Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the meetings and communications his Department has had with (a) ERCAS BV and (b) RUK Advance Systems Limited in each of the last three years.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I can confirm that the Ministry of Defece (MOD) hold no direct contracts with ERCAS BV or RUK Advance Systems Limited. A list of the meetings held with each company is not held centrally by MOD and the information could only be gathered at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghan nationals have been offered sanctuary under (a) the Afghan Relocations and Resettlement scheme, (b) ARAP and (c) ACRS; how many of those remain in Afghanistan; and what assessment he has made of the risks to those Afghans following the recent data breach.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Though in previous responses to Parliamentary Questions the Department have released internal ARAP data, as the Home Office now publish Afghanistan Resettlement Programme (ARP) data on behalf of the Government, the number of Afghan nationals who have been offered relocation and have resettled in the UK can be found in the Home Office statistics linked below. Information relating to the number of Afghans who remain in Afghanistan who have received an offer of relocation has been withheld as release would risk revealing the identity and the safety of those relocating. Furthermore, this release would be likely to damage UK interests abroad.
Link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
The UK made an ambitious and generous commitment to help at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 38,700 people to safety, including thousands of people eligible for our Afghan schemes.
Afghanistan Resettlement Schemes operational data is published quarterly with the last publication on the 21 August 2025.
The data published within the immigration system statistics release (year ending June 2025, published 21 August 2025) provides a breakdown of arrivals by quarter.
The number of individuals resettled under the schemes is as follows:
19,048 under ARAP. 10,160 individuals under ACRS Pathway 1, 1,406 individuals under ACRS Pathway 2 and 1,679 individuals under ACRS Pathway 3.
As recognised by the Rimmer Review, the human rights picture in Afghanistan was dire, prior to and regardless of the data loss incident.
However, while Afghanistan remains a dangerous place, the Rimmer Review does conclude that it is “highly unlikely” that merely being on the dataset would be grounds for targeting, and that it is unlikely that family members will be targeted simply because the principal appears in the dataset. It also concludes that the dataset is unlikely to substantially change an individual’s existing exposure given the volume of data already available to the Taleban and the fact that links to the former Government are widely known.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to increase the accessibility of specialist housing-with-care to older people.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 61360 on 30 June 2025, UIN 61666 on 30 June 2025, UIN 59953 on 23 June 2025, and UIN 40972 on 1 April 2025.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when members of the NHS Pensions Scheme will receive McCloud remedies.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the importance of providing NHS Pension Scheme members certainty about when they will receive their McCloud Remediable Service Statements.
An independent review of the NHS Business Service Authority’s (NHSBSA) revised plans for the delivery of the McCloud remedy for NHS Pension Scheme members is underway. This will provide an additional level of scrutiny and assurance of the NHSBSA’s delivery plan and the timetable for the remaining statements.
I expect to be able to update the House on the review’s progress and the remedy delivery timetable before Christmas recess.
In the meantime, the NHSBSA continues to provide Remediable Service Statements to affected members, prioritising those who may be experiencing immediate financial hardship due to the discrimination highlighted by the McCloud judgment. Additionally, members who meet specific criteria can request to receive a prioritised Remediable Service Statement. Further information is available at the following link:
https://faq.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/knowledgebase/article/KA-29429/en-us
The Government is committed to ensuring that affected members are not subject to financial disadvantage due to these delays. Pension arrears arising from the McCloud remedy are paid with 8% interest, and a compensation scheme is available for members who have experienced other direct financial losses.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 80538 on Teachers: Workplace Pensions, whether Teachers' Pensions plan to inform retired teachers of the timeline for receipt of rollback statements.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Recalculating benefits for retired members is a complex process, requiring adjustments for tax, interest, and system functionality once a member has received their Remediable Service Statement (RSS) and responded with their remedy period choice.
Although the administrator resumed issuing Remediable Service Statements earlier this year, not all cases could be completed within the original timeframe. The administrator will keep affected members informed of revised timelines through established channels, including ‘My Pension Online’ and the Teachers’ Pensions website. The latest update is available here: https://www.teacherspensions.co.uk/news/public-news/2025/07/remediable-service-statement-rss-choices-payments.aspx. As responsibility for this work transitions to the new administrator of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme in summer 2026, the department is working with Tata Consultancy Services to finalise the timeline for issuing all RSSs. Once the timeline is confirmed, it will be communicated to relevant members.
The department continues to monitor progress and is working closely with the scheme administrator to streamline processes and introduce automation where possible. Any pension adjustments arising from members’ choices will be backdated with interest to ensure members are not financially disadvantaged.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the response of 21 October 2025 to Question 81717, what the level of funding per service user was for (a) Defence Transition Services, (b) Personal Recovery Units and (c) the Veterans Welfare Service in each year since 2023.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold this information. Each case is unique, and the MOD spends as necessary to support each individual.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to (a) scrap, (b) sell or (c) donate to Ukraine the MQ-9 Reaper when it leaves service.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 April 2025 to Question 44918.
There are no plans to sell or donate any MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Air Systems to Ukraine.
Disposal will be managed in accordance with our Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contractual obligations.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2025 to Question 44918 on Unmanned Air Systems, whether he plans to donate any of those drones to Ukraine, in the context of changes to US export control policies.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 April 2025 to Question 44918.
There are no plans to donate any MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Air Systems to Ukraine.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timeline is for the integration of the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon on the Joint Strike Fighter.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Future Cruise Anti-Ship Weapon programme is designed to be integrated on Typhoon and Rafale aircraft, as well as future platforms including the Global Combat Air Programme. Fit checks on F35 have been successfully conducted to test if FC/ASW can be integrated if required. All decisions on capabilities will be in the Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 38649 on Unmanned Air Systems: Procurement, whether the MQ-9 Reaper is currently in service.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
No, the MQ-9 Reaper has retired from service and is replaced by the MQ-9B Protector remotely piloted aircraft.