Written questions by Cartlidge.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19740 on Ukraine: Military Aid, how many of the 4,000 drones were procured since 5 July 2024.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 December 2024 to Questions 19737, 19738 and 19740. For operational security reasons he will understand that it is not possible to provide more detailed procurement and delivery schedules. This Government is steadfast in our commitment to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. On 10 July 2024 the Prime Minister announced that the UK will provide Ukraine with £3 billion a year of military support for as long as needed.

Whether it remains Government policy that at least 60% of sub-contracting companies working on fleet solid support ships should be from the UK.

The overall build strategy for the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships remains unchanged. All three ships will be assembled in the UK, with blocks manufactured in Navantia’s shipyards in Spain and in Harland and Wolff’s shipyards in the UK, retaining the overall UK workshare as originally planned. The value of the individual contracts is commercially sensitive information. It is expected that approximately 60 per cent of the contract value will be with UK companies. The FSS ship contract will create more than 1,200 UK shipyard jobs and around 800 jobs will be sustained in the UK supply chain. There is also substantial investment being made in the UK including around £100 million into UK shipyards. As prime contractor for the FSS Programme, Navantia UK is responsible for delivery of the contract and is in the process of letting a number of contracts to UK companies, in addition to those already let with BMT and Harland & Wolff.

Whether it is his policy to deliver the commitments of the Defence Nuclear Enterprise Command Paper published on 25 March 2024.

Nuclear deterrence is critically important to our national security and this Government maintains an unwavering commitment to our nuclear deterrent, illustrated by the nuclear triple lock. This includes the ongoing build of the four Dreadnought Class submarines at Barrow-in-Furness, maintaining our continuous at sea deterrent, and the delivery of all future upgrades needed for the UK’s submarines to patrol the waters and keep our country safe.

Whether all crew assigned to (a) HMS Albion and (b) HMS Bulwark have been reassigned to other platforms.

All of the remaining crew from HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark have been reassigned: either to other platforms, to training courses, or into other positions supporting the Royal Navy's highest priority outputs.A small number of Royal Navy personnel have been retained to manage onboard systems and safety until final disposal.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 December to Question 18156 on Army: Vehicles, whether he plans to increase the numbers of Heavy Equipment Transporters procured as new track vehicles entering use in the Army.

There is no current plan to increase the number of Heavy Equipment Transporters (HET) procured as new track vehicles enter use in the Army. The number of HET provided under the existing service contract is deemed sufficient to meet the Army’s operational and training requirements.

Whether he is taking steps to help sustain shipbuilding jobs at (a) Belfast and (b) Appledore shipyards.

This Government recognises the vital role shipbuilding and its skilled workforce plays, not only in our national security but also in the economic prosperity and growth of the United Kingdom. A commercial deal has been reached that will see Navantia UK purchase Harland and Wolff. We welcome the commercial deal by Navantia UK that secures the future of Harland and Wolff, protecting around 1,000 jobs at all four shipyards across the UK, including Belfast and Appledore.

Whether the new National Armaments Director will be required to have had significant experience in the defence industry.

Details of the required and desired experience for the new National Armaments Director role will be detailed in the job description, which will be published shortly.

Whether he plans to allocate additional funding for the Long-Range Area Affects Programme in financial year (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.

The Long-Range Area Effects (LRAE) project is currently pre-concept. Defence is considering its wider Deep Fires options subject to outcomes of the Strategic Defence Review.

With reference to the response of Lord Robertson to Question 1 in the Defence Committee Session on the Strategic Defence Review, HC 484 on 3 December 2024, if he will list the political parties that have made a formal written submission to the Strategic Defence Review.

In the Review's initial evidence-gathering phase, the Reviewers set out to consult widely, including with Parliament, the Defence community, academia, industry and our closest Allies and Partners, including NATO. We received several responses from UK political parties and cross-party committees with membership across several parties.

When he plans to respond to Question 17170 on Puma Helicopters tabled by the hon. Member for South Suffolk on 2 December 2024.

The Puma aircraft based in the Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) on the island of Cyprus have historically supported emergency response across the SBAs, as well as providing firefighting, troop movement, training and defence engagement tasks. Defence is exploring options to fulfil some short-term capability gaps, before the H-145 platform enters service from 2026. Defence's Strategic Objectives will continue to be fulfilled.

How much funding he has allocated for urgent capability requirements for Estonia in (a) this financial year and (b) each of the next three financial years.

Urgent Capability Requirements (UCRs) are rapidly implemented capabilities delivered to the front line to meet urgent operational needs. The department cannot comment publicly on the specific costs associated with operations in Estonia, as the Ministry of Defence continues to deploy to this location and must protect operationally sensitive information. UCRs are reviewed on a rolling monthly basis to ensure the capability is still required and provides value for money.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 December to Question 19375 on Strategic Defence Review, whether he plans to report the Strategic Defence Review to Parliament before 30 June 2025.

The Reviewers are reporting regularly on progress to the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Defence Secretary and will make their final report to them in the spring of 2025. The Secretary of State for Defence will subsequently publish a version of that report to Parliament. It will then be implemented by the Ministry of Defence.

Whether he plans to implement all the recommendations in the Haythornthwaite Review into Armed Forces Incentivisation.

The Government is committed to renewing the nation’s contract with those who serve. We have already taken action including delivering the largest pay rise for our Armed Forces in over 20 years, expanding wraparound childcare support for Service families deployed overseas and introducing legislation to establish an independent Armed Forces Commissioner. We welcome the Haythornthwaite Report, which was published under the previous Government and have engaged with Rick Haythornthwaite to discuss our plans to deliver widespread improvements to service personnel life. This activity is being coordinated through a portfolio approach and includes numerous programmes and projects that directly address the report’s recommendations. Implementation will be incremental, with targeted improvements evaluated and then potentially scaled up to the wider workforce. Several longer-term programmes are also underway to drive the culture change needed to embrace a total reward approach.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 December to Question 19373 on Armed Forces: Private Education, how much of the (a) £95 million and (b) £104.4 million will be used to fund the uprating of CEA in (i) 2024-25, (ii) 2025-26, (iii) 2026-2027 and (iv) 2028-29.

The estimated cost of Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) for Financial Year (FY) 2024-25 is £95 million. This includes a £4 million increase for spring term 2025 as a result of the re-rating exercise done for December 2024, a response to the addition of VAT on independent schools. CEA with the current rates would be estimated to cost £104.4 million for a full year; however, estimating actual spend for FY 2025-26 is not possible as rates will be reviewed before the next academic year starting September 2025.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2024 to Question 18982 on Ministry of Defence: Employers’ Contributions, how much HM Treasury will contribute towards the increased cost of National Insurance contributions for the Department in the next financial year.

As set out in the Autumn Budget, the Government has set aside funding to support the public sector with employer National Insurance Contributions. Details of the funding set aside for 2025-26, including its allocation, will be published in the usual way.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Major defence reforms launched, with new National Armaments Director to tackle waste and boost industry, published on 25 October 2024, how the new National Armaments Director (NAD) role will defer in practice in their (a) duties and (b) responsibilities from the current NAD role.

The National Armaments Director (NAD) will be a Senior Civil Servant appointment.Currently the Chief Executive Officer of Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) acts as the UK representative that is responsible for ensuring DE&S delivers the right equipment in line with NATO Conference of NAD (CNAD) requirements. Apart from continuing to be the UK representative on several NATO boards, all other responsibilities of the role will be new.Recruitment of the future NAD is ongoing, and we expect to invite applications shortly. Details of the new NAD duties and responsibilities and the associated renumeration package will be available in the job description once published.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Major defence reforms launched, with new National Armaments Director to tackle waste and boost industry, published on 25 October 2024, what the rank of the National Armaments Director will be.

The National Armaments Director (NAD) will be a Senior Civil Servant appointment.Currently the Chief Executive Officer of Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) acts as the UK representative that is responsible for ensuring DE&S delivers the right equipment in line with NATO Conference of NAD (CNAD) requirements. Apart from continuing to be the UK representative on several NATO boards, all other responsibilities of the role will be new.Recruitment of the future NAD is ongoing, and we expect to invite applications shortly. Details of the new NAD duties and responsibilities and the associated renumeration package will be available in the job description once published.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Major defence reforms launched, with new National Armaments Director to tackle waste and boost industry, published on 25 October 2024, what the remuneration package will be for the new National Armaments Director role; and how that package will differ from the current one.

The National Armaments Director (NAD) will be a Senior Civil Servant appointment.Currently the Chief Executive Officer of Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) acts as the UK representative that is responsible for ensuring DE&S delivers the right equipment in line with NATO Conference of NAD (CNAD) requirements. Apart from continuing to be the UK representative on several NATO boards, all other responsibilities of the role will be new.Recruitment of the future NAD is ongoing, and we expect to invite applications shortly. Details of the new NAD duties and responsibilities and the associated renumeration package will be available in the job description once published.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 6342 on Skynet, whether SKYNET 6A satellite procurement remains on schedule.

Airbus Defence and Space has not changed their estimate for the launch date for the Skynet 6A satellite since the answer to Question 6342 was provided on 14 October 2024.

What progress he has made on providing a clear demand signal to the UK’s sovereign complex weapons industrial base.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has prioritised long term strategic relationships with our UK sovereign complex weapons industrial base. The MOD has recently signed the PMA2 with MBDA, through which weapon systems design, development, production, and support will be conducted. It presents a significant opportunity to counter current and future threats, providing military capability choice to the UK and Europe. Renewing this partnership for a further 10 years means we can deliver battle-winning equipment to our Armed Forces, while securing thousands of UK jobs and delivering significant savings to the taxpayer. It is an excellent example of the value and importance of long-term strategic collaboration with our industry partners. The MOD is exploring further opportunities for strategic supplier partnerships across the UK Complex Weapons industrial base. The MOD are awaiting the outcome to the Str prior to committing to future demands at this point.