Written questions by Maguire.

What process there is for former members of the armed forces who left service after 6 May 2023 to apply for the King’s Coronation Medal; and when his Department plans to provide further details on this application process.

As at 26 February 2025, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Medal Office has despatched 144,155 medals to Service personnel, Veterans, Cadets, MOD civilian personnel and agency personnel sponsored by the MOD. The timeline for issuing the remainder of medals to eligible personnel is dependent on the confirmation from Veterans of their home address as once an individual leaves service, the efficacy of records significantly reduces. The MOD continues to explore methods of contacting those individuals who have left the Armed Forces since the 6 May 2023, as it is important to ensure that medals do not go astray by sending to unconfirmed addresses. Any veteran can apply for medals at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/apply-medal-or-veterans-badge/apply-for-a-medal.

What steps are taken against permanent staff at the Army Foundation College who develop (a) sexual and (b) otherwise intimate relationships with recruits.

Sexual relationships between instructors and trainees are unacceptable. The Army Foundation College Harrogate fully implements the MOD’s Zero Tolerance policy to sexual relationships between instructors and trainees. Instructors or personnel in a position of authority, who engage in sexual relationships with trainees or recruits at any stage of training, where the sexual relationship took place whilst the trainee or recruit was still in training, are abusing their position of trust, may be committing an offence, and will be discharged from Service.

On how many occasions staff at the Army Foundation College have been disciplined for violent behaviour against recruits in each year since 2013; and what the nature was of each incident.

From 2013 to 2024, there have been 14 occasions where staff or former staff at the Army Foundation College Harrogate were convicted of an offence via Court Martial or Summary Hearing for violent behaviour against recruits. The 14 occasions consisted of eight Court Martials and six Summary Hearings. A further break down of figures may be disclosive and trigger potential breaches of the Data Protection Act.

How many and what proportion of army recruits participating in the long course at the Army Foundation College left the army before completing the course in 2024.

Of the 707 Junior Entry trainees that were due to complete training in 2024 as a result of starting the long course at the Army Foundation College in 2023, 198 left and discharged from training prior to completing the course. This equated to 28% of the total discharging from the course prior to completion. The main reason for early discharge was individuals exercising their “Discharge As Of Right”, i.e. voluntary discharge. An average of 167 personnel discharged voluntarily between 2013 and 2023.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 24080 on Joint Expeditionary Force, how many full-time permanent employees are employed by the Joint Expeditionary Force HQ.

11 personnel are engaged on the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) on a full-time basis at the Standing Joint Force Headquarters, the JEF HQ.

How much funding he has provided for Operation Interflex in each year since its launch in July 2022.

The Ministry of Defence's spending figures on training in support of Ukraine are £115 million for financial year 2022-23 and £200 million for financial year 2023-24. Figures for the current financial year will be released in due course.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled UK to extend training programme for Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel throughout 2025, published on 6 September 2024, if he will make it his policy to extend Operation Interflex into 2026, subject to conflict in Ukraine continuing into that year.

In late 2024 the Secretary of State extended Op INTERFLEX into 2025. We continually assess how we can improve our training offer to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Operation INTERFLEX remains our main training effort in support of Ukraine and, together with our international partners, we have trained over 51,000 Ukrainian personnel since June 2022. The UK is committed to working with partners to meet Ukraine's training requirements now and in the future.

How many full-time permanent MOD staff have worked on coordinating Operation Interflex in each year since 2002.

The table below is based on those who have been involved in co-ordinating Operation INTERFLEX for each of the six Tranches, which to date have delivered more than 51,000 trained Ukrainians. The table includes those assigned to INTERFLEX HQ, the training delivery units and the logistic support element. Please note the UK delivers Op INTERFLEX in conjunction with our partners. Canada, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand, Lithuania, Australia, Romania, Netherlands, Kosovo, and Estonia are all supporting the training programme. Albania will also be joining from the end of February, so UK personnel numbers alone do not represent output of total personnel. TrancheDates fromNo of UK Personnel1Jun-221,3892Jan-231,2703Jul-231,2704Jan-243885Jul-244286Jan-25369

What estimate he has made of the (a) number and (a) value of unclaimed armed forces (i) preserved and (ii) deferred pensions; and what steps he is taking to pass those pensions to beneficiaries.

The answer to this question could only be provided at disproportionate cost as all Armed Forces’ pensions would require review and a forecast conducted to confirm they are payable and to give a value. However, it may be helpful to know that with regards to unclaimed pensions, once a pension reaches 60 working days past the point of being due for payment, proactive attempts are made to trace the pensioner. On receiving a current address, an explanatory letter and application form is sent advising that a pension may be due, and if returned, the deferred pension is put into payment. Where there is information advising that the individual is deceased, the Ministry of Defence engages to confirm whether there are dependants and then process as normal.

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to (a) increase the role of the private sector within the defence sector and (b) allow industry partners to carry out essential cyber defence activities.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works with multiple industry partners to carry out essential cyber defence activities. The Department works in a collaborative and integrated way across the technology and security sectors to deliver defensive cyber capabilities across Defence. There are two main Defensive Cyber Programmes that aim to bring in new technologies, processes, and ways of working to reduce cyber risk exposure across UK Defence. The programmes include a range of small, medium, and larger technology partners as part of their delivery ecosystems and are informed through insights gained via a wider group of Defence Industry partners through the Defence Cyber Protection Partnership (DCPP). Furthermore, the new Defence Industrial Joint Council (DIJC) will be a future-focused and representative defence sector council that will extensively engage the private sector and other key industry partners, allowing them to help deliver Ministerially-endorsed and MOD official-endorsed recommendations into the Department.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential impact of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 on the (a) effectiveness and (b) operational capabilities of UK defence.

The Ministry of Defence operates within the Computer Misuse Act 1990, and we ensure that our activities are legally covered. We do not comment on details for security reasons. The Computer Misuse Act (CMA) plays a vital role in ensuring that the UK has the right legislative framework to allow us to tackle cyber harms. The Government is committed to ensuring the CMA remains up to date and effective to tackle criminality.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 20117 on Defence Equipment Expenditure, when his Department plans to send that letter.

The response to Question 20117 on Defence Equipment Expenditure is in the process of being finalised and will be sent shortly.

Pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2024 to Question 16652 on Military Bases, if his Department will now provide a response.

I’d like to thank the hon. Member for her question. As she will understand collating this data is a considerable exercise but I’m pleased to confirm that I wrote to her on 27 January 2025 and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

How many (a) UK and (b) other personnel were in the Joint Expeditionary Force in each year since 2016; and how much the UK has contributed to the Joint Expeditionary Force in the same period.

The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) HQ is operated through the UK Standing Joint Force Headquarters, which undertakes several commitments. Depending on the activity, the HQ can routinely provide up to 82 people from across 10 nations, with further augmentation from across the forces; for example, JOINT PROTECTOR in November 2024 saw an augmentation of a further 36 UK personnel. The advantage of the JEF is its ability to scale up dynamically in accordance with the requirement by generating forces from across 10 nations to meet the specific need encountered. An additional three personnel in the MOD are also permanently engaged managing the UK’s commitments to the JEF as the Framework Nation, with Participant Nation provided desk officers in each of their own Ministry of Defence (MOD) equivalent strategic HQs. Numbers of personnel engaged in JEF activity since 2016 have not been overall recorded. However, approximate figures have been captured since 2021: YearJEF ActivityTotal No of PersonnelUK Personnel2021Ex JOINT PROTECTOR 215003502022Op MARZANNA 22 - Ex JOINT PROTECTOR 22200 - 500150 - 3502023ASGARD 23 - JEF WARRIOR JEF - Response Option 3.2300 - 30 - 700200 - 20 - 3502024NORDIC WARDEN - Ex JOINT PROTECTOR700 - 400350- 3002025 (to date)NORDIC WARDEN5020 2,6802,090 As for costs, the JEF provides a framework to pool sovereign resources and coordinate their effect but does not routinely retain or command these national assets from across the Participant Nations, therefore costs remain with the relevant Participant Nation providing them for that specific activity. The JEF Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed in 2018, outlines the requirements and arrangements for nations contributing and participating in JEF activities, with all costs allocated on a case-by-case basis, with the general principle that costs fall where they lie.

How much his Department has spent on recruitment consultants in each year since 2016; and how many personnel have been recruited to the (a) RAF, (b) Army, (c) Navy and (d) Marines in each year since 2016.

Since entering Government, we have taken immediate action to stop all non-essential Ministry of Defence consultancy spending. The information requested specifically on external recruitment consultants is not centrally held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.The intake to the Armed Forces is published in the Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics and can be found online.

If he will make an estimate of the (a) number of days and (b) proportion of expected lifespans that naval vessels spend in maintenance.

All Royal Navy ships rotate through planned operating cycles involving maintenance, upgrades, repair, training and deployment. This results in individual ships being at various levels of readiness at any one time in accordance with the Long-Term Operational Programme (LTOP) and operational needs.

How many of his Department's (a) computers, (b) laptops, (c) phones and (d) USB sticks were (i) lost and (ii) stolen in each month in 2024.

The table below shows the number of computers, USBs, phones and laptops which were either lost or stolen in each month in 2024. The data supplied below is only for incidents which have been closed. Number of computers, USBs, phones and laptops which were either lost or stolen in 2024 (closed incidents) ComputersUSBsPhonesLaptopsJanuary191313February4467March151644April34137May03109June584117July11121910August00611September01198October023719November0142December (up to 15th)0051Total25125159138 We take the security of defence assets very seriously and have robust policies and procedures to prevent losses and thefts. Defence personnel are regularly reminded of their responsibilities to safeguard Defence assets.Proportionate security controls are used to protect electronic devices according to the classification and nature of the information which the asset can hold.

How much his Department spent on (a) weapons, (b) ammunition and (c) armoured fighting vehicles in (i) 2022/2023 and (ii) 2023/24; and what estimate he has made of such spending in 2024/25.

This information is not held centrally and therefore it has not been possible to provide the answer within the allotted time frame. I will write to the hon. Member with an update in due course and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

What the average time is between first inquiry and enlistment for candidates wishing to serve in the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Army.

The new Government inherited a crisis in recruitment. We have made it a priority to address this with a series of work streams designed to increase recruitment and renew the contract between the nation and those who serve to improve retention. Many factors affect the time taken to proceed through the recruiting pipeline. Many candidates proceed much faster than the average when they are well prepared and ready to move quickly. Others take longer, for reasons including:Delays in the receipt of primary healthcare records.Medical deferment for those requiring time to get medically fit.The need to align the start of basic of training with trade training.A candidate’s current domestic, employment and housing situation.A candidate’s choice regarding pace and level of engagement. The requested numerical information is provided in the table below, noting that direct comparisons between each Service should be avoided due to the different processes in use; for example, recruits to the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force must achieve a Security Check level of security clearance before joining. Average Time of Flight taken between Application and Basic Training Starts for Regular Other Ranks UK Nationals in the 12 Months ending 1 October 2024ServiceTime of Flight (Days)Royal Navy (RN) / Royal Marines (RM)279Army249Royal Air Force (RAF)301 Notes:Time of Flight is defined as the time passed in days between the date of application and the date of intake to the untrained strength.​Average Time of Flight is expressed as the median number of days, meaning that Time of Flight for half of all candidates is shorter than the figures provided, and half is longer. For example, half of RN/RM candidates take up to 279 days, with half taking longer.Application data is taken from the Defence Recruitment System and Recruitment IT System (RN and RAF) and matched to intake data from the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system and should reflect time of entry to training.Army figures differ from Recruiting Group (RG) information reported elsewhere due to differing methodologies. The RG figures are intended to support operational decision-makers monitoring operational and pipeline performance.Applications from non-UK candidates are excluded, with Nationality as declared on JPA. Army figures include applications from Irish personnel but exclude applications from other countries and those applicants without a known nationality.For a small number of Navy personnel, application date is recorded as after their intake date, likely due to outflowing and re-joining the Service. These personnel have been excluded from calculations.When an individual has multiple applications to the RAF, the applications closest before their intake was used as the application submission date.Where an application date is not held in the data or an application cannot be matched to intake, such as where there is no corresponding service number or National Insurance number, the case is excluded.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the planned 10% cut to his Department's headcount on military capability.

We are currently reviewing the civil service workforce required to deliver Defence’s strategy, and to align with the Chancellor’s announcement on public spending and the recent budget. We are committed to having an agile and sustainable workforce with the right skills, whilst maximising value for the taxpayer. The Strategic Defence Review will ensure our people are at the heart of Defence’s plans, supporting the security, economic growth and prosperity of the UK. Over time the civil service workforce will be smaller, but also a team that is better able to deliver Defence outputs efficiently and effectively.