Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 9 of section 7.5 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, published on 2 June 2025, what his planned timetable is for the Cabinet sub-Committee or equivalent Ministerial group to meet.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I welcome the hon. Gentleman’s interest in space. The Ministry of Defence along with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and other departments, is coordinating space activities across government. Ministers from across government met on the 22 April to discuss space and, since the publication of the Strategic Defence Review, Ministers met on 7 July to follow up on our approach to space. We remain committed to establishing and evolving the right space governance structure to ensure that activities are effectively coordinated across all relevant departments.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much additional funding his Department plans to provide for space technology within the remit of the National Armaments Director.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review published earlier this year has recommended that Defence must urgently develop the resilience of its military space systems.
The new Defence Investment Plan, which will be published in Autumn, will set out how we will deliver the Strategic Defence Review's vision and will be both deliverable and affordable.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Departments is taking to assess the feasibility of retrofitting existing platforms for autonomous capability.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review recognised that the RAF must stay at the leading edge of combat air's evolution, through the transition from exclusively crewed combat air platforms to a Future Combat Air System (FCAS) with a mix of crewed, uncrewed, and increasingly autonomous platforms, integrated into the UK's digital targeting web. The future of the RAF lies in accelerating its adoption of the latest technology and innovation. That will be considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan, and in subsequent force development work.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that armed forces GPs (a) maintain up-to-date skills in the delivery of emergency and urgent care and (b) have access to appropriate NHS (i) placements and (ii) training opportunities.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Armed Forces GPs have a unique scope of practice and develop military and medical experience and skills throughout their career.
The General Practice programme for the Armed Forces personnel includes ‘Operational Preparedness’ courses covering areas of practice which are unique to Service and beyond the core licensing standard. The curriculum includes clinical leadership; occupationally focused primary care; pre-hospital medicine; force health protection and operational medicine. The 2025 Operational Preparedness course is using immersive simulation methodologies to develop skills in pre-hospital emergency care; medical planning; environmental health and other military medical specialist training.
Once qualified as a GP, extensive continuing professional development ensures that Armed Forces GPs maintain up-to-date skills through training, experience, exercise and deployment. Specific pre-deployment and mission-specific training incorporates individual and collective training, validation and assurance events. NHS and other medical placements, including pre-hospital care, may also be facilitated as required to develop a GP for their operational role supporting military operations across the globe.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that all Defence Medical Services medical officers undertaking Foundation Year (a) 1 and (b) 2 training within NHS hospitals receive (i) high-fidelity and (ii) role-specific training to (A) maintain and (B) develop their core military medical skill set.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Defence Medical Services (DMS) medical officers undertake Foundation Programme training within NHS hospitals as Phase 0 Trainees prior to initial (Phase 1 and 2) military training. This is to allow DMS medical officers to develop their clinical and professional skills in the workplace and meet the competences and outcomes of the Foundation Programme. Following completion of the Foundation Programme, Phase 1 and 2 training ensures high-fidelity and role-specific training to develop core military medical skill set.