Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the previous ownership status was of each of the E-7 Wedgetail aircraft.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The three airframes were previously on the United States civil aircraft register. They were registered to Boeing.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2025 to Question 49322 on Boeing E-7, what further test flights are planned for the first E-7 Wedgetail aircraft before it enters its test and evaluation phase.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Wedgetail programme has already entered the flight test programme and has completed three flights. There is a comprehensive ground and flight test programme in 2025 prior to the aircraft being handed over to the Royal Air Force, the exact number of which depends upon the success of each flight.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2025 to Question 49325 on Boeing E-7, what challenges his Department has encountered in the (a) modification and (b) integration processes for the second and third E-7 Wedgetail aircraft.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The second and third E-7 Wedgetail aircraft continue their modification process at STS Aviation, Birmingham airport. The build is progressing well with lessons learned from aircraft one having been adopted.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department provided for the First Sea Lord's Sea Power Conference 2024.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Funding for the First Sea Lord’s Sea Power Conference 2024 was £38,000.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 48367, what his Department's timeline is for implementing that robust mechanism review process; what steps his Department is taking to implement it; and which bodies will oversee its implementation.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Once the treaty is signed it will be put before both Houses for scrutiny before ratification in the usual way.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much was spent on the First Sea Lord's Sea Power Conference 2025.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Royal Navy allocated £38,000 of funding for the First Sea Lord's Sea Power Conference 2025. This money has not been spent and will be utilised when the conference is re-scheduled.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) Gerry Adams and (b) others interned without trial in the 1970s do not receive compensation following the proposed repeal of sections 46 and 47 of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

This is an issue that the previous Government failed to adequately address following the 2020 Supreme Court judgment in Adams.

Its belated attempt to do so via an amendment to the Legacy Act has been found by the Northern Ireland courts to be unlawful.

The Government is carefully exploring how to lawfully address this complex issue alongside our clear commitment to implement legacy mechanisms that are fully compliant with human rights.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost is of the L129A1 Sharpshooter Rifle programme for the Royal Marines; and whether additional costs have been incurred due to the adoption of the 6.5mm Creedmoor calibre.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The L129A1 is provided to the Royal Marines from the Army, via Defence Equipment and Support, as part of the Lead Command Model. The total cost to Defence was £1.5 million. Additional costs have been incurred for Creedmoor as the transition to this calibre has not commenced yet.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what budget has been allocated to Project Eve; what the (a) current and (b) anticipated future spend are for that project; and what steps he is taking to ensure interoperability with the (i) Army’s and (ii) Royal Navy’s communications systems.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As part of the Commando Force (CF) Programme, £99.78 million has been spent on spiral development and fielding of the EVE digital backbone capability. A further £56 million budget for EVE is approved as future spend, to enable interoperable development and scaling to Littoral Strike Group level by December 2030.

EVE, developed by the Royal Navy, has been a pathfinder in Defence digital innovation. EVE has been fielded by the Army’s Very High Readiness forces, as part of the Land Environment Tactical Communications and Information Systems programme. EVE is an integral part of the wider Royal Navy Strike Network design.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost is of the Crye Precision uniform programme; and whether a replacement combat uniform programme is planned.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Royal Navy have spent £15.803 million to date regarding the total procurement of Crye Precision uniforms. A future uniform programme is in development.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the total cost of the Royal Marines’ Knights Armament Stoner 1 (KS-1) rifle programme, including (a) optical and thermal sights and suppressors and (b) all associated equipment; and how much of this budget has been spent to date.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Knight Stoner KS-1 has been procured by Royal Navy as part of the Future Commando Force Transformation. The total cost of this rifle to the Programme is £30.422 million, of which, £22.887 million has been spent to date.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the findings of the investigation into unauthorised social media use by a British Army regiment will be made publicly available.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Army has investigated a number of social media posts which were published in error and without correct authorisation. Those posts have been removed and updated guidance has been issued to Regimental HQs on the appropriate use of regimental websites and social media pages. This work has been conducted as part of Army routine business, with no additional costs incurred.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of the investigation into unauthorised social media use by a British Army regiment.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Army has investigated a number of social media posts which were published in error and without correct authorisation. Those posts have been removed and updated guidance has been issued to Regimental HQs on the appropriate use of regimental websites and social media pages. This work has been conducted as part of Army routine business, with no additional costs incurred.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timeline is for concluding the investigation into unauthorised social media use by a British Army regiment; and whether he plans to make a Statement to Parliament on the findings of the investigation.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Army has investigated a number of social media posts which were published in error and without correct authorisation. Those posts have been removed and updated guidance has been issued to Regimental HQs on the appropriate use of regimental websites and social media pages. This work has been conducted as part of Army routine business, with no additional costs incurred.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the terms of reference are for the investigation into unauthorised social media posts by a British Army regiment.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Army has investigated a number of social media posts which were published in error and without correct authorisation. Those posts have been removed and updated guidance has been issued to Regimental HQs on the appropriate use of regimental websites and social media pages. This work has been conducted as part of Army routine business, with no additional costs incurred.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who is leading the investigation into unauthorised social media use by a British Army regiment.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Army has investigated a number of social media posts which were published in error and without correct authorisation. Those posts have been removed and updated guidance has been issued to Regimental HQs on the appropriate use of regimental websites and social media pages. This work has been conducted as part of Army routine business, with no additional costs incurred.

Mauritius Treaty

Found: _NC5 Sir Iain Duncan Smith Mr Mark Francois Wendy Morton Greg Smith Carolyn Harris Dame Harriett

Found: _NC5 Sir Iain Duncan Smith Mr Mark Francois Wendy Morton Greg Smith Carolyn Harris Dame Harriett

Found: _NC5 Sir Iain Duncan Smith Mr Mark Francois Wendy Morton Greg Smith Carolyn Harris Dame Harriett

Found: _NC5 Sir Iain Duncan Smith Mr Mark Francois Wendy Morton Greg Smith Carolyn Harris Dame Harriett

Found: _NC5 Sir Iain Duncan Smith Mr Mark Francois Wendy Morton Greg Smith Carolyn Harris Dame Harriett

Found: _NC5 Sir Iain Duncan Smith Mr Mark Francois Wendy Morton Greg Smith Carolyn Harris Dame Harriett

Found: _NC5 Sir Iain Duncan Smith Mr Mark Francois Wendy Morton Greg Smith Carolyn Harris Dame Harriett

Found: _NC5 Sir Iain Duncan Smith Mr Mark Francois Wendy Morton Greg Smith Carolyn Harris Dame Harriett

Found: _NC5 Sir Iain Duncan Smith Mr Mark Francois Wendy Morton Greg Smith Carolyn Harris Dame Harriett