Written questions by Twigg.

What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on increasing the number of medical reservists joining the Armed Forces.

People working in the National Health Service have many transferable skills that can be of great benefit to the Armed Forces reserve, whether they be clinicians, such as doctors and nurses, or staff working in leadership or management roles. There have been no recent ministerial discussions on this issue. However, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Defence are working with NHS Employers to ensure that NHS organisations are supportive and flexible when it comes to people joining the Armed Forces reserve, and to enable individuals to train and deploy when needed.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

How many vaccine doses have been purchased for this year’s Flu campaign; and where they were sourced from.

Information on the number of doses procured by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is commercially sensitive.The UKHSA secures sufficient volumes of flu vaccines for the children’s flu programme, to ensure that eligible children aged less than 18 years old who present for vaccination can be offered an appropriate vaccine. General practitioners and community pharmacists are directly responsible for ordering flu vaccines from suppliers, which are used to deliver the national flu programme to all other eligible groups.

Innovation and Technology, which Departments were involved in discussions with Astra-Zeneca on the expansion of the vaccine production plant at Speke Merseyside.

A cross-Government approach is taken to support the UK’s Life Sciences sector. This was the case for Government’s work to explore AstraZeneca’s potential investment in Speke, which involved No10, HM Treasury, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Business and Trade.

What estimate he has made of the required domestic capacity for vaccine production in the event of a pandemic.

As we saw in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring that the United Kingdom’s population has ready access to pandemic vaccines as soon as they are available is critical to our ability to respond to and recover from any future pandemic. Whilst it is not possible to predict the cause of a pandemic in advance, the Government is investing in a range of capabilities to support the development and manufacture of pandemic vaccines when needed. These capabilities include:¾ an advance purchase agreement with CSL Seqirus, which guarantees the UK’s population access to over 100 million doses of a pandemic influenza vaccine, entirely manufactured in the UK; and¾ a partnership with Moderna, which aims to bring mRNA vaccine production capability to the UK and build resilience in the event of a new health emergency by investing in mRNA research and development.In addition to these specific contractual arrangements, the Government is committed to making the UK one of the best places in the world to develop and manufacture new and innovative medicines, including vaccines. This is underpinned by broader support for the life sciences sector, including through the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund, which is a capital grant fund of up to £520 million over five years, from 2025 to 2030, to support UK health resilience and help ensure a robust response to potential future health emergencies.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 24413 on Cardiovascular System: Health Services, for what reason his Department does not hold a breakdown of the data on vascular services for Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

There are no patients coded as waiting on the Referral to Treatment waiting list at the Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust for Vascular Surgery Service. This may be because the vascular service is being coded under a different treatment function, such as under general surgery service which would likely contain data for other services, as well as vascular. As such, the Department does not hold centrally any further breakdown of the data for the waiting time for a first appointment with vascular services at this trust.

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 NHS clinical staff were armed forces reservists in each year since 2010.

This information is not collected nationally. NHS Employers is working with National Health Service organisations to support them in being flexible and supportive employers, so that they can enable their staff to participate in the Armed Forces reserve, and train and deploy when required.

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 agency nurses were employed in each acute hospital trust in the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board area in each year since 2019; and what proportion of all nurses they were.

The information requested is not available.

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

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.