Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much was the purchase of the Finnart Oil Terminal.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Due to commercial sensitivities, we are unable to disclose the purchase price.
This acquisition forms part of the Clyde Transformation Programme, which will invest £15.1 billion over ten years to directly improve Royal Navy readiness. The Finnart Oil Terminal will strengthen defence fuel holdings and operational resilience, while also reinforcing the Government’s commitment to defence’s role as an engine for growth in the West of Scotland.
More broadly, the Government is investing £26 billion through Project Royal Oak over the next decade. This represents the biggest naval base upgrade for over 45 years.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the proposed out-of-service date for (a) HMS Ledbury (b) HMS Cattistock (c) HMS Brocklesby (d) HMS Middleton (e) HMS Hurworth.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy is gradually phasing out its traditionally crewed and complex mine countermeasure vessels, as modern, autonomous systems are delivered. The last Hunt Class ship is due to leave service in 2031.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, following the retirement of the batch 1 River Class vessels, how does his department intend to conduct at sea training.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy constantly reviews out-of-service dates to achieve maximum availability of its platforms for operational tasking. For operational security reasons, the Royal Navy does not release the out-of-service dates of individual platforms. The Class out-of-service date for OPV Batch 1 is 2028.
Following the Defence Investment Plan, which allocates £200 million to Offshore Patrol Vessels, future OPV deployment plans will be reviewed to ensure they remain aligned with Defence priorities.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what vessels take on the roles currently filled by (a) HMS Tyne (b) HMS Mersey (c) HMS Severn.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy constantly reviews out-of-service dates to achieve maximum availability of its platforms for operational tasking. For operational security reasons, the Royal Navy does not release the out-of-service dates of individual platforms. The Class out-of-service date for OPV Batch 1 is 2028.
Following the Defence Investment Plan, which allocates £200 million to Offshore Patrol Vessels, future OPV deployment plans will be reviewed to ensure they remain aligned with Defence priorities.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the proposed out-of-service date for (a) HMS Tyne (b) HMS Mersey (c) HMS Severn.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy constantly reviews out-of-service dates to achieve maximum availability of its platforms for operational tasking. For operational security reasons, the Royal Navy does not release the out-of-service dates of individual platforms. The Class out-of-service date for OPV Batch 1 is 2028.
Following the Defence Investment Plan, which allocates £200 million to Offshore Patrol Vessels, future OPV deployment plans will be reviewed to ensure they remain aligned with Defence priorities.
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, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for children and young people referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in the Lewes constituency.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Government recognises that, for children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties, timely access to high-quality support is essential.
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to improve mental health services across the country, including for children and young people in the Lewes constituency. More widely, as prioritised in our Medium-Term Planning Framework, we are taking action to reduce the longest waits for specialist mental health support, tackle regional disparities, expand access and improve productivity across services.
Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning children and young people's mental health services for their local populations, including in the Lewes constituency, and for ensuring services meet local needs.
We are also improving community mental health support by accelerating the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to achieve full national coverage by 2029, alongside continued investment in Early Support Hubs to help more children and young people access support before they reach crisis point.
In addition, the Government is developing a new Mental Health Strategy for England, which will set out our plans to improve access to services and support better mental health outcomes.
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, what is the average wait time for an ADHD assessment in the Lewes constituency.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
Data for the number of open referrals that may be for an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder assessment is published nationally and disaggregated by integrated care board (ICB) and covers how long referrals have been open across several time periods, although it does not include an average wait time.
For the figures for the NHS Surrey and Sussex ICB please see the latest ADHD Management Information publication at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mi-adhd/may-2026
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the planned expenditure on (a) conventional equipment and (b) nuclear equipment in each year from FY26/27 to FY29/30 inclusive.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Investment Plan is backed by £298 billion of investment over the next four years and sets out over £180 billion of investment in the integrated force across nine domains, including £64 billion in the Defence Nuclear Enterprise.
Individual annual settlements across the nine integrated force domains will be subject to planning cycles. This will include equipment and other related spend such as infrastructure.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, per year how many days does an average (a) batch 1 River class (b) batch 2 River class (c) Type 23 frigate (d) Type 45 Destroyer spend at sea.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence provides the House of Commons Defence Committee (HCDC) with Royal Navy Surface Fleet readiness days broken down by vessel output category on a six-monthly basis. This was last shared with the HCDC on 18 May 2026 and is readily available at the following link:
https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/53357/documents/298463/default
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Digital Targeting Web is fully interoperable with NATO allies to allow the exchange of sensor and targeting data.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review and Defence Investment Plan set out our commitment to develop the Digital Targeting Web, which will connect sensors, decision-makers and effectors across the Integrated Force.
Interoperability with NATO Allies is a core design requirement of the Digital Targeting Web. The programme is being developed in alignment with NATO standards, enabling the secure exchange of sensor, targeting and command-and-control information across Allied Forces.
The Digital Targeting Web will support shared situational awareness, faster decision-making and coordinated targeting across multinational operations, strengthening NATO’s ability to deter and defend against potential adversaries.
The Department is embedding interoperability throughout the development of the Digital Targeting Web rather than treating it as a requirement to be achieved at a single future date.