legislation in compliance with the regulations stated in all applicable International Maritime Organisation legislation.

The application of national regulation to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary is subject to regular review under the Memorandum of Understanding between the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Marine Accident Investigation Branch and the Ministry of Defence.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many replenishments at sea RFA’s Tide-class tankers have provided for international allies in each year since 2017 to date.

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

Tide-class tankers routinely support NATO, Joint Expeditionary Force partners, and other allied maritime operations while delivering the UK’s standing commitments worldwide.

The data the hon. Member requires is not held in the format requested. However, we estimate that there have been in excess of 300 replenishment at sea provided to international allies by Tide-class tankers from 2017 to date.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will extend the upper age limit beyond 74 years for routine invitations under the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

For screening programmes, the Government is guided by the independent scientific advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). It is only where the offer to screen provides more good than harm that a screening programme is recommended. The UK NSC makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process.

The UK NSC considers all of the latest scientific evidence when reviewing the case for screening for different conditions. As the policy is based on the benefits and harms to whole populations, the screening decisions are based on the effect on the whole population, rather than individual circumstances. Where there is a lack of evidence, the committee cannot be confident that screening would benefit the population as a whole. In these circumstances, the proportionate approach is to screen within the range that has evidence to back the policy.

The National Health Service bowel screening programme in England was recently extended from people aged 60 to 74 years old to people aged 50 to 74 years old. This aligns with the evidence of where the screening programme can do the most good with the least harm caused. Harm can include increased anxiety, misdiagnosis, over diagnosis, where unnecessary and invasive follow up tests are offered, or unnecessary treatment.

The UK NSC is awaiting the results of the AgeX trial which is looking at extending the upper and lower age thresholds for breast screening.

The UK NSC keeps these age brackets under review. The committee recognises that screening programmes are not static and that, over time, they may need to change to be more effective.

In both bowel screening and breast screening, individuals can request to continue to receive testing beyond the upper age threshold.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will he extend the upper age limit beyond 71 years for routine invitations under the NHS Breast Screening Programme.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

For screening programmes, the Government is guided by the independent scientific advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). It is only where the offer to screen provides more good than harm that a screening programme is recommended. The UK NSC makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process.

The UK NSC considers all of the latest scientific evidence when reviewing the case for screening for different conditions. As the policy is based on the benefits and harms to whole populations, the screening decisions are based on the effect on the whole population, rather than individual circumstances. Where there is a lack of evidence, the committee cannot be confident that screening would benefit the population as a whole. In these circumstances, the proportionate approach is to screen within the range that has evidence to back the policy.

The National Health Service bowel screening programme in England was recently extended from people aged 60 to 74 years old to people aged 50 to 74 years old. This aligns with the evidence of where the screening programme can do the most good with the least harm caused. Harm can include increased anxiety, misdiagnosis, over diagnosis, where unnecessary and invasive follow up tests are offered, or unnecessary treatment.

The UK NSC is awaiting the results of the AgeX trial which is looking at extending the upper and lower age thresholds for breast screening.

The UK NSC keeps these age brackets under review. The committee recognises that screening programmes are not static and that, over time, they may need to change to be more effective.

In both bowel screening and breast screening, individuals can request to continue to receive testing beyond the upper age threshold.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which stakeholders the Department engaged in the development of the forthcoming Action Plan on Acquired Brain Injury, including any (a) sports governing bodies, (b) football organisations, and (c) relevant charities, in relation to football-related chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Action Plan is being developed as a cross‑Government initiative, recognising that preventing, diagnosing, and supporting people with ABI involves multiple departments, health bodies, and external partners. The Department of Health and Social Care is working closely with other Government departments, including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which leads on engagement with the sport sector.

This engagement will ensure that the plan reflects the diverse causes and impacts of ABI, including those relating to football‑related chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

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