Written questions by Twigg.

What the underspend and overspend was for (a) Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit and (b) Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit for the (i) Royal Navy, (ii) Army and (iii) RAF as at 1 November 2025.

Following Defence Reform, the Capital and Resource Expenditure Limits for the front line commands are managed across the Military Strategic Headquarters instead of individually. The Ministry of Defence applies controls and routine financial management to ensure resources are allocated effectively to meet operational priorities. As such, financial data for the Military Strategic Headquarters will be available in the 2025-26 Annual Report and Accounts in the usual way. As the public would rightly expect, this Government is committed to securing value for money for taxpayers.

What his estimate is for carrying out the necessary repairs for the fleet of MAN Logistic Support Vehicles; and how long will it be before the whole fleet is back in service.

Repair analysis is ongoing; however, initial estimates indicate that all vehicles will be returned to full use by early 2026 in accordance with formation priorities.

Where were the Army's MAN Logistic Support Vehicle built; and what is the age of the vehicles.

The vehicles were manufactured under the responsibility of MAN Truck & Bus UK (MTB UK). The base was produced at MAN’s facilities in Germany and Austria, with UK-specific modifications integrated by MTB UK and specialist subcontractors within the UK. The age of the vehicles is approximately 18 years, entering service in 2007/8.

What recent estimate his Department has made of the cost in (a) time and (b) resource to (i) the Army and (ii) his Department of dealing with problems with the Ajax vehicle.

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. 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. Furthermore, I am 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 me and report to the Defence Secretary.

What times scale he has been given for the noise and vibration issues with the Ajax vehicle to be resolved.

On 22 November, during a routine training exercise, around 30 soldiers operating in Ajax reported being affected by noise and vibration exposure. 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 am 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 me and report to the Defence Secretary. It will be conducted at pace, but it will not be rushed. We will have the Terms of Reference before Christmas.

What amount of financial savings the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army, and (c) Royal Air Force have been asked to make in financial years (i) 2025-26 and (ii) 2026-27.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided to him in response to his Question 93654 of 24 November 2025. The Ministry of Defence applies in-year controls across the Department to manage performance against the Defence budget and these controls are subject to continuous review. This approach is part of normal good financial management and ensures that resources are allocated effectively to meet operational priorities.

What amount of financial savings the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army, and (c) Royal Air Force have been asked to make in (i) 2025-26 and (ii) 2026-27.

The Ministry of Defence applies in-year controls across the Department to manage performance against the Defence budget and these controls are subject to continuous review.This approach is part of normal good financial management and ensures that resources are allocated effectively to meet operational priorities.

By what date he expects to have a full fleet of Ajax armoured vehicles.

On current plans, Full Operating Capability for the Armoured Cavalry Programme is expected to be achieved by the end of 2029.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2025 to Question 58934 on Armed Forces: Vacancies, what the ranks of the unfilled posts are; and how long they have been unfilled.

The UK has one of the highest post fill rates in NATO. As of 1 April 2025, the UK’s post allocation was 1,053, of which 82 were unfilled. While 8% of our posts were gapped in April 2025, this was predominantly for a period of less than 10 months. The majority of gaps were at OF-3, OF-4, and OR-6 level, which corresponds to the most in demand ranks of the personnel we provide. The full data for this period is as follows: Ranks (and corresponding Army rank)Number of gaps per rankOF-2 (Captain)8OF-3 (Major)15OF-4 (Lieutenant Col)15OF-5 (Colonel)1OR-2 (Private)1OR-3 (Lance Corporal)2OR-4 (Corporal)10OR-6 (Sergeant)17OR-7 (Staff Sergeant)8OR-8 (Warrant Officer Class 2)2OR-9 (Warrant Officer Class 1)1 Gapped period 0-10 months3511-20 months1020-30 months431-40 months541-50 months850-60 months360+ months15 80

How many military posts allocated for British Armed Forces personnel within NATO remain unfilled as of 1 April 2025.

The UK is one of the largest contributors of personnel to NATO, underlining our commitment to deterrence and defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area, with personnel deployed in over twenty-one countries. The UK consistently has one of the highest post fill rates in NATO. As of 1 April 2025, the UK’s post allocation was 1,053, of which 8% were unfilled. This is due to new long-lead posts recently being included in data, as well as normal churn.

What recent estimate he has made of the expected change in cost for Defence Nuclear Enterprise until 2033.

As stated in an update to the Public Accounts Committee in December 2023, the Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) forecast an equipment plan spend of £117.8 billion over the period 2023-33. Over the same period to 2033, the current forecast for DNE equipment plan spend has increased by about £10 billion.

What the baseline allocation of reserve services days will be for reservists in the (a) Army Reserve, (b) Maritime Reserve and (c) RAF Reserve in the 2025-26 financial year.

Reserves enable our Armed Forces to meet the threats we face at home and overseas, by providing the scale, skills, agility and connection to society needed, in a cost-effective way. As the Minister for Veterans and People, I have commissioned an internal review in Defence to ensure that we are making the most of the unique contribution our Reserve Forces offer. The review will examine the Reserves landscape and will include some aspects of their terms and conditions of Service. There is no baseline allocation of Reserve Service Days (RSD) for Army Reservists; individual Army Reserve RSD consumption varies between zero and 120 days, with an average of around 30 days. For the Maritime Reserve, the minimum annual training commitment is generally 24 RSD, split between the delivery of operational capability output and support activity. For Royal Air Force Reserve, the minimum annual RSD is 27 days, though the average is 30 days. Funds are allocated appropriately to deliver strategic objectives. In advance of the conclusions of the Strategic Defence Review and the review I have commissioned it would be inappropriate to anticipate future budgetary allocations.

How many and what proportion of serving personnel in the (a) Navy, (b) Army and (c) RAF were recruited from countries outside the UK in each year since 2015; and from which countries.

The attached tables provide the intake into the Regular Armed Forces by Service and the Brigade of Gurkhas by nationality, and as percentage of overall intake in each year between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2024. Commonwealth citizens have been grouped together as numbers from individual Commonwealth countries can be very small.

Whether the Reserve Service Day budget for (a) the army, (b) maritime and (c) the RAF will be subject to in year savings measures for the financial year 2025-26.

Reserves enable our Armed Forces to meet the threats we face at home and overseas, by providing the scale, skills, agility and connection to society needed, in a cost-effective way. As the Minister for Veterans and People, I have commissioned an internal review in Defence to ensure that we are making the most of the unique contribution our Reserve Forces offer. The review will examine the Reserves landscape and will include some aspects of their terms and conditions of Service. There is no baseline allocation of Reserve Service Days (RSD) for Army Reservists; individual Army Reserve RSD consumption varies between zero and 120 days, with an average of around 30 days. For the Maritime Reserve, the minimum annual training commitment is generally 24 RSD, split between the delivery of operational capability output and support activity. For Royal Air Force Reserve, the minimum annual RSD is 27 days, though the average is 30 days. Funds are allocated appropriately to deliver strategic objectives. In advance of the conclusions of the Strategic Defence Review and the review I have commissioned it would be inappropriate to anticipate future budgetary allocations.

What the total Reserve Service Day Budget is for the (a) Army, (b) Maritime and (c) Air Force in financial year 2025-26.

Reserves enable our Armed Forces to meet the threats we face at home and overseas, by providing the scale, skills, agility and connection to society needed, in a cost-effective way. As the Minister for Veterans and People, I have commissioned an internal review in Defence to ensure that we are making the most of the unique contribution our Reserve Forces offer. The review will examine the Reserves landscape and will include some aspects of their terms and conditions of Service. There is no baseline allocation of Reserve Service Days (RSD) for Army Reservists; individual Army Reserve RSD consumption varies between zero and 120 days, with an average of around 30 days. For the Maritime Reserve, the minimum annual training commitment is generally 24 RSD, split between the delivery of operational capability output and support activity. For Royal Air Force Reserve, the minimum annual RSD is 27 days, though the average is 30 days. Funds are allocated appropriately to deliver strategic objectives. In advance of the conclusions of the Strategic Defence Review and the review I have commissioned it would be inappropriate to anticipate future budgetary allocations.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2025 to Question 37538 on Army: Recruitment, if he will provide numbers by category for each year listed.

It is taking time to interrogate the data and therefore it has not been possible to provide the answer in the time available. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as practical and will place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

What his planned timetable is for the next Army Messing Survey.

The Army Messing Survey 2021 document was developed for an internal audience and there are no current plans to publish the results. The Department incorporated the feedback of this survey into the Army Exploring the Appetites of Today Soldiers (EATS) proposition, trialled across a series of 14-18 month pilots. The results of the pilots led to a final report published in 2023 and informed the development of the Defence Catering Strategy (DCS) - the implementation of which began in May in early 2024. There are no plans for another wholesale review in the near term and, as referred to in my answer of 10 March 2025 to Question 35639, the DCS provides personnel with the opportunity to provide regular feedback through a wide variety of existing means so that we can continually improve food quality across Defence.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2025 to Question 35639 on Army: Food, if he will he publish the results of the Army Messing Survey 2021.

The Army Messing Survey 2021 document was developed for an internal audience and there are no current plans to publish the results. The Department incorporated the feedback of this survey into the Army Exploring the Appetites of Today Soldiers (EATS) proposition, trialled across a series of 14-18 month pilots. The results of the pilots led to a final report published in 2023 and informed the development of the Defence Catering Strategy (DCS) - the implementation of which began in May in early 2024. There are no plans for another wholesale review in the near term and, as referred to in my answer of 10 March 2025 to Question 35639, the DCS provides personnel with the opportunity to provide regular feedback through a wide variety of existing means so that we can continually improve food quality across Defence.

What the most frequent reasons were for new applicants to the Army being refused on medical grounds in each year since 2020.

It is taking time to interrogate the data and therefore it has not been possible to provide the answer in the time available. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as practical and will place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2025 to Question 35639 on Army: Food, for what reason there was a period of three years between the 2021 survey and the launch of the Defence Catering Strategy.

The Army Messing Survey 2021 document was developed for an internal audience and there are no current plans to publish the results. The Department incorporated the feedback of this survey into the Army Exploring the Appetites of Today Soldiers (EATS) proposition, trialled across a series of 14-18 month pilots. The results of the pilots led to a final report published in 2023 and informed the development of the Defence Catering Strategy (DCS) - the implementation of which began in May in early 2024. There are no plans for another wholesale review in the near term and, as referred to in my answer of 10 March 2025 to Question 35639, the DCS provides personnel with the opportunity to provide regular feedback through a wide variety of existing means so that we can continually improve food quality across Defence.