Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve cadet provision in rural areas.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 September 2025 to Question 76173 to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Dr Al Pinkerton).
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to protect the mental wellbeing of soldiers and ex-servicemen.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The mental health and wellbeing of our Armed Forces and Veterans is a priority for the Government. All Service personnel have access to mental health support throughout their career, including medical and non-medical services. This includes, but is not limited to, preventative support such as wellbeing services, digital content, access to trained mental health first aiders, interventional support, and appointments with clinical staff.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) encourages and enables all personnel to take their mental fitness as seriously as their physical fitness. The Defence Annual Mental Fitness Brief is a mandatory training product provided to Serving personnel, which not only prompts individuals to continually consider their mental health but also advises how to increase resilience and protect mental wellbeing. For those requiring dedicated mental healthcare, the Defence Medical Services provides a responsive, flexible, accessible, and comprehensive treatment service.
Additional training is provided at single Service level and particular processes are in place for when increased support may be required, such as around deployment. Over and above the existing welfare support system of dedicated personnel, Defence offers additional options such as a dedicated 24-hour support line and access to tools such as HeadFIT and HeadSpace so that there is choice available for engagement within or outside the chain of command.
Former Service personnel can access free one-to-one welfare support provided by the MOD’s Veterans Welfare Service, and specific mental health support from NHS England’s Op COURAGE. Op COURAGE offers a fully integrated service with increased support for those needing help with alcohol or substance use and better links to mainstream mental health services to increase the range of support available. Importantly, unlike many other services, Op COURAGE accepts self-referral, empowering patients to take control of their care needs.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps are being taken to improve housing provision for ex servicemen personnel.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This is a Government that will always stand up for those who serve our country.
This Government is fully committed to ensuring that all veterans across the UK have access to the support they need on housing. That is why we have committed an additional £12 million to ensure the continuation of the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme.
Op FORTITUDE will also be extended, putting the service that has already supported over 1,000 veterans on a sustainable footing. These programmes will deliver three years of support services across the UK for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
The Defence Housing Strategy will turbocharge the development of surplus military land with Service families and veterans to receive priority access to homes on Ministry of Defence development land as part of new 'Forces First' approach.
I, and my predecessor also attend the Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping which brings together ministers from across Government to drive progress on the development of a cross-Government strategy to get back on track to ending homelessness. This group is designed to ensure we are working across Government, and in partnership with Local Authorities and Mayors, to tackle the root causes of homelessness.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to increase levels of funding for veteran support centres in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
VALOUR is a new national programme designed to make it easier for veterans across the UK to access the care and support they deserve. Led by the Office for Veterans' Affairs (OVA) within the Ministry of Defence, it aims to improve how services are coordinated at national, regional and local levels, ensuring veterans get the right support, in the right place, at the right time.
A network of VALOUR recognised centres across the UK will facilitate access to multiple services for veterans in one place. £27 million in development funding for VALOUR recognised centres has been made available, with funds being issued on behalf of the OVA through the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust. I encourage organisations in Northern Ireland to apply to for this funding.
Veteran support organisations in Northern Ireland already benefit from other Government funding streams. Beyond the Battlefield has received £325,000 through the Veterans Capital Housing Fund and Reducing Veteran Homelessness Programme to support its wraparound care service and facilitate the provision of a 24/7 support network. The Northern Ireland Thrive Together Programme, meanwhile, which is led by Brooke House Health and Wellbeing Centre, has received a grant of £765,000 to support its Veterans' Pathway Project and the establishment of six locality-based hubs.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the recent announcement by the United States to provide Ukraine with more military equipment through NATO, what plans he has provide additional military equipment to Ukraine.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK is ramping up military support to Ukraine to bolster Ukraine’s defences through the depths of winter. The UK have entered a tech sharing agreement with Ukraine which will facilitate the mass production of thousands of advanced air defence interceptor drones per month under Project OCTOPUS.
We have also announced that 140 additional lightweight-multirole missiles (LMM) manufactured by Thales Northern Ireland will be delivered and that over 85,000 drones had been delivered to Ukraine in the past six months. In the eight months since taking joint leadership of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, we have successfully raised pledges of over £50 billion in military help for Ukraine.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he his taking to encourage more women to become commandos.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy (RN) is actively working to encourage more women to pursue careers as Commandos. Female Royal Marine/Commando candidates benefit from tailored support, including mentorship from women who have been through the Commando process. Those in the recruitment pipeline are also invited to attend female-specific briefings and webinars.
In addition, the RN offers Commando Force opportunities to women in non-Commando roles, helping to prepare them for future Commando training should they choose to pursue it. As a further demonstration of our commitment to supporting female Commandos, Victoria Pendleton has been appointed as an Honorary Colonel in the Royal Marines.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cyber attacks there have been on the UK in the last 12 months.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
As the hon. Member's question asks about cyber attacks across the UK the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is the appropriate authority with the remit for Cyber defence of the wider nation, and a response best coordinated through the Cabinet Office. The NCSC public sites expand on their mission: What we do at the NCSC - NCSC.GOV.UK
The Ministry of Defence cannot offer a view outside of our purview, and we will only report cyber events involving our systems, the details around that will be treated with varying levels of sensitivity to protect our overall security posture.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help improve the protection of cargo ships in the Red Sea from Houthi missile and drone attacks.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK Government strongly condemns the illegal and abhorrent attacks by the Houthis on merchant vessels; we are clear the Houthis must end their aggression immediately.
The Department for Transport, supported by the Royal Navy's UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organisation, continue to provide UK-flagged shipping with advice on the risk posed by the Houthis to merchant vessels.
We continue to seek to work with regional partners on a long-term strategy to contain the Houthi threat and are committed to a future Yemen Peace Process.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support people who served in Operation Banner.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
We owe the people who served on Operation Banner a huge debt of gratitude. Their professionalism and in many cases personal sacrifices saved many lives and helped to bring about peace in Northern Ireland. I will continue to champion their cause as we deal with Northern Ireland’s legacy. We are working hard to ensure that veterans’ interests are fully considered in any future legislation on this matter.
I am acutely aware of the impact that military service can have on veterans and their families. Where a veteran (or serving member of the Armed Forces) faces allegations arising from activities related to their duties, they are offered appropriate legal support at public expense.
The Veterans Welfare Service (VWS), run by the Ministry of Defence, provides free one-to-one support for veterans or anyone supporting a veteran, and their families, with a national network of welfare managers across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
More broadly, in England, Op COURAGE provides support with mental health and wellbeing for veterans, and Op RESTORE is the veterans’ physical health and wellbeing service, with similar services available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Housing support is available across the United Kingdom via Op FORTITUDE, a single referral pathway connecting veterans with support
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what additional security his Department plans to provide to UK army bases.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As per my statement on Monday 23 June 2025, a full security review is being conducted across the defence estate. Further plans will be announced in due course after the completion of the review.
Whilst the Army will undertake some specific measures to provide additional security for its infrastructure as part of this wider work, these cannot be disclosed for reasons of operational security.