Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of reducing Level 7 apprenticeship funding on the delivery of the (a) NHS Long Term Workforce Plan and (b) Fit for the Future 10 Year Health Plan.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

While funding arrangements for level 7 apprenticeships are changing, NHS England and the Department are funding ongoing provision of level 7 apprenticeships in five professions to support the delivery of our 10-Year Health Plan and the upcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan and ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of war stocks held by the British Army to replace damaged or destroyed equipment in a high-intensity conflict.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Army has undertaken a broad assessment of the capabilities and enablers required for a UK Strategic Reserve Corps (SRC), inclusive of a division, to operate as a credible war‑fighting formation. This assessment is aligned with Defence planning assumptions and NATO standards and is kept under regular review.

The assessment also recognises the importance of the entire system to enable divisional operations at scale and tempo, as well as sufficient stocks of munitions, spares, and fuel. These requirements are considered alongside the need for integration with allies, interoperability, and the ability to operate in contested and degraded environments.

For reasons of operational security, the Department does not release detailed assessments of specific stock levels.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the equipment that would be required to enable a UK Army division to operate as a war-fighting formation.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Army has undertaken a broad assessment of the capabilities and enablers required for a UK Strategic Reserve Corps (SRC), inclusive of a division, to operate as a credible war‑fighting formation. This assessment is aligned with Defence planning assumptions and NATO standards and is kept under regular review.

The assessment also recognises the importance of the entire system to enable divisional operations at scale and tempo, as well as sufficient stocks of munitions, spares, and fuel. These requirements are considered alongside the need for integration with allies, interoperability, and the ability to operate in contested and degraded environments.

For reasons of operational security, the Department does not release detailed assessments of specific stock levels.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of cancelling the Ajax programme on planned British Army equipment numbers.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As advised within my Written Ministerial Statement dated 22 January 2026, the future of the Ajax platform is being considered as part of the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan (DIP). The DIP will set out investment priorities across Defence, to ensure we can deliver the capabilities required to meet the threats we face today and in the future.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for this policies of the absence of a mechanised infantry combat vehicle in British Army equipment plans.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Boxer is set to become the new British Mechanised Infantry Vehicle, an eight-by-eight-wheeled, all-terrain, armoured transport vehicle, designed for rapid deployment, high mobility, and modularity.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the levels of demand among allied navies for specialised anti-submarine warfare frigates.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Government continues to review trends in allied demand for specialised anti‑submarine warfare capabilities as part of its assessment of the evolving and growing undersea threat.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the total value of recent UK warship exports, including those of the Type 26 and Type 31 frigate programmes.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK continues to support defence exports through the provision of design expertise, government‑to‑government engagement, and industrial collaboration. Recent successes include an agreement worth £10 billion to supply Norway with Type 26 frigates, and the selection of the Type 26 design by the navies of both Canada and Australia. The Arrowhead 140 design, upon which the Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigate is based, has also been exported to Poland and Indonesia. These programmes demonstrate the competitiveness of UK naval design and contribute to sustaining the nation’s maritime industrial base.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the capacity of the UK shipbuilding industry to sustain the production of complex warships.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK has a strong sovereign shipbuilding industry with a long history of delivering complex vessels for the Royal Navy. This expertise is also recognised by our allies and partners, including the £10 billion strategic partnership deal to export the Type 26 Frigate class to Norway that will be built by BAES on the Clyde. In Rosyth, Babcock Marine recently achieved the simultaneous steel cutting and rolling out of two Type 31 Frigates, highlighting the growing capacity to deliver concurrent builds. The work to recapitalise Harland and Wolff by Navantia is on track to return major naval vessel builds to Belfast.

The Type 26, Type 31 and Fleet Solid Support programmes, coupled with export success, have driven investment in the capacity and capability of our UK shipyards with new infrastructure, panel line technology and the development of our future skilled workforce. This capacity extends to our wider supply chain and to companies like APCL Group and our small and medium shipyards which play a vital role in delivering the Navy’s current and future ambitions. The £20 million Government investment to support the restoration of Inchgreen dry dock on the Clyde also secures additional strategic capacity.

The Shipbuilding and Maritime Technology Action Plan will set out further detail on our future ambitions for the sector and the actions we will take to ensure we sustain and grow capacity, capability and resilience in our UK shipbuilding sector and our wider sovereign supply chain.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of adapting Type 31 frigates for enhanced air defence or strike roles to support carrier operations.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Type 31 frigate has been designed as a capable, flexible and affordable general-purpose platform that will undertake a wide range of global tasks. The Department routinely assesses the potential merits of adapting Royal Navy (RN) platforms, including Type 31, to respond to evolving operational requirements.

As with all RN platforms, options for incremental upgrades are kept under regular review. For security and operational reasons, the Ministry of Defence does not comment on detailed capability development plans in the public domain.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department takes to help ensure that overseas‑owned original equipment manufacturers keep work in the UK supply chain in the event of delays or pauses to defence programmes.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Defence Industrial Strategy sets out the commitment to make the UK a defence industrial leader by 2035, ensuring the UK becomes Europe’s leading defence exporter and the most attractive country in the world to grow a defence business. By reducing regulatory barriers, supporting our small and medium sized enterprises together with the work of our Defence Supply Chain Capability Programme, we are fostering closer collaboration between the Ministry of Defence and industry, helping shape the market, and embedding resilience by design into our supply chains.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many large-scale brigade-level live exercises have been conducted by the armed forces in the previous five years; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of those exercises on operational readiness.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

Over the past five years, the British Army, Royal Marine Commandos, and Royal Air Force have participated in 12 large-scale brigade-level live exercises, alongside multiple multinational training operations.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve the medical capacity of the armed forces.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Strategic Defence Review recognises rebuilding medical capacity and capability within Defence is critical to ensure our Armed Forces remain fighting fit in peacetime and are prepared to meet operational demands when at war.

Defence Medical Services (DMS) is working with the NHS to understand and improve system-wide capacity and capability. This work has included a series of exercises to explore the UK’s ability to deal with casualties across a range of scenarios up to and including warfighting. The DMS and NHS are also engaged in work to restore deployability for service personnel. The Department ensures military medics maintain the skills they require to support military operations across the globe with over 1000 military Doctors, Nurses and Allied Health Professionals based in 56 NHS trusts across the UK.

Further, working with allies, through the NATO Medical Action Plan, the Department is focused on addressing priority challenges in workforce; mass casualty planning; patient evacuation; and medical logistics to improve the medical capacity of the Armed Forces.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the retention payment introduced by the armed forces to private soldiers and lance corporals in 2025 on recruitment and retention of personnel.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Army forecasts the impact to be in the region of 290 retentions to date. While there is no way to isolate the impact of this specific initiative from wider retention efforts, in seeking approval for this initiative, an assessment was made that c300 service personnel would be retained per year with an indicative saving over the cost of replacement. Therefore, the overall assessment is that Army Retention Payment is performing as anticipated.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure sufficient artillery ammunition stockpiles for sustained operations in a peer-on-peer conflict.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The hon. Member will know UK stocks have been reduced from gifting to Ukraine since Putin’s full-scale invasion. The Strategic Defence Review sets out the plan to recover stockpiles - munition stockpile levels are actively reviewed to ensure current holdings are balanced against threats, availability, industrial capacity and evolving technology. The announcement of six new energetics and munitions factories are part of this effort. It would not be appropriate to comment on specific stockpile levels, as this information is operationally sensitive.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to eligibility to funding for Level 7 apprenticeships from 1 January 2026 on raising the status and attractiveness of technical and vocational pathways relative to academic options.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity. Since January 2026, the government no longer funds level 7 apprenticeships, equivalent to master’s degree level, except for young apprentices under the age of 22, and those under 25 who are care leavers or have an Education, Health and Care Plan. This will enable apprenticeships opportunities to be rebalanced towards young people and create more opportunities for those entering the labour market, who need skills and training to get on in their careers.

The government is encouraging more employers to invest in upskilling their staff aged over 22 to level 7 where it delivers a benefit to the business and the individual. It will be for employers to determine the most appropriate training. The department has published guidance on privately funded apprenticeships, which will enable employers to privately fund level 7 apprenticeships for staff aged over 22: Privately funded apprenticeships: rules and guidance - GOV.UK. There are also alternative training options available to employers at level 7 including non-apprenticeship routes.

This government wants to make sure that apprenticeships offer a strong and valued alternative route to university for young people, and we are committed to supporting 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships. To help achieve this we are fully funding SME apprenticeships for eligible 16–24-year-olds from August as well as introducing a £2000 incentive payment for SMEs that take on, as new employees, apprentices aged under 25 from October this year and launching a pilot to better connect young people to local apprenticeship opportunities. In addition, our Apprenticeship Ambassador Network of around 2,500 employer and apprentice volunteers promotes apprenticeships to students in schools and colleges.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that original equipment manufacturers pay their supply‑chain suppliers within 30 days; what reporting and transparency requirements apply to foreign prime contractors in respect of their payment practices; and what guidance his Department issues to original equipment manufacturers that seek to delay payments to suppliers in order to manage cash flow for overseas parent companies.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence conducts regular spot checks on all contracts in scope of PPN 021: Payment Spot Checks in Public Sub-Contracts to ensure compliance with the 30-day payment term across the supply chain. The results of these checks are published online, and appropriate action would be taken against suppliers failing to meet the payment requirements of the Procurement Act 2023.

All suppliers and their subcontractors are encouraged, through tender documentation, to commit to good payment practices by registering with the Fair Payment Code. This demonstrates their commitment to timely and fair payment practices.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of serving British soldiers are classified as medically fit for immediate deployment; and how this compares to NATO readiness benchmarks.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The vast majority of our Service Personnel - around 90% - are deployable at any point, with most of the remaining members of our Armed Forces employed in wider military roles.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the timetable expected for a full safety report into Ajax family vehicles.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As the hon. Member will be aware, investigations into Ajax remain ongoing, and time must be given to ensure all information and evidence is considered. I will continue to keep the house informed of developments, as I have done since the issue arose n Exercise Titan Storm.

I released a written Ministerial Statement in the House on 22 January 2026 in which I provided an update to Parliament on the British Army’s Armoured Cavalry Programme (commonly known as Ajax) and the findings of the Ministerial review which has now concluded. It would not be appropriate to release any further specific details than those contained in my previous statement.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether contractual mechanisms exist to recover costs if Ajax is cancelled; and what is the estimated financial exposure to the MoD.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Investigations into Ajax remain ongoing, but the Ajax contract does contain mechanisms to ensure General Dynamics rectify any failure to meet requirements or obligations, as well as provisions for terminating the contract if there is a material breach of their obligations. This would allow the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to recover costs. The value of the Ajax contract is already published. It would undermine the MOD's position by exposing its view on the level of costs it feels would be claimed in the event of a termination event of this nature.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what investigations are underway into the safety case for Ajax and the decision-making process that led to Initial Operating Capability being signed off.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As the hon. Member will be aware, investigations into Ajax remain ongoing, and time must be given to ensure all information and evidence is considered. I will continue to keep the house informed of developments, as I have done since the issue arose n Exercise Titan Storm.

I released a written Ministerial Statement in the House on 22 January 2026 in which I provided an update to Parliament on the British Army’s Armoured Cavalry Programme (commonly known as Ajax) and the findings of the Ministerial review which has now concluded. It would not be appropriate to release any further specific details than those contained in my previous statement.

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 difference in time horizons between venture capital of three to four years, and defence procurement cycles that exceed a decade, on private investment in the domestic defence sector.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Venture capital is only a sub-section of the capital available to support defence and our transition to warfighting readiness; venture capital is most suited to innovative, high-growth potential companies, not the large defence programmes with the longest timelines and procurement cycles.

Through Procurement Segmentation, as announced in the Strategic Defence Review and the Defence Industrial Strategy, we are establishing a ‘rapid commercial exploitation’ segment and distinct acquisition pathways which will enable a time-to-contract of three-months for innovative technologies, more closely aligning the timelines between investors and defence.

This will drive the investability and bankability of the defence sector, in parallel to the support offered by the newly established UK Defence Innovation and wider public financial institutions (for example, the British Business Bank).

The Defence Finance and Investment Strategy, to be published in Spring, will provide a comprehensive view of the measures to increase the available capital to improve warfighting readiness while also driving growth.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has examined options for cooperation with France on the M51.4 submarine‑launched missile.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK and France work closely together on a range of nuclear research and technology matters, including as part of the 2010 Teutates Treaty. Our deepening co-operation under the 2025 Northwood Declaration includes nuclear policy, capabilities and operations.

The UK will continue to rely on its Trident II D5 submarine launched ballistic missiles, which we procure from the United States, significantly reducing the cost of our nuclear deterrent capability. The Trident missile system remains the most reliable weapons system in the world and the government has absolute confidence that the UK’s deterrent remains effective, dependable, and formidable.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the cumulative impact of delays to Challenger 3, Boxer, RCH155 and the Protected Mobility fleet on the British Army’s war‑fighting ability.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The ability to conduct high-end warfighting remains the core of the British Army, including being able to deploy a lethal warfighting Division that is fit for the modern battlefield.

The Department conducts an annual Capability Audit to assess our ability to meet Defence commitments and policy objectives. This process considers the impact of any changes or delays across all major programmes.

While detailed assessments cannot be shared for operational security reasons, we continue to monitor these programmes closely and manage any associated risks.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of converting Type 31 frigates into air‑defence or land‑attack variants through installation of Mk41 Vertical Launch Systems.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Type 31 frigate has been designed with flexibility and adaptability in mind, including provision within its baseline design to accommodate a range of future capability enhancements as required.

As part of routine capability planning, the Ministry of Defence keeps potential upgrades to all Royal Navy platforms under regular review.

Deployment of nuclear power

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Clive Efford (Chair); Luke Akehurst; Alex Ballinger; Pam Cox; Mr

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Clive Efford (Chair); Luke Akehurst; Al Carns; Mr Paul Foster; Mike

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Clive Efford (Chair); Luke Akehurst; Alex Ballinger; Juliet Campbell