Written questions by Morello.

What steps his Department is taking to provide (a) support and (b) compensation for veterans who left the Armed Forces before 1987 and have since developed health conditions linked to their service.

The War Pension Scheme (WPS) provides no-fault compensation for all ex-service personnel where illness, injury or death is caused by Service before 6 April 2005. Compensation is paid for injuries or illnesses that arise as a result of Service or are made worse by Service. The scheme awards a disablement percentage between 0% and 100%, with those awarded at 20% - 100% receiving an ongoing weekly war pension, and those awarded at 1% - 19% receiving a one-off gratuity payment. The WPS is also open to Veterans diagnosed with diffuse mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos during their military service prior to 6 April 2005, offering either a lump sum or regular payments. The Ministry of Defence delivers a range of services to Veterans and their families. This includes the administration and payment of Armed Forces pensions and compensation, the provision of tailored advice and assistance through the Veterans Welfare Service, Defence Transition Services and the Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans.

What steps he is taking to increase the domestic manufacturing of firearms.

The strategic aim of this Government's Defence Industrial Strategy is to make sure the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy are aligned. The Defence Industrial Strategy will signal to industry the areas we want to grow our onshore production capability, and where we will work with allies. This will ensure the UK has the industrial base needed to meet the potential threats of the future, as well as maximise economic benefits to the UK, ensuring UK suppliers get more value out of our procurement spend. All Ministry of Defence procurement decisions are carefully considered, taking into account not only the capabilities of the equipment but also the wider economic impact and the need to maintain operational sovereignty.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the merits of potential locations for the establishment of new domestic weapons manufacturing facilities.

The strategic aim of this Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy is to make sure the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy are aligned. The Defence Industrial Strategy will signal to industry the areas we want to grow our onshore production capability, and where we will work with allies. This will ensure the UK has the industrial base needed to meet the potential threats of the future, as well as maximise economic benefits to the UK, ensuring UK suppliers get more value out of our procurement spend. In March this Government agreed a £1.6 billion deal provides thousands of air defence missiles for Ukraine, boosting UK jobs and growth through a trebling of Thales’s Belfast based production of lightweight multirole missiles. BAE Systems has announced that it will deliver a sixteen-fold increase in production capacity of 155mm artillery shells when its new explosive filling facility at Glascoed, South Wales, becomes operational this summer.

What steps his Department is taking to provide (a) support and (b) compensation for veterans who have suffered asbestos-related illnesses.

The War Pension Scheme (WPS) provides no-fault compensation for all ex-service personnel where illness, injury or death is caused by Service before 6 April 2005. Compensation is paid for injuries or illnesses that arise as a result of Service or are made worse by Service. The scheme awards a disablement percentage between 0% and 100%, with those awarded at 20% - 100% receiving an ongoing weekly war pension, and those awarded at 1% - 19% receiving a one-off gratuity payment. The WPS is also open to Veterans diagnosed with diffuse mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos during their military service prior to 6 April 2005, offering either a lump sum or regular payments. The Ministry of Defence delivers a range of services to Veterans and their families. This includes the administration and payment of Armed Forces pensions and compensation, the provision of tailored advice and assistance through the Veterans Welfare Service, Defence Transition Services and the Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of legislating for the retrospective application of the Crown Proceedings (Armed Forces) Act 1987.

There are currently no plans to apply the Crown Proceedings (Armed Forces) Act 1987 retrospectively. There is a route to compensation, outside of litigation, for Service personnel who served before May 1987, via the War Pensions Scheme. The War Pensions Scheme is a no-fault scheme which provides compensation for Service personnel who are disabled or die due to injury caused or made worse by service in the UK Armed Forces before 6 April 2005. There are also a range of supplementary pensions and allowances payable, including for dependants.

What discussions he has had with European allies on developing joint weapon production initiatives.

The Secretary of State for Defence continues to discuss defence capability matters, including on joint production, procurement and future development, with a range of our European Allies on a regular basis, both bilaterally and through multilateral fora. For example, the Secretary of State recently discussed our capability cooperation with France in Paris on 11 March, before discussing wider European industrial collaboration at the E5 defence ministers meeting on 12 March. I also have regular conversations with my counterparts. We continue to promote and encourage European Allies to co-design, co-develop and co-produce through a number of initiatives, including through UK-led Multinational Procurement Initiatives and DIAMOND.

What assessment his Department has made of the future (a) role of and (b) funding arrangements for the Army Reserve Centre in Dorchester.

The Department recognises the invaluable contributions made by the Army Reserves to Defence. Ensuring they have adequate support remains both a priority of mine, and the Ministry of Defence, demonstrated by the fact I have commissioned an internal review in Defence to ensure that we are making the most of the unique contribution our Reserve Forces offer. Any decisions about future investment in Reserve Centres occupied by the Army are pending the outcome of the Strategic Defence Review.

What plans his Department has to improve the recruitment and retention of Army Reservists.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 19 March 2025 to Question 33164 to the hon. Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire North (Alison Taylor).

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) the Army Reserve Centre in Dorchester and (b) other Army Reserve Centres have adequate (i) resources and (ii) infrastructure to support (A) recruitment and (B) training.

The Department recognises the invaluable contributions made by the Army Reserves to Defence. Ensuring they have adequate support remains both a priority of mine, and the Ministry of Defence, demonstrated by the fact I have commissioned an internal review in Defence to ensure that we are making the most of the unique contribution our Reserve Forces offer. Any decisions about future investment in Reserve Centres occupied by the Army are pending the outcome of the Strategic Defence Review.

Whether his Department has conducted a feasibility study on increasing domestic production of critical weapon systems.

The Strategic Defence Review will determine the roles and capabilities required by UK Defence to meet the challenges and threats of the twenty-first century. The Prime Minister’s February announcement that spending on defence will increase to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027 reflects ongoing global instability.This increased spending will sustain the UK’s globally competitive defence industry, supporting highly skilled jobs and apprenticeships across the whole of the UK. The Defence Industrial Strategy will also review consideration of the sovereign capability and capacity required in the UK.An example of early action against our security and economic priorities is the £1.6 billion deal to supply thousands of advanced air defence missiles to Ukraine. The deal will support 700 existing jobs at Thales in Belfast, will see production of lightweight-multirole missiles at Thales’s factory treble and will also benefit companies in the Thales Supply Chain across the UK.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Gravehawk air defence system recently supplied to Ukraine in countering Russian aerial threats.

Gravehawk is a bespoke air defence system rapidly developed for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and jointly funded by the United Kingdom and Denmark. Designed to be capable of engaging air threats in Ukraine, it was tested in the UK prior to transfer to Ukraine, proving basic operating capability.In Autumn 2024, two prototypes were handed over to the AFU and completed successful testing against representative targets, which confirmed full operating capability. The positive response from the AFU and their subsequent formal request for additional Gravehawk systems corroborated this assessment.We cannot comment on the operational employment of systems by the AFU.

What assessment his Department has made of the threat posed to underwater cables by foreign states; and what steps he is taking to protect this infrastructure.

Subsea cables are critical to UK telecommunications digital infrastructure, and we are committed to maintaining and enhancing the security and resilience of that infra- structure. We continue to co-ordinate with HMG partners, particularly DSIT who own subsea cables policy, as well as security partners, the subsea cables industry and international bodies to assess and understand risks to subsea cables.