Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

With reference to page 46 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, when he plans to launch a new Apprenticeship and Graduate Clearing System.

Dates have not been confirmed for the launch of the Apprenticeship and Graduate Clearing System. We will work closely with industry, including through the Defence Industrial Joint Council, to develop and pilot this system. Further information will be released in due course.

With reference to page 23 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, which trade unions will be designated as being part of the defence industrial base.

Through the Defence Industrial Strategy we are taking a ‘whole of society’ approach, where both traditional defence and dual use manufacturers are included in a broader UK defence industry.Therefore, individual Trade Unions are not being classified as either inside or outside this new definition. This approach encompasses all elements of the UK defence enterprise including major defence contractors, SMEs, academia and defence workforce. At the Defence Industrial Joint Council (DIJC) the interests of the workforce are represented by a number of Trade Unions. In line with other members of the DIJC, the Trade Unions representatives are appointed through HMG’s Public Appointments Process, based on the expertise and insight they bring.

With reference to page 23 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, what the scope is of the Defence Supply Chain Capability Programme.

The Defence Supply Chain Capability Programme (DSCCP) is a multi-year transformation programme aimed at building resilient, agile, and collaborative supply chains underpinning both national security and economic growth. It is a central delivery vehicle for the Defence Industrial Strategy and the Strategic Defence Review, aligning priorities to safeguard operational and UK sovereignty, industry and warfighting readiness; embedding resilience, and a more transparent, innovative partnership with industry. The programme is shifting from reactive to proactive supply chain risk management, underpinned by digital innovation. Capabilities including scenario modelling and supply architecture will help anticipate disruptions and assess operational impact. Early industry involvement in capability development—through the Defence Joint Industrial Council—will strengthen collaboration, by providing industry with much more visibility of Ministry of Defence future plans.

With reference to page 42 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, when he plans to publish the Defence Finance and Investment Strategy.

The Defence Finance and Investment Strategy will be published in early 2026.

With reference to page 21 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, what steps he has taken to reform his Department's (a) procurement and (b) acquisition systems.

Implementation of the procurement and acquisition reforms set out in the Defence Industrial Strategy is underway, under the new National Armaments Director who took up post on 14 October 2025.We are introducing service-agnostic capability portfolios, aligned with wider departmental reforms. The portfolio-driven approach will increase pace and adaptability, enabling us to maximise the output from our investment, reduce waste and be more market aligned.Five commercial pathways have been launched for Spiral, Urgent, Design to Cost, Digital & Technology and Low Complexity Procurement. These pathways underpin the new segmented approach to procurement. A new Small and Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) commercial pathway is being introduced to increase the number of opportunities for SMEs and make our contracting processes simpler, less onerous and faster.The Defence Supply Chain Capability Programme will create greater resilience, speed and adaptability in the supply chain to underpin our warfighting edge and help to drive economic growth in the context of increasing global instability.

With reference to page 65 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, from where the UK Defence Innovation Rapid Innovation Unit will access below market rate loans.

UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) will continue invest in structures to support business growth and to increase investment into SMEs, start-ups, and non-traditional defence and security suppliers to support a diverse and agile supply chain and ensure delivery of pioneering capability to national security and defence. The UKDI - Defence and Security Accelerator (UKDI_DASA) is a Special Partner in the delivery of The Defence and Security (D&S) Seed Fund portfolio, which is funded by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and sits within UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund (UKI2S). UKI2S is a Pre seed and Seed fund for defence and Security SMEs with investment from MOD for SME innovation looking for private equity funding. The UKDI - Defence and Security Accelerator (UKDI_DASA) supported by Innovate UK Loans Ltd (Innovate UK) delivers a Defence funding competition: the Defence Innovation Loan. This service provides an opportunity for single Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with solutions to defence themed problems to apply for a Defence Innovation Loan of between £100,000 and £1 million with a below market interest rate of 7.4% per annum

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 44144 on Armed Forces: Training, what recent steps his Department has taken to help improve the 11 Royal School of Signals Regiment’s OFSTED rating to Outstanding.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to ensuring the highest standards of training and welfare across all its establishments, including 11 Royal School of Signals Regiment and its efforts to achieve an Outstanding Ofsted rating In June 2025, 22 Group of the RAF conducted a Second Party Training Quality Audit (SPTQA) at 11 Royal School of Signals Regiment. The audit reviewed training compliance with JSP 822 and included a Welfare and Duty of Care survey in preparation for any potential Ofsted Third Party Assurance (3PA) inspection. The report found the Regiment to be performing well, identifying only four minor non-conformities and one observation, which are being addressed to ensure full compliance. A follow-up review is scheduled for December 2025 at the six-month point to assess progress against the identified areas for improvement. This review will be conducted by 22 Group to ensure continued progress and readiness for any future Ofsted inspections.

With reference to page 47 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, what his planned timeline is for delivering the Defence Skills Framework.

Defence is progressing the implementation of the Pan Defence Skills Framework (PDSF), which is the Defence Skills Framework referenced in the 2025 Defence Industrial Strategy. The PDSF represents a transformative shift in how Defence understands, develops and deploys skills across both military and civilian workforces, supporting Defence’s ambition to become a more agile, skills-based organisation. Programme governance is in place and Tranche 1 of activity is underway. The onboarding of the single Services and the Civil Service (those under the pre-Defence Reform structure of MOD Main) is scheduled to begin from December 2025, in a phased rollout. Initial implementation has already seen: The first trial cohort for Engineering (Army, Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal Navy (RN)) onboarded, with the enablement of the Skills-Based Supplement, which went live on 22 April 2025. The Skills Based Supplement trial is informing a new flexible and targeted approach to remuneration that aligns with Defence's transition to a Skills-Based Organisation. This trial provides 3,200 engineering service personnel with payments of up to £2,700, which will help Defence evaluate wider implementation of skills-based rewards to enhance retention in highly demanded skills across the Armed Forces.The RN and RAF onboarded their first cross-skill area cohort for the Digital, Data and Technology (DDAT) profession on 13 October 2025. Mass onboarding is expected to follow:The RN and RAF are preparing to begin broader onboarding from December 2025.The Army is expected to follow in early 2026, with onboarding phased by rank.MOD Main civil service onboarding is anticipated to commence from February/March 2026. Looking ahead, Tranche 2 will expand PDSF to cover additional skills, onboarding of Arms-Length Bodies, and refine the underpinning technology. This will ensure Defence has the agility to align skills with future workforce demands, evolving technology, and the challenges of a rapidly changing security environment.

What the full scope is of Project Atilla.

Project Atilla will look to deliver an Uncrewed Ground Vehicle Minefield Breaching capability. The Project is currently in its concept phase.

With reference to page 23 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, how the members of the Defence Industrial Joint Council are selected.

Membership of the Ministerially chaired council comprises a diverse group of defence sector partners, including SMEs, primes, tech, investors, trade associations, academia and Trade Unions. This signals a significant step in establishing the MOD’s new approach to partnerships; one focused on collaboration across the breadth of the UK’s defence ecosystem. All members of the DIJC have been appointed, via HMG’s Public Appointments Process, based on the expertise and insight they bring. Spaces allocated to different sector groups have, through necessity, been limited to ensure a Council with a diverse membership from across the defence landscape and of a suitable size to drive pace and support delivery of the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS). All appointments to the DIJC top Council are made for an initial period of 12 months after which they will be reviewed, ensuring a principle of rotation is built into the membership and to provide opportunities for new organisations to participate.

With reference to page 52 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, what progress he has made on implementing a bespoke commercial pathway for SMEs.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) hold a crucial place in UK defence. They are the backbone of the UK economy and are vital to delivering the innovation, expertise and agility that we need now and in the future. This is recognised in the Defence Industrial Strategy, as well as the Department’s Social Value policy. We work with our largest suppliers through a network of their SME Champions, trade associations and SME representatives to ensure that smaller companies have access to opportunities in our supply chain and that our prime contractors are adopting policies, such as fair payment practices, that support small businesses working in defence. We are also introducing a new SME Commercial Pathway as part of our broader acquisition transformation. Through this pathway, Defence will increase the number of opportunities for SMEs, and make our contracting processes simpler, less onerous and faster. This Government has already announced an ambitious but achievable target to spend £7.5 billion with SMEs by 2028 which will see direct spend increase by approximately £700 million during the next three years, and we will launch a new Office For Small Business Growth to provide SMEs with better access to the defence supply chain, ensuring that thousands of small businesses in the UK, continue to lead the way in developing the world-beating technologies and services that we will need.

With reference to page 48 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, what his Department's planned timetable is for broadening the range of employers it supports through the Jobs and Careers Service.

The Department for Work and Pensions through the new Jobs and Careers Service is taking steps to broaden its support for employers by engaging over 8,000 strategic and local businesses, tailoring services to regional labour market needs, and collaborating with trade bodies and Government Departments to deliver inclusive recruitment campaigns, sector-specific training, and modernised job-matching tools. This is as a result of the Get Britain Working White Paper published in November 2024.

How many and what proportion of his Department's suppliers are registered on the central procurement platform.

The Department has a total of 20,690 active unique suppliers with live contracts The Department has a total of 131,172 unique suppliers.

With reference to page 69 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, where he plans to establish the Defence Energy and Capability Resilience Centre of Excellence.

The Defence Energy and Capability Resilience Centre of Excellence (DECX) is being established initially as a virtual entity, with Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) acting as the custodian. The final decision regarding location will be confirmed once DECX reaches full operating capability.

With reference to page 69 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, what recent progress the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory has made with the Advanced Research and Invention Agency to help support generation-after-next innovation.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a longstanding relationship and regular conversation with for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). Staff engagement is regular and pre-dates the Strategic Defence Review. Building on this, officials from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) have begun initial conversations with their counterparts in the Advanced Research and Innovation Agency in relation to specific areas of technology with potential defence interest.

How many veterans have gained full-time employment via the Veteran Industry Engagement Programme since its inception.

The Veterans Industry Engagement Programme (VIEP) is a free, Government-backed advocacy service designed to collaborate with industry and trade bodies. It helps organisations adopt veteran-friendly practices and behaviours, ensuring the skills and talents veterans bring to the workforce are recognised and valued. By fostering this engagement, critical sectors can better leverage a vital national strategic asset - the Armed Forces community. This initiative is delivered by the charity Mission Community who have developed a framework of sector specific initiatives to create sustainable employment opportunities for service leavers, veterans, reservists and military families. VIEP forms part of a suite of wider initiatives supporting Veterans into employment including Op ASCEND, which has successfully engaged over 420 employers and supported over 4,600 veterans and family members.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 44144 on Armed Forces: Training, what recent steps his Department has taken to help improve University Officer Training Corps’ OFSTED rating to Outstanding.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to ensuring the highest standards of training and welfare across all its establishments, including the University Officer Training Corps (UOTC) Group and its efforts to achieve an Outstanding Ofsted rating The UOTC was inspected by OFSTED in February 2024, resulting in a GOOD rating, with five key recommendations for improvement. The Combined Individual Training Assurance Team (CITAT) has worked with the UOTC Group to address these areas, and significant progress has been made across all areas. Actions have included enhancing staff training, improving facilities maintenance, streamlining medical clearance processes, mitigating the impact of budget constraints, and centralising quality improvement processes.

What the full scope is of Project Rosetta.

Project ROSETTA was a cross-Government (x-HMG) innovation project. It conducted a cost-effective, UK-based immersive language and culture isolation programme aimed at enhancing the language proficiency and cultural understanding of x-HMG language students. The trial specifically focused on Chinese Mandarin. Feedback from the trial was positive. We are now using the findings to explore options for establishing long-term immersive language training facilities for a range of languages.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2025 to Question 44144 on Armed Forces: Training, what steps his Department has taken to improve the British Army Apprenticeship programme’s Ofsted rating.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to ensuring the British Army Apprenticeship Programme (AAP) achieves the highest standards of training and continues its progress towards an Outstanding Ofsted rating. The Army, as the UK’s largest Employer Provider with 12,500 soldier apprentices across 41 programmes, continues to achieve results well above the national average. The AAP operates a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP), informed by Ofsted inspections and an internal Self-Assessment Process, which is being updated to align with the new Ofsted Further Education and Skills Inspection Toolkit (FES IT) coming into effect in November 2025. Key improvements being implemented include digitalising the programme by 2027, creating 92 additional management posts to oversee End Point Assessment delivery, enhancing functional skills delivery and governance, improving curriculum standards, reducing the number of Post Planned End Date learners, and strengthening safeguarding measures.

With reference page 46 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, what progress he has made on exploring a partnership with UCAS to promote defence careers.

We continue to work with UCAS to promote defence careers and explore the scope of support they can offer in raising awareness of defence career pathways among students and educators. This includes working with UCAS to create an industry guide and to support an increased number of defence employers represented on their existing portal. Further details will be published in due course.