Asked by: Will Stone (Labour - Swindon North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve the Service Justice System.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is taking forward a comprehensive programme of reforms to strengthen and modernise the Service Justice System. As a result, investigations, prosecutions and victim support have all significantly improved in recent years. We want to build on the progress made and this is why the Armed Forces Bill strengthens how the Service Justice System tackles violence against women and girls, enhances support and rights for victims in the Service Justice System and, modernises investigation, charging and discipline procedures in the Service Justice System.
The Defence Serious Crime Command, launched in December 2022, operates independently of the Chain of Command, ensuring impartial investigations into serious offences committed in the UK and overseas. It is implementing the National Operating Model under Operation SOTERIA, in line with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing guidance. This ensures that investigations into rape and serious sexual offences are victim-centred, suspect-focused and consistent with nationally recognised policing standards. The Victim Witness Care Unit provides independent, trauma-informed, end-to-end support to victims and witnesses through dedicated Victim Liaison Officers and operates outside of the Armed Forces’ Chain of Command.
Noting the procedural differences between the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales and the Service Justice System, published administrative data drawn from the Criminal Justice System Delivery Dashboard and statistics on timeliness, victim withdrawal rates and conviction rates in adult-rape-flagged cases in the Service Justice System suggest that cases are dealt with much more quickly in the Service Justice System with a smaller proportion of victims withdrawing from proceedings. Following charge, adult-rape-flagged cases in 2024 reached an outcome in the Crown Court in 358 days with 19% of victims withdrawing from proceedings and 199 days in the Court Martial with no victims withdrawing from proceedings.
Whilst conviction rates cannot be reliably compared between the two systems due to differences in case volume, procedure, victim withdrawal rates and case profile, administrative data published in CPS quarterly data summaries and the above-mentioned statistics on timeliness, victim withdrawal rates and conviction rates in adult-rape-flagged cases in the Service Justice System also cast further doubt on claims that the conviction rate in the Crown Court is higher. Excluding guilty pleas, 51% of adult-rape-flagged cases in 2022 to 2024 in the Court Martial resulted in a conviction whereas 36% resulted in a conviction in the Crown Court.
In its November 2024 report regarding the Service Prosecuting Authority, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate stated that “the level of timeliness and support for victims in the Service Justice System is something we would like to see afforded to all victims in all jurisdictions.”
For more information on the statistics quoted above please see:
https://criminal-justice-delivery-data-dashboards.justice.gov.uk/all-metrics
Asked by: Will Stone (Labour - Swindon North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to provide additional financial support for (a) estranged students, (b) care leavers in higher education and (c) students without living parents in the context of the potential impact of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 on student housing.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government recognises that independent students including care leavers, care experienced students and estranged students may require additional support to access higher education.
As announced in the Post-16 Education and Skills white paper, we will increase student loan support in line with inflation and re-introduce targeted maintenance grants. We will also provide extra support for care leavers, ensuring all are automatically eligible to receive maximum student loan support, irrespective of their household income or living circumstances. In addition, care leavers will continue to receive a £2000 non-repayable bursary, to support with their living expenses.
We will work in collaboration with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and relevant external stakeholders to monitor the impacts of the Renters’ Rights Act and explore the accommodation needs of independent students studying in higher education. The department will soon be publishing a Statement of Expectations for the higher education sector, which will urge higher education providers to plan strategically for the supply of suitable accommodation for their students and include guidance on how providers can support the needs of vulnerable students.
Asked by: Will Stone (Labour - Swindon North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Renters' Right Act on independent students who require accommodation between June and September.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government recognises that independent students including care leavers, care experienced students and estranged students may require additional support to access higher education.
As announced in the Post-16 Education and Skills white paper, we will increase student loan support in line with inflation and re-introduce targeted maintenance grants. We will also provide extra support for care leavers, ensuring all are automatically eligible to receive maximum student loan support, irrespective of their household income or living circumstances. In addition, care leavers will continue to receive a £2000 non-repayable bursary, to support with their living expenses.
We will work in collaboration with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and relevant external stakeholders to monitor the impacts of the Renters’ Rights Act and explore the accommodation needs of independent students studying in higher education. The department will soon be publishing a Statement of Expectations for the higher education sector, which will urge higher education providers to plan strategically for the supply of suitable accommodation for their students and include guidance on how providers can support the needs of vulnerable students.
Asked by: Will Stone (Labour - Swindon North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference his Department’s press release on 28 December 2025 regarding the signing of a £52 million contract for RCH 155, what assessment has he made of the potential benefits to UK industry from this contract.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Early Capability Demonstrator platforms of the RCH155, two for Germany and one for the UK, will be built in Germany for joint testing.
The project remains in its assessment phase and a production contract has not yet been placed.
Asked by: Will Stone (Labour - Swindon North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference his Department’s press release on 28 December 2025 regarding the signing of a £52 million contract for RCH 155, how much UK content will be part of the production of the capability.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Early Capability Demonstrator platforms of the RCH155, two for Germany and one for the UK, will be built in Germany for joint testing.
The project remains in its assessment phase and a production contract has not yet been placed.
Asked by: Will Stone (Labour - Swindon North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference his Department’s press release entitled UK and Germany sign £52m contract for cutting-edge artillery, published on 28 December 2025, where the capability will be manufactured.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Early Capability Demonstrator platforms of the RCH155, two for Germany and one for the UK, will be built in Germany for joint testing.
The project remains in its assessment phase and a production contract has not yet been placed.
Asked by: Will Stone (Labour - Swindon North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2023 to Question HL288 on Army: Recruitment, what were the conclusions of the evaluation of bespoke terms of service for under-18s.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Soldier terms of service will continue to apply to all personnel, including for those under-18. The Army takes its duty of care for all personnel, particularly those under 18, extremely seriously, ensuring they are treated with special consideration. We keep terms of service under continuous review to ensure best practice and to deliver operational effectiveness.
The Army ensures under-18s are supported and safeguarded through additional measures, including:
Asked by: Will Stone (Labour - Swindon North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many complaints have been made by (a) junior soldiers and (b) their parents or guardians about unacceptable sexual behaviour at the Army Foundation College between 1 January 2018 and 30 November 2024.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The information is not held in the format requested.
However, 159 sexual misconduct allegations were recorded on the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system against personnel serving at Army Foundation College (Harrogate) (AFC(H)) between 1 January 2018 and 30 November 2024. 108 of these allegations predated the Unacceptable Sexual Behaviour (USB) policy which came into effect on 19 November 2022. It is important to note that these figures include all Army personnel located at AFC(H), regardless of whether they are staff or Junior Soldiers.
AFC(H) reports every instance of unacceptable sexual behaviour under its Zero Tolerance Policy and actively encourages recruits to report concerns from day one. Serious incidents are reported to the civilian police. On arrival at AFC(H) the recruits receive day-one training in Army Values and Standards emphasizing Zero Tolerance and mandatory discharge for certain transgressions. Ofsted inspections in 2021 and 2024 praised how recruits confidently report unacceptable behaviours by peers and staff, knowing complaints will be handled seriously and swiftly. Ofsted noted that emotional and psychological safety, inclusion, and teamwork are firmly embedded in College life.
In March 2024, after interviewing 61.5% of female Junior Soldiers, Ofsted found that "female recruits rarely experience instances of sexual harassment or bullying. If they do, they know how to report it and know that staff will deal with it swiftly."
Asked by: Will Stone (Labour - Swindon North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) digitising and (b) introducing an online portal for the Child Maintenance Service.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) offers a range of digital services designed to support separated families. These include 'Child Maintenance Calculator’, ‘Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance’ and ‘My Child Maintenance Case’(MCMC). Through these services, parents can explore their options, calculate potential payments and submit an online application to the CMS to receive or pay child maintenance. For customers with existing cases, the online services allow them to report changes, check progress, view correspondence and make payments online 24/7.
Digital services were developed and will continue to evolve based on research and feedback from charities supporting separated families, victims of domestic abuse, and users with assisted digital needs.
Asked by: Will Stone (Labour - Swindon North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many junior soldiers residing at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate were (a) referred to mental health services and (b) signed off sick by a medical professional due to mental ill health between 1 January 2019 and 30 December 2024.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2024, 182 junior soldiers at AFC Harrogate underwent an initial assessment at a Ministry of Defence (MOD) Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH).
There are multiple routes for junior soldiers at the Army Foundation College (AFC) to access mental health services. These include the MOD DCMH and external Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
Information on under 18s who were referred to CAMHS is not held centrally. There are various routes for referral to CAMHS, including self-referral and by external medical professionals, which the department does not track centrally.
With regard to the number of junior soldiers signed off sick by a medical professional due to mental ill health during the period 1 January 2019 to 30 December 2024, this information is only recorded on individual medical records. It is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.