Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Community Right to Buy Fund reaches communities in South Shropshire constituency.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government wants to ensure that communities have the tools they need to protect local assets. That is why we are introducing a new Community Right to Buy power through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026. Further details of how we will support communities to make use of this power, including funding, will be set out in due course.
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 strengthening supply chain data.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is making progress in strengthening supply chain data across Defence through the Defence Supply Chain Capability Programme (DSCCP) and wider supply chain resilience activity. We are improving visibility of critical suppliers and dependencies, developing the SCRIPT supply chain illumination tool, and enhancing our analytical capabilities to better identify vulnerabilities, manage risk and support informed decisions that strengthen resilience across the defence industrial base. This work is underpinned by rigorous quality assurance, governance and security protocols to ensure supply chain data is handled, protected and shared appropriately across Defence and with relevant partners.
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 building resilience of Critical Raw Materials for UK Defence.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Department is addressing dependencies on concentrated sources of Critical Minerals likely to be affecting the defence sector by improving visibility and enhancing collaboration with industry and like-minded Allies (including NATO and Australia). Efforts focus on developing alternative sources of supply, investing in allied capacity, ensuring security of supply and promoting recycling and substitution to reduce reliance on single suppliers and high‑risk geographies.
MOD is also playing an active role in implementing Vision 2035: UK Critical Mineral Strategy through this work, and on 10 June, signed a new Joint Statement of Intent with Australia on collaboration to secure critical minerals supply chains for Defence.
Furthermore, the UK Government is investing £71 million through the National Wealth Fund to restart Tungsten West’s Hemerdon mine in Devon, securing the ability to negotiate over the next 6 months for a domestic supply of tungsten, a strategically important mineral used in defence and advanced industries.
This recognises that critical minerals are essential to our modern economy and increasingly our national security, with initial exchanges identifying opportunities for closer collaboration on shared critical mineral supply risks.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the target for the size of the cadets by 2030; and what funding has been put forward to achieve this.
Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)
The Strategic Defence Review, published in June 2025, recommended that MOD should expand in-school and community-based Cadet Forces across the country by 30% by 2030. This timeline has recently been re-set in the Defence Investment Plan to 2035 as one of the measures required to increase the rate of Armed Forces transformation.
There are currently just over 137,000 cadets supported by 28,000 adult volunteers. An increase of 30% in cadet numbers equates to an additional 40,000 cadets, an expansion that would also require approximately 8,000 more adult volunteers. Details of the funding necessary to support this level of growth are yet to be finalised.
Work is currently underway to set the foundations for sustainable growth and to determine how the 30% increase in cadet numbers will be delivered. And we are developing a new Cadet Action Plan, to be announced in October during the first National Cadets Week. The Plan will focus on modernising the cadet experience, providing an attractive offer to retain and recruit adult volunteers, and ensuring that cadets and volunteers have the right resources and support.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned capabilities are of the Defence Medical Services in terms of a) capacity and b) specialised medical care.
Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)
Defence Medical Services (DMS) capabilities, across the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force and Cyber and Specialist Operations Command, support Defence outputs across NATO Contribution, Crisis Response, Strategic Resilience and Global Competition.
The Strategic Defence Review recognised the need to rebuild both medical capacity and capability within Defence to ensure our Armed Forces remain fighting fit in peacetime and are prepared to meet operational demands when at war.
The immediate priority is to optimise existing capability to ensure that the DMS can reliably deliver the support Defence needs today.
The second priority is to modernise operational medical capability and the healthcare support to force generation to meet the demands of contemporary warfare and evolving clinical practice. To accelerate modernisation, Defence has allocated up to £50 million through the Defence Investment Plan over four years, focused on delivering priority capability enhancements:
The third priority is to prepare to expand medical capacity to deliver the Strategic Defence Review's vision of enhanced warfighting readiness.
Rebuilding defence medical capability will focus on the following functions:
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the estimated yearly budget is for the Defence Diplomacy network.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Ministry of Defence manages the Defence Diplomacy network through the Integrated Global Defence Network (IGDN) based in the UK. IGDN provides support to over 5000 personnel and their families across 92 Defence Sections, 10 Loan Service units, five overseas bases, and other Defence equities. The IGDN budget for the Financial Year 2025-26, which includes support for the operation of the global Defence Diplomacy network, was approximately £80 million.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his plans are for the national conversation campaign on defence and security.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
This Government is committed to strengthening national preparedness and improving public understanding of the threats we face through our national conversation on defence and security. Addressing the challenges of an increasingly volatile and contested world requires a whole-of-Government and whole-of-society approach. Our security depends not only on strong Armed Forces, but also on a society that is informed, prepared and able to respond with confidence when it matters most. The national conversation will help increase public awareness of the most serious risks facing the UK and the role that government, industry, communities and individuals can play in strengthening national resilience.
The Chief of Defence Staff has spoken publicly about the increasingly challenging security environment, including in his speech at RUSI and joint Op-Ed with his German counterpart. As confirmed in a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament on 14 July, the Government will launch a national resilience public awareness campaign later this year, aiming to educate households on preparing for emergencies alongside increased information about state-based threats. Alongside cross-Government engagement with key stakeholders, the Ministry of Defence is playing a key role within this programme of work; connecting with industry, local resilience fora, the voluntary sector, and working with our active reserves and local cadet groups to facilitate a whole of society approach to defence and security.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to establish a whole of society response to the new era of threats.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Strategic Defence Review emphasises a whole-of-society approach to strengthen resilience against threats. The Cabinet Office-led Home Defence Programme, in which the Ministry of Defence plays a key role, is working to increase engagement with the public to improve familiarisation on the role everyone can play in national security and resilience. The programme has a strong emphasis on aligning civil and military planning for serious risks.
The Government is clear on the importance of implementing a whole-of-society approach to strengthen defence and our resilience to the threats we face, including those below and above the threshold of an armed attack. In support of this, the National Conversation is a key tool in creating a more informed, and aware public of the evolving nature of the threat environment.
As confirmed in a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament on 14 July, the Government will launch a national resilience public awareness campaign later this year. This campaign aims to improve public understanding of threats and overall national preparedness in the event of crisis.
Through the UK Government's Resilience Action Plan, we outline how we will enable the whole of society to increase their resilience, including taking action to prepare for emergencies as set out on the GOV.UK/Prepare website.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people have been re-skilled mid-career as a part of FCAS and GCAP.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The advanced knowledge, skills, and competencies required by the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme, with the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) at its core, is getting more people in highly skilled jobs. FCAS supports over 4,500 jobs across the UK, with thousands more expected to be supported. Each Team Tempest industry partner offers a range of career pathways however neither the process nor underlying detailed information are managed centrally.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 47 of the DIP, if he will provide a regional split of the 90% of jobs supported outside of London and the South East of England on FCAS programmes.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme supports jobs across the UK, including all nine regions of England plus Scotland, making defence an engine for growth. Around 43% of jobs are based in the North West of England, 19% in the South West of England, 16% in the Midlands, and Scotland accounts for about 8% of the workforce. The remaining 22% of jobs are split between other regions, including London and the East of England.