Written questions by Lockhart.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle (a) harassment, (b) sexual assault and (c) misconduct against women in the armed forces; and if he will introduce an independent body to handle serious complaints of (i) harassment and (ii) misconduct.

There is no place for harassment or any form of abuse within the Armed Forces – or anywhere within Defence.Last month the Minister for Veterans and People announced the formation of a new tri-Service complaints unit for the Armed Forces. The new team will be independent of the single Service chain of command to provide individuals with greater confidence and help ensure that the most serious complaints, including bullying, harassment and misconduct, are dealt with quickly. The Ministry of Defence is also setting up a Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Taskforce which will be supported by a network of regional VAWG Advisors, trained to offer support on topics including domestic violence and sexual offending. These roles will connect with existing networks of multidisciplinary experts to support Armed Forces personnel, including healthcare providers, social workers, and HR advisors, in particular working hand in glove with the Victim and Witness Care Unit. The VAWG Taskforce will provide an escalation route independent from the military chain of command, directly up to ministerial level if required. The upcoming Armed Forces Bill will also introduce new measures to ensure the Service Justice System protects victims of the most serious offences, including sexual assault. The Government is also establishing an Armed Forces Commissioner as a new independent champion with the power to investigate issues raised by Service personnel and their families.

What personnel levels are in the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy, (c) Royal Air Force and (d) reserve forces.

Statistics on the strength of UK service personnel are published on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2025 As at 1 January 2025, the latest date for when data is available, Table 3c shows the Full-Time Trained Strength (FTTS) (Royal Navy & Royal Marines and Royal Air Force) and Full-Time Trade Trained Strength (FTTTS) (Army). Table 6a shows the Trained Futures Reserves 2020 Strength. Table 3cFull-Time Trained Strength (FTTS)127,036Royal Navy/Royal Marines (FTTS)28,085Army (FTTTS)71,151Royal Air Force (FTTS)27,800 Table 6aTri Service Future Reserve FR2029,265Maritime Reserve2,610Army Reserve23,897Royal Air Force Reserve2,758

What steps he is taking to ensure that Northern Ireland is integrated into the national defence strategy for (a) cyber defence and (b) hybrid threats.

Cyber defence and hybrid threats are crucial considerations as part of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), which will establish the roles, capabilities and reforms required by UK Defence to meet the challenges, threats, and opportunities of the twenty-first century. The first duty of Government is to defend the UK and its citizens, making the defence of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales a priority for the SDR. The Reviewers have invited the views of the devolved administrations and will ensure that Defence is central both to the security, economic growth and prosperity of the United Kingdom.

What steps he is taking to ensure that former Armed Forces personnel based in Northern Ireland are adequately supported through veterans' services.

The Government is committed to ensuring that veterans are able to access the appropriate support they require wherever they live in the UK and will be seeking to more effectively coordinate and cohere the support that is available. Specialist statutory support is delivered by the Veterans Welfare Service Northern Ireland, which has been successfully expanded to all veterans and their families across Northern Ireland. This provides information and practical support to veterans and their families, including physiotherapy and psychological therapies for eligible veterans. In addition, the £500,000 Defence Medical Welfare Service pilot, which supports veterans’ health and wellbeing in Northern Ireland, is providing valuable insight to improve our understanding of veterans’ health needs. These initiatives also build on the work of the 11 Veterans’ Champions in Northern Ireland and the recent enhancement of the Office for Veterans Affairs’ presence in Northern Ireland.