Written questions by Robinson.

What information his Department holds on the number of claimants to the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme who have less than 12 months to live; and whether they are being prioritised.

IBCA are prioritising claims for those who are sadly nearing the end of their lives, followed by older age groups, as recommended by the Infected Blood Inquiry.Based on community feedback, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is prioritising claims for people who have been told by a medical professional that they may have 12 months or less to live. This is regardless of whether they are infected, affected, a beneficiary of an estate of a deceased infected person, or registered with an Infected Blood Support Scheme. IBCA collects information regarding this via their registration service, allowing them to prioritise claims appropriately.The delivery of compensation is a matter for the IBCA as an operationally independent body. IBCA publishes regular updates on its website of the progress made in delivering compensation, including how many individuals have received compensation payments across all groups. The latest update can be found here: https://ibca.org.uk/statistics/registration-and-compensation-progress-update-9-April-2026.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) capacity of and (b) progress within the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme.

As of 9 April, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) has paid over £2 billion in compensation. As of 1 October 2025, IBCA had asked every living infected person who is registered with a support scheme to come forward and start their claim. IBCA has now opened the service for the first claims from infected people who were never compensated, deceased infected people, and living affected people. This met the Government’s targets for compensation delivery in 2025. With each new cohort, IBCA are starting small, allowing them to learn what additions to the claim service are needed. This will allow them to open their service to more people as the service is built around specific needs. Whilst the roll out of the scheme is an operational decision for IBCA as an independent body, the Government fully supports its commitment to moving forward as swiftly as possible.

How much his Department paid the Davies Group for services relating to the handling of civil compensation claims in each of the last five financial years.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question 111121 on 23 March 2026. This is available at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-02-05/111121

What his expected timeline is for concluding all claims to the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme, including those with registered intent.

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) Framework Document, published in March 2025, sets out the timelines agreed between IBCA and Cabinet Office; namely for the bulk of infected people to be paid no later than the end of 2027 and the bulk of affected people to be paid no later than the end of 2029.I have been absolutely clear that these dates should not be viewed as targets for delivery, but rather ‘backstops’. These timescales have been agreed with IBCA, to ensure that the door is kept open for those who have not yet identified themselves as being infected or affected.The Government fully supports IBCA in its commitment to move forward as swiftly as possible, and it is a positive step that all registered infected people have now been contacted to begin their claim, and that IBCA has started the first claims from all eligible groups.

What is the total monetary value of the contract between his Department and the Davies Group for the handling, administration and negotiation of civil compensation claims against his Department.

The current contract limit of liability between the Ministry of Defence and the Davies Group is £10,195,000 ex VAT.

What the average caseload was per Davies Group claims handler authorised to negotiate settlements in each of the last five years.

The resourcing of the contract is a matter for the Davies Group. The Ministry of Defence maintains regular engagement with the Davies Group to provide support as required and to discuss resourcing matters.

What the ratio is of claims handlers to active compensation claims in each UK jurisdiction in each of the last five financial years.

The resourcing of the contract is a matter for the Davies Group. The Ministry of Defence maintains regular engagement with the Davies Group to provide support as required and to discuss resourcing matters.

How many of the claims handlers employed by the Davies Group with authority to negotiate and settle claims on behalf of his Department are (a) full-time employees,(b) part-time employees and (c) agency, contractor or temporary staff.

The resourcing of the contract is a matter for the Davies Group. The Ministry of Defence maintains regular engagement with the Davies Group to provide support as required and to discuss resourcing matters.

How many Davies Group claims handlers with authority to negotiate and settle Ministry of Defence compensation claims are assigned to claims arising in Northern Ireland or from NI solicitors firms.

The resourcing of the contract is a matter for the Davies Group. The Ministry of Defence maintains regular engagement with the Davies Group to provide support as required and to discuss resourcing matters.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the number of Davies Group claims handlers with authority to negotiate resolutions for managing the volume of outstanding civil compensation claims, including noise-induced hearing loss claims.

The Ministry of Defence and Davies Group continue to monitor closely and flex resources in response to surges in the number of NIHL claims. Davies Group staffing levels have increased over the past twelve months, and a further recruitment campaign is underway. The situation is dynamic and under constant review during frequent and regular communications between the Department and Davies Group.

By what percentage the annual value of payments made by his Department to the Davies Group for claims handling services has increased in each of the last five financial years.

Referring to the previous answer to Parliamentary Question (124614) the percentage value of payments made to Davies Group has increased by the proportions below for the financial years (FY) in question: FY2021-22: 106.39%FY2022-23: 25.05%FY2023-24: 16.38%FY2024-25: 753.55%

How many Davies Group claims handlers with authority to negotiate and settle Ministry of Defence compensation claims were assigned to each UK jurisdiction in each of the last five years.

The resourcing of the contract is a matter for the Davies Group. The Ministry of Defence maintains regular engagement with the Davies Group to provide support as required and to discuss resourcing matters.

How many variations, contract extensions or modifications have been made to the contract between his Department and the Davies Group for claims handling services in the last five years; and whether any such variations resulted in an increase in the overall contract value.

There has been an extension to the Davies Group claims handling contract and a consequential increase to the limit of liability.

How many people employed by the Davies Group were authorised to negotiate and settle civil compensation claims on behalf of the Ministry of Defence in each of the last five years.

The resourcing of the contract is a matter for the Davies Group. The Ministry of Defence maintains regular engagement with the Davies Group to provide support as required and to discuss resourcing matters.

How many people served in the Armed Forces as Reservists between 2000 and 2015.

Statistics on UK Reserve Forces are published on gov.uk at the following links: UK Regular Reserve Forces figures between 1 April 1995 - 1 April 2011 have been taken from the UK Reserves And Cadets Strengths available at the following link: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20140116145334/http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php/publications/personnel/military/reserves-and-cadets-strengths UK Volunteer Reserves figures between 1 April 1995 - 1 April 2011 have been taken from the UK Defence Statistics Compendium available at the following link: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20140116145634/http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php/publications/UK-defence-statistics-compendium UK Regular Reserve Forces and Volunteer Reserves figures between 1 April 2012 - 1 April 2015 have been taken from the Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics, the latest edition of the publication is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2025

How many people served in the Armed Forces as Reservists between 1997 and 2015.

Statistics on UK Reserve Forces are published on gov.uk at the following links: UK Regular Reserve Forces figures between 1 April 1995 - 1 April 2011 have been taken from the UK Reserves And Cadets Strengths available at the following link: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20140116145334/http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php/publications/personnel/military/reserves-and-cadets-strengths UK Volunteer Reserves figures between 1 April 1995 - 1 April 2011 have been taken from the UK Defence Statistics Compendium available at the following link: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20140116145634/http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php/publications/UK-defence-statistics-compendium UK Regular Reserve Forces and Volunteer Reserves figures between 1 April 2012 - 1 April 2015 have been taken from the Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics, the latest edition of the publication is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2025

What assessment he has made of the implications for his pension policy of the ruling of the Advocate General for Scotland v Mr Charles Milroy [2026] EAT 25; and what steps he intends to take.

Due to the ongoing legal process, it is not possible to provide a substantive comment on the case. The Ministry of Defence is reviewing the judgment in detail to understand its implications fully and a further update will be provided once that assessment is complete.

How many people served in the Ulster Defence Regiment on a part-time basis between 1970 and 1992.

Electronic data is only held going back to 1984, prior to this the only information held is on the 1975 and 1980 strengths. This information can be found below.The Ulster Defence Regiment Part Time Strength as at 1 April 1975, 1 April 1980 and from 1 April 1984 - 1 April 199201-Apr-922,99001-Apr-913,12001-Apr-903,30001-Apr-893,42001-Apr-883,51001-Apr-873,72001-Apr-863,77001-Apr-853,73001-Apr-844,09001-Apr-804,82001-Apr-756,280Notes:· Figures have been rounded to 10.· Figures are absolute numbers.

How many people served in the Royal Irish Regiment Home Service Battalions on a part-time basis up to and including disbandment in August 2007.

The number of part time personnel who served in the Royal Irish Regiment Home Service Battalions from its formation on 1 July 1992 until August 2007 is shown below: 01-Apr-07-01-Apr-061,17001-Apr-051,21001-Apr-041,30001-Apr-031,39001-Apr-021,50001-Apr-011,68001-Apr-001,78001-Apr-991,91001-Apr-981,96001-Apr-972,01001-Apr-962,12001-Apr-952,26001-Apr-942,48001-Apr-932,70001-Apr-92- Notes: Figures recorded at 01 April of each year so data for 1992 is captured in the 1993 data.By April 2007 all part time personnel had been phased out.Figures have been rounded to 10.Figures are absolute.Figures may not match UK Data Service (UKDS), which is an archived statistical publication preserved on the National Archives web archive and is not revised when data quality improvements are made to the underlying data. Therefore, there may be small differences between the historic Royal Irish (Home Service) figures published in the UKDS archive and those provided in this response.

What performance metrics the Davies Group are held to; and how frequently those metrics are evaluated.

The Davies Group claims management contract requires Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to be reported quarterly. These reports are supplemented by regular fortnightly progress and performance meetings between Ministry of Defence officials and the Davies Group to discuss aspects of contract delivery and formulation of strategies for dealing with claims including the extremely high volumes of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss claims.