Written questions by Reed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 27042 on UNRWA: Finance, what mechanisms are in place to ensure that UK funding to UNRWA is not used (a) directly or (b) indirectly to support Hamas activities; and what assessment he has made of UNRWA's compliance with these safeguards.

A Memorandum of Understanding governs UK financial support to the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and we monitor UNRWA's activity through due diligence and annual assessments. The UK is also providing £1 million to support implementation of the recommendations in Catherine Colonna's Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to Ensure Adherence by UNRWA to the Humanitarian Principle of Neutrality. UNRWA plays a vital role in delivering humanitarian assistance in Gaza and enabling the broader international response through its logistics and distribution network. We reiterated this position in our E3 joint Foreign Ministers' statement of 31 January, alongside France and Germany.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2025 to Question 27041 on Palestinians: Schools, what the timeline is for the full implementation of the recommendations of the Colonna report on the neutrality of educational materials in UNRWA-run schools in (a) Gaza and (b) the West Bank; and whether he has had discussions with UNRWA on replacing the current curriculum.

The UN conducts quarterly progress reports on UNRWA's implementation of the recommendations made in the Colonna report, with the latest having issued in January 2025. This includes eight recommendations relating specifically to education. As noted in the answer to PQ 27041, on 28 January, the Minister for Development informed the House that she had discussed the issue of neutrality with UNRWA's leadership, including directly with Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has set a target for research and development expenditure in 2030.

Departmental budgets are currently set up to the end of financial year 2025/26. The government is currently in the middle of a Spending Review, which will set out the government’s spending plans for R&D through to 2029/30. This will conclude in June 2025.At the Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor confirmed that total HMG investment in R&D is rising to a record allocation of £20.4bn in 2025/26. As part of this, DSIT's R&D budget is rising to £13.9bn for the 2025/26 financial year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 23535 on Hawk Aircraft, what plans his Department has for the replacement of the Hawk T1 by 2030; and whether it is his policy to maintain a sovereign jet training capability in this process.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 December 2024 for Question 16460 to the right hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mark Francois).

What was the total cost to the public purse of training personnel on jet aircraft in (a) the UK and (b) overseas in each of the last five years; and what proportion of the total training budget each represents.

The UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) cost for the Fast Jet training element over the last 5 years was circa £500.4 million. That includes fixed and multiple variable costs such as fuel, instructor and trainee salary, infrastructure/accommodation upkeep, aerodrome operations and runway refurbishment. The cost detail for Fast Jet Outsourced Training over the last five years is being withheld to protect commercial confidentiality. Outsourcing services are negotiated Government to Government via Memorandums of Understanding and Technical Arrangements and therefore it is not appropriate to disclose specific cost detail. It is not possible to state what proportion of the total training budget this represents as the information is not held in this format and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

How many UK personnel have been trained on jet aircraft in (a) the UK and (b) overseas in each of the last five years; and in which countries overseas training has taken place.

In the last five years there have been 82 UK personnel trained on fast jet (FJ) aircraft in the UK and 22 UK personnel trained on fast jet aircraft overseas. Overseas training has taken place in the USA and Italy. Financial Year2020-212021-222022-232023-242024-25TOTALFJ Pilots trained in the UK2428571882FJ Pilots trained overseas0078722

What the annual cost is to maintain the Hawk T1 fleet under the existing fleet maintenance contract.

There are two support contracts in place to support the Hawk TMk1 to its out of service date in March 2030 and the Hawk TMk2 to 2033. Specific terms and conditions are subject to commercial confidentiality. In the financial year from 2023-24 the value for solely the TMk1 aircraft maintenance was £27.7 million.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 23535 on Hawk Aircraft, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the high fatigue index in the remaining Hawk T1 fleet on the total number of available UK-based training hours for personnel.

Hawk T1 is not employed in a flying training role. The Hawk T1 airframes are solely allocated to sustaining the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, The Red Arrows.As given in the answer to Question 23535, across all airframes we have retained more than sufficient overall remaining available fatigue life to ensure all Red Arrows tasking until 2030 as planned.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with UNRWA on ensuring that educational materials used in UNRWA-run schools in the West Bank and Gaza do not incite violence and hatred.

Education is an essential component of the humanitarian response in Gaza, and critical to building the foundations for a sustainable and lasting peace for the Israeli and Palestinian people, grounded in a two-state solution. It is therefore essential that partners delivering education services across the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), not least the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), uphold the highest standards of neutrality. £1 million of the UK's funding support for UNRWA has been earmarked to implement the recommendations of Catherine Colonna's Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to Ensure Adherence by UNRWA to the Humanitarian Principle of Neutrality. On 28 January, the Minister for Development informed the House that she had discussed the issue of neutrality with UNRWA's leadership, including directly with Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. She also spoke to UNRWA staff members on their work to implement the recommendations of the Colonna report during her visit to the region on 3-5 December. We welcome the initiatives launched by UNRWA to ensure neutrality of its educational material and teaching, in addition to its longstanding work with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Palestinian Authority to reform curricula and educational materials.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what conditions he has placed on the restoration of funding to UNRWA.

Since the Foreign Secretary restored funding to UNRWA in July 2024, the UK has committed £41 million to UNRWA to deliver essential services for civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, and to Palestinian refugees across the region. A Memorandum of Understanding governs UK financial support to UNRWA. We continue to monitor UNRWA's activity through due diligence and annual assessments.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 17476 on Amphibious Vehicles, whether his Department has identified reductions in amphibious capability from the use of Bay Class Landing Ship Docks in place of HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark.

The previous administration had no plans for either HMS Albion or HMS Bulwark to return to sea ahead of their leaving service in the 2030s, therefore there has been no reduction in capability. The Bay Class are highly capable ships and, alongside RFA Argus, will continue to support Royal Marine operations until the introduction of Multi-Role Support Ships in the early 2030s.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 17477 on RFA Argus: Amphibious Vehicles, whether his Department has identified reductions in amphibious capability from the use of RFA Argus in place of HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark.

The previous administration had no plans for either HMS Albion or HMS Bulwark to return to sea ahead of their leaving service in the 2030s, therefore there has been no reduction in capability. RFA Argus, alongside Bay Class, is a highly capable ship and will continue to support Royal Marine operations until the introduction of Multi-Role Support Ships in the early 2030s.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2024 to Question 17483 on Type 32 Frigates, at what stage in its concept phase the Type 32 frigate programme is; and what stages of the concept phase have been completed.

The Type 32 frigate programme is in the concept phrase and has not yet reached the level of maturity to allow publication of a specific timetable for design and procurement. This is consistent with a programme of this size and complexity at this early stage in its development.All future designs of the Royal Navy will be part of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) so would be inappropriate to provide further detail until SDR decisions have been made.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2024 to Question 17491 on National Security: Cybersecurity, whether there is a formalised process whereby his Department meets with the (a) Cabinet Office and (b) Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to discuss the (i) development and (ii) procurement of digital capabilities for national security.

Officials from the Ministry of Defence regularly meet with officials from the Cabinet Office and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology through a number of Cross Whitehall meetings and boards. These forums allow Defence to feed in and engage on broader digital and national security related matters including the development and procurement of digital capabilities.

What steps he is taking to simplify procurement processes to enable (a) micro, (b) small and (c) medium-sized companies to compete more effectively for defence contracts.

The Procurement Act 2023 introduces reforms intended to make it easier for small businesses to access public sector procurements, including a requirement for contracting authorities to consider barriers to participation and whether they can be removed or reduced. UK industry partners of all sizes, including SMEs, are at the heart of our One Defence approach and we recognise the vital contribution they make in driving economic growth and strengthening our national security. The Defence Industrial Strategy will set the conditions to unlock the full potential of SMEs to innovate at pace and seize future opportunities.

What steps his Department is taking to support (a) micro, (b) small and (c) medium-sized technology companies in the early stages of development within the defence sector.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to supporting micro, small and medium-sized technology companies. Through the Defence Industrial Strategy the department will foster a more diverse community of suppliers, including non-traditional suppliers, through reducing barriers to entry and setting the conditions that unlock the full potential of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). One of the ways we are already doing this is through the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) with its remit to find and fund suppliers to deliver innovative projects to meet UK defence and security challenges. DASA also supports funded SMEs with additional business services to help scale up and commercialise their innovative ideas.

What steps he is taking to help ensure defence primes’ commitments to (a) apprenticeships and (b) graduate recruitment (i) are geographically balanced and (ii) extend opportunities to (A) micro, (B) small, (C) medium-sized and (D) other businesses in regions with significant defence industry presence.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is taking steps itself to secure important skills in areas such as digital, cyber, STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), nuclear and space. As we tackle these challenges we will continue to work closely with industry partners of all sizes. Our strategic suppliers have identified SME Champions and there is now regular engagement between them and the department, focusing upon how industry and MOD should improve their practice to better support SMEs.We also work with other Government Departments and academia to ensure that we are growing and retaining these skills nationally. Through the Defence STEM Steering Group, Defence and their national strategic partners are actively promoting engineering as an inclusive career field, supporting teacher training, and coordinating outreach activities to maximise efficiency.

What steps his Department is taking to improve engagement with micro-sized technology companies through traditional prime contractors.

Micro, small and medium sized businesses make a vital contribution to economic growth and are a valuable source of technical innovation in defence. This is recognised in the recently published Defence Industrial Strategy Statement of Intent. We work with our largest suppliers through a network of their SME Champions, trade associations and SME representatives to ensure that SMEs have fair 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 engaging with our industrial partners of all sizes to develop a new SME Action Plan which will simplify and make more accessible opportunities to Defence contracts for smaller suppliers.

What his Department's planned timetable is for awarding contracts for the construction of multi-role support ships.

The Multi-Role Support Ship (MRSS) programme is in its Concept Phase. The Royal Navy and Defence Equipment and Support are conducting detailed work on key user requirements, conceptual designs, affordability, and exportability assessments. Alongside other shipbuilding programmes, they are maintaining engagement with all leading UK shipbuilding entities and the National Shipbuilding Office (NSO) on the best commercial approach for UK to deliver for the Navy and the Nation. The Outline Business Case is due for submission mid-2025 which will detail the schedule for future contract award milestones.

What steps his Department is taking to improve its procurement processes to provide greater certainty for private sector defence investors.

This Government is committed to improving the UK Defence industrial base to ensure a robust Defence sector and provide greater certainty in procurement processes. The Statement of Intent for the Defence Industrial Strategy, published on 2 December 2024, set out a commitment to prioritise UK businesses for investment, provide certainty and stability and boost sovereign capacity. As part of the Defence Industrial Strategy, we will reform Mininstry of Defence procurement and acquisition processes to ensure we deliver the capabilities defence requires now and in the future, whilst reducing waste, supporting growth and ensuring compliance with our obligations under our international trade agreements.