Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many apprentices his Department estimates will enter the defence nuclear sector under the Nuclear Skills Plan by 2030.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence, working with industry and academia through the Nuclear Skills Plan, aims to create around 22,000 apprenticeship opportunities in the defence nuclear sector over the decade to 2034-35.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Catterick Integrated Care Centre is expected to be completed.
Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)
It is expected, subject to commissioning close out and issue of certification, that the Catterick Integrated Care Centre will be completed in December 2026. Ministry of Defence and NHS patient access to the facility will be gradually phased over the early part of 2027.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many defence apprenticeships were available in 2025-2026.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The MOD supported over 24,000 apprenticeship roles nationally in the financial year 2024-25. We do not yet have the figures for 2025-26.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on the Feltham regeneration project.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
In September 2025, the Ministry of Defence set out plans for the regeneration of the Feltham site, including a "Forces First" housing scheme that will prioritise serving personnel, veterans and their families for access to private and affordable housing opportunities.
Progress has continued with the formal launch of the procurement process to secure a Development Partner on 28 October 2026. The Development Partner is expected to be appointed in 2027, ahead of the Ministry of Defence vacating the site.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
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 Defence Housing Strategy 2025 on the retention of service family accommodation.
Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)
Current and future accommodation demand is assessed annually to ensure housing provision is aligned with Service need.
The Defence Housing Strategy 2025 recognises that the Service Family Accommodation (SFA) estate must evolve to meet both the future needs of the Armed Forces and the requirements of modern military families.
Where there is an enduring demand and it represents value for money, SFA will be retained.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of MOD expenditure with UK industry was awarded through competitive tendering in the financial year 2025-2026.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
In financial year 2025-26, 40.3% of the MOD's expenditure with UK industry was awarded through competitive tendering.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to meet the target of 40,000 young people offered opportunities and employment in skilled defence careers every year by 2030.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is working alongside other government departments and with the UK defence industry to deliver commitments to the Defence Youth Participation and Employment Pledge to provide 40,000 opportunities to young people by 2030. This will include a range of activities including expanding routes into apprenticeships, provide greater work experience opportunities and increase career engagement for young people, including those not in education, employment or training.
Through the Defence Industrial Strategy, we have committed £182 million to a Defence Industry Skills package that will support young people develop the skills required to pursue careers in defence. The package includes the establishment of five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges, two in Scotland and one in Wales that provide specialist training for skills required for critical defence roles. It also committed to develop the Defence Apprenticeship and Graduate Clearing System, providing alternative opportunities for young people to access a career in the defence supply chain.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many young people are expected to benefit from defence career pathways by 2035.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is working alongside other government departments and with the UK defence industry to deliver the commitments in the Defence Youth Participation and Employment Pledge to provide 40,000 opportunities for young people annually by 2030, rising to approximately 50,000 opportunities annually by 2035. This will include a range of activities including expanding routes into apprenticeships, providing greater work experience opportunities and increasing career engagement for young people, including those not in education, employment or training.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the total energy savings generated by solar panel installations at Larkhill Garrison.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Since September 2017, over 18,700 solar panels installed at Larkhill Garrison have generated 6.16 GWh of energy. By using this energy to power buildings on site and distributing any surplus through the private wire network for use elsewhere across the Army footprint, the installation has reduced reliance on externally supplied energy and contributes to a more resilient, sustainable and cost-efficient Defence estate.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many solar panels have been installed across the defence estate since the publication of the Defence Housing Strategy 2025.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Since the publication of the Defence Housing Strategy in November 2025, solar panels have been installed on 122 Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties across the Defence estate.
These works form part of the Ministry of Defence's wider commitment to improving the quality, sustainability and energy performance of SFA, in line with the objectives set out in the Strategy.