Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on equipment for civil servants to work from home in each of the last three years.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Department embraces flexible working arrangements where appropriate.
In some cases the Department may provide additional equipment to support flexible working patterns, but to gather the costs of these across the Department would require disproportionate time.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 30 June 2025 on Nuclear Test Veteran records exercise and the Merlin database, HCWS748, which office the staff that are reviewing (a) the Merlin Database and (b) other archives are based in.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Teams from across the Ministry of Defence are involved in the Nuclear Test Veterans records exercise, and have reviewed so far over 43,000 files. The files in scope of the records exercise are primarily being reviewed by each of the Single Service Historic Branches and the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE). The release of the Merlin database to the National Archives is being led by the Defence Nuclear Organisation with AWE preparing the records for release.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the increases to employers’ National Insurance contributions on the defence industry.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Epping Forest (Dr Neil Hudson) to Question 38688 on 20 March 2025.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to increase to support for veterans entering civilian life in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Across the country, including within Lincolnshire, a wide range of support is currently available for Armed Forces personnel as they transition into civilian life. For support with employment, the Career Transition Partnership is the initial point of provision for those leaving military Service and Op ASCEND is the employment pathway for veterans. In England Op RESTORE and Op COURAGE provide physical and mental health specialist services. Housing support is available across the United Kingdom via Op FORTITUDE, a single referral pathway connecting veterans with support.
We recently announced VALOUR, a new commitment to establish the first-ever UK-wide approach to veteran support, which will ensure easier access to essential care and support for veterans across the country. A new regional approach, based on a network of VALOUR support centres and regional field officers, will help to ensure that services are designed to meet the needs of their local communities. Further details on VALOUR will be announced in due course and more information can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/valour-information-and-next-steps
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a list of the (a) titles, (b) file names and (c) dates of creation of each document held by the Atomic Weapons Establishment on the Merlin database.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Officials are working at pace to formally transfer the records on the Merlin database to The National Archives (TNA), whilst ensuring that sensitive information is protected in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 and national security requirements. Once transferred, the records will be listed and accessible on TNA’s website.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase the number of apprenticeship starts in his Department.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Armed Forces are the UK’s largest provider of apprenticeships, with over 23,000 personnel enrolled at any time and more than 95% of non-commissioned recruits offered trade-aligned apprenticeships. On average, 7.5% of personnel start an apprenticeship annually, with over 10% actively participating at any time.
In the 2024 Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list, all three Services ranked in the top five, contributing 16% of all placements. Apprenticeships range from Level 2 (GCSE) to Level 6 (degree), supporting career-long development and professional development.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) plays a key role in developing new apprenticeship standards through ‘Trailblazer’ groups and collaborates with industry to ensure qualifications are relevant both within Defence and beyond. The MOD also actively promotes apprenticeships through networks like the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network and the 5% Club.
The MOD has implemented several strategies to increase the number of apprenticeships starts among its civilian staff, offering a wide range of apprenticeship schemes ranging from GCSE to graduate level, across various professions and standards. Procurement has been brought in-house to collaborate with training providers. This partnership allows for a broader range of apprenticeship programmes in high-demand areas like Engineering, Digital, and Project Management. These schemes aim to attract individuals seeking to kickstart or advance their careers within the MOD.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Minister in his Department is responsible for providing formal instructions to the Government Legal Department on legal requests for medical records from nuclear veterans and their representatives.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
As I stated in my Answer on 12 December 2024 to Question 17507 https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-12-03/17507 I have asked Ministry of Defence officials to undertake a comprehensive exercise to better understand what information the Department holds in relation to the medical testing of Service personnel who took part in the UK nuclear weapons tests.
MOD officials instruct the Government Legal Department on behalf of MOD Ministers.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the criteria used by the Atomic Weapons Establishment to decide which documents are published from the Merlin database has changed.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The criteria to enable release of records held in the Merlin database has not changed. It remains this Government’s intention to release the records with the Atomic Weapons Establishment reviewing them in line with national security obligations, and the 2018 General Data Protection Regulations.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the findings of the internal review of records relating to nuclear test veterans; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Government is deeply grateful to all those who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme. We recognise their Service and the huge contribution they have made to the UK’s security.
I am fully committed to meeting Nuclear Test Veterans, organisations that represent them, and Parliamentarians to discuss the important issue of records. I held a meeting with a Nuclear Test Veteran organisation most recently on 31 March 2025, and I look forward to further engagement, including with Members of Parliament.
We understand the range of concerns from members of the Nuclear Test Veteran community and their families. The records exercise is a priority. While there is no ringfenced budget associated with this exercise, I have directed teams across the Ministry of Defence and Atomic Weapons Establishment to deliver the records exercise in a meaningful way so that I can then update Nuclear Test Veterans and this House about what information the Department holds in relation to the medical testing of Service personnel who took part in the UK nuclear weapons tests. Many officials from across the Department are involved in roles ranging from supporting the recall of files from various archives, to analysing the files. Collating information on the number of officials involved would be time consuming and detract from those officials delivering the records exercise itself.
At this stage, we cannot confirm when the records exercise will be complete. We are not currently certain how many files need to be reviewed, and the content of those files varies significantly over time and between the Services, which were under separate Ministries during the period of the nuclear tests.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timetable is for updating Parliament on plans to mediate a solution with nuclear test veterans on their missing medical records.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Government is deeply grateful to all those who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme. We recognise their Service and the huge contribution they have made to the UK’s security.
I am fully committed to meeting Nuclear Test Veterans, organisations that represent them, and Parliamentarians to discuss the important issue of records. I held a meeting with a Nuclear Test Veteran organisation most recently on 31 March 2025, and I look forward to further engagement, including with Members of Parliament.
We understand the range of concerns from members of the Nuclear Test Veteran community and their families. The records exercise is a priority. While there is no ringfenced budget associated with this exercise, I have directed teams across the Ministry of Defence and Atomic Weapons Establishment to deliver the records exercise in a meaningful way so that I can then update Nuclear Test Veterans and this House about what information the Department holds in relation to the medical testing of Service personnel who took part in the UK nuclear weapons tests. Many officials from across the Department are involved in roles ranging from supporting the recall of files from various archives, to analysing the files. Collating information on the number of officials involved would be time consuming and detract from those officials delivering the records exercise itself.
At this stage, we cannot confirm when the records exercise will be complete. We are not currently certain how many files need to be reviewed, and the content of those files varies significantly over time and between the Services, which were under separate Ministries during the period of the nuclear tests.