Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

What assessment has he made of the (a) immediate and (b) longer-term impact of grounding the SV fleet following the issues encountered during Exercise Titan Storm.

The safety of our personnel is always our utmost priority. A number of Rheinmetall MAN Military (RMMV) Support Vehicles (SV) been affected by a minor mechanical fault, which is being quickly rectified. This issue did not occur on Exercise TITAN STORM. Following advice from the Defence Safety Authority and Defence Equipment and Support, Field Army has directed a pause on its use of the vehicles while action is taken at pace to rectify the issue as a matter of priority. Whilst repair analysis is ongoing, initial estimates indicate that all vehicles will be returned to full use by early 2026 in accordance with formation priorities.

What assessment she has made of the impact of the additional £32 billion required to meet the pledge to spend 3.5% of GDP identified by the Office for Budget Responsibility in its 2025 Economic Financial Outlook.

We are set to spend 2.6 percent of GDP on defence spending in 2027, with an ambition to spend 3 percent of GDP on defence next Parliament when economic and fiscal conditions allow. The Government is also committed to hitting a headline ambition of 5 percent of GDP on national security spending by the Parliament after next. This is currently split into 1.5% on security and resilience-related spend, and 3.5% core defence spending. This new NATO target is a decade away. We remain committed to plans announced at the Spending Review. In 2029, when NATO review capability requirements and this pledge, the UK and Allies will review the trajectory and the balance of spending between defence and wider national resilience.

When she plans to announce how her Department will move to a) 3.0% of GDP and b) 3.5% of GDP on defence spending.

We are set to spend 2.6 percent of GDP on defence spending in 2027, with an ambition to spend 3 percent of GDP on defence next Parliament when economic and fiscal conditions allow. The Government is also committed to hitting a headline ambition of 5 percent of GDP on national security spending by the Parliament after next. This is currently split into 1.5% on security and resilience-related spend, and 3.5% core defence spending. This new NATO target is a decade away. We remain committed to plans announced at the Spending Review. In 2029, when NATO review capability requirements and this pledge, the UK and Allies will review the trajectory and the balance of spending between defence and wider national resilience.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of the Chinese market share of the electric vehicle market on risks to national security.

The Government is closely monitoring China's role in the automotive industry and UK electric vehicle (EV) market, including potential risks to national security.

What assessment she has made of the impact of (a) ownership and (b) investment in Heathrow Airport by Chinese companies.

The Government takes its responsibility for national security extremely seriously and balances this with its continued commitment to welcome inward investment in a way that provides investors with the certainty and transparency they need to do business in the UK. We work across government to conduct due diligence and other assessments and ensure that any potential national security risk to the UK is handled appropriately. For any new qualifying investments in sensitive sectors, which include transport, we will use the powers in the National Security and Investment Act 2021 to scrutinise transactions and intervene if necessary to protect national security.

What assessment she has made of the National security risk posed by (a) ownership and (b) investment by Chinese companies in Heathrow Airport.

The Government takes its responsibility for national security extremely seriously and balances this with its continued commitment to welcome inward investment in a way that provides investors with the certainty and transparency they need to do business in the UK. We work across government to conduct due diligence and other assessments and ensure that any potential national security risk to the UK is handled appropriately. For any new qualifying investments in sensitive sectors, which include transport, we will use the powers in the National Security and Investment Act 2021 to scrutinise transactions and intervene if necessary to protect national security.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the benefits of signing the Security and Defence Partnership in May 2025.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 8 December to question 95528.

What the current book value of HMS Albion is.

HMS Albion was never due to go to sea ahead of its out-of-service date in 2033. It’s disposal shows that we are delivering for defence by divesting ourselves of old capabilities to make way for the future. This ship was effectively mothballed by the previous Government. The Current Book Value of HMS ALBION is zero. The shift was valued to zero following the Defence Secretary's announcement to remove it from service last year. The annual maintenance cost for HMS ALBION is circa £2 million per annum.

What assessment has she made of the impact of treating 50% of the gain in disposal to trustees of an Employee Ownership Trust as the disposers' chargeable gain for CGT purposes.

At Budget 2025, the Chancellor announced that the relief from Capital Gains Tax available on qualifying disposals to Employee Ownership Trusts will be reduced from 100% to 50%. This will retain a strong incentive for employee ownership, whilst ensuring that business owners pay their fair share of tax. The relief remains more generous than alternative reliefs that individuals might use when disposing of their companies, such as Business Asset Disposal Relief. An assessment of the impacts can be found in the Tax and Information Note for this measure, here: Capital Gains Tax — Employee Ownership Trusts - GOV.UK

How many portable 3D printers manufactured by Bambi Labs the (a) Royal Navy, (b) British Army and (c) Royal Air Force currently have.

Safeguarding the UK’s national security is the foundation of everything the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does. Therefore, the MOD works closely with the Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) on cyber security testing to strengthen the professionalisation and coherence of our policies and procedures. The MOD’s use of 3-D printers forms part of its trial and experimentation efforts. Consequently, details relating to 3-D printing equipment is not held centrally.

What progress he has made on the sale of HMS Albion.

HMS ALBION is currently moored at HMNB Devonport. No plans for HMS ALBION’s disposal have been confirmed. HMS Albion was never due to go to sea ahead of its out-of-service date in 2033. It’s disposal shows that we are delivering for defence by divesting ourselves of old capabilities to make way for the future. This ship was effectively mothballed by the previous Government.

What the current cost of maintaining HMS Albion is.

HMS Albion was never due to go to sea ahead of its out-of-service date in 2033. It’s disposal shows that we are delivering for defence by divesting ourselves of old capabilities to make way for the future. This ship was effectively mothballed by the previous Government. The Current Book Value of HMS ALBION is zero. The shift was valued to zero following the Defence Secretary's announcement to remove it from service last year. The annual maintenance cost for HMS ALBION is circa £2 million per annum.

What assessment he has made of the risk posed by UK armed forces of using 3D printers manufactured by Chinese firm Bambu Labs.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has strict security procedures in place to ensure all sensitive information is protected. Safeguarding the UK’s national security is the foundation of everything the MOD does. Our policies and procedures take account of the potential risk from all types of 3D printers, not just those manufactured in China, and we are working across the MOD to ensure risks are appropriately managed.

What assessment he has made of equipment of Chinese origin, used by the UK armed forces, which are subject to China’s National Intelligence Law.

As the Secretary of State and I have made clear, there is risk in Chinese components being present in in civil and military technology in the UK and across our alliances. We keep technology under review to protect our national security.

What the current book value is of the British Army’s Warrior fleet of vehicles.

The current Net Book Value of the British Army’s Warrior fleet of vehicles is £19,029,595.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the findings of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic Financial Outlook on the potential impact of the new pay-per-mile tax on electric vehicle sales.

As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028. The rate of eVED for EVs will be half of the equivalent fuel duty rate paid by the average petrol/diesel driver, ensuring that EVs are cheaper to own and run for the majority of EV drivers. As set out by the OBR, the estimated net impact of eVED and other Budget measures, including the ECG and ECS, is 120,000 fewer new EV sales across the forecast period. This is against a baseline which assumes EV sales more than triple from 2025-26 levels by 2030-31, which means the net impact of eVED represents only 2% of total new EV sales in the period. The Government has set out expected impacts from eVED and other Budget measures in the Budget 2025 Policy Costings document at GOV.UK: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/692872fd2a37784b16ecf676/Budget_2025-Policy_Costings.pdf

What assessment has he made of the impact of the findings by the study of 1,005 GPs entitled “General practitioners’ adoption of generative artificial intelligence in clinical practice in the UK: An updated online survey”, published in the Digital Health science journal on 25th November 2025 that stated that 35% of doctors used AI for writing documentation, 27% for differential diagnoses and 24% for treatment or referrals despite having no formal training or oversight.

The Department is aware of the study published in Digital Health on 25 November 2025 regarding the adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) by general practitioners (GPs). AI has the potential to transform health and care services by improving health outcomes, enhancing patient safety, and reducing costs. However, it is crucial to rigorously and regularly evaluate AI technologies to ensure they work safely, ethically, and effectively in different clinical settings.The Department is currently assessing the implications of these findings through engagement with NHS England, the General Medical Council, and other stakeholders. Guidance is also being developed to ensure safe and ethical use of AI in clinical settings, which includes requirements for training and accountability, and working with regulators such as the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the National Institute for health and Care Excellence to develop evaluation pathways for AI tools. This is to ensure the AI tools meet standards equivalent to other regulated medical technologies, and whether additional safeguards or standards needed to mitigate risks to patient safety and data security are explored.We will continue to monitor emerging evidence and ensure that any integration of AI into clinical practice is underpinned by appropriate oversight, transparency, and professional responsibility.

If the High Value council tax surcharge in England will be paid from the public purse for the official residences at a) 10 Downing Street, b) 11 Downing Street, c) 1 Carlton Gardens, d) Dorneywood, e) Chequers, f) Chevening and e) the Admiralty House flat.

HVCTS will be paid by property owners not residents. Where official residences are owned by the state, any tax will be paid to the Exchequer at no overall cost to the taxpayer.

With references to the Written Statement on the Armoured Cavalry Programme (HCWS1099), published on 26 November 2025, what steps he has taken to help tackle issues relating to noise and vibration prior to declaring Initial Operating Capability.

Ajax has been through rigorous trials and an assured safety process, including with the Health and Safety Executive, with the evidence showing it is safe to operate. We will always put the safety of our personnel first and the current pause shows that we will investigate any issues when they arise. I am also putting in place a Ministerial led review into the Ajax programme, which will assess how effective the department has been at implementing the actions of previous reviews, and seeking anything further that is required regarding safety. It will be conducted by experts who are not part of the AJAX programme, including Malcolm Chalmers, to provide a more independent view. It will be overseen by myself and report to the Defence Secretary.

How many compensation claims relating to noise and vibration symptoms incurred during use of Ajax-variants have been made since the start of the Armoured Cavalry Programme.

It will take time to collate and review the information needed to answer the hon. Member’s question. I will write to him shortly and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.