Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

With references to the Written Statement on the Armoured Cavalry Programme (HCWS1099), published on 26th November 2025, what assurances was the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry given prior to announcing Initial Operating Capability.

Before declaring Initial Operating Capability, I received written assurances from the Chief of the General Staff and the acting NAD that the vehicle was safe to operate. Within the letter note AJAX the vehicle was described as ‘demonstrably safe to operate”.

With reference to the Budget 2025: Strong Foundations, Secure Future, page 47, what is the breakdown of the £2.8billion efficiencies and savings target for 2028-29 across each department.

The £2.8 billion efficiencies and savings represent 0.5% of departmental day-to-day budgets set at Spending Review 2025.Efficiencies and savings achieved within the NHS will be reinvested to improve patient care, and the government will ensure it continues to meet existing NATO spending commitments.

What was the budget for a) security and b) cyber security in the National Gas business plan each year for the past five years.

Funding for National Gas Transmission is set by Ofgem’s RIIO (Revenue = Incentives + Innovation + Outputs) framework for each five-year regulatory period. For security reasons, Ofgem does not publish the specific allowances awarded for physical or cyber security. These investments are designed to strengthen resilience, often for Critical National Infrastructure, and disclosure could increase risks to individual companies and the wider energy sector.

Pursuant to the answer of 18th March 2025 to question 37371 on F-35 Aircraft: Procurement, what progress has he made on securing delivery of the remaining F-35B aircraft from the first tranche.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for East Londonderry (Mr Gregory Campbell) on 19 November 2025 to Question 91099. https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-11-14/91099

How many instances of vibration sickness have been recorded with a) Ajax, b) Ares, c) Athena and d) other Ajax-variants since 6th November 2025.

Safety of personnel is a top priority for me. As reported to the House in my recent Written Statement dated 26 November. On 22 November, during a routine training exercise, around 30 soldiers operating in Ajax reported being affected by noise and vibration exposure. Out of an abundance of caution, and in line with our safety protocols, the exercise was halted within 30 minutes so that those affected could receive appropriate medical care. Importantly, none of the symptoms were severe enough to require hospitalisation. Of the 61 vehicles of all AJAX types were involved in the exercise, 23 AJAX Vehicles were linked to soldiers suffering from noise or vibration injury.

With references to the Written Statement on the Armoured Cavalry Programme (HCWS1099), published on 26th November 2025, by when does he intend to complete the safety investigation into Ajax.

The safety of our personnel is paramount. The Defence Accident Investigation Board are conducting an investigation into the incident at pace with support from the Army Safety Investigation Team and General Dynamics. While the relevant investigations take place the Ministerial team have directed a pause on the use of Ajax for training and exercising. It is currently anticipated that the investigation will take at least two weeks.

What is the size of the total absconder pool in the most recent period for which reporting is available.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics.Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

How many instances of noise and vibration symptoms have occurred since the start of the Armoured Cavalry Programme.

The health and safety of our Service personnel will always remain my top priority. The problems with the Armoured Cavalry programme (commonly known as Ajax) are a matter of public record under the last Government. As reported to the House in my recent Written Statement dated 22 January 2026, a number of personnel reported noise and vibration symptoms during Exercise TITAN STORM in November 2025. Following a second separate incident that I reported to the House on 18 December 2025, I directed a pause on all Ajax trials and testing. It is clear that soldiers suffered symptoms resembling those of noise and vibration during the Exercise in November 2025 and we need to find out why from our further investigations. Investigations remain ongoing and I will provide an update to the House when I am in receipt of their findings.

How many settlements for asbestos related disease his Department made in 2024/25.

Settlements of asbestos related compensation claims brought against the Ministry of Defence for asbestos related disease are published annually. These are published the year after the relevant financial year (FY). For example, settled claims and compensation paid in FY2024-25 will be published in 2026. The link below provides the most up to date information relating to common law claims in FY2023-24 including asbestos related claims. MOD common law compensation claims statistics 2023/24 - GOV.UK Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, there were no initial injury/illness awards under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) for mesothelioma or any asbestos-related condition. Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, there were 119 awards for mesothelioma or any asbestos related conditions under the War Pension Scheme (WPS). Please note, numbers for AFCS include initial awards only. Asbestos conditions which were initially rejected but were subsequently awarded, following a reconsideration or appeal in this financial year, have not been counted due to the complexity of the data.

How many settlements for noise-induced hearing loss his Department made in 2024/25.

Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, there were 149 initial injury/illness awards under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) for noise-induced hearing loss which were awarded under the Senses tariff of injury table. Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, 1,083 awards for noise-induced hearing loss conditions under the War Pensions Scheme. Please note, numbers for AFCS include initial awards only. NIHL conditions which were initially rejected but were subsequently awarded, following a reconsideration or appeal in this financial year, have not been counted due to the complexity of the data. Settlements of common law compensation claims brought against the Ministry of Defence for noise-induced hearing loss are published annually. These are published the year after the relevant financial year. For example, settled claims and compensation paid in financal year (FY) 2024-25 will be published in 2026. The link below provides the most up to date information relating to common law claims in FY2023-24 including clinical negligence claims. MOD common law compensation claims statistics 2023/24 - GOV.UK

What are the terms of the UK's operational freedom of action under the global F-35 programme.

The Ministry of Defence has Operational Sovereignty/Freedom of Action to operate the UK 'F-35 aircraft at the time and place of the UK Defence's choosing' and to 'procure critical capabilities to be located in the UK'.This is combined with an in-depth understanding of the aircraft's capabilities that enable Operational Readiness and risk to be assessed against national legislation, the Geneva Convention and our Duty of Care before committing the equipment and personnel to operations.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has held discussions with Peterborough City Council on the options for local government reorganisation in Cambridgeshire.

My officials have held discussions with all the councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, including Peterborough City Council, as they have developed proposals in response to their invitation. Those proposals are due to be submitted on 28 November.

Pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2025 to question 88988 on Prisoners, how many of the prisoners unlawfully detained following completion of their sentence in 2024-25 were detained between 5 July 2024 and 31 March 2025.

Release inaccuracy is yet another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those errors that do occur, and this includes unlawful detentions.On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent inquiry will report its recommendations to prevent further inaccuracies. The Government is determined to fix release inaccuracies and ensure the public is properly protected.The data requested comes from internal management information and is not fully Quality Assured. We are therefore unable to answer this question within cost limits.

Pursuant to the answer of 18th November 2025 to question 88988 on Prisoners, a) how long for and b) how much compensation did each prisoner unlawfully detained between 5th July 2024 and 31st March 2025 receive.

Release inaccuracy is yet another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those errors that do occur, and this includes unlawful detentions.On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps which includes strengthening release checks across prisons and an independent inquiry will report its recommendations to prevent further inaccuracies. The Government is determined to fix release inaccuracies and ensure the public is properly protected.The data requested comes from internal management information and is not fully Quality Assured. We are therefore unable to answer this question within cost limits.

How many settlements for clinical negligence his Department made in 2024-25.

Settlements of common law compensation claims for alleged Ministry of Defence clinical negligence are published annually. These are published the year after the relevant financial year (FY). For example, settled claims and compensation paid in FY 2024-25 will be published in 2026. The link below provides the most up to date information relating to common law claims in FY2023-24 including clinical negligence claims. MOD common law compensation claims statistics 2023/24 - GOV.UK Both the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and War Pensions Scheme (WPS) are no-fault schemes to pay compensation for injuries, illness or death caused or made worse by service. Awards are granted for injuries/illnesses/deaths and not specific events within their service. Identifying if the claimant has stated their injuries/illnesses/deaths were suffered as a result of clinical negligence would not be possible to quantify, and would only be possible at a disproportionate cost as it would require a manual file search of every claim file.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of a requirement to ensure all venues have (a) toilets accessible to wheelchair users and (b) clear information that there are no accessible toilets for wheelchair users.

Under the Equality Act 2010, businesses that provide goods and services to the public are required not to discriminate against disabled people. The Act also places an anticipatory duty on service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises/buildings and services so that disabled customers have the same access to goods and services and are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers. This duty is anticipatory, meaning that service providers are expected to foresee the requirements of disabled people and the reasonable adjustments that may have to be made for them. This includes the provision of disabled toilets and wheelchair access. The Act recognises the need to strike a balance between the needs of disabled people and the interests of service providers. What is ‘reasonable’ will vary from one situation to another, depending on the circumstances of the case. This is because factors like the practicability of making the adjustment, the cost of the adjustment and the resources available to an organisation, will vary from one situation to another. In the event of a claim of disability discrimination, it will ultimately be for the courts to decide on a case-by-case basis, what reasonable adjustments should be made for a particular disabled service-user, taking into account all relevant circumstances of the case.

How many staff within the HM Prison & Probation Service are reliant on a visa for their employment.

The Ministry of Justice does not hold the requested data in an easily accessible format. Information on right to work status does not provide a distinction between employees presently working for the Ministry of Justice and employees who have since left employment, therefore distinguishing the data accurately would incur disproportionate cost.

What assessment has he made of the potential impact of the logistical burden of (a) armoured battlegroups and (b) vehicles from the (i) Ajax, (ii) Boxer and (iii) 433 families on the Army.

The British Army assesses logistic requirements as part of the process to deliver new vehicles and equipment into service. For reasons of operational security, I am unable to provide the details requested as to do so would reveal the readiness levels of specific platforms. On 22 November, during a routine training exercise, around 30 soldiers operating in Ajax reported being affected by noise and vibration exposure. Out of an abundance of caution, and in line with our safety protocols, the exercise was halted within 30 minutes so that those affected could receive appropriate medical care. Importantly, none of the symptoms were life-threatening or severe enough to require hospitalisation, and most soldiers have already shown significant improvement, with many returning back to their duties. As a result, I directed the Army to pause all use of Ajax for training and exercising, while a safety investigation is carried out into the events. Those investigations are ongoing and I will update the House at an appropriate point. I have 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 me and report to the Defence Secretary.

How many settlements for (a) bullying, (b) harassment, (c) discrimination, (d) physical and sexual abuse and (e) assault did his Department make in 2024-2025.

This answer covers employment tribunal settlements and common law compensation claim settlements. For employment tribunal settlements, in some cases, it has been necessary to categorise harassment and discrimination together, where the claimant has alleged complaints of both within the same claim form. Bullying: nilHarassment and discrimination: seven settlementsDiscrimination: six settlementsPhysical and sexual abuse: nilAssault: nil For claims, the answer reflects settlement of common law compensation claims against the Ministry of Defence where bullying, harassment or discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual abuse and physical abuse or assault are the main causes of action. Settlements have been defined as claims where both compensation and claimant legal costs have settled. Given the way such claims are categorised and recorded, it is not possible to separate between bullying, harassment and discrimination. Sexual harassment and sexual abuse are categorised together, as are physical abuse and assault. Bullying, harassment and discrimination: Eight settlementsSexual harassment and sexual abuse: 12 settlementsPhysical abuse and assault: Fewer than five settlements This answer does not include any settlement of damages in 2024-2025 where legal costs have not been finalised. Numbers fewer than five are not provided in order to reduce the possible inadvertent disclosure of claimant identities. Both the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and War Pensions Scheme (WPS) are no-fault schemes to pay compensation for injuries, illness or death caused or made worse by service. Awards are granted for injuries/illnesses/deaths and not specific events within their service. Identifying if the claimant has stated their injuries/illnesses/deaths were suffered as a result of clinical negligence would exceed the appropriate cost limit as it would require a manual file search of every claim file. The Raising Our Standards Programme, launched in September 2024, is driving vital cultural change through improved education, training, reporting systems, and trust in leadership. We are strengthening reporting pathways to ensure employees feel safe to report and challenge behaviours. For non-criminal complaints, the MyComplaints App enables Service and Civil Servant personnel to raise issues outside their chain of command. The forthcoming Tri-service Complaints Unit will handle the most serious cases of bullying, harassment and discrimination. Together, these initiatives create a culture where victim-survivors are supported through every route they choose, empowering them with autonomy and confidence. This commitment underpins a safer, more respectful environment for all personnel.

Pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2025 to question 91710 on HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, what financial gain was made from the sale of a) HMS Albion and b) HMS Bulwark to offset against the write down of the remaining value of the vessels.

Discussions with potential international partners remain commercially sensitive, and it would not be appropriate to provide details of any prospective proceeds while these engagements are ongoing.