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 special severance payments in each of the last three years.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) reports Special Severance Payments in its Annual Report and Accounts in accordance with HM Treasury and FREM requirements. For core MOD, the audited figures published in the Annual Report and Accounts are as follows (rounded to the nearest £1,000):
2022–23: £556,000 (14 cases)
2023–24: £1,074,000 (13 cases)
2024–25: £3,418,000 (40 cases)
In addition, the UK Hydrographic Office has reported two Special Severance Payments in 2025, totalling £80,000. UKHO data is not included in the MOD Annual Report and Accounts as UKHO publishes its own accounts separately.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any civil servants hired by his Department were recruited over another person on the basis of a protected characteristic in each of the last three years.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence does not recruit candidates on the basis of protected characteristics. All appointments are made on merit, in line with the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. Compliance with these principles is overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission. Civil Service recruitment is governed by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, which requires that all appointments to the Civil Service are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.
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 many staff in his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As at 5 March 2026, 163 individuals are recorded as being employed on a visa by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) or its Arm’s Length Bodies.
MOD Civil Service jobs generally require candidates to be either UK nationals, Commonwealth citizens, or EEA nationals. Foreign nationals with valid visas, such as Skilled Worker Visas, are eligible to apply but must be able to provide evidence of their right to work.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it is his Department's policy that (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers use the disappearing messages function on Whatsapp on Government devices.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence follows HM Government policy published on gov.uk on the use of WhatsApp. This recognises that non-corporate communication channels such as WhatsApp may be used exceptionally provided due care is given for security and recordkeeping. ‘Disappearing message’ functions are permitted by the HMG policy on the condition that “any such use does not impact on your recordkeeping or transparency responsibilities”.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2026 to Question 106994 on Veterans: Radiation Exposure, whether research on the effects of radiation on British servicemen held by the Technical Cooperation Programme of the Ministry of Defence is held in (a) this country and (b) another country; and by what body it is held.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Further to the answer provided to Question 106994, and recognising the gravity of this issue, the Department has been working to identify teams and bodies who may have, or may have had, an interest in this work. This may include entities which are now arms-length bodies.
As may be expected, the historical nature of these events is making it more challenging to locate, access and search information held in a variety of archives, both electronic and paper. In particular, it is unclear if records and archives relating to particular programmes or events include any material specifically relating to British Service personnel.
Officials are developing a more substantive overview of the situation. This will be included in the letter which was promised to Emma Lewell MP in response to Question 106994, and which will be copied to the hon. Member.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has given security guarantees to the United States on the future of the military base on Chagos Islands since 2 February 2026.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 January 2026 to Question 107405 to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr Cartlidge). We welcome continued US support for a deal that secures the long-term, stable and effective operation of the base.
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 many full-time equivalent staff in his Department have been employed for the purpose of making social media content in each of the past three years.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Various Defence communications staff have responsibilities to create and post content to social media channels. However, this only forms one aspect of their role. Exact figures for staff with responsibility for social media could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
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 many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department are (a) on temporary contract and (b) consultants.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As at 30 November 2025, 1,020 civil servants are on fixed term contracts, amounting to two percent of Ministry of Defence civil servants. Consultants are not classed as civil servants.
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 widen his internal review of material relating to nuclear test veterans to include information from the Defence and Science Technology Laboratory.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This Government has reset the relationship with nuclear test veterans and the organisations that support them. We remain committed to listening to their concerns and working collaboratively to address them. The Ministry of Defence is looking at what information the Department holds regarding nuclear test veterans' medical records, and the scope of that exercise was set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 30 June 2025. There are no plans to alter that scope and we will update the House when we are in a position to share findings.
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 publish all document titles from the Merlin database that have been declassified by the Atomic Weapons Establishment.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
All document titles from the Merlin database that have been declassified will be published. Over 4,700 records from the Merlin database are currently listed and accessible on The National Archives (TNA) website. Records are being regularly transferred from AWE to TNA who will make them available at the earliest opportunity.
Guidance on accessing these records can be found at: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/records-of-veterans-of-nuclear-testing-the-contents-of-the-merlin-database/