Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of cyber-security resilience within Defence Digital systems.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Defence prioritises cyber security and regularly reviews its resilience through the GovAssure scheme. This process relies on the National Cyber Security Centre's (NCSC) Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) to assess risk and drive improvements in cyber security and resilience. This is reported to the Cabinet Office on an annual basis. Details of specific assessments are not shared publicly for security reasons.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve the UK’s ability to counter emerging drone-based threats.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Strategic Defence Review announced an investment of £1 billion to enhance our homeland air and missile defence. Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Review recommendations, including on emerging drone based threats, will be prioritised appropriately against the assessed threat picture as part of the future Integrated Force and set out in the Defence Investment Plan to be published this year.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the waiting times for Armed Forces Compensation Scheme claims.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. gentleman to the answer I gave to Question 77236 on 15 October 2025.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to expand mental health support services for (a) serving personnel and (b) veterans.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
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 interventional support, and appointments with clinical staff.
For Armed Forces personnel requiring dedicated mental healthcare, the Defence Medical Services (DMS) provides a responsive, flexible, accessible, and comprehensive treatment service.
DMS has established Defence Mental Health Networks (DMHNs) across the UK to improve access to mental health services for Service personnel. These specialist community mental health services provide enhanced access to expert assessment and treatment for service personnel experiencing mental health disorders. By introducing new single points of access, enabling the sharing of specialist skills across network locations and consolidating clinical and governance processes, DMHNs are reducing wait times to enhanced assessments and core treatment therapies.
DMS has further introduced standardised training for primary care clinicians to ensure that service personnel can access initial mental healthcare at any Defence medical centre and to strengthen the initial management of mental health disorders within primary care settings.
Where personnel leaving the Armed Forces have an enduring need for mental healthcare, DMS works in partnership with the NHS to ensure continuation of care. Personnel who have been assessed and diagnosed with a mental health need are able to access Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMH) for up to six months after discharge to provide continuity of care during the transition period until appropriate handover to other services can be completed as required.
In some circumstances a DCMH Mental Health Social Worker will undertake a full assessment of transition needs, including onward referral to NHS and third sector services for continued mental healthcare.
Throughout the UK, the MOD Veterans’ Welfare Service (VWS) provides advice and support to veterans, anyone supporting a veteran, their families and dependants. The VWS works with the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force, local authorities, voluntary organisations and service charities and will routinely assign a case manager and assist with engagement with other services where needed. In England, Op COURAGE and Op RESTORE provide a broad range of specialist mental health, physical and wellbeing care services to veterans, with similar services available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The VWS and Defence Transition Service deliver additional support to service leavers and their families who are most likely to face challenges as they leave the Armed Forces, including facilitating access to NHS services.
Support will also be delivered through the VALOUR programme will make it easier for veterans across the UK to access the care and support they deserve. It will connect services to help ensure veterans receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.
One of the key component parts of VALOUR is a new network of VALOUR Recognised Centres. These centres will be located across the UK and welcome veterans and the wider Armed Forces community to provide support and guidance in key areas, including health, housing and employment. Over £27 million will be available for funding to support this initiative and the first round of funding opened to applications on 10 November 2025 and closes on 14 January 2026.
The through life mental health support now provided to Service personnel will have a positive impact on the veterans of the future; we are ensuring that Armed Forces personnel have the psychological resilience training they need to recognise mental ill-health in themselves and those around them and know how to manage it.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has had discussions with operators of housing-with-care schemes on international best practice in relation to tenure.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 87630 on 11 November 2025.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the British Transport Police's crime-screening policy introduced in August 2024, if she will publish the formal guidance for pedal-cycle theft (J13) and the operational factors used to determine when an offence is progressed to investigation; and if she will publish quarterly data showing the number of (a) pedal-cycle thefts reported, (b) investigated, and (c) closed without investigation, broken down by (i) cycle value and the (ii) availability of (A) CCTV and (B) witness evidence.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The British Transport Police (BTP), like their Home Office force counterparts, are operationally independent and decisions on whether to release guidance are for the Chief Constable to make.
Crime figures for the BTP are collated by the Home Office and published on the Office for National Statistics website.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the impact of the British Transport Police’s screening policy, including any value or time-window criteria on (a) cycle-theft reporting rates at railway stations and (b) public confidence in the policing of station environments; and whether she has discussions with British Transport Police on ensuring pedal-cycle thefts with available CCTV evidence are investigated.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The British Transport Police (BTP) are operationally independent and how they deploy their resources across the network is for the Chief Constable to decide.
Criminal activity, including cycle theft, is not tolerated on the network and BTP are committed to keeping the railway safe for passengers and rail staff. The BTP crime screening policy, introduced in August 2024, does not automatically rule out crimes for investigation and the full circumstances of an incident are considered on an individual basis.
It is essential that members of the public and rail staff continue to report incidents to the BTP by texting 61016, or calling 999 in an emergency so that they can build their policing intelligence picture and refine their data led patrol plans across the entire rail network for officer deployments and identifies hotspots for targeted intervention.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the readiness of deployable military units.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Armed Forces readiness is directed by the Armed Forces Plan, in which the Chief of the Defence Staff directs his Military Command Chiefs to hold a variety of Force Elements at varying levels of readiness. This readiness in aligned to our NATO Force Model along with our Sovereign defence and our ability to respond to crisis. This readiness is constantly assessed against the sum of Availability, Capability, and Sustainment.
Defence continues to focus on ensuring its readiness, including for a high-intensity conflict, in line with the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of training opportunities for reservists in the last 12 months.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
We recognise that Reservists must balance their civilian commitments and home life with the vital service they provide to Defence. The MOD is therefore committed to ensuring that we tailor training opportunities to Reservist needs wherever possible
For basic (Phase 1) and trade-specific (Phase 2) training, for example, the Army schedules courses specifically to try to maximise attendance, allowing for richer and more productive training. A wide array of learning pathways are also provided to reservists across all three Services. These include e-learning, modular courses run over weekends and evening, and hybrid learning, this provides the flexibility to allow Reservists to complete courses in a way that fits around their existing commitments.
Reservist recruitment and training remains an area for improvement as part of Defence’s effort to deliver a more efficient, effective and modern recruiting system.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve accommodation standards for service personnel living in single living accommodation.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Enhancing the standard of accommodation, including single living accommodation (SLA) is essential to the morale and retention of Service personnel and is a priority within the Defence infrastructure portfolio.
Defence is committed under the Strategic Defence Review to deliver a generational renewal of military accommodation, with at least £7 billion of funding in this Parliament which includes investing in new SLA. Delivery of new, modernised SLA is already underway, with the Defence Investment Plan set to articulate the level of investment in new and refurbished SLA over the next 10 years.