Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

How many pairs of Peltor ear defenders have been issued to the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force.

Since the introduction of the Tactical Hearing Protection System in 2015, Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) has issued the Peltor ComTac XP/ XPI to the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as set out below: Quantity IssuedItem Name:ArmyRoyal NavyRoyal Air ForcePeltor ComTac XP/XPI23,3551,7436,802 The legacy General Service Peltor Ear Muff has been purchased through the Logistics, Commodities and Services Transformation contract since 01 January 2022. A total of 50,944 have been issued across the three Services since this date, however we have been unable to provide a more detailed breakdown of this figure in the time available.

How many Foreign and Commonwealth soldiers are in the UK Armed Forces, by nationality.

The number of non-UK personnel serving in the Trained and Trade Trained Strength of the Regular Armed Forces and the Brigade of Gurkhas as at 1 January 2025 is shown in the table(s) below. Table 1: Number of Non-UK Regulars1 by Nationality2 as at 1 January 2025NationalityTotalBritish Hong Kong20British Overseas Citizen[c]British Overseas Territory Citizen40Australian30Bahamian[c]Bangladeshi10Barbadian10Belizean20Botswanan10Cameroonian30Canadian30Citizen of Fiji2,270Citizen of Seychelles[c]Citizen of Sri Lanka10Cypriot[c]Dominican20Gambian30Ghanaian810Grenadian170Guyanese[c]Indian90Jamaican110Kenyan230Malawian220Malaysian[c]Maltese[c]Mauritian20Namibian[c]Nepalese780New Zealander30Nigerian110Pakistani10Papua New Guinean[c]Samoan[c]Sierra Leonean[c]Singaporean[c]Solomon Islander[c]South African280St Lucian510Swazi[c]Tanzanian10Tongan[c]Trinidad and Tobago citizen60Ugandan20Vincentian1,300Zambian10Zimbabwean20 Table 2: Number of Brigade of Gurkhas by Nationality2 as at 1 January 2025NationalityTotalNepalese4,130 Notes/Caveats UK Regulars comprise of Full Time Service Personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel, Gurkhas, mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Non-Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), High Readiness Reserve (HRR) and Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) personnel. Unless otherwise stated, includes trained and untrained personnel.Nationality is as self-declared on the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA).Nepalese personnel in the Regulars are those that have transferred out of the Brigade of Gurkhas.Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 in line with disclosure control policy. Figures ending in 5 are rounded to the nearest 20 to avoid bias, 0 is represented by '-'. Figures below are represented by '[c]'.

How many reports of sexual assault have been filed by male service personnel in (a) the Royal Navy, (b) the British Army and (c) the Royal Air Force in each year since 2014.

An annual official statistic on cases of sexual offending handled by the Service Justice System has been published since 2015: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/murder-manslaughter-sexual-offences-and-domestic-abuse-in-the-service-justice-system-2023 This shows the numbers of sexual assault cases investigated by the Service police by Service and, separately, the numbers of females and males who have been victims of such assaults. The latter category is not further broken down by Service. Data for 2024 will be published shortly. Cases reported to the civilian police are not captured in the official statistic.

How the defence budget is allocated across all (a) Regular and (b) Reserve Infantry Battalions.

Regular and Reserve Infantry Battalions produce a costed programme as part of the Annual Budget Cycle. These programmes are based on their planned and prioritised commitments, as agreed in the Army Command Plan, and budgets are allocated accordingly.

How many reports of sexual assault have been filed by female service personnel in the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force in each year since 2014.

An annual official statistic on cases of sexual offending handled by the Service Justice System has been published since 2015: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/murder-manslaughter-sexual-offences-and-domestic-abuse-in-the-service-justice-system-2023 This shows the numbers of sexual assault cases investigated by the Service police by Service and, separately, the numbers of females and males who have been victims of such assaults. The latter category is not further broken down by Service. Data for 2024 will be published shortly. Cases reported to the civilian police are not captured in the official statistic.

How many (a) male and (b) female service personnel have been charged with offences relating to sexual assault since 2014.

A total of 393 male and 11 female Service personnel were charged with sexual assault (Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) in the period from 2014 to 2024. These figures constitute individuals charged in the Service jurisdiction by the Service Prosecuting Authority, including those charged after they had left their Service. Figures provided do not include Service personnel charged in the civilian jurisdiction. Defence has zero tolerance for such behaviour. We are committed to making the step changes required to create a safe and inclusive environment for all our Service Personnel, enabling us to deliver our Defence outputs and enhance our operational effectiveness.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the risk posed by foreign state actors’ covert military activity in Antarctica.

The Ministry of Defence undertakes regular assessments of the risks posed by foreign state actors and works with allies and partners to ensure the commitments to the Antarctic Treaty, including through the deployment of the Royal Navy’s Ice Patrol Ship, are upheld.

How many (a) SA80 A2 and (b) SA80 A3 rifles are currently held by his Department.

As at 25 February 2025, there are 125,276 L85 (SA80) A2 Rifles and 40,144 L85 A3 Rifles held across the Ministry of Defence.

With reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Armed Forces in response to the question from the hon. Member for Huntingdon of 24 February 2025, Official Report, column 14, what the full list of qualifying roles are that entitle applicants to be accepted into the Afghan Resettlement Programme.

While the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) draws together existing resettlement routes into a single pipeline, the eligibility criteria of the schemes which make up the ARP remain the same. The Ministry of Defence does not hold a list of job roles which make an individual eligible under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme. Each application is assessed individually against the eligibility criteria using a case-by-case approach which takes into account the evidence available. The ARAP eligibility criteria are outlined under the Immigration Rules: Appendix ARAP. Further information on the ARAP eligibility criteria can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghan-relocations-and-assistance-policy/afghan-relocations-and-assistance-policy-information-and-guidance#eligibility-under-the-arap

What grants his Department plans to make available to support events for Armed Forces Day 2025.

Armed Forces Day will take place on Saturday 28 June 2025 and provides an opportunity for the country to show support for those who make up the Armed Forces community: from currently Serving personnel to Service families, Veterans and Cadets. The Ministry of Defence will, as in previous years, make a number of grants available (up to £10,000 each) for communities to help host an event. Details of eligibility and how to apply for a grant are available on our website www.armedforcesday.org.uk

How many (a) current and (b) former military personnel have been diagnosed with cancer after serving on UK military helicopters.

Ministry of Defence Analysts are undertaking a review to determine the number of Serving personnel who have served as air crew and been diagnosed with cancer. I will write to hon. Member when information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

How many families of (a) current and (b) former military personnel are actively pursuing legal action against his Department after receiving a cancer diagnosis after having served on UK military helicopters.

Currently, 27 compensation claims are being actively pursued by, or on behalf of, military personnel. Of these, five claims are from current personnel and 22 claims concern former military personnel.

How many 30mm APSE Rarden cannon rounds have been supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

We have provided over 10 million rounds of small arms/light weapons ammunition to Ukraine. We cannot comment on specific calibres of ammunition due to operational security.

What testing of in-service military helicopter exhaust emissions his Department has conducted since January 2021.

Following previous announcements regarding the testing of in-service helicopters, the Ministry of Defence has commenced engine exhaust emission testing of the Puma helicopter and thereafter will commence testing of samples from our other in-service helicopters. Since January 2021, no other helicopter engine exhaust emission testing has been conducted.

What proportion of the defence budget was allocated to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight in the 2024-25 financial year.

The exact annual operating budget for the Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is not centrally calculated. However, the operation of both teams combined would account for less than 00.03% of the annual defence budget.

What proportion of the defence budget was allocated to the Red Arrows in the 2024-25 financial year.

The exact annual operating budget for the Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is not centrally calculated. However, the operation of both teams combined would account for less than 00.03% of the annual defence budget.

Whether the proposed treaty with Mauritius on the sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory would require (a) amendment and (b) supplementation to the exchange of notes between the UK and US in 1966.

The 1966 Exchange of Notes between the UK and US regarding the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia has been subject to routine amendments and supplementation since signature. Any amendments resulting from the proposed agreement with Mauritius will be factored into this existing process.

How many and what proportion of Afghans that have come to the UK via the Afghan Resettlement Programme worked directly for the British Armed Forces in Afghanistan.

The Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP) is a cross-government delivery programme which will bring existing Afghan resettlement routes into onesingle pipeline. The ARP is designed to make the delivery of these resettlement schemes simpler and more cost-effective, to help deliver better outcomes overall. As stated in my answer to the Hon. Member’s question 26781 of 30 January 2025, over 30,000 eligible Afghans have been relocated to the UK under the resettlement schemes. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of relocation figures by job role, including those who worked directly for British Forces, at this time.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 26778 on Armed Forces: Workplace Pensions, what proportion of GDP is spent on armed forces pensions.

The Government's spend on Armed Forces Pensions, including Armed Forces Pensions Schemes' Annually Managed Expenditure, equates to around 0.22% of GDP.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2025 to Question 25390 on Diego Garcia: Military Bases, which international agreements govern the US (a) presence and (b) operations in the British Indian Ocean Territory.

The UK-US 1966 Exchange of Notes, as amended and supplemented in 1972, 1976, 1987 and 1999, govern the United State's presence and operations in the British Indian Ocean Territory.