Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Mauritian Government on the potential impact of Treaty of Pelindaba on the operation of nuclear weapons on the Diego Garcia military base.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As the hon. Gentleman will recall from me repeatedly saying in the Commons, and again from his time as a Defence Minister, it is longstanding UK policy to neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons at any given location. The UK and Mauritius enjoy a strong bilateral relationship, but the Secretary of State has not met with the Deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK and European allies to develop low-cost air defence weapons to protect NATO skies, published on 20 February 2026, how much money has been allocated by his Department for the Low-Cost Effectors and Platforms initiative.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The low-cost air defence effector project under the LEAP initiative, as announced on 20 February, is entering the concept demonstration phase.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he expects to receive any further proposals for the Defence Investment Plan from the (a) Chief of the Air Staff, (b) Chief of the General Staff and (c) First Sea Lord.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We are working flat out to complete the Defence Investment Plan and it will be published as soon as possible. As part of this process, senior military leaders, including the Chief of the Air Staff, the Chief of the General Staff and the First Sea Lord, are fully engaged in defence planning.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has discussed any draft versions of the Defence Investment Plan with the (a) Chief of the Air Staff, (b) Chief of the General Staff and (c) First Sea Lord.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We are working flat out to complete the Defence Investment Plan and it will be published as soon as possible. As part of this process, senior military leaders, including the Chief of the Air Staff, the Chief of the General Staff and the First Sea Lord, are fully engaged in defence planning.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any draft versions of the Defence Investment Plan have been approved by the (a) Chief of the Air Staff, (b) Chief of the General Staff or (c) First Sea Lord.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We are working flat out to complete the Defence Investment Plan and it will be published as soon as possible. As part of this process, senior military leaders, including the Chief of the Air Staff, the Chief of the General Staff and the First Sea Lord, are fully engaged in defence planning.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has received final proposals for the Defence Investment Plan from the (a) Chief of the Air Staff, (b) Chief of the General Staff and (c) First Sea Lord.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We are working flat out to complete the Defence Investment Plan and it will be published as soon as possible. As part of this process, senior military leaders, including the Chief of the Air Staff, the Chief of the General Staff and the First Sea Lord, are fully engaged in defence planning.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what has been the total cost of issuing operational tour bonuses in each of the ten previous financial years.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The following table shows the distinct number of Service personnel who received operational tour bonuses as paid under ‘operational allowance’ and ‘retro operational allowance’ in the last ten financial years.
Financial Year | Operational Allowance | Retro Operational Allowance | Grand Total |
2015-16 | 1,867 | 1,774 | 3,177 |
2016-17 | 2,381 | 2,268 | 4,071 |
2017-18 | 3,390 | 3,808 | 5,976 |
2018-19 | 3,820 | 4,209 | 6,690 |
2019-20 | 4,584 | 3,935 | 7,022 |
2020-21 | 2,490 | 3,920 | 5,333 |
2021-22 | 3,082 | 3,179 | 5,283 |
2022-23 | 1,873 | 1,467 | 3,014 |
2023-24 | 1,132 | 1,256 | 2,107 |
2024-25 | 1,401 | 1,552 | 2,524 |
2025 – 3 March 2026 | 2,944 | 1,018 | 3,593 |
Total | 23,384 | 22,116 | 35,294 |
Totals represent unique individuals and may therefore differ from the sum of individual allowance counts.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many individuals have received an operational tour bonus in each of the ten previous financial years.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The following table shows the distinct number of Service personnel who received operational tour bonuses as paid under ‘operational allowance’ and ‘retro operational allowance’ in the last ten financial years.
Financial Year | Operational Allowance | Retro Operational Allowance | Grand Total |
2015-16 | 1,867 | 1,774 | 3,177 |
2016-17 | 2,381 | 2,268 | 4,071 |
2017-18 | 3,390 | 3,808 | 5,976 |
2018-19 | 3,820 | 4,209 | 6,690 |
2019-20 | 4,584 | 3,935 | 7,022 |
2020-21 | 2,490 | 3,920 | 5,333 |
2021-22 | 3,082 | 3,179 | 5,283 |
2022-23 | 1,873 | 1,467 | 3,014 |
2023-24 | 1,132 | 1,256 | 2,107 |
2024-25 | 1,401 | 1,552 | 2,524 |
2025 – 3 March 2026 | 2,944 | 1,018 | 3,593 |
Total | 23,384 | 22,116 | 35,294 |
Totals represent unique individuals and may therefore differ from the sum of individual allowance counts.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate has he made of the total cost of issuing operational tour bonuses in each remaining financial year of the current Parliament.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Operational Allowance (OA) is a location‑driven allowance that recognises increased and enduring danger in Specified Operational Locations (SOLs). The number of Service Personnel in receipt of OA reflects the number of Service Personnel deployed to SOLs.
SOL status is kept under regular review and is considered by the Permanent Joint Headquarters’ (PJHQ) Operational Records Board on a six‑monthly basis. As operational activity varies according to Defence commitments, entitlement to OA fluctuates accordingly.
It is not possible to forecast how many individuals will receive OA in future financial years, nor the cost. Forecasting would require assumptions about the scale, location, and duration of future operational activity.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many individuals does he expect to receive an operational tour bonus in each remaining financial year of the current Parliament.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Operational Allowance (OA) is a location‑driven allowance that recognises increased and enduring danger in Specified Operational Locations (SOLs). The number of Service Personnel in receipt of OA reflects the number of Service Personnel deployed to SOLs.
SOL status is kept under regular review and is considered by the Permanent Joint Headquarters’ (PJHQ) Operational Records Board on a six‑monthly basis. As operational activity varies according to Defence commitments, entitlement to OA fluctuates accordingly.
It is not possible to forecast how many individuals will receive OA in future financial years, nor the cost. Forecasting would require assumptions about the scale, location, and duration of future operational activity.