Written questions by Twigg.

Whether he plans to produce a National Defence Plan.

Defence is supporting the Cabinet Office on the design and implementation of an internal-to-government Home Defence Programme. This will further enhance UK national security and resilience through bolstering civilian-military coordination and HMG’s overall preparedness. The upcoming Strategic Defence Review will reflect the importance of strengthening national resilience and reinforcing the UK’s homeland security to keep the country safe and protect its citizens.

When the most recent survey of Army personnel on the quality of food served to them was undertaken.

Delivering high quality and varied food to Service personnel is important to both the Army and the Department. The Army regularly provides opportunities for its personnel to provide feedback and encourages them to do so. The most recent survey undertaken occurred in 2021, whereby the Army undertook the Army Messing Survey The feedback from this survey informed the development of the Army EATS (Exploring the Appetites of Today Soldiers) report. Not only did the survey collate personnel feedback relating to the quality of food, but also feedback on serving hours, environment and the method of service provided. Acting on the results of this, in 2024 Defence launched the Defence Catering Strategy, which aims to improve food provision across the entire Armed Forces and provides new menus for Service personnel. The strategy also encourages personnel to regularly provide feedback through a wide variety of existing means so that we can continually improve food quality across Defence.

Which countries the Army sourced chicken from for its personnel's meals in the past five years.

This information is not held. Under the terms of the Ministry of Defences’ (MOD) food contracts, the procurement of all produce is the responsibility of the prime contractors.All food procured for MOD personnel must comply with MOD food quality standards which, in turn, comply with all UK and EU production standards, Farm Assurance or equivalent.

Which countries the Army sourced beef from for its personnel's meals in the past five years.

This information is not held. Under the terms of the Ministry of Defences’ (MOD) food contracts, the procurement of all produce is the responsibility of the prime contractors.All food procured for MOD personnel must comply with MOD food quality standards which, in turn, comply with all UK and EU production standards, Farm Assurance or equivalent.

What estimate his Department has made of the current shortfall in the (a) Army Reserve, (b) RAF Reserve, (c) Royal Navy Reserve and (d) Royal Marines Reserve.

I am grateful for the contribution of our Reserve Forces who provide the UK with the ability to meet the threats we face at home and overseas, with the scale, skills, agility and connection to society that it needs, in a cost-effective way. The requested information is published in the Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics, the latest edition of which (1 January 2025) can be found at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2025/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-1-january-2025#future-reserves-2020-fr20-programme-monitoring

What proportion of officer cadets entering Sandhurst since 2015 attended a (a) state and (b) private school.

The table below shows the proportion of officer cadets entering Sandhurst in the last 10 years who attended independent and state schools. This data has been provided from a Single Service source rather than official statistics produced by Defence Statistics as the latter do not collate this information. Training YearIndependent Schools %State Schools %2015-1640602016-1742582017-1843572018-1948522019-2043572020-2144562021-2243572022-2341592023-2439612024-253961 Note: Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number for presentational purposes.

How many medical rank reservists there were in the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) RAF in each year since 2015.

I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces. Whilst a statistical release of overall Armed Forces strength is published annually, strength and capability statistics for certain specialisations are not released. Releasing the current strength and requirement of medical service personnel could be exploited by our adversaries to target, disrupt and degrade an important element of Armed Forces capability.

How many overseas army training exercises took place each year since 2010.

The Army invests significantly in skills, education and training for its people to build the problem-solving attributes, teamwork, resilience, intellect and creativity needed to be successful now and in the future. The Army maintains an active overseas training programme that delivers against robust training objectives and supports UK defence engagement efforts overseas, as well as demonstrating our clear commitment to our Allies and partners. The information requested is not held centrally, but I have provided a broad estimate of approximate figures. An illustrative estimate of the number of overseas training exercises conducted as part of the Overseas Training Exercise (OTX) programme is provided below. Please be aware however that some exercises are not included (such as those for specialist units) in the figures provided and the table represents only a partial picture. Information required to answer the question in full is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. YearNumber of Overseas Exercises held2010-202075 exercises per year. (estimated)*2020-20210 - due to COVID2021-20220 - due to COVID2022-2023552023-2024842024-202570 to be completed (estimated) *Detailed information on training activity prior to 2020 is no longer held in accordance with MOD data retention policy, as a result this figure is strictly an estimate of annual activity

What the (a) budget for and (b) amount spent on Defence medical services was in each year since 2015.

The table below presents the budget and amount spent by Defence Medical Services in each year since 2016. Figures prior to 2016 are not held in the format requested: Financial YearBudget £Spend £16/17505,432,887.00457,074,00017/18476,356,801.00461,981,00018/19469,936,182.00470,270,00019/20498,647,556.00494,110,00020/21502,061,045.00470,433,67321/22507,039,627.00492,879,95022/23530,653,498.00509,508,07023/24550,152,449.00544,294,366

How many (a) air and (b) ground stewards were in post in the RAF in each year since 2010; and what the requirement was in each of those years.

The number of Logistics (Air Ground Stewards) in the Royal Air Force in each year since 2010 is as follows: Ground StewardsTotal01 April 201048201 April 201146401 April 201243501 April 201340801 April 201439501 April 201539001 April 201639201 April 201737201 April 201834901 April 201933301 April 202033001 April 202133901 April 202233101 April 202331201 April 2024291 Data is unable to be broken down by Air Steward and Ground Steward specialisation. I am withholding the information requested for the workforce requirement as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

How many veterinary officers were in post in the Army in each year since 2010; and what the requirement was in each of those years.

The number of veterinary officers in post for the Army since 2010 are as follows. Year*Total202441202343202245202145202041201940201843201741201635201535201441201341201237201136201035*The figure for each year was extrapolated from the number in post on 01 April for each respective year We do not routinely release the workforce requirement figures of Army regiments or specialist professions as doing so is likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

How many nurses were in post in the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) RAF in each year since 2010; and what the requirement was in each service in each of those years.

I hope that my Rt Hon friend will understand that I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces. Whilst a statistical release of overall Armed Forces strength is published annually, strength and capability statistics for certain specialisations are not released. Releasing the current strength and requirement of medical service personnel could be exploited by our adversaries to target, disrupt and degrade an important element of Armed Forces capability.

When he decided not to release the workforce requirement figures of Army regiments for reasons of operational security.

In 2022, with Departmental support, the Army adopted a position not to release the workforce requirement of its internal organisations following the announcement of the Integrated Review and Future Soldier transformation. I am happy to speak to my hon. Friend about this further.

How many chefs were in post in the Army in each year since 2010; and what the requirement was in each of those years.

The number of chefs in post for the Army since 2010 are as follows: Year*Total2024868202392020229452021973202099220191,06120181,13620171,18620161,22220151,28120141,58620131,96920122,29620112,55620102,547 *The figure for each year was extrapolated from the number in post on 01 April for each respective year We do not routinely release the workforce requirement figures of Army regiments or specialist professions as doing so is likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

How many working dogs the Army had in each year since 2010; and what the requirement was in each of those years.

As at 23 January 2025, there were 113 trained Military Working Dogs (MWD) in the British Army. Determining whether an annual breakdown of MWD in the Army could be provided for each year since 2010 could only be achieved at a disproportionate cost due to information being held in different formats. We would not routinely release the requirement for Military Working Animals due to reasons of operational security.

How many engineers there were in post in the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) RAF in each year since 2010.

This information is being withheld as it would prejudice the capability, security and effectiveness of UK Armed Forces, and could provide tactical advantage to hostile forces.

What the RAF training budget was in each year since 2010.

The below table provides the Royal Air Force budget for training between financial years (FY)2018-19 and 2023-24. This includes Phase 1 (basic training) and Phase 2 (initial training) costs. It is not possible to provide figures for the entire period requested. YearFY2018-19FY2019-20FY2020-21FY2021-22FY202-23FY2023-24Total£55.482 million£73.274 million£65.237 million£70.998 million£66.007 million£86.206 million

How many engineers there were in the Army on 1 April 2024; and what the requirement was.

As of 1 April 2024, there were 26,030 Army Trade Trained Regular, Gurkha and Trained Reserve Engineers. We do not routinely release the workforce requirement figures of Army regiments for reasons of operational security. The Trade Trained Regular Army only exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, Army Reserve and all other Reserves, but includes those personnel that have transferred from Gurkha Trained Army Personnel (GURTAP) to UK Trained Army Personnel (UKTAP). Reserve figures are for Trained Army Group A Reservists for Army. Group A includes Volunteer Reserves, Mobilised Volunteer Reserves, High Readiness Reserves and University Officer Training Course (OTC) Support & training staff. The 'Engineering' trades listed above are defined in line with the agreed definition from the Defence Engineer Remuneration Review (DERR).

What the (a) number of and (b) requirement for medical service personnel was on 1 April 2024.

I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces. Whilst a statistical release of overall Armed Forces strength is published annually, strength and capability statistics for certain specialisations are not released. Releasing the current strength and requirement of medical service personnel, or indeed other specialised professions, could be exploited by our adversaries to target, disrupt and degrade an important element of Armed Forces capability.

What the Army training budget was in each year since 2010.

The Department has interpreted training to mean the budget for direct training exercises only. This includes Phase 1 (basic training) and Phase 2 (initial training) costs. The below table highlights the Army’s budget for training between financial years (FY)2018-19 and 2023-24. As a result of changes in accounting practices, it is not possible to provide figures for the entire period requested. YearFY2018-19 FY2019-20 FY2020-21 FY2021-22 FY2022-23 FY2023-24 Total£90.998 million£95.057 million£93.499 million£91.225 million£98.883 million£104.749 million