Written questions by Bailey.

What outreach programmes are being conducted by (a) Defence Nuclear Enterprise, (b) Defence Equipment and Support and (c) other bodies responsible to his Department to engage with diverse and underrepresented groups to promote defence (i) apprenticeship and (ii) graduate schemes in London; and how many such programmes were undertaken in the last 12 months.

Defence is dedicated to recruiting and retaining the best talent, drawn from the broadest diversity of thought, skills, and background, to reflect the society we serve and ensure we maintain an advantage in a competitive age. It is mission critical to our operational effectiveness and to ensuring we continue to meet the threats we face and safeguard the security, stability, and prosperity of our nation. We will only meet these threats if all our people, regardless of background, are confident that their efforts and skills are properly recognised, their individuality and experience respected and are able to achieve their full potential. Defence is involved in a number of relationships that directly link to both apprenticeships and graduate opportunities, including national and multicultural apprenticeship awards; National Apprenticeship Week; Apprenticeship Ambassador Network; Universities and Colleges Admission Service; university careers fairs; the 5% Club and the Youth Futures Foundation. In the time available to answer this question it has not been possible to identify the number or location of all such interactions over the last 12 months, but given that most of these relationships operate nationwide, London is undoubtedly included.

What outreach programmes are being conducted by (a) Defence Nuclear Enterprise, (b) Defence Equipment and Support and (c) other bodies responsible to his Department to engage with diverse and underrepresented groups to promote defence (i) apprenticeship and (ii) graduate schemes; how many such programmes were undertaken in the last 12 months; and where these programmes took place.

Defence is dedicated to recruiting and retaining the best talent, drawn from the broadest diversity of thought, skills, and background, to reflect the society we serve and ensure we maintain an advantage in a competitive age. It is mission critical to our operational effectiveness and to ensuring we continue to meet the threats we face and safeguard the security, stability, and prosperity of our nation. We will only meet these threats if all our people, regardless of background, are confident that their efforts and skills are properly recognised, their individuality and experience respected and are able to achieve their full potential. Defence is involved in a number of relationships that directly link to both apprenticeships and graduate opportunities, including national and multicultural apprenticeship awards; National Apprenticeship Week; Apprenticeship Ambassador Network; Universities and Colleges Admission Service; university careers fairs; the 5% Club and the Youth Futures Foundation. In the time available to answer this question it has not been possible to identify the number or location of all such interactions over the last 12 months, but given that most of these relationships operate nationwide, London is undoubtedly included.

What (a) relocation assistance and (b) other support for travel costs are provided by his Department for (i) prospective students and apprentices considering (A) defence apprenticeships, (B) university graduate schemes and (C) further education programmes and (ii) people accepted onto such schemes.

The Ministry of Defence offers no specific entitlements to claim travel or subsistence costs for those attending interviews or events relating to a prospective apprenticeship or graduate scheme. However, business units have discretion to stipulate in recruitment adverts that receipted and necessary expenses may be claimed. Civilian apprentices who necessarily live away from home are entitled to financial support with accommodation and the costs of a return journey home three times per year. In some circumstances First Appointment Expenses (FAE) may be offered through an external recruitment advert. FAE is based upon a tax exemption which allows an employer to pay up to £8,000 towards the cost of certain expenses incurred when an individual moves home to take up a new job.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact on eligibility for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy of Afghans of changes of refugee policy in the United States of America; and what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact on other Departmental schemes aiming to provide targeted refuge for Afghans.

The eligibility criteria of the UK’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) is unaffected by changes in the US. This Government is fully committed to delivering on the pledge made by Parliament to those in Afghanistan who are eligible to relocate and resettle, and we continue to welcome eligible Afghans and their families to the UK through our Afghan resettlement schemes. The Government has recognised the opportunities for improvements to fixing the foundations of a complicated system and as announced in December 2024 Ministers in multiple government departments are engaging and working collaboratively to deliver a single pipeline for Afghan resettlement. This will deliver greater efficiency and better outcomes across Government, as well as improving the outcomes for eligible Afghans. Over the past 12 months, the UK has welcomed around 90 eligible families each month and we expect this pace to continue. This cannot, however, be an endless process and ultimately, the Government intends to reach a position where the UK Afghan resettlement schemes can be closed. We will update the House on this accordingly.

What proportion of participants in university Officer Training Corps complete the (a) Army Reserve Commissioning Course and (b) Commissioning Course for Regular Officers.

The information requested is provided below. PopulationFR20 Reserve OfficerRegular OfficerAs a Proportion of Yearly UOTC intake6% (440)15% (1,180) Notes/Caveats: Regular officer commissions includes those completing the mainstream Commissioning Course for Regular officers at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS). This therefore excludes Professionally Qualified Officers who join and complete the Commissioning Course Short

With refence to the Council of Reserve Forces and Cadets’ Associations' Annual Statutory Report 2024, published on 17 December 2024, what steps he has taken to ensure training courses are adapted to take account of the needs of reservists.

We are very grateful for the work of the External Scrutiny Team in producing their Council of Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations Annual Statutory Report 2024. All Ministry of Defence (MOD) training courses are delivered in accordance with Defence Systems Approach to Training, including for Reservists; this is a formal iterative process to continually improve course delivery, integrate learning technologies and formally record student feedback, resulting in improved changes to Course Programmes. Many Defence courses now offer a modular approach to completion via the Defence Learning Environment which tracks and accurately records student progress. This has provided significant flexibility, allowing Reservists to complete courses in a way that fits around their employment needs and family commitments. Adaptations include tailoring to deliver training locally at weekends or in blocks of time that are accessible, allowing Reservists to balance their civilian and military commitments effectively.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps to increase recognition and accreditation of relevant civilian courses to facilitate recruitment of university students into the Reserves.

In line with recommendations made by the Haythornthwaite Review and the Pan Defence Skills Framework, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) believes there is value in recognising and accrediting the learning, experience and qualifications achieved by individuals outside of Defence. There are a number of targeted programmes allowing those in higher and further education to experience the Armed Forces and potential careers in the Regular or Reserve Forces, including University Royal Navy Units (URNU), University Officer Training Corps and University Air Squadron students. As an example, since 2015 the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) has been running a condensed fast-track Phase 1 training programme in the summer months to deliberately align with longer student vacations. Since 2021 the programme has been extended to officer cadets of the URNU, with seamless transfer to the RNR as an option for successful trainees. There are currently no specific funding options to incentivise higher or further education students to join the Maritime Reserves or Royal Air Force Reserves. Students wishing to join the Army Reserves as Officers can apply for a financial bounty for £1,200, paid in two stages, the first payment on enlistment and the second on completion of their training. The Army also has four support schemes available for students in sixth form and higher and further education, ranging from Army Scholarships worth £3,000 per candidate to a Defence STEM Undergraduate Sponsorship whereby Candidates have their tuition fees paid and receive £5,000 per annum for three university years.

What funding options are available to students in (a) higher education and (b) further education who commit to joining the Reserves.

In line with recommendations made by the Haythornthwaite Review and the Pan Defence Skills Framework, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) believes there is value in recognising and accrediting the learning, experience and qualifications achieved by individuals outside of Defence. There are a number of targeted programmes allowing those in higher and further education to experience the Armed Forces and potential careers in the Regular or Reserve Forces, including University Royal Navy Units (URNU), University Officer Training Corps and University Air Squadron students. As an example, since 2015 the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) has been running a condensed fast-track Phase 1 training programme in the summer months to deliberately align with longer student vacations. Since 2021 the programme has been extended to officer cadets of the URNU, with seamless transfer to the RNR as an option for successful trainees. There are currently no specific funding options to incentivise higher or further education students to join the Maritime Reserves or Royal Air Force Reserves. Students wishing to join the Army Reserves as Officers can apply for a financial bounty for £1,200, paid in two stages, the first payment on enlistment and the second on completion of their training. The Army also has four support schemes available for students in sixth form and higher and further education, ranging from Army Scholarships worth £3,000 per candidate to a Defence STEM Undergraduate Sponsorship whereby Candidates have their tuition fees paid and receive £5,000 per annum for three university years.

With reference to the his Department's report entitled Reserve Forces Review 2030: Unlocking the reserves’ potential to strengthen a resilient and global Britain, published in May 2021, what targeted programmes exist to support those in (a) higher education and (b) further education to join the Reserves.

In line with recommendations made by the Haythornthwaite Review and the Pan Defence Skills Framework, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) believes there is value in recognising and accrediting the learning, experience and qualifications achieved by individuals outside of Defence. There are a number of targeted programmes allowing those in higher and further education to experience the Armed Forces and potential careers in the Regular or Reserve Forces, including University Royal Navy Units (URNU), University Officer Training Corps and University Air Squadron students. As an example, since 2015 the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) has been running a condensed fast-track Phase 1 training programme in the summer months to deliberately align with longer student vacations. Since 2021 the programme has been extended to officer cadets of the URNU, with seamless transfer to the RNR as an option for successful trainees. There are currently no specific funding options to incentivise higher or further education students to join the Maritime Reserves or Royal Air Force Reserves. Students wishing to join the Army Reserves as Officers can apply for a financial bounty for £1,200, paid in two stages, the first payment on enlistment and the second on completion of their training. The Army also has four support schemes available for students in sixth form and higher and further education, ranging from Army Scholarships worth £3,000 per candidate to a Defence STEM Undergraduate Sponsorship whereby Candidates have their tuition fees paid and receive £5,000 per annum for three university years.

What discussions he has had with (a) his Ukrainian counterpart, (b) MOAS, (c) other humanitarian charities and (d) other stakeholders on the value of frontline medical evacuation services provided by humanitarian charities in Ukraine.

The Secretary of State for Defence has regular discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart on a number of issues. Through the FCDO, the UK Government continues to maintain close contact with humanitarian partners to support Ukraine, including with medical evacuation services. The Ministry of Defence has a well-established route through which requests for support from the Government of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence are received and we carefully weigh how we commit UK taxpayer money, aligned with that demand signal. Our humanitarian support to Ukraine now amounts to £477 million to Ukraine.

What steps he plans to take to learn lessons from the implementation of (a) Strategic (i) Defence and (ii) Security Reviews, (b) Defence Industrial Strategies and (c) Defence Equipment Plans over the last 25 years.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to learning lessons from previous reviews and their implementation. The Strategic Defence Review (SDR), launched by the Prime Minister on 16 July, is taking a diverse range of views and evidence, including previous reviews, strategies and plans, into account to determine the roles, capabilities and reforms required by UK Defence to meet the challenges, threats and opportunities of the twenty-first century, deliverable and affordable both within the resources available to Defence and within the trajectory to 2.5%. The SDR will ensure that Defence is central both to the security, and to the economic growth and prosperity, of the UK. The Reviewers will report to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Defence in the spring of 2025, and the Secretary of State will subsequently publish a version of that report to Parliament. More widely, Defence is undertaking the biggest reform programme in over 50 years, creating a stronger UK Defence centre to secure better value for money, better outcomes for our Armed Forces, and be better able to implement the SDR.

What discussions his Department has had with health and care stakeholders on the potential impact of the Strategic Defence Review on areas for which his Department is responsible; and whether his Department have made a submission to that Review.

Defence Medical Services is an important theme being considered by the Reviewers as part of One Defence and renewing the nation's contract with those who serve. During the Review and Challenge, there was a Panel dedicated to Defence Medical Services to provide robust challenge to submissions received from the Department into the Review. Now this phase has concluded, the Reviewers continue to iterate their final recommendations for the Prime Minister. The Review will be socialised across Whitehall, including with Department for Health and Social Care colleagues.

What steps his Department has taken to compare the (a) recommendations and (b) objectives of (i) Strategic (A) Defence and (B) Security Reviews, (ii) Defence Industrial Strategies and (ii)) Defence Equipment Plans with the Defence outcomes achieved during the last 25 years.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to learning lessons from previous reviews and their implementation. The Strategic Defence Review (SDR), launched by the Prime Minister on 16 July, is taking a diverse range of views and evidence, including previous reviews, strategies and plans, into account to determine the roles, capabilities and reforms required by UK Defence to meet the challenges, threats and opportunities of the twenty-first century, deliverable and affordable both within the resources available to Defence and within the trajectory to 2.5%. The SDR will ensure that Defence is central both to the security, and to the economic growth and prosperity, of the UK. The Reviewers will report to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Defence in the spring of 2025, and the Secretary of State will subsequently publish a version of that report to Parliament. More widely, Defence is undertaking the biggest reform programme in over 50 years, creating a stronger UK Defence centre to secure better value for money, better outcomes for our Armed Forces, and be better able to implement the SDR.

With reference to the Joint Concept Note 2/18 entitled Information Advantage, published by his Department in November 2018, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the level of resources available to the BBC World Service on the UK's (a) strategic information capability, (b) capacity to counter adversaries' use of information as a weapon and (c) capacity to use digital technology to achieve influence.

Joint Concept Note (JCN) 2/18, Information Advantage, sets out proposals for how Defence could use information differently, it is not Government policy. The BBC World Service is not part of Defence and therefore its funding is not a matter for the Ministry of Defence.